Haunted Cruise: The Shakedown Page 3

  "I'm going to get some sleep for a while," Bruce said to Dwight. "Wake me up at three, okay?"

  "Sure, Captain. Have a good rest."

  After escaping to his cabin, Bruce removed his cap, placed it on a rack near the door and started to undress. His eyes were heavy and he was completely exhausted. With nothing more than a pair of grey boxers on, he sprawled across the bed and quickly entered a deep sleep.

  Dwight sat back and relaxed while keeping his eyes on the massive body of water, though checking navigational instruments on the dashboard periodically. For a moment, he beamed with satisfaction, proud to have landed such an honorable job working next to Captain Bruce Arahna, one of the most recognized and skilled captains of his time. He remembered the reaction his parents had when he told them he got the job. He could see they were so proud of him — of the man he had become after they had worked so hard and sacrificed so much to get him through college. He had finally accomplished his dream.

  He sighed as he recalled the tears his mother had shed and how they all hugged each other before he left for the journey at sea that would be the first of many voyages for Dragos Cruises.

  Chapter Five

  The captain abruptly woke up, drenched in sweat. He quickly switched on the lamp and looked around the room. Two worried lines had taken form on his forehead and his heart was racing.

  Immediately, he stood up, got dressed, then hurried back to the bridge. Finding Dwight sitting there looking quite tired, he peered out at the water, but said nothing.

  "Captain," Dwight's expression was one of concern, "are you all right?" He glanced at his watch. "It's just after one o'clock."

  Bruce inched closer to the glass that separated them from everything out there in that vast wilderness. Dwight looked out at the ocean. "Is there something the matter, sir?" he asked.

  Bruce kept looking. His eyes were scanning all directions. "Uh… no," he finally replied. "Nothing's the matter."

  Although he said it, Dwight wasn't so sure. What he saw in Bruce's eyes that night looked like a mixture of worry, dread and fear, and it made him uneasy.

  "Sir?"

  Right then, Bruce seemed to snap out of what had obviously consumed him, if only long enough to effectively communicate with his O.O.W. "I'll take over from here. You go and get some sleep," he told him.

  "Are you sure, sir? I'm really not that sleepy. I can wait until three; that's no problem."

  "No. I'm fine. Had enough rest." He took his seat. The captain's behavior seemed almost alien, somewhat robotic, even though Dwight didn't know the man that long. Strange, was the word that came to his mind.

  "Yes, sir. Well, don't hesitate to call me up earlier if you need me."

  "Yeah."

  He got up. "Well, good night."

  "Good night." Bruce's eyes were still fixated on the water.

  As Dwight walked to his cabin, he couldn't help but feel that there was something the captain wasn't telling him. What else could be the reason for the way he re-appeared at the bridge just a couple of hours after going to bed? He knew there was nothing "off" about the navigational instruments nor their position and thus, no reason for concern. Yet, based on the captain's demeanor and the fact that he was a veteran sailor, something very much seemed amiss.

  * * * *

  Dellie tossed and turned on the single bed. Although, she had rid herself of Rob, he had now entered her dream and something about him didn't look right. He didn't appear as the Rob she knew, but instead as a shell of him. There were no more bulging muscles and meat to his bones, but a mere skeleton of what he used to be. His face was narrow to the extent that the cheek bones clearly protruded and eyes were sunken into their sockets. He looked old and frail, yet Dellie knew it was him - the same Rob she had married and once adored.

  He was standing near the shoreline in an open field in which the surroundings were dismal and gray, staring out at a vast body of water. She wondered what in the world he was looking at. There was nothing there, except for the sea. She felt like she was actually there with him, but could also feel despite that, the loneliness that seemed to cover him like a thick blanket. Rob didn't seem to know that she was right there and she wasn't sure why.

  Dellie suddenly awoke from her sleep, feeling the heavy loneliness inside her heart that Rob had felt in her dream. She sat up, drew her knees toward her chest and slowly rubbed her forehead. Within moments, she heard a tiny voice that pierced the very darkness of the room. At first, she wasn't sure of what she heard, then, "Did you see my daddy?" hit her eardrum in a clearly British accent. Startled, Dellie drew her knees even closer to her chest as if somehow the effort offered certain protection. Then, by the light of the moon, what came into view directly six feet in front of her was a little girl dressed in a pale yellow dress. The child appeared to be around six or seven years old; her dark brown hair stopped loosely at her shoulders. With small, grimy hands and dull gray fingernails, she was tightly clutching a dirty, white teddy bear. A long, bloody tear trailed from one bloodshot eye straight past her cheek.

  "Did you see my daddy?" the girl repeated.

  Unable to utter a single word in response to the cryptic question, Dellie shook her head quickly. Horrified and desperately hoping that both her eyes and ears were playing tricks on her, she instantly reached over and switched on the light, then looked again to where the child was standing. To her immeasurable relief, there was no little girl, no teddy bear, the room was perfectly clear. However, a pure sense of dread now overwhelmed her. She was convinced that the recent stress brought on by her failing marriage had caused her to see things that weren't really there.

  Slipping into her bedroom slippers, she grabbed the long, white robe from the foot of her bed and headed for the door. She desperately needed some fresh air.

  Dellie's cabin didn't come equipped with a verandah, so outside on the promenade was where she ventured to. To her, nothing was comparable to the fresh, sea breeze that brushed the face, bringing with it a sense of peace and tranquility. The dream about Rob lingered in her mind as she leaned forward against the rail looking over at the massive body of water, the slight waves of which the cruise ship seemed unaffected by in the least. The sail with its Dragos Inc. icon was blowing against the wind in domineering fashion and countless lights around the vessel made beautiful, breath-taking highlights in the surrounding water.

  It was great getting away from the normalcy of her life, Dellie thought. She and Rob had never been separated before in spite of their countless troubles. Her time away at sea was never a separation — just a job, yet they never officially parted ways, only stayed together in a home that felt cold and absent of love and happiness. She remembered their wedding day and how it was the absolute happiest day of her life. She was bursting with joy as she hugged her mother and sisters, telling them how elated she was that she and Rob had finally made that incredible step after two years of courting.

  Rob was basically a good guy, though somewhat naturally rough around the edges at times. She knew his upbringing was responsible for that as his entire immediate family had an air of gruffness around them. That explained it and she was accepting of it because she loved him. Now, as she looked back, she thought her naivety was responsible for the situation she found herself in today. Her acceptance of something unpleasant to her, overlooking all the tell-tale signs that sensitivity to her feelings was something her husband seemed incapable of as he was never shown anything remotely close as a child growing up. She found out only years later how dysfunctional his upbringing had been. No display of love from either parent, only physical and emotional abuse; no special birthday celebrations. Rob had never gotten a single gift or even a birthday greeting from either parent; no sticking up for one another — everyone just seemed to exist and fend for themselves; three siblings who barely interacted with each other, but paid more attention to "outsiders". Dellie became aware that times were tough for the family back then, but she always felt that apart from not being able to afford
birthday gifts for their children, as parents, there was always the opportunity to wish their children a happy birthday and do whatever they could to make them feel special — even if it was just cooking their favorite meal. The problem was that love was never expressed in a tangible way and as a result, Rob had brought with him a coldness that Dellie was not used to and never was able to get accustomed to in all the years they had spent together. He had infected their little home with the demons of his past.

  Dellie felt the anger boiling up inside of her. She had done everything she could possibly think of to get him to see the error of his ways, to get help, and to get their life and marriage on track. He refused to look in the mirror of his soul — perhaps too painful a task it was, but his resistance was in the meanwhile eating away at his marriage like a cancer eating away at the bones until there was nothing left to destroy; nothing left to kill; nothing left to revive.

  The tears she had held back for so long were now streaming down her face like a waterfall. The man she once loved far above and beyond herself had destroyed all of their hopes and dreams, their plans, their lives together as a couple. He had killed her spirit and she knew there was no turning back. It was all said and done now as she meant every word she had uttered to him that morning. They would both have to start their lives anew.

  She heard a splash and immediately scanned the seemingly endless body of water to see what caused it. Nothing but tiny waves showed their sleepy heads, so Dellie figured it might have been a jumping fish or a dolphin. The night had been completely silent before that — a silence that had triggered memories she had tried so hard to avoid. Then, further to the right of the deck, she heard a shuffle, then slight… moaning sounds. Yes — she was sure that's what they were. She hastily dried her tears with the back of a hand, then cautiously and quietly advanced toward the area in which she had heard the noise. The closer she got, the more the area reeked of liquor. Several feet away, tucked over in a corner of the deck lay Dragos Jr. and miss Italian knockout, Mattie, wrapped in each other's arms sensually engaged, bald naked!

  Mattie, who was beneath her wealthy, respectable lover, saw Dellie right away and Junior, following Mattie's stare, looked like a deer caught in headlights. Dellie quickly turned away and set off down the deck in the direction from which she came, for a moment disbelieving her very eyes. It couldn't be the son of Dragos Inc.'s founder literally caught with his pants down by an employee. She felt embarrassed, not just for them, but herself.

  "Oops!" Mattie shrieked a silly grin that sounded far heavier than the weight of her tiny frame. By then, Junior had gotten up and started after Dellie.

  "Hey wait!" he called out to her. "Wait there a second!"

  Feeling as if she was just given an order, Dellie abruptly stopped in her tracks and with great hesitance, turned around.

  "Don’t hurry off," Junior said. "Come here a minute."

  "Ah… I'd rather not," Dellie replied spontaneously. He couldn't be serious anyway. He was actually standing there in his birthday suit with his goodies hanging down.

  "Come on!" he motioned with an arm. "I just want to talk to you a minute."

  Sensing that forthcoming was a brief lecture that she should keep her trap shut about the whole disgraceful deal, Dellie slowly approached him.

  The closer she got, the more she could see his eyes and they were slightly red and wild-looking. Little Miss Mattie had already stood up as well and was smiling crazily at nothing. Dellie could tell that they were either drunk or high or both.

  She stopped a mere five feet away from him.

  "What's wrong?" he asked with a sarcastic glare. "Think I'm gonna bite? Relax! It's just good, old Clyde here. Um…no — that's the old man. He's the good one; I'm just his shadow." He glanced back at Mattie and the two started giggling.

  Dellie just looked at them, wondering which planet they thought they were on at that very moment.

  "I want to ask you something," he said, after the laughter died down.

  Just as I figured! Dellie thought. Either the gentle, but stern lecture was in the making or a straight-up bribe.

  "Haven't I seen you around the Plant lately?"

  "I don't know, sir, but I've worked there for a while now," she replied, not knowing if he'll remember any of it by morning.

  "What's your name?"

  "Dellie. Dellie Hayworth."

  "Nice to meet you, Dellie." He extended a hand.

  Dellie approached slightly, highly reluctant to return the courtesy since she could only imagine where that hand might have been recently. With a major inner battle in progress, she forced herself to do it. The man still seemed not bothered in the least that he was naked.

  "Likewise, sir," Dellie returned.

  "Um, this is Mattie, a dear friend of mine," Junior indicated, glancing back.

  "Hi Mattie," Dellie said.

  "Hi!" Mattie quickly raised a hand with another silly grin. "Darling friend, I'm cold," she said to Junior.

  "Relax! I'll only be a minute," he said with eyes fixated on Dellie. "Every so often, it's nice to get outside and just inhale the fresh air. You know what I mean, Dellie?"

  "Yes, I do," she replied.

  "That's why we're out here this time of night. Is that why you came out too?"

  Dellie hesitated. "Yes."

  "Well, we're going back to our cabin now. Sorry that you had to witness our little show, but I was wondering if you'd like to perhaps, join us for a drink, just to kind of make up for the way we must have startled you for a minute there," he said.

  "Oh, no. That's perfectly okay. I'm fine," Dellie tried to assure him.

  "Are you sure?" His gentle voice held an eeriness that made the hair stand up on the back of her neck. "We can do with the company."

  "I'm sure. Thanks for the offer, but I must get back to my cabin."

  "Oh, okay. See you around?"

  "Yes, sir. See you around."

  Dellie gave Mattie a nod and hurried down the deck. She felt terribly uncomfortable about Junior's offer and never dreamt that the young man who walked around with his nose literally in the air could ever behave so recklessly in a public area. She couldn't wait to get back to her room and after slipping in quietly, returned to bed and eventually fell off to sleep.

  Chapter Six

  If Dellie could get any closer to Gwen at the salad counter in the kitchen, she would be rubbing arms with her.

  "You'd never guess what I came upon last night," she whispered somewhat loudly.

  Gwen looked at her suspiciously. "What?" She rested the silver pan in its sunken, allocated spot.

  "You'll never guess."

  "Okay. I'll never guess. What are you talking about, Dell?"

  "Dragos Jr. and his so-called friend were entangled in the heat of passion on the deck last night totally naked!"

  Gwen's eyes opened widely. "You've got to be frigging kidding! No way!"

  "Oh, yes!" Dellie nodded, an eye brow raised.

  "You caught them?"

  "Uh huh."

  "What time was this and what were you doing out there?"

  "Around 2:00 maybe. I needed some fresh air and he claimed they did too," Dellie replied.

  "You mean… he spoke to you?" Gwen was in a complete state of shock and could barely hold her lips together.

  "Oh yes, with every bit of his goodness exposed."

  "No way!" Gwen's eyes appeared to open even wider.

  "Yes way! He didn't care obviously. They reeked of gin or something and God knows what else."

  "How embarrassing!"

  "Only for me, Gwen. Only for me."

  "What was his girlfriend doing?"

  "He didn't refer to her as his girlfriend, but a friend. She was standing there grinning like a clown the whole time. Was on another planet."

  They both chuckled, then stopped suddenly as Andy Baker looked their way.

  "Are you girls getting things together down there?" He shouted from the front of the aisle.

  "Ye
s, sir," Gwen responded.

  Andy turned away.

  "The part I haven't told you yet was that he actually propositioned me to go back to the cabin with them," Dellie said.

  "What? What did you say?"

  "Just what you heard," Dellie answered calmly.

  "What on earth for?"

  "Use your imagination, Gwen."

  "No frigging way!" She blurted out. "What did you tell him?"

  "That I'll pass. That's not my thing."

  Gwen was suddenly at a loss for words.

  "Dellie, I need you to take care of Mr. Dragos and his guest," Andy yelled. "They just walked in the dining room."

  Dellie's heart instantly dropped. "Um, sir, could anyone else serve them instead? I…I have to take a trip to the restroom right now," she replied.

  "Well, make it quick! Can't be anyone else. He specifically asked for you."

  Both girls' eyes widened with shock.

  "He did?" Dellie sought confirmation.

  "Yeah. Hurry up and get back here. We can't keep the man waiting!" This was the chef's busy face — whenever he had to deal with any of the bosses.

  Dellie hurried off to the restroom that she knew she had no intention of using. She had to think quickly; clear the thoughts in her head. Why did Junior ask for me? She wondered. Is he trying to taunt me now in some subtle, unnerving way because I caught him and miss butter face in a highly compromising position? She stood in front of the mirror, staring blankly at herself. How am I going to face them? I still feel so freakin' ashamed!

  She shook her head as if the deed would cause her jumbled thoughts to be perfectly aligned.

  "To hell with it!" she muttered. "Who does that guy think he is? I'm not intimidated by him in the least. And I have absolutely nothing to be ashamed about. They are the ones who should be; not me."

  She cleared her throat, straightened her clothing and headed over to the main dining room.