Chapter 31

Laura stood stock-still. Joel wrapped his arms around her and pulled her close. Holding Laura, Joel felt her body quiver and then he heard her begin crying. He rubbed her back and quietly tried to comfort her.

"It'll be okay, Honey. Mrs. Caldwell has been ill for a long time," Joel said.

"I know, but it's still hard for me. I've taken care of her for so long. I'm very close to her, Joel." Laura sobbed, pulled her head back and looked into Joel's eyes. "What am I going to do now? What will Molly and I do? How are we going to live?"

"Don't worry about that right now. Things will be okay. I can help you if you'll let me," Joel said.

"Did her son say anything about the funeral arrangements?" Laura asked.

"Mrs. Caldwell will be buried tomorrow—as is the custom of her religion," Joel said. "We'll go to the funeral home tomorrow afternoon."

Laura nodded. She continued to cry and Joel continued to hold her. Molly came into the living room to talk to her mom. When she saw Laura crying, Molly rushed over to her.

"Mom, what's wrong? Why are you crying?" Molly said.

"Mrs. Caldwell passed away this evening, Molly. Your mom is upset," Joel said.

Laura held out one of her arms to Molly. Molly moved closer so Laura could hold her and Joel. The three of them hugged for a few moments and then Laura pulled away.

Joel, Molly, and Laura went into the kitchen. Marge saw that Laura was crying and went over to her.

"What's the matter, Laura?" Marge asked, causing everyone to stop talking.

Joel explained what happened. The adults and kids went over to Laura, each of them offering their condolences. Laura thanked all of them. Anne gave Laura tissues so she could dry her eyes. Don slipped his arm around Laura and led her to the table while Ellen poured a cup of coffee for her.

The adults sat around the large table while the kids stood near their parents. Joel told the group about the funeral arrangements.

"Laura, this shouldn't change our plans for the weekend. In fact, I think it's important you get away for a few days. We can talk about the future next week," Joel said.

"Do you think you can help me find someone else that could use help in their home?" Laura asked Joel.

"Honey, please don't think about that right now. Give yourself a few days," Joel replied. "As I said, everything will work out—it always does."

The rest of the adults told Laura the same thing Joel did. She began to feel better and thanked them. Eddie moved next to Molly and put his arm around her waist. She looked into Eddie's eyes and smiled.

"Are you okay?" Eddie whispered in Molly's ear.

Turning to face him, Molly looked up into Eddie's eyes. She nodded and said, "I'm fine. It's Mom I'm worried about."

"I know it's hard to do, but don't worry about her. Things will be okay, Honey," Eddie said and then he kissed Molly's forehead.

Molly sighed, put her arms around Eddie, and gave him a hug. She rested her head against his chest and then felt someone rubbing her back. Turning her head, Molly saw it was Kathy. She turned toward Kathy and they hugged.

Kathy and Molly shared a quick kiss. When Molly opened her eyes, she noticed her mom watching her and Kathy. Molly felt her cheeks warm from embarrassment, but her mom's smile made her relax. Kathy and Molly continued to embrace each other.

"It'll be okay, Sweetie," Kathy whispered in Molly's ear and then she kissed Molly's neck. "You know we love you—you know I love you."

Molly felt a combination of joy and sorrow. She felt happy to have friends that cared for her, but she also felt bad for her mom. Laura walked over to Molly and Kathy. She put her hand on her daughter's back and rubbed her gently.

"I'm fine, Molly. This wasn't unexpected. I've known that Mrs. Caldwell was ill for some time now. I didn't want to tell you because I didn't want you to worry," Laura said.

Molly lifted her head from Kathy's shoulder. She looked at her mom and sighed. The two of them gazed into each other's eyes for a moment before Molly spoke.

"Are you sure you're okay, Mom? I don't have to go the tournament if you don't want me to," Molly said.

"No, Honey, we're both going. Joel is right; it will be good to get away. When we get back, we can figure out what to do next. Life has to go on," Laura said.

"Okay, Mom, whatever you want. Let me know when you're ready to go home. I'll go with you," Molly said.

"You can stay with your friends, Molly. Joel said he would stay with me tonight. He and I have to go to the funeral tomorrow afternoon," Laura said.

"Do you want me to go with you?" Molly said.

"It isn't necessary that you go. You didn't know Mrs. Caldwell. You should stay with the team and get ready for the tournament," Laura told Molly.

Molly turned to Kathy and said, "What do you think I should do?"

"I don't know, Sweetie. I guess you'll have to figure that out for yourself. If you want to go tomorrow afternoon, we'll get you there," Kathy said.

After a brief discussion, Molly decided to meet her mom and Joel at the funeral home, but not stay for the funeral. Laura agreed, gave Molly a kiss on her cheek and left. Molly and Kathy went to the kitchen to let the others know about the plan.

The teens told their parents goodnight and went to the boat. They all went to their rooms for the night.

Kim and Tom stripped off their clothes and climbed into bed. They snuggled together while sharing kisses.

"You think Kathy is hot, don't you?" Kim asked as she cuddled on Tom's chest.

"Yeah, I think she's cute," Tom replied as his hand moved down to Kim's butt. "Almost as cute as you are."

Kim kissed Tom and giggled. She wrapped her hand around his penis and gave it a squeeze. "Would you fuck her?"

Tom chuckled, squeezed one of Kim's butt cheeks, and said, "Sure, if she wanted to. Would you?"

Kim stroked Tom's penis. "Maybe, but I would definitely fuck Eddie. He's a real cutie."

Tom and Kim laughed. She rolled onto his body, reached between them, and guided his member into her vagina. "Why don't you fuck me?" Kim said with a giggle.

"Um, I think you're fucking me."

"Okay, we'll fuck each other," Kim said as she wiggled down on Tom's penis.

Jack sat on the edge of the bed. Sally knelt between his parted legs and used her mouth on his penis. She kept her eyes locked with Jacks as she bobbed her head. When they got to their room, Jack told her to strip. Sally removed her clothes and then his. When Jack said, "Suck my cock," Sally dropped to her knees.

Sally used her mouth to make love to Jack's penis. She licked him from the base to the head and back. Cocking her head, Sally nuzzled and licked his testicles. After a few minutes, Jack pulled her up.

Jack and Sally stretched out on the bed. He pushed her legs apart and slid his member into her. Sally pulled her legs back and exhaled as Jack sank into her sex. "I love you," Jack said as he began to move.

Sally smiled and said, "I know."

Brad lifted his head from between Jenny's splayed legs. He kissed her mons and said, "If you could have sex with anyone on the boat, who would it be," Brad asked.

Jenny wiggled and said, "You."

Brad nipped her clit with his teeth and chuckled. "I mean anyone other than me."

"I don't know. I think Jack is nice," Jenny said.

"I think you want to feel his big cock in your hot pussy," Brad said and then he licked the length of her sex.

"No more than you want to feel your big dick in Sally," Jenny said. "You've been flirting with her."

"Does that bother you?"

Jenny reached down. She ran her fingers through Brad's hair and pulled him to her sex. Thinking about Brad's question, she realized it didn't bother her.

"Nope, it doesn't bother me. It doesn't bother me that she flirts with you. Now, stop talking and eat my pussy," Jenny said.

Molly's body was sandwiched between Eddie and Kathy. Her breasts pressed into Kathy's back while Eddie's semi rigid penis parted her butt cheeks. Molly's arm draped over Kathy and her hand slowly rubbed her stomach.

"Are you okay?" Eddie whispered in Molly's ear.

Molly kissed the back of Kathy's neck and said, "Yes, I'm fine. I feel so safe and wanted right now."

Kathy placed her hand on Molly's arm. "You are wanted, Sweetie." Kathy giggled and squeezed Molly's arm. "If you ask me, Tom and Jack both want you."

"Not to mention Sally," Eddie said. "She can't keep her eyes off you, Honey."

"You two are crazy! They don't want me like that," Molly said.

"Honey, you're the one that's crazy. You have to give up and accept the fact you're sexy," Eddie said. "I know that any of the other guys would love a chance to have sex with you."

"Yeah, most of the girls too," Kathy said with a giggle.

"I can't do that. I love you two," Molly said.

"You can if you want to, Sweetie. Eddie and I will still love you," Kathy said as she rolled over to face Molly. "We wouldn't stop loving you because you decided to get laid, would we Eddie?"

"No we wouldn't. We hope you wouldn't stop loving us if we did the same thing," Eddie said.

"Sex for the sake of pleasure with no strings attached? Is that what you're talking about?" Molly said.

"Yes. You know what they say, 'if it feels good do it.' There is a big difference between having sex for fun and doing it to hurt someone else. If you get laid to get even with someone, you're the one that ends up hurt," Kathy said. "You lower yourself to that person's level."

Kathy gave Molly a kiss on the nose and rolled on her side again. She scooted back until Molly's body molded to hers. Kathy pulled Molly's arm over her body, holding her hand to her stomach.

Molly thought about what Kathy and Eddie said. She couldn't come to grips with the idea that the others found her attractive, let alone sexy. Molly also thought about her lovers' carefree attitude toward sex. While she still didn't completely understand, Molly was beginning to accept what they said as true. She just didn't know if she could go through with it if the opportunity arose.

Eddie worked his hand between Molly and Kathy. He held Molly's breast and kissed her shoulder. Molly squirmed to increase the contact between her and her two lovers.

Alarms began buzzing at six o'clock on Monday morning. The teens slowly woke up and began getting ready for their busy day. The boat had to be at Harry's boatyard by eight for service. Jack, Tom, Kim, and Sally were meeting with Joanne to go over a few things on the yacht. In the afternoon, Molly needed to go to the funeral home to be with her mom. In the evening, the producer for the television show was meeting the teens to talk about what they wanted.

Sally kissed Jack, rolled out of bed and put on a long tee shirt. She went up to the galley to start a pot of coffee. When she returned, Sally and Jack showered together. Doors to the staterooms opened and the teens began moving around. Kim and Tom were standing in their room and getting dressed when Eddie walked in. He glanced at Kim, smiling when their eyes met.

"Kathy and I are planning to go to the funeral home with Molly this afternoon. Molly doesn't know yet, but we want to support her," Eddie said.

"I think we should all go," Kim said as she fastened her bra. "We're a team and should always support each other."

Eddie smiled and nodded. He went to Jack and Sally's room to tell them the same thing. Jack agreed with his sister and said he and Sally would also go.

The teens gathered in the galley. Jenny and Kathy took out bowls while Kim and Sally got the boxes of cereal. Eddie went to the helm to start the engines. After breakfast, Jack and Brad tended to the lines, power, and water connections. Eddie pulled away from the seawall and headed for his father's boatyard.

On the trip, Eddie taught Jack and Tom how to hold the boat steady in the canal while waiting for the drawbridges. He also told them how to signal the operator to open the bridges. When they came to one of the bridges that rose on a schedule, he explained how to tell the difference.

Eddie pulled the new Lady Guinevere into one of the service slips. Two of the workers tied the boat to the pilings while Eddie shut it down. The group got off and went to the office to talk to Harry.

"He's in the conference room with Mrs. Mitchell, Jeri, and April," The receptionist said. "Go right in."

The teens went into the room and greeted everyone. They accepted coffee and sodas when the receptionist asked if they wanted something to drink. Jack Waters came in, said hi, and joined the group.

Jeri, April, and Joanne moved to one end of the table with Jack, Kim, Tom, and Sally. They sat down and began reviewing the list of things to complete before the yacht's delivery. Jeri told them about several mechanical items on the list. Jack and the others told her to buy the additional items the yacht needed. Joanne and April went over the decorations and artwork they felt would set the yacht apart from others.

While Eddie, Brad, Kathy, Jenny, and Molly talked to Harry, the rest of the group went to Tomiko. They toured the yacht and reviewed the list again. Two hours later, the group returned to the office. Sam picked up Joanne so she could take care of a few things before they flew back to Michigan.

"Lady Guinevere won't be ready until this afternoon. We can use one of the vans and take off," Jenny said.

"Do you kids have a ditch bag on your boat?" Jeri asked.

"No, not yet, Jeri. We need to put one together," Eddie said.

Jeri smiled and pulled a bright orange duffel bag from under the table. "Here, this is a gift from April and me." She unzipped the bag and began pulling out the contents.

"What's a ditch bag?" Molly asked.

"It's a kit of things we'd need if we had to ditch the boat," Kathy said.

Nodding, Molly watched as Jeri showed the teens the contents of the bag. She explained how to activate the transponder and use the signaling devices. Jeri went through each item before repacking the bag.

"You should get another bag with food in it. You'll need supplies for five or six days. This bag has floatation built in. Your food stores should be in the same type of bag. You can buy rations at the marine store or order them on-line," Jeri said.

Jeri and April gave a short lecture on survival techniques. They told the teens the important of having a plan long before they needed one. Jeri explained they should go as far as practicing, but cautioned them not to deploy the life raft.

"If you have to ditch, make sure everyone know what to do. One of the most important things is staying together. Don't forget to put on PFDs before jumping in the water. I don't care how well you think you can swim, you can't do it forever," Jeri said.

April put a video tape in the VCR. The group watched a simulation of different survival techniques. After the video, the group talked about what they learned.

"I should get going," Molly said. "I want to get to the funeral home before the service."

The teens said goodbye after thanking Jeri and April. They piled into the van and took off. Eddie drove to Molly's house to drop her off.

"How will you get to the funeral home?" Eddie asked Molly.

"I'll call my mom and she'll pick me up," Molly said. "I have about an hour so she should be able to come get me."

"I will pick you up and take you, Honey. That way your mom won't have to leave," Eddie said. "Let me drop these guys off and I'll be back."

Molly gave Eddie and Kathy kisses before she went into the house. Eddie pulled away from the curb and headed for home.

"Okay, we have about forty five minutes to get ready. I'll drop Brad and Kathy off at their house and then we'll go to my house. Jack, you guys can take the van to your house so you can change and then come back," Eddie said.

Everyone hurried. They all cleaned up and changed into nice clothing so they could go to the funeral home with Molly. Jack pulled into Eddie and Jenny's driveway twenty minutes after dropping them off. Eddie took over the driving and went to Brad and Kathy's house.

The girls dressed in skirts and blouses. The guys wore slacks and button down shirts with ties. On the way to pick up Molly, they talked about what Jeri had taught them.

Eddie pulled into the driveway at Molly's house. He went to the door and knocked. When Molly saw him, Eddie smiled.

"I decided to go with you, Honey," Eddie said.

Molly felt her eyes well with tears. She grabbed her purse, closed the door, and headed to the van. She didn't see the others until Eddie opened the passenger door to let her in the van.

Kathy got up and gave Molly a hug. Molly began to cry. "What are you guys doing?" Molly asked.

"We're a team, Sweetie. You didn't think we'd let you do this alone, did you?" Kathy said.

Molly didn't know what to say. She hugged Kathy and then took her seat. Eddie drove to the funeral home. None of the teens said anything until Eddie parked the van.

"You guys don't have to do this you know," Molly said in a very soft voice.

"We know, but we want to," Eddie said. "Come on; let's go make sure your mom is okay."

Laura and Joel stood near the casket and talked with Mrs. Caldwell's son. The teens filed into the room. When Laura saw Molly, followed by her friends, she began to cry. Joel looked up, saw the group, and showed his emotions too.

"Excuse us," Joel said to Mrs. Caldwell's son. "Laura's daughter is here."

Joel put his hand on Laura's lower back. He guided her toward the teens while wiping his eyes with the back of his hand. Any misgivings about Molly's association with the other teens evaporated. Laura stood awestruck as Molly walked up to her.

"Thank you for coming," Laura said while hugging her daughter. She looked at the rest of the group. "Thanks to all of you."

Joel shook hands with the boys and greeted the girls. The group made their way to the casket and stood in front of it for a moment. They moved away and found seats.

Mrs. Caldwell's son came over and introduced himself. He thanked everyone for coming. While he didn't know the teens, he had heard about them. A couple came in the room and he excused himself.

Laura regained her composure. She thanked each of the teens again and told them about working for Mrs. Caldwell. No one asked what she would do now that the woman had passed away.

Molly and the rest of the teens spent an hour visiting with Laura and Joel. Joel told them the service would be starting soon and said it was okay to leave. The teens said goodbye and got ready to leave. While they hugged Laura, their parents came in. All of the parents showed up to support Laura. Once again, Laura cried.

Joel talked with Don, Marc, Harry, and Jack Waters while the women talked with Laura. He mentioned how impressed he was by the fact the teens showed up. When Don said they didn't know their kids planned to visit the funeral home, Joel smiled.

The parents spent a few minutes paying their respects. Just before the service began, they left. The teens waited in the parking lot until their parents came outside.

"That was very nice of you guys," Anne said.

"We couldn't let Molly do it alone," Kathy said.

"No, I don't suppose you could," Anne told the girl. "What are you kids going to do now?"

"We have to go get the boat, if it's ready," Eddie said. "After that, we don't have any plans."

"Don and Marc want to take everyone out for dinner tonight," Marge said.

"That would be great. We have a meeting at your house with the people from the sports channel this evening," Jenny said.

"Oh, I almost forgot about that," Marge said. "We can go after they finish talking with you kids,"

"Dad, will the boat be ready?" Eddie asked.

"Not until later. You could pick it up in the morning if you want to," Harry said.

The teens agreed that would be okay. They all left and headed to the house. They relaxed on the patio until Joel and Laura arrived. Laura gave each of them a hug and thanked them again.

"I can't tell you how much having all of you come to the funeral home meant to me. It was an unexpected surprise," Laura said.

Don offered the adults a drink. Marc helped him mix the cocktails and take them out to the patio. The teens asked for sodas.

An hour later, the producer showed up. He introduced himself to the group and began talking about what he had in mind for a show.

"I'm Pat Baker. I'm one of the producers for ESPN. I want to talk to you about making a show about your fishing. We have an idea that will feature you while you fish. Sort of a reality show if you will. We want to record what you do during one of your trips or tournaments," Pat said.

"Are you thinking of taping them on the upcoming tournament in the Bahamas?" Joel said.

"Yes, that's our plan. I have a tape of a similar show we could watch," Pat replied. "It will give you a better idea of what we have in mind."

The group went into the entertainment room. Don loaded the tape in the VCR. Everyone found seats and waited for the tape to start. While the show played, Pat explained it was about a husband and wife that loved to fish. The tape showed them fishing, shopping in a Mexican port town, and their life aboard their boat. When the tape ended, Don shut off the television and turned up the lights.

"We don't want to duplicate what you saw, not exactly. We want to show our audience the interaction of nine teenagers as well as the fishing," Pat said as he stood in front of the screen.

"Can you give us a little more detail?" Anne said.

"Of course. We would put a crew on the boat while the team fished. They would use several cameras to capture the goings on over the course of the day. We would edit the tape to make a show. We think the pilot will be an hour long," Pat said.

"We fish for eight hours during a tournament," Jenny said.

"Yes, we know you do. We would only use the highlights for the show," Pat said. "The editors will take out what we feel would be boring to the viewers. Things like trolling with no action."

Pat went on to explain how things would work and then talked about the money they were willing to pay. The teens listened, but Joel asked questions. Don asked Pat to let them talk and that they would let him know in a few minutes. Once Pat was out of the room, Don asked how the teens felt about the idea.

"He said they would pay us twenty thousand dollars. I thought you said it was ten grand," Jack said.

"Apparently they've upped the ante. What do you kids want to do? Don't think you have to do it for the money. If you agree to let them make the pilot, do it because you want to," Don said.

"What do you think, Jenny?" Brad said.

"I think we should take a vote. We can see what happens from there," Jenny said. "All in favor raise your hand."

All nine of the teens raised their hands. They laughed and so did the adults.

"I guess it's settled. Let's tell Pat," Jenny said.

Don called Pat back into the room. Jenny told him they agreed to let him make the pilot during the tournament. Pat thanked them and started to go over a few of the details.

"When are you leaving for the Bahamas?" Pat asked.

"We plan to leave on Wednesday morning," Eddie said.

"I would like to have the crew go down with you. That way you can get to know them and they can tell you what they will be doing. There is a lot of equipment that we need to take with us," Pat told them.

"That's fine. Can you have the crew here tomorrow afternoon? They can load the gear on the boat. We can let them use the crew quarters," Eddie said.

"What time do you want them here? They have to fly in from New York," Pat said.

"Anytime is okay with us. We'll be working on the boat all day," Kathy said.

"There's one thing we want to make sure of. We don't want them filming us when we're below in the staterooms," Jack said.

"No problem. Will it be okay for them to get some shots of the staterooms so our viewers will have a feel for the boat?" Pat said.

Jack nodded after the rest of the team said it would be okay. Pat, Joel and the dads went to the dining room to go over the contracts. The rest of the group went outside to wait for them. A few minutes later, the men joined them. Joel went over the details of the contract with the teens. He told them they would be paid twenty thousand dollars for taping. He said there would be more money if the network showed the pilot.

Once Pat left, the group went out to dinner. The teens rode together in the van so they could talk about the deal they made.

"Wow, I can't believe we're going to be on television," Molly said.

"This is just a pilot. We might not be on television," Kathy said.

"I know, but it's still exciting," Molly said with a giggle. Then she became somber. "I can't tell you guys how much it meant to me when you all went to the funeral home with me. You're the best!"

"No problem, Molly. We're glad we could be there for you," Jack said.

The rest of the teens assured Molly they wanted to be there for her. She fought the urge to cry. Kathy put her arm around Molly's shoulders and gave her a hug.

"You let me know when you feel better. I have plans for you," Kathy said. She smiled and winked at Molly.

Molly giggled and said, "I feel great, Honey."

Kathy slipped her hand under Molly's dress. She ran her fingers over Molly's sex and said, "Hmmm, you're right, you do feel great."

Sally giggled and said, "I'll have to take your word for that, Kathy."

Molly laughed and said, "No you don't."

Kathy giggled and moved her mouth close to Molly's ear. "She might take you at your word."

"Would you mind if she did?" Molly whispered.

"No, Baby, not if it makes you happy. You can do whatever you want to do," Kathy whispered back and then she kissed Molly's ear. "Just don't forget who loves you the most."

Eddie followed Don and the others into the restaurant parking lot. The large group went inside and were led to a private room. They took their seats and began talking amongst themselves. The servers came in to take drink orders and pass out menus. Don asked Jack and Tom if they would mind driving home so he and Harry could have a drink with dinner.

Both Don and Harry knew they wouldn't drink enough to impair their driving, but they used the opportunity to show the teens the importance of having a designated driver. While the teens didn't drink except on very special occasions, they knew that the teenagers would find themselves in that position at some point.

During dinner, the teens began talking about the tournament. They discussed whether they would use live bait or artificial lures. Jenny reminded them the rules allowed either.

"I don't know too much about it, but I think we should be prepared and have live bait too," Tom said.

"I agree with Tom," Brad said. "If we don't have live bait on the boat it limits our choices. Choices are important."

"What will we use down there?" Sally asked. "For live bait I mean."

"We can check with the locals when we get there. They will let us know what we should have," Kathy said.

"I hope we do well. It would be great if we could place in the top ten. Some of the best fishermen around will be there," Eddie said.

"We'll have fun in any event," Jack said. "I just hope us newbies don't mess up."

"Don't worry about that. If you get all concerned, you won't remember what you've learned. This has to be fun. That's more important than winning. No one is going to get upset if someone makes a mistake," Eddie said.

"I sure hope you mean that. I don't want you to get mad at me if I screw up," Molly said.

"I think it's important that we all agree that our friendship and having a good time is more important than winning. While we all want to do well, it isn't more important than being friends. If one of us makes a mistake, so be it. Someone will point out the mistake so we learn, but it isn't worth getting upset over," Brad said.

While the teens talked, the adults listened. Joel leaned close to Laura and said, "They're amazing, aren't they?"

"I think so. Listening to them makes me feel bad about all the times I became upset with Molly over insignificant things. I'm learning as much as they are," Laura said.

"I'm learning too, Darling. I'm learning that those kids have more class than a lot of adults I know," Joel said.

Sally's giggling caused Laura and Joel to stop talking.

"If you ask me, I think that if someone makes a mistake they should be spanked," Sally said and then she laughed.

"No, if we decide that, you'll make mistakes all day," Jack said.

"Who, me?" Sally replied as she screwed her finger into her cheek.

Kim and Tom laughed. The rest of the teens looked at Sally. She shrugged her shoulders and said, "What can I say?"

Jack leaned close to Sally and whispered, "Maybe I should tie you up in the stateroom so you don't get into trouble."