Chapter 58: The Pink Planet’s Gifts

“I think I need to go see my father, in Lubbock,” Rachel said as she stepped out of the shower and began drying her hair with a towel. “I also need to check on getting a new visa.”

We had dropped off the First Lady yesterday morning and then Rachel and I had spent the last twenty four hours in my bed in the Captain’s Locker, onboard my Bering 120 as we sailed the Gulf of Mexico. I had no idea where Captain Alfred and Captain Tony were headed, as I had left it up to them when Rachel and I disappeared into my cabin yesterday.

“Let me check with the officers,” I replied.

When I addressed them individually, I always referred to the two men with their titles, Captain Alfred or Captain Tony, because I respected them too much to just call them Al or Tony. However, Rachel had taken to calling them ‘the Officers’ collectively, and lately, so had I.

The Captain’s Locker (or stateroom) was located less than five paces from the pilot house on the Bering 120, and in moments, I was standing behind Captain Tony.

“You look like you feel better,” Captain Tony said as he glanced at me.

“I do feel better,” I told him. “I guess I was more tired than I thought.”

“It was a busy week,” he replied.

“Where are we?” I asked. “And where are we headed?”

“We’re right about here,” he said, pointing to our location on the plotter. “Heading two-three-two (Southwest). At our current speed of eleven knots, we’ll be in Cancun this time tomorrow.”

“Rachel wants to go see her family in Lubbock,” I told him.

“Well...” he said as he considered. “You could probably catch a flight out of Cancun. Or ... we could head for Galveston and you could fly out from there. The advantage to Galveston is we could have the bomb blast repair work done there and a few other minor repairs as well. Also, Monique and I have friends in San Antonio that I know she’d like to visit for a few days.”

“How far to Galveston?” I asked. Truth-be-told, I’d rather have any work done on the Cécile be done in the states than other countries on this side of the pond.

Tony studied the charts and did some quick calculations. “We can be in Galveston by Sunday.”

“Okay. Why don’t we head that way and I’ll go talk to the others,” I said as I left the pilothouse. Stopping to collect Rachel, we made our way downstairs.

I found Mom and Archara sitting in the salon talking and sat down with them while Rachel headed for the galley to find us something to eat.

“The White House Social Secretary, Jana Duenas, called on the special iPhone. She said she got the number from the First Lady. After we talked for a while, she decided that our meeting with the President might be better held at Camp David. Fewer reporters. Are you available the weekend of July 17^th and 18^th?” Archara asked.

“Whatever you all decide is fine with me,” I replied. “How would you all feel about heading for Galveston for now? Rachel wants to visit her family in Lubbock for a few days and Captain Tony felt like we could get some repairs done on the Cécile.”

“That means that the girls and I could fly home,” Mom stated excitedly.

The others all began to chime in on the various things they could do and the places they could go. I just excused myself and stepped out to the cockpit to call Cynthiana. I needed to let her know what we were up to, and to see if she could ship the replacement signage to Galveston.

Supper that night was a raucous affair with everyone flitting around, talking at the same time. It seemed to me that after the stressful times we had been through in the last two months, everyone was relieved and just blowing off steam.

Rachel had called her father and discovered that her mother and sisters were there. It seems that her father had become sick and wasn’t recovering as fast as Rachel’s mom thought he should, so she grabbed the kids and came home. They were happy that Rachel was coming and said that they were looking forward to meeting her boyfriend.

Somehow, I kinda doubted that.

Captain Tony and Monique were flying to San Antonio to meet up with some friends. Captain Alfred and Archara were taking their daughters along with Captain Tony’s daughters to Moody Gardens for a couple of days and then to the beach. Captain Alfred reasoned that they would remain close by the marina in case something came up that required an immediate decision.

The marina they had selected was the Seabrook Marina in Galveston. They were one of the largest repair facilities in the area and could handle yachts up to 150’, so the Cécile would fit within those parameters. Cynthiana was airfreighting me the replacement signs and they should arrive by the time we got there.

Carina had decided to return to her home in Cannes, but would be back for our meeting at Camp David in four weeks. She was still undecided on what to do about Roland. Archara had told me he had moved out, but felt like he would come to his senses sooner or later. I decided to send one of the twins to escort her. I’d let them decide. The other would be staying with Captain Alfred, Archara, and the teens.

Finally I decided I’d had enough of the clamor.

“I’m going to bed!” I thought to Rachel.

“I’ll be right behind you,” she thought back wearily. I decided that this mental communicating might prove to be a good thing as I climbed two flights of steps to the bridge deck. Did they make elevators for yachts?

Friday morning proved to be overcast with two to three foot swells coming from a front that was moving southeast off the coast of Texas. The wind about was nine knots but it was a warm breeze, so I didn’t bother to get dressed. The Cécile barely rocked in the waves and unless you looked outside, you could hardly tell we were moving, much less moving through moderate seas. If we had been on the Serendipity or the Windsong, we would have felt the rough seas for sure.

Mom had made me muffins and bacon for breakfast, with some of the orange marmalade they had picked up in Florida. I was alone at the table so I quickly devoured my breakfast. Mom brought out a carafe of fresh coffee and two cups, then settled across the table from me.

It was a testament to my mom that she had finally become comfortable talking with me without any clothes on. I won’t say she was exactly comfortable with the nude lifestyle, but she seemed to tolerate it fairly well now.

“I want to talk to you,” she said as she poured our coffees.

I involuntarily shuddered at her pronouncement. Maybe it was a ‘guy’ thing, or a ‘son’ thing, but those words from a female, especially our mom, usually strikes terror into our hearts.

“I’m proud of you,” she began. “You saved the First Lady’s life, and you saved her Secret Service agent’s life. You also saved little Sadie’s life and saved Uncle Buck and Aunt Betty’s fish camp. You saved the entire yacht from that exploding fishing trawler and you saved Alfred’s life back in Martinique. You also saved that pregnant woman and her daughter back in Texas.

“I don’t understand everything that happened on the golf course that day, but Carina and Archara said that you probably saved our whole family again. I’m not sure how all this came about, and I sure don’t know what it means for our future, but I have come to realize that my little boy has grown up and became as fine a man as I could ever envision!”

Then she stood and came around the table to stand behind me as she threw her arms around my neck and hugged me as tight as she could. I was immediately distracted by the feel of my mother’s warm breasts on my back so it took me a moment to realize she was crying.

“It’s okay, Mom,” I told her. “I’m still your little boy.”

For some reason, that just made her cry more.

Rachel came in and sat down next to me and when Mom noticed her, she quickly pulled away.

“I’m just so proud of him. He has grown so much since we sent him to France last year,” she said to Rachel as she wiped the tears from her eyes. “Would you like some breakfast, dear? It’s just muffins and bacon.”

“That would be fine,” Rachel told her as mom left for the galley.

Then she looked at me as if to ask, “What’s up with that?”

“I think my mom is seeing me with new eyes,” I offered.

“Well, that explains it!” she replied.

“Explains what?” I asked.

“Last night, before I came to bed, she spent some time just talking to me. It’s the first time that she has done that since I came onboard. Then she invited me, us, to come to visit her in Atlanta soon,” Rachel explained.

“Oh...” I said. I still wasn’t sure what to make of all this.

“Silly! Your mom has finally realized that her baby has become a man!” she said as if that explained everything. I still wasn’t sure exactly what that meant.

Mom brought Rachel breakfast and another carafe of coffee and then once more seated herself across the table from us.

“I didn’t mean to embarrass you,” Mom started. “It just suddenly overwhelmed me to think of all that you have been able to do. What I wanted to ask you was ... what is this ‘pink planet’ that everyone keeps referring to?”

I couldn’t help the surprise that showed on my face. I mean, I hadn’t tried to keep it a secret and just assumed that she had heard about it from the other ladies and that they had explained it to her.

“Alex, your mom has heard about it, but I don’t think that anyone has sat down and actually explained it to her,” Rachel said to me softly.

“I’m not sure I can really explain it,” I told my mom. “How much do you already know?”

“Just assume I know absolutely nothing,” Mom replied. “And start at the beginning and tell me everything.”

“I’m not exactly sure when it started, but do you remember back when I was in that golf tournament in the Bahamas and we had to leave suddenly? And you and Kelly Ann and Jenna came with us? Well, a couple of days after that, Jenna and I kissed for the first time. And it felt like we were so in sync with each other that we were traveling through space. Then you and Archara came in and everything fizzled out in the chaos. Remember?” I asked her.

“I remember walking through a bright light and then there you were,” she replied.

“Then later, Carina became upset with me and we argued. Captain Alfred decided that enough was enough and so he rowed Carina and me to a nearby island and stranded us there until we could work out our differences.”

“I definitely remember that,” Mom replied. “Go on.”

“Well, Carina and I worked out our differences and began to make up. Except this time, when we kissed, our passions seemed to be greater than ever and as they combined, I could feel more ... er, positive power, I guess, flowing through us. We didn’t really see anything different, but just about everybody on the ship said that the whole island seemed to light up,” I explained.

“Oh, yes!” Mom exclaimed. “It looked like you were both on fire or something!”

“After that, it seemed like every time I kissed someone whose passion somehow resonated with mine, we produced what Isabella started calling the ‘Bright Lights’.

“About a month or so later, when we picked up the Motor Yacht Friedlich in Antalya and Jeanne was with us, we got to experimenting with first Jeanne and then later Nicole, and that’s when we discovered that if the power our kissing generated were great enough, we would see this pink-colored planet. That first time with Nicole, we both actually heard the voice say that I shouldn’t be strong enough to be there yet.”

“Soon after that, I was with Carina, on the bow of the Windsong, when we kissed. And this time, when we saw the pink planet, voices came into our head. They were teaching us. We were there for a long time, but when we returned to the bow of the Windsong, the sun was still setting.

“There may have been a couple of more times, but I can’t recall them all. Then ... we arrived in Martinique and the Serendipity was destroyed and well ... I haven’t kissed anyone for a long time. Not until we boarded the Cécile some six weeks ago. And even then, I never returned to the pink planet. That is ... not until we left Málaga.”

“So that was your first time to go back to the pink planet since the Serendipity?” Rachel asked.

“It’s also how I knew that you were special,” I said as I looked into her eyes and grinned.

“That’s enough of that, you guys,” my mom chided us playfully. “You still haven’t told me about this pink planet and what it means.”

“That’s just it, Mom. We still don’t know what they really intend. I’m pretty sure that they are trying to teach me how to use the power that I think they somehow gave me. The power to manipulate electricity, the power to heal, even the power to move from one place to another in the blink of an eye. Truthfully, I think they are the ones to make my muscle and fine motor control so much better. Heck, they’ve even started teaching Rachel how to communicate with me telepathically,” I exclaimed.

Oh Shit!

Have you ever said something and then immediately wished you could take it back? That was me at that very moment!

“Really!” my mom exclaimed when I mentioned the communication bit. “Could you teach me to do that?”

I was amazed for a moment. Of all the marvelous gifts they had given me, the one she was interested in was Rachel’s ability to communicate with me telepathically!

“I don’t really know?” Rachel responded cautiously. “Maybe I could ask them if we ever return there?”

“Oh! That would be so wonderful!” my mom sighed happily.

I just looked at Rachel and blanched.

I wished I had never mentioned Rachel’s gift. Or mine either for that matter.

Before the afternoon was out, I think that every single female onboard had cornered me to ask if it was possible for them to have telepathy skills too. Poor Rachel was sucked into a vortex of how’s and what if’s, and repeated requests for demonstrations.

We did one, and then I left, headed for the pilot house. Throughout the rest of the day, I could feel her trying, but I just refused to answer her back. I didn’t believe that these powers, these gifts, were meant for play.

In fact, it wasn’t until I heard “Dinner’s ready, Sweetheart,” that I actually responded.

“Be right there,” I thought to her.

If I thought it was over, I had another thing coming. Before I even sat down, they were after me. All I could do was bow my head and focus on my food. First my mom, and then Archara and Monique chided me for refusing to answer. Just when I was about to explode, Captain Alfred slapped the table with his open hand. The slap resonated throughout the salon and immediately got everyone’s attention.

“Damnit! That’s enough!” he bellowed. “Leave the poor boy alone!”

“But Alfred! We just want to know...” Archara started.

“I said ... ENOUGH!” Captain Alfred bellowed again. “You WILL cease and desist from any more questions! All of you! Have I made myself clear?”

“Yes, Sir!” Anna and Charlotte both quickly replied. They were well acquainted with their father’s commanding tone of voice.

Captain Alfred slowly looked around the table, clearly expecting agreement from everyone else. Finally, Archara nodded her head and the others quickly followed.

There was silence for a moment, then Captain Alfred continued.

“Have any of you even thought about what could happen to you or one of the others if this information were to be leaked out. It would be even worse than what we just went through!”

“Alfred is right,” Monique said calmly. “If anyone found out what Rachel and Alex can do, it would be worse than when those horrible people were chasing us around. There is almost nowhere that we would be safe. I certainly don’t want to live my life like that! Do you?”

“Thank you,” I told Captain Alfred. Then looking at the rest of them I added, “We told you the truth when we said that we didn’t know or understand how it all works. And we sure don’t know why they selected us for these powers or gifts or whatever they are. However, when they finally tell us, we will come to you and tell you what we can. But until that time, please don’t ask us any more questions. It will only make us feel bad and eventually drive us away.”

Then I picked up my plate of food and headed for the cockpit. “You coming?” I mentally asked Rachel. She just picked up her plate and followed me out to the other table.

We could hear the murmur of voices through the damaged plate glass doors and I could see that my mother was crying, but there was nothing we could do about it right now. I was sorry that I ever mentioned the specific gifts. Rachel and I just sat quietly as we finished our dinner. Then using the outboard stairs, we made our way back to our room. There Rachel just fell on the bed and began to bawl.

I hated that Rachel was upset. I knew that she hated conflict and worked hard to get everyone to like her. Her agony over this issue just made me mad and I ended up sitting on the bed holding her as I chastised myself over and over for ever trying to explain something that I truly did not understand.

It was the most miserable night I had spent since the bombing.

The false dawn was breaking off the starboard bow when I stepped out of the shower. This was the earliest I had been up in a while. After drying off, I slipped on my deck shoes and made my way down to the galley, searching for that first cup of coffee. I figured I would have to make the first pot, but I was fine with that. It wouldn’t be the first time.

So I was somewhat surprised to find my mother and Archara leaning against the counter, waiting on the first pot to brew.

They looked at me, unsure whether to speak or not so I slipped my arms around their shoulders and hugged them to me. “I really do love you,” I told them. “But I’m sorry I told you about the gifts. I should have known better.”

“You are the one who acted so maturely, while we all acted like spoiled children. I’m sorry and hope you’ll forgive me,” Archara said. My mom just nodded her head in agreement as the tears continued to fall.

It took them until the coffee was ready to stop crying and apologizing. Then Archara left to take a carafe of coffee up to Captain Tony in the pilot house.

“I am so proud of you!” my mom finally said. “You have really become a man and I promise that I will stop trying to mother you so much.”

“I don’t ever want you to stop being my mother,” I told her. “I love you.”

Right then, Archara returned carrying the satellite phone. “You need to call Cynthiana right away,” she told me as she handed me the phone. “Tony said she sounded upset.”

I was mentally trying to calculate the time difference as I dialed. When she answered, I could tell right away that Cynthiana was distraught. Or maybe disturbed might be better.

“I need to speak with you right away. How soon can you reach port?” she asked. “I’ll send the plane.”

“What’s going on?” I asked.

“Not on the phone, Alex! You know that they’re not totally secure.”

“Let me check and I’ll call you right back. It’s not quite dawn here and I need to see where we are. Give me five minutes,” I told her and pressed the button to end the call.

I just looked at my mom and Archara and shrugged my shoulders to answer their question before they asked, then headed for my cabin. Once there, I quickly dressed, kissed a still-sleeping Rachel, and then stood there and focused on where I wanted to go. A split second later, I was standing in the foyer of the house in Zurich as the intrusion alarm began its loud clanging.

The first person to appear was Isabella. She was dressed in shorts and a sports bra, and she was carrying a large sidearm. When she saw me, she did a quick double take and then lowered her gun as she stepped up beside me to give me a big hug.

“How did you get in?” she asked.

“Take me to Cynthiana and I’ll explain to both of you at the same time,” I told her.

Cynthiana was in the small dining room, getting ready to have lunch. Sofía, her youngest daughter was with her. I could tell she was surprised to see me so quickly. I could also see her quickly processing what she had deduced had happened and probably how she could take advantage of this ability.

After a scathing kiss from Sofía, and a hug for her mom, Cynthiana asked if I was hungry. I told her I was starved, but couldn’t stay long. She quickly asked Diane to bring me lunch.