Chapter 9: Reprieve, Relief

“We’ll be lucky if we find even ONE BED! I don’t know of any vacant. Helena and Will, are using my stateroom during their visit!”

“Follow me!” Gidget leads the way! “Doesn’t Sally need to feed before bedtime?”.

“Sally’s had enough hotdogs for one night!” Gina insinuates, leaving me speechless and grinning.

“Maybe. But does Sally consider she’s had enough pussy tonight?” Gidget hip bumps Gina. “She might tempt me, if she went about it the right way!”

“Itching to try a petite child-sized woman?” Gina hip bumps Gidget.

“Tribbing is new to me, I’m curious about it, is all.” Gidget blushes.

“How do you normally have sex with other women?” Gina teases.

“Eat them, of course!” Gina responds matter-of-factly.”I have a young maid, who’s particularly yummy!”

“Luz?” Disapproving in tone, I refer to a prepubescent member of Will’s and Helena’s. Staff. A lady in waiting. Meaning, in training.

“Ninell?” Challenged. Ninell is one of Will’s wives, same age as Lucy.

“That’s different! A marriage of convenience, never consummated.”

“How convenient for you!” Gidget can be a bitch sometimes!

“I’m sleepy! Can we fight later?” Gina dashes cold reason on us.

“Here!” Gidget UNLOCKS AND opens a door. A store room filled with new plastic wrapped mattresses, pillows, towers of folded blankets and new linens.

The underwater observation room is nearby. Dragging mattresses in there, we set up camp, and are soon peaceably snoozing away.

Rumble and whine of machinery awakens me. They’ve started without me! Hurriedly dressing, I glance at the girls. Gina has turned over and claimed my vacated space, smiling. Gidget hasn’t stirred at all. A dash up many flights of ladders to the bridge, I arrive just as EROS is beginning to move.

Not wishing to distract Laura, I content myself with observing, cultivating an apparent aversion to asking stupid questions.

“Any questions, Captain?” Laura smiles, seeing through my pretense.

“Backing down, out the whole distance of the channel, Captain?”

“See these red dots? These are an electronic trail we made coming in. I’m going to retrace our steps going out. This last dot, is where we were last known to be, when we were set adrift.

From there to here, where we grounded, and where we are, is unknown ground, except we do know we drifted over it once.

I’m backing toward that last known red dot.

Known water depths, deep enough and wide enough, to safely turn around in. Point the bow down the trail of red dots, and go.” Laura is explaining the information on the electronic chart display and the action plan she has devised.

“Good plan!” Laura is gently amused by my braggadocio unqualified approval of her expertise...

Flashbacks over, Will, Nana, and Helena departed, already told.

“You are a treasure, Lindsay, easily one of our most important associates.” Sipping the delicious coffee, sitting at the galley table, where reportedly Sally and Lindsay trysted.

I’m buttering up our fine looking and excellent cook.

“I enjoy compliments as much as any woman, Phil, but I’m wondering what’s behind them?” Lindsay smiles, keeps on whisking egg whites into meringue.

“You deserve them! You cok very well! We really haven’t had a chance to chat and know each other before now. I think it’s about time I make the effort! That simple. No hidden agendas, Lindsay.”

“Nice! You made the effort. What would you like to know about me?”

“Well, everything. You know? General stuff. Where you’re from, what did you do before, ever been married, any children, your ambitions, dreams, plans, any allergies, favorite color, do you want to have sex with me? Everyday chat stuff, like that...” Lindsay only paused a moment, then went on with making meringue battered fried EGGPLANT, sliced quarter inch thick.

“That’s a lot of questions. Prioritizing them, one. No allergies except poison Ivy. Never married, three children by three different fathers. Raised on an East Texas ranch, an only girl with three brothers. Mama hated any chore she couldn’t do from horse back. So, I started cooking at an early age, trained by my old Grammy. Let’s see. My favorite color? Dollar bill green! Would this be a good time to discuss salary? Maybe I deserve a raise?”

“Forgive my plagiarism, but it fits me so perfectly, I had to, stole the phrase from necessity. Ambition? Dreams? What do I want out of life? “ROOM SERVICE!” Hahaheehee!”

“Last and least important. Do I want to have sex with you? That depends!

What’s my status afterwards? One night stand? Okay for Tuesday’s dates? Regular fuck buddy? In competition with your other girls for a ring? I guess what I’m asking is, what every woman wants, will you respect me in the morning?”

“We’re running low on certain provisions, if you want to arrange a port of call to restock, soon. Just off hand mentioning it is important!”

“I respect your caution, your pride, and professionalism, Lindsay. Did you happen to notice people arriving and leaving, and how they arrived and left? Last few days?”

“I’m usually pretty busy cooking, I guess I didn’t pay much attention.”

“What’s for lunch?”

“Lunch? Ha! I’m still preparing breakfast! Everybody’s up at the crack of dawn, today! I’m rolling out the groceries as fast as I can, Phil. Chow’s ready in about half an hour, give or take ten.”

“This is really good coffee, Lindsay!”

“You’re really trying to make me throw something at you, aren’t you?” Lindsay with her fists on her wide hip bones, and her jaw jutting out, is quite an impressive and handsome woman! I’d fuck her, Yes Sirree!

“Can you arrange time for going shopping with me later today?

Don’t throw that egg! Instead, come with me, just for a minute. Take my hand.” Reluctantly, Lindsay places her hand in mine. “Hang on!”

Zap!

“Do you recognize where you are, Lindsay?” I shout!

Behind us is the Interstate 10 Sabine River bridge and in front of us is a huge billboard. “Welcome to Texas! Drive friendly!” Lindsay shakes her head in wonder and disbelief.

“I’m going to take us someplace where there’s less traffic noise!” I shout. “Hang on!”

“FIESTA?” Lindsay is wide-eyed astounded. Her voice quavers.

“Yes, a Fiesta super market, Lindsay. Let’s buy some lunch and supper for the troops, and return to the boat.”

“Why did you buy so much expensive roasted beef and potato salad, Phil? I can use the fresh tomatoes, though. We were out! Expecting guests? I’d like advance notice if I’m cooking for a crowd!”

“Just our crowd, Lindsay. Enough cold prepared roasted beef, and potato salads, tomatoes for slicing, for lunch and supper for all the crew. Nice change of menu, unless you serve Deli buffets often? After breakfast is over, doll up some, not that you need to, and then we will REALLY go grocery shopping.”

“So, you bought all this stuff just to free up my day? Well? Editing my earlier response to your question, OK, yeah! Fuck buddies is nice!”

“That does sound good!”

“How do you do it, it’s magic, I guess. Wonderful to have fresh ingredients anytime I want! I can make such wonderful dishes with fresh herbs and ingredients!” Lindsay views resupply is now no problem at all! “Look at the time! I have to fixing finish breakfast! Go away! You’re distracting me! Come back here!”

Lindsay kisses me passionately molding her voluptuous body against me in all the best of places. Squirmy girl!

Flor and Bebe still sleep like babes, in their stateroom across from mine. Gwenevieve silently slips out of my stateroom, softly closing the door behind her. Catching her arm as she scoots past, I spin her around. Suddenly face to face with me, Gwenevieve is startled! Scrutinizing her, in my judgment, she wears a guilty look, and that’s not all! Artistic talents abound amongst this crew! Her Cheongsam appears home made, modified from a galley apron, and with hand drawn flowers in a Polynesian motif...

‘Did you make this Qipao (Cheongsam) yourself, Gwenevieve? Lovely workmanship! Non-traditional strapped neck design though. Bet it’s cooler. Who did the art work?”