Chapter 1: Manila

Celebration - part 1 - Leaving Miami

To celebrate our daughter Cindy finishing her first year of college, my wife Penny, twin sister Kelly, and I were going to take her from our home port of Miami to a nice floating restaurant near Key Largo for dinner. Being only inches from the water, they had excellent fresh seafood, of course. It was a rare day with a northerly wind, so I thought we should make it there by 4 or 5pm.

We would also take Cindy and some of our friends for a three-day cruise to Bimini and back the next week to celebrate our 20th anniversary. We had our “pirate wedding” five years earlier, but would celebrate the day we fell in love, six months before we made Cindy.

As she walked aboard the Pirate Queen’s Castle, Cindy said; “My boyfriend Marco should be here soon. He’s picking up some wine. I hope you don’t mind if our friends John and Cathy come along too?”

My sister, ‘Pirate Queen’ Kelly said; “The more the merrier! You know we have room for 20 on board, or 32 if they’re REALLY good friends.” There were some blushes, and some smiles.

We had a firm rule. We would always have at least two people sober on the boat, “Dry duty”. One of them would officially be Captain for the day. Cindy wouldn’t be 21 for two years, but if she wasn’t going to be driving, we let her have a beer or a glass or two of wine on special occasions.

Cindy asked, “So who’s on dry duty today? Please say it’s not me?”

I joked, “Since Trinidad, your mother might be on dry duty for life!”

Penny sadly said, “Since tequila and the three-day hangover, we don’t talk about Trinidad!” She held her temples in remembered pain.

Cindy sniffed a few times, “Do you smell that? Where is that weird smell coming from?”

Penny, Kelly, and I didn’t smell anything unusual, just the normal faint smells of oil, diesel fuel, and the ocean.

Cindy led us down towards the engine room. “Daddy, I think the smell is coming from this way. Don’t you all smell that?”

The boat tilted slightly and there was noise above, probably Marco or John and Cathy coming aboard.

I shined my flashlight into the engine room. Sitting near the door (HATCH - HATCH - landlubbers!) was a large box wrapped in red holiday paper, with a big white heart on the front. It read “Happy 20th Kar-ly & Penny”.

Kelly and Penny opened the top of the box. They laughed, blushed, and Kelly said; “Karl, the smell is coming from the box! Come help us with it.”

I looked inside the box. It had at least twenty SEX TOYS in it, still in the packaging. Under the toys were DOZENS of boxes of condoms!

Cindy giggled and said, “Smell all that rubber and plastic? I told you!” We all had a good laugh.

“I snuck in and put it down here last night.”

Penny and Kelly looked through the toys. They giggled and pointed things out to each other, deciding which they wanted to try.

Cindy said, “I know Momma takes you up her butt sometimes. Do you want to try it Daddy?” She held up a dildo the size of her ARM!

All three of them burst into hysterical laughter.

I replied, “I don’t know how sweetie, can you show me?” Cindy’s eyes got huge, and she started to shudder and sweat, as she stared at the enormous dildo.

She gingerly handled the massive toy like it was a bomb, and put it back in the box.

Kelly patted Cindy’s back and joked, “You look like a virgin on her first night, expecting a tic tac and finding a zucchini!”

“Hahahaha!” I joined the laughter.

Penny thanked our daughter, “This much stuff will last us years! Thanks so much, Cindy!”

Cindy smiled and corrected her, “That’s not just for you. And I hope it lasts until Portugal.”

We were wondering what she meant, as I followed the girls topside carrying the box. “Portugal? Is that the name of a bar near here, or something?”

A bunch of voices shouted; “Happy anniversary!”

As I got topside, I saw eight of our close friends, couples from age 30 to 40. Cindy had also invited her friends, nine college age women, and seven young men. Since it was early summer in Miami, everybody wore shorts and t-shirts, or swimsuits.

Cindy’s friends had brought aboard at least ten boxes and three dozen bottles of wine, along with five quarter-barrels of beer and 20 or so bottles of hard liquor! I thought to myself, ‘Forty gallons of beer! Thirty gallons of wine! That’s enough to keep a small town drunk for a week!’

I stared at the mound of booze. Cindy leaned toward me and said, “I told you Marco was picking up some wine. Don’t worry Daddy, we’ll get plenty more later.”

I wondered aloud in surprise “MORE!?”

Cindy put on Kelly’s Pirate Queen hat and shouted the orders, “Stow shore utilities and land the gangway! Cast off!” Then a moment later, “Starboard engine ahead slow, take her out!”

I patted her shoulder, took the mostly full can of beer from her hand, and reminded Cindy; “The Captain is always on dry duty. You’re up.” She suddenly looked sad for some reason. I chuckled to myself.

I asked her, “Cindy, where are your little brothers?” I was concerned and curious.

“Don’t worry Daddy. My friend Maricel and her family are taking a trip, and the boys went with them. They’re in the same class with Maricel’s little sister. In Japan, the boys will be in Robot Monster heaven for months.”

“JAPAN? for MONTHS?” Now I really started to worry. I half shouted, half asked; “What’s going on? Why the huge amount of booze? What are you up to?”

“It’s ok Daddy. As you planned, we’re sailing the Castle from Miami to Key Largo.” Then she sprung the surprise... “BUT WE’RE GOING THE LONG WAY!!!”

“A boring day cruise becomes a five-month adventure! Thirty thousand miles, instead of fifty! I got a nanny for the boys when they get back, and just yesterday you were saying the business practically runs itself these days. You can check on things using the sat phone. Let yourself have some fun! Live a little!”

She loudly announced, “First stop Grand Bahama, two days from now! We spend a day diving or fishing, then another 8 or 9 days get us to Bermuda!” There were a lot of cheers and applause.

My suspicion started to turn toward happiness. “Grand Bahama is lots of fun, and we like Bermuda.”

She continued, “Next we head to the Azores; then Portugal, for more condoms, food, and booze. Then Morocco, France, Naples, and Egypt. After the Suez canal, we head for Sri Lanka, for more food, booze, and condoms. Three months should get us to Malaysia or Singapore, and my friends and I will fly back to college from there. Everybody else will continue on to Australia, Fiji, Hawaii, Panama, then back to Florida!”

She smiled cutely and continued, “I know I say ‘condoms’ a lot, mostly because you blush every time, Daddy! So funny! Condoms! Condoms! Condoms! Condoms!”

I laughed and tickled her under the arms.

She giggled, and reassured me further; “Don’t worry Daddy, one of your lawyers helped me take care of all the visas and permits already.”

I thought, “She knows the trip off the top of her head, she must have planned it well.”

I hugged her, picked her up, and said, “Cindy, you’re the best daughter ever!”