Chapter 27: Marta’s Dance

“Quit looking so surprised, girl! You were doing the same thing in the limo last Saturday night,” Isabella told the stunned girl.

“We made that ... light?” Jeanne asked.

“I’ll say you did. If it hadn’t been for the tinted windows, you’d have attracted every driver on the lot,” she told her.

“Oh...” Jeanne said.

The three sisters just stood there looking at us. Cécile had a satisfied look on her face and Fleur and Marta just stared in wonder.

“What’s up?” asked Noèle as she stepped out into the cockpit. She had just gotten out of bed and missed the fireworks. But the girls closed in around her and began telling her what she had missed. Meanwhile, I headed back to the bridge to study the electronics’ manuals.

“Show me how you program the chart plotter,” Captain Tony said. He was working me slowly through each piece of equipment. After I did that, he asked me if I had started studying my celestial navigation.

“Not yet. I was told that I needed my ‘Day Skipper’ next,” I replied.

“That is true, but it’s never too early to start your navigation training. I’ll tell you what. If it’s clear tonight, I’ll give you an overview.” I was to discover that Captain Tony loved celestial navigation and had all the tools. He had even brought them with him in the event he could actually begin my training.

We took a break when Marta and Fleur brought our lunch to the bridge. Fleur was wearing a cropped t-shirt just like her sister had last night, but without the too small panties. Her dad looked at her, but didn’t say a word. I just looked at her and winked. She blushed and quickly retreated down the steps.

Finally Captain Tony looked at me and asked, “I don’t suppose you know what that was all about?”

I quickly blushed as I considered how to answer him. I decided that he had earned my respect, so I told him the truth.

“Last night, Cécile came to my cabin wearing a similar top. She said her mother told her it was sexy to leave some things to the imagination. We talked for a while and ended up in bed together...”

“So that’s why she missed her turn at watch,” Captain Tony said knowingly.

“Yeah. I guess it was my fault she was so tired, so I decided to let her sleep and did her watch for her.”

“Very gentlemanly of you,” he said. Then became quiet.

I didn’t say anything to break his train of thought.

“Alex, I am aware that Cécile has been sexually active. It’s possible that Fleur has been as well. Marta? I’m not so sure. But I have tried to be an understanding father and not interfere with their decisions. I know that they frequently talk with their mother about their more intimate moments and so I have left that to her. I would be a fool to think that they could run around naked on this ship for ten days and not spark some interest from any healthy young men. After all, they do favor their mother. All I ask is that you take care and try not to hurt them.”

I nodded my head in understanding. My respect for Captain Tony just went up another notch.

“Now, lets finish our lunch and then look at my new radar. Did you know that the range on it is greater than the range on the radar on my first command?”

And just like that, I was back in sailing school.

Finally, about three o’clock, we adjusted the sails and then he went below. I sure would like to have been a fly on

wall for his next conversation with his wife.

As soon as Captain Tony went down, Jeanne came up with Marta. She had her iPhone and speaker and the two girls immediately began rearranging the sofas so we could dance.

“All right, here’s what we’re going to do. My coach says you learn best when you teach someone else. So you’re going to teach Marta how to waltz,” Jeanne said.

I couldn’t fault her logic or her training regime, so with a little coaching from Jeanne, I was soon showing Marta how to waltz.

Marta seemed to grasp the basics, but lacked Jeanne’s graceful movements. So I paused the music to ask Jeanne to show Marta what I meant. Jeanne beamed at the recognition of her talents as we glided across the room. Already I could see the benefits of teaching Marta as I found myself keeping up with Jeanne so much easier.

“But how do you move so gracefully,” Marta asked. “I can see it, but I can’t do it.”

“Really, it’s all in your head. First, you have to trust your partner to lead you and keep you safe. Then I just relax and think of becoming a snowflake, gently drifting as Alex steers me around the room.”

“Why a snowflake?” Marta asked.

“That’s just me. You can imagine you’re anything that can float as he steers you around the room. Some girls imagine they are balloons and others, a bubble. It’s whatever you can relax into and just float away,” Jeanne told the girl.

It suddenly made sense to me and the next time we danced, I was aware of how soft and delicate she was. And I tried my best not to burst that bubble or snowflake.

“That was fantastic, Alex!” she said when the song ended. “Now, you try it, Marta.”

It took Marta several attempts, but then it finally clicked and we danced as if we were dancing at the ball.

“That was great!” her sisters said as they clapped for Marta. I hadn’t heard them come up. I took a break and checked the bridge while they gathered around her, all talking at once. When I returned, they all wanted a chance to dance.

“I will be glad to dance with each of you, but this is Marta’s lesson, so you’ll have to wait your turn,” I told them. Then taking Marta in my arms again, I told her we were going to try a waltz dip and turn. Jeanne quickly explained it to her and then showed her one time. All three girls watch in rapt attention. Then Marta tried it. She got it on the second try.

“That was simply beautiful,” Jeanne said to the girl. “And Alex, I have never seen you so gentle.”

“You were right, Jeanne. Teaching Marta has actually taught me much on the finer points of dancing. Does it work on the Latin dances too? Like the Paso Doble?” I asked.

“Of course! We’ll work on that tomorrow,” she said. “Provided I can find someone for you to teach!”

They moved the furniture back and then went downstairs to freshen up. A little while later, Noèle came up carrying a plate of Mexican burritos with green chili sauce and a can of soft drink.

“I heard what you did in the cockpit with Mrs. Lavigne. Did her husband know she was kissing you like that?” she asked.

“I did nothing that Captain Tony did not know about or approve,” I told her curtly.

“I’m sorry,” she said quickly. “This is only my second contract and I was concerned. Things like that were not approved of on my last ship.”

“The difference here is that this is family, not some rental. You would have had to been here for what happened leading up to that kiss to understand,” I told her. “Let’s just say that circumstances are different on this cruise.”

“I’ll say it’s different!” she said. “When I found out that they were naturists and would be naked for most of the cruise, I almost backed out. Then my boyfriend and I got into an argument. He forbid me to take the contract, so I dumped him and decided to come anyway.”