Chapter 5

Begin Again:5.

"Connie?" David said, "Wake up ... I know it's a shock ... but you need to talk to your attorney. Tell him what you want ... we'll leave you alone."

John, at the sonar/fathometer/radar console said, "Five: Six: No bottom ... no bottom." The reef dropped off that fast.

Chief Sanchez announced, "Ok, boys and girls ... let's get some sail up." Of course, what he meant was, I'll push some buttons and you watch ... in case.

"Don't leave me ... I don't know what to say."

"Tell him that."

"What?"

"That you don't know what to do."

"Jib drawing," Sanchez said, "Main up. Shutting down Port turbine."

From the engine room the boys reported, "Port shutdown."

She took the phone.

"Mr. Treeman, what should I do?"

"I'm very safe here."

"Well ... just manage it for me. If I can't access the principal before I'm 25, does it matter?"

"Starboard shutdown."

The engine room replied, "Wait one." Banging could be heard. "Engine room ... auxiliary shut off activated. Starboard cycling down. Chief?"

"Sanchez."

"Pops, come on down. Stuck main shutoff. We need to check it out."

"An allowance? How much is that?"

"One percent of the interest?"

"Green board ... Green board. Helm? What course?"

"East south east by east," Rose said, "East south east by half east would be easier on the sails."

"Make it so," the Chief said. "I'm off to watch the boys fix that valve."

"Bye, Daddy."

"How much is that a year?"

"Do me a favor? Tell Andrea that."

She handed the phone to Andie.

"Ok. What?"

"That much?" Andie was shocked, "A year? Every year until she's 25?"

"Mr. Treeman ... she doesn't need anywhere that much money."

"We're on a sailboat, she needs shoes, bikinis, jeans and tee shirts."

"Yes sir ... and feminine products."

"Sir, she's not IN the United States ... she's past the age of consent out here."

"I couldn't say."

"Because she drank the water in Mexico and she's just now getting back on her feet."

"The way she explained it was that no one told her she shouldn't drink it ... so she did."

"We weren't with her."

"Her brother."

"When it was time for him to go back to school, he brought her clothes out to the boat and left."

"I assume he flew back to Flour Bluff."

"Why would I do that? He's over 18 ... he had a ticket."

"She was too ill to go ... and he said his parents told him to leave her in Cancun." Andie explained, "The airlines would never have let her board even if she wanted to leave."

"What about the money?"

"She was never told ... you talked to her ... surely you experienced her shock."

"Look ... we're sailing to Australia after Hawai'i. If she wants to go with you come pick her up ... Panama, Hawai'i, Darwin or Tahiti."

"Can I have the phone, please?"

"Connie wants to talk to you."

Connie took the phone, "I'd like to stay here."

"Can you set up an account of some kind so I can draw what I need?"

"There is one?"

"I had no idea."

"They never said."

"They've been drawing my allowance since I was nine?"

"Mr. Treeman ... I don't miss them. All I was to them was a payday."

"I'll change the account numbers when we get to Hawai'i."

"Thank you, sir."

She disconnected.

"I can stay."