Chapter 41

The weather decided to give us a fit on the sixth day into our voyage sailing to Hawaii. Steve was on the wheel in the indoor cockpit when he sent Judy down to wake me up.

Steve showed me the disturbance that was swooping down on us when I got up in the saloon helm with him. He asked me what I wanted to do. "You've had more experience than me, Steve, but everything we've learned is to take the sail in, start the engines, and keep our bow into the seas."

"Yeah, that's what Dewey taught me. Send Judy to wake Dewey up. We could probably use his judgment too."

I told Steve, "Meanwhile, let's take the sail in while we can so that we don't strain the masts. I'll go out and make sure it rolls and furls correctly. You watch the line tension to make sure nothing gets stuck and pulls a halyard apart."

I didn't put a raincoat or hat on, but went from sail to sail to make sure they were rolling correctly. The wind was beginning to get pretty heavy, and I figured we were approaching thirty to thirty-five knots. I went back into the saloon when I knew everything was secure and was greeted by Brandy and Mercy with a couple of towels and some dry clothes.

Dewey was up now, and suggested that we be prepared by getting everyone into life jackets, and have the kids consider this a test. I wanted the family and all the kids up in the saloon in case we had a problem. We wouldn't lose anyone if the boat capsized if everyone had access to an exit.

It was Steve who assured me, "This boat isn't going to capsize. They make this boat to be able to withstand hurricane force conditions. You're doing everything right, Chuck. The satellite view shows this storm isn't that dense, and it's passing fast on a northerly heading.

We kept the bow into the seas all day, with the women making food in the galley during lulls in the wind and seas. The toddlers had a good time rolling around on the floor, while the bigger kids played with their instruments until the noise was distracting. The storm finally abated while people were sleeping on the saloon floor, with the winds pushing us toward Hawaii once again. The back part of the storm had a good southwesterly flow that assisted us.

Those awake began waking the mothers of the bigger kids to put them to bed in the crew's quarters, and the toddlers' mothers took them to their beds on the second level and joined them in going to sleep.

Steve, Dewey, Kathy, Juanita, Brandy, Sue, Mercy, and I were at the helm when Dewey suggested we raise sail again. I told him we would raise them from front to back, and I would go out and make sure the sail unfurled properly.

It took about forty minutes to get all of the sail, including the double jib, up. We would put the Genoa up in the morning if we thought it would help.

We poured a drink for everyone except Brandy once back in the saloon. She referred to the schedule and said, "Looks like you just came on, Chuck. I don't know about everyone else, but I'm going to bed. This has been an exciting almost twenty-four hours."

Everyone left to go below and get some rest. I was checking the satellite weather when Mercy came up and told me, "I can stay with you if you need a second."

"No sweat, Mercy. I can handle it, and I'll ring for Steve and Dewey if I get in trouble."

Mercy hugged me and gave me a kiss on the cheek before going below.

I set up the auto-pilot and began making some coffee when I knew the boat was doing everything it was supposed to be doing. I turned one of the news channels on, and connected to the BBC first. They had a report that professional wrestler Rocky Mountain had been lost at sea. Search planes had gone out to look for the hundred and fifty foot motor launch he had been on. There had been no maydays or emergency transmissions from the boat. It had simply disappeared at sea. I supposed that was the best way for that problem to be resolved. I was surprised that no one was able to get off the boat.

I called into the handler through the section that could do a voice verification while I was listening to the report. I didn't know the passwords or phrases, but they had that covered.

My regular handler was on duty. He warmly greeted me, and said, "You lead a charmed life, my friend. People screw themselves when they want to do you in and make such a big deal out of it. We're pushing the spin that the boat was probably lost in the storm that I'm sure you just experienced. It wouldn't be unusual for a boat to lose communication capabilities during a heavy storm."

I told my contact, "Well, that chapter of my life is over. What's going on and do you need me?"

"We always need you, Chuck, but we're going to use you sparingly for a while. Everyone's agreed that we need to keep you in reserve for a bit, and use you only when we get a tit caught in the wringer."

"Ooh, that's not a nice thing to have happen. Call me before it hurts. I do appreciate that you're taking care of business without me for a while. I'm watching out for you in the meantime, since I've bought a place near Friday Harbor in the San Juan Islands near Puget Sound. The place should be ready to use in a month. I'm working on getting some caretakers right now."

The handler asked, "How do you feel about gays?"

"That's a hell of question. What do you mean, how do I feel about gays?"

"It's an honest question, Chuck. Some guys are radical about them, others are more tolerant, and many just don't care. Where are you in that mix?"

I had to think a few seconds before I spoke. "I don't care if a couple of guys are in love or lust with each other. I do care if they attempt to make me or one of mine a part of their loving and lusting. Why do you ask the question?"

"We might have the answer to your caretaker, housekeepers, and cooks on your Washington State island. We have some men who are now out of the closet who might be the right people for your place up there. It's two couples, that is two sets of two who are couples. They have actually wed in California and were some very good operatives. Both sets were working undercover for an extended period, and want to continue working together. Because of their orientation, we have offered them some jobs taking care of people who need to be out of sight for a while. They love the idea and are waiting an assignment. If you think you'd be willing to work with us on these guys, we'll split their cost with you. Four men should be able to clean the buildings up and get the place in the right condition. We'll make sure they have the equipment necessary to do the job and have them begin right away. What do you think?"

I paused long enough to let the handler know I was considering the situation. "Let's do it. I'll hire locally if they don't work out. You need to tell these guys to be low key with their relationships. The rednecks up that way may not like the idea of a couple of gay couples setting up housekeeping."

"They'll be discreet, Chuck. They know this is an opportunity that could lead to a permanent position. Thanks for letting us try this out."

I changed the subject and asked, "Have you any more intel about the underworld types who are in Hawaii for some kind of meeting?"

"Whatever it was must be over. There are only a couple who stayed to enjoy Hawaii. The rest of that group all left. We have surveillance on those who stayed so we won't be caught napping."

"Good, we should get there in two to three days. I haven't figured how far this storm pushed us back yet, but we'll be in Hawaii soon."

"That's it, Chuck. You're helping us out in Washington State, so see if you want the same deal in Hawaii. I don't know if we have more strange couples, but we'll look." The man was laughing as he ended the call.

I used the GPS to figure out where we were, and how long it was going to take to get to Hawaii. Wow, only two days, so we didn't lose a lot of time in the storm. I was sipping coffee when Juanita and Brandy came up to relieve me. Juanita asked, "Would you do a deck tour, and thank you for making coffee for us? Breakfast should be ready soon."

I took Brandy aside when I came back inside so that I could tell her about the potential caretakers. When I finished explaining it, she said, "I don't think any of us girls have a problem with gays as long as they aren't obnoxious about it. I don't think we'll be wanting to share the hot tub with them. Sounds like a good deal, and it never hurts to have some experienced agents around. Should I get together with the real estate lady to give these guys keys? I've already put the utilities in our name and ordered the fiber service that comes from Friday Harbor. The former owner apparently had it, so all it'll take is to connect and turn it on."

I told Brandy, "I'll have Lisa call our handler and put you on with him so that you can establish a relationship with the man. They can be beneficial to us for many things, and it wouldn't hurt if you had a voice relationship with him. I know you've had a very thorough security check, and they may approach you for something in addition to working with them on this. You have to remember they were part of the group that helped us when you were taken hostage in the UK. They know us very well."

Brandy told me, "I'll go through the women and ask how they feel about the arrangement and you go through the men. I think that everything should be fine as long as the four men are respectful and don't flaunt their relationships. Oops! That sounds pretty awful, doesn't it? I just mean that they should keep the hot and heavy stuff out of sight. They don't have to pretend not to love each other."

I went below for some breakfast and told everyone I was going to lie down for a couple of hours. I told Steve, Dewey, and Elmer, "We can do the gym when I get up. We missed yesterday, but need to continue everyday to stay in good health. Have the kids ready to workout when we get through."

Dewey told me, "None of us have had much sleep, so I think we all need a short nap. The little ones slept, but the bigger kids weren't able to sleep well wrapped up in their life jackets either. We at least all learned that we can survive some heavy seas. Do you know that we were probably in seas near fifty feet with winds topping seventy or eighty knots? I think we did very well weathering that storm."

I think only a few mothers stayed awake to watch the toddlers while the rest of the boat slept for a couple of hours. I was ready for some activity when I got up, so I went up to check on who was on duty at the time. Steve had Giovanna, Elmer, and Maggie with him, and asked me if I would do a deck tour. Elmer and Maggie went with me as I explained what to look for, and how to adjust tension on the lines. Everything looked good and I was relieved that we didn't suffer any damage in the storm. We were lucky nothing came loose or broke in the heavy seas and wind.

Lisa told me she and Brandy had already called the handler when I went back inside. Brandy had made arrangements with the real estate lady from Friday Harbor to get the men out to the island. The Service was apparently eager to get them placed and was going to fly them out to Friday Harbor today, and ship the balance of their clothes and possessions. Brandy had spoken with the lead man of the four, and told them to begin living in the apartment next to the kitchen while they worked on cleaning up the house and grounds. She gave them our cell and satellite phone numbers, but not the encrypted one. Lisa said, "I think that's one item off your to do list. The house will be habitable when we go back through there if those four do a good job."

The day was fairly low key. We all worked out, did some forms, and gave some lessons on deck. The rest of the day was used to wash and polish brass and chrome fittings. With all the kids, most of the women, and some of the men working, the boat was shining by supper time.

The kids convinced me that we should do our new piece a couple of times after supper just to become proficient with it. We did several other Santana pieces while we were playing, since we were equipped for some Latin sounds and rhythms. We actually sounded good with almost everything we played.

No one was interested in any extra-curricular activities when it was time for bed. The previous day's storm still had everyone tired out.

The wind had slacked off quite a bit, and we were only doing about eight to ten knots when I woke up. I was due on mid-morning, so I encouraged the guys to work out, and then invited any one who wanted to join me to do some Tai Chi on deck.

I was freshly showered and felt great when I went on duty at ten. I did a deck tour, and then went over the gauges and readings. I decided it was too nice a day to be inside and moved to the outside helm. It felt good to be out in the sun, but I had to put the sunshade up right away as the sun was too intense. A parade of naked women and some of the kids went up on the sun deck to improve their tans around eleven. They only stayed up there about forty-five minutes before coming back down. The constantly teasing Lisa, Jane, Tina, and Mercy stopped by the cockpit to show off their shining tans. Jane was getting very dark, but the sweet thing was that both Jane and Lisa were beginning to show a little bulge. Tina told me, "I'm having all the ladies exercise every day we can. We're going to have some easy births and healthy babies."

Juanita, Giovanna, and Brandy relieved me after twelve. I had told them to eat before coming up. I went below and had some soup and a sandwich. I asked Julie and Etta how our supplies were holding up while I was there. Julie said, "The cupboards are still mostly full, the freezer is better than half full, we have powdered milk to last us a year, and we still have produce that will last for a month. We overstocked for this trip."

"You can blame Sue, Brandy, and Mercy for that. Those girls always want to make sure we have plenty. I'm amazed we're not going through the food faster than that with this many on board."

Brandy was listening and told me, "I made sure we had plenty of freeze-dried foods that we've been making soup with. The mashed potatoes are freeze-dried, as are some of the veggies. That doesn't take much room, so we've had a lot of space for other items. The toddlers are eating regular food now, so that makes it easier. They need a lot of fruit, but we've had powdered juices and canned fruit that they like. I think everyone is on a good diet and the food has been tasty."

Beth had wandered into the galley and told me, "With all the help there is to get a meal together, this has been the easiest sailing trip we've been on. Everyone is rested and having a good time with helm duty being only two hours and all the Captains we have on board."

The kids wanted to play some music, so we messed around with several blues pieces, and then had fun with some country stuff. Bonita was showing off with her fiddle playing by giving us a real barn dance sound. That reminded me of a tune that had been running around in my head. I told everyone what key I was going to be in and sat at the keyboard with the midi. I began playing the tune that I had been hearing with lots of rhythm guitar. It took a few times through to get the main theme going before I had the inspiration of a great thirty-two bar hook now that the lyrics were forming.

Bonita caught on to the theme and then the hook, and was explaining to the others what the music was about. It wasn't a country whiner, but it was close. I had to stop and use the laptop to arrange the music before I printed it. I then wrote the simple lyrics that I knew were going to be fun. I heard in my head all the kids singing together during the back part of the hook. It was going to be something for everyone.

I printed the lyrics and began laying down what should be a good fiddle background. Nita was leaning over my shoulder, watching as I played the music into the midi. She even beat me to the mouse to click on 'Print'.

All the kids had been having fun playing the original part I played, and when I told them, "We're going to play this through right now. Lisa is going to use her Les Paul, and Bonita has her music for the fiddle. You kids all need to read the lyrics for the hook, because that will make the whole piece come together and have everyone laughing.

Bonita was waving her bow around and counted down. Lizzy was playing her harmonica; Lisa was playing the lead with her guitar along with me, as I was playing the same lead on the keyboard. Bonita was playing her violin, making it whine like a good country fiddle. Marion and Virginia had the lead vocals, and it sounded really good when we came to the back of the hook, but it was funny enough that the kids lost it and couldn't go back to the beginning again.

We were all laughing when Elmer said, "You guys have to get this one down. This is a fun one and is really catchy. Do it a couple of more times so we can work on it."

We began to seriously work on the piece. It took a couple of rewrites of some parts, and we all of a sudden played the piece through twice the way we wanted, complete with the funny hook. Elmer faded the music the last time through to let the listener listen to catchy tune running through their head forever. Elmer winked at me and whispered, "You didn't notice, but I have four cameras set up, and I have the entire composition and practice of this one. No one will believe you wrote that, practiced it, and perfected it in less than four hours. That's amazing."

The kids were all in a great mood by the time supper was announced. I went to the bar to enjoy something to drink. Tina was drinking with me when she said, "This is so much fun. I know I'm not part of the music bunch, but you still make me feel like I'm a part of it. Nita even had me sitting with Lizzy while I helped sing that last part, you know, the hook. You make it fun for everyone."

I told Tina, "The best part about a song like that is an audience can quickly pick the words up and sing along with it. The tempo is right for a Texas two-step, so just picture a dance floor full of people doing a country line dance singing the song. That's fun music."

Lisa cornered me after supper, and asked about the report of Rocky being lost at sea. It took a while, but I told her the whole thing, from the time I heard there was a call for me, until the pilot of the observation and surveillance aircraft told me there wasn't even any debris where the boat had been. Lisa said, "Jesus, how stupid can someone be? I can't imagine anyone with a lick of sense firing on a couple of F-18s. I suppose it's a fitting end for the man. What about Bobby?"

I thought it was special that Lisa would immediately worry about Bobby. I told her, "According to Big Tina and Lena, she wasn't hurt as bad as Rocky was trying to lead others to believe. I think she'll probably go home to Sarasota for a while to get herself together. The homes he had and his big bank accounts are all hers now, since she was his wife. I'm sure she'll find someone to share it with."

Lisa nodded and added, "I hope so. She sure went off the deep end when she went. Hopefully she'll be okay. I didn't know her like the other girls, but there were some deep feelings for her. Wanda and Jan had a fairly long relationship with her. The Five did too, but they always felt like they were in competition with Bobby. How are you about all of this?"

"I'm glad it's over. My life is so good right now, with you going to have babies. All you women are going to be so busy that I'll just have to wander around and pat you on the head."

Lisa whacked me on the shoulder and said, "You'll be too busy changing diapers to do anything else. Have you come up with anything for an aircraft that isn't so big for us?"

"I think I'm going to have Wes design one for us. We like the luxury seating of the 737, but it doesn't have to be as much or big. We may or may not need a bedroom, but we do need space for the little ones to play in, and for the bigger kids to be able to play games or their instruments."

Lisa stated, "That would be lounge type seating for the adults, infant seating, toddler space, and then the bigger kids in what could be considered first class seating. What else are you going to want this aircraft to do?"

"I want it to be able to take off and land within three thousand feet, have a range of at least four thousand miles, fly at least at mach .85, and be fuel efficient. Wes and Sal should be able to come up with that. The manufacturers will be begging us for the design if we can create one."

Lisa said with a chuckle, "You're going to pop a couple of musical hits a week, meanwhile? What's with you all of sudden being so creative?"

"I don't know, Lisa. Music has been running around in my head, and I sometimes hear something in it when the kids are making their noise, and a whole tune suddenly comes to mind. We've been in kind of a free form mode for a while, and it's showing with the variety of music that's being produced."

Lisa leaned over and kissed me, then leaned back to rub her tummy. "Do you know that I felt them move a little? It's early, but they are waking up in there. I can't talk to them yet, but I will. You can talk to them too. I get this feeling of completeness that comes over me when you and I are together. Jane feels it too."

We were going to rejoin the rest of the people at the bar when Lisa stopped me, "What about the rings for Etta and Jane? Did you go get them?"

"I had the jeweler send them FedEx and I have them in our cabin. I know I want to give Etta a ring, but I'm still not sure of Jane."

Lisa was very firm when she said, "Jane is yours, or rather, ours. You'll never get rid of her for any reason. She's so happy that she swoons with any of us girls, and constantly talks about how happy she is to be a part of us and close to you. She has your twin boys in her, and knows you're a special father. Give her the ring and watch her commitment to us grow even stronger, if that's even possible."

I had all my ladies out in the middle of the lounge area the next night, which could be our last night before we docked in Hawaii. I called Etta and Jane to the front and said to them, "I committed to these women standing with you in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea a while ago. I love each and every one with all of my heart. We're missing one of the ladies, but who knows, she may be back."

I held a hand of Etta and Jane and said, "You two have committed to me and these other ladies. They want you to be a part of our crazy family."

Turning to Etta, "I give you this ring as a sign of our mutual love and commitment to each other and our family. You have brought me two daughters that I will forever cherish, Etta. You have also brought me some peace over the loss of my mother, father, and sister. That connection had been lost and I'm now at peace. I love you, Etta."

We kissed so tenderly that I had watery eyes.

I brought Jane in front of me when I released Etta, and told her, "You ran into our lives, Jane. You became a thrilling part of us all, and created a love between you and the women that couldn't have been expected. You became such a very important part of Lisa's and Tina's lives that you will never be apart. I love you, Girl, and I want to be your mate for the rest of our lives."

I slid the ring that was exactly like Lisa's and Tina's on Jane's finger. She gasped when she recognized the honor that was being bestowed on her. Tina grabbed her and kissed her, as did Lisa. Jane hugged me to her when they were through kissing, and whispered, "I will be the best wife a man could ever have. I love you, Chuck."

There was a group hug with all the women hugging each other. I still wasn't sure why Lisa and Tina thought Jane should have a ring like theirs, but if they thought so, so be it.

We all celebrated with juice for the women, except for Gina who had some wine, and Tina who enjoyed some scotch. Dewey told me, "I'm not sure how you do it, but you have what, a dozen women? How do you keep them happy at home? Do you give them some kind of get-along medicine? They never seem to argue or be bitchy with each other. There must be something."

I smiled at Dewey and said, "I learned from Steve. I love them, they love me, and they love each other. That's the best medicine there could be."

The kids all wanted to play the new song, so I told the people in the lounge to get ready for some toe-tapping fun. I also told them they could join in and sing with us at any time.

We played the piece through having fun the whole way. People were singing the simple lyrics by the completion of the hook for the first time, as we went back to the theme. The people in the lounge were waiting for the hook when it began again, and started singing and laughing. We let the music fade as the people kept singing. Elmer told me, "That's what's going to happen with this piece. I'm sending a copy to a friend of mine at a station in Texas. I think you have an instant hit. I'm going to put this with the other country stuff you've written and played. I'll bet you're going to be really beat up by a lot of performers who'll want to record some of your stuff. It needs to be a part of an album. I'm going to call it 'Fun with Chuck and Friends'."

Lisa kidded me, "So the blues boy is going to publish a country album. Now that's something."

Elmer said, "You're on this too with those two country ballads Chuck wrote that you sang, Lisa. Maybe the album should be named 'Fun with Chuck and Lisa with their Friends'. One cut is with the twins and you, but both have Chuck's singing bass. Never fear, Lisa, anyone interested in blues knows Chuck and Lisa. You two have four other albums out there that are blues and ballads. Chuck's going to have to dig some of his hard metal rock out, and then write some classical stuff, and wait for what Brandy and I have cooked up for you in Hawaii."

Uh oh, what have the two of them been up to? This was going to require some investigation. Elmer was sneaky, and Brandy can be just as slick. They had something cooking between the two of them.

I gave the man the evil eye, but grinned, because I knew it would be something fun, whatever it was. Lisa pulled me to the bar where Dewey was sitting with Sheila and Kathy, who were still singing the song. The two girls were laughing when Kathy said, "I love that song. Elmer said you created and learned it after lunch today. That can't be right, can it?"

Lisa said, "He did exactly that, Kathy. We were all having fun and Chuck got on the keyboard with the midi and told all the kids to play rhythm chords for him while he played. He did that for less than a half-hour, began with the hook, and then the lyrics. He gave everyone music and lyrics, and we played it. It was so much fun that we all cracked up the first time through, so we got serious and did it a couple of more times. Elmer caught it all on the controller and he supposedly has us on video too. That's how nuts Chuck is. He gets something going and it's all he can do or think about until it's a working tune."

Dewey said, "There has to be a market for stuff like that."

It was Lisa again, who said, "Oh, there is. You wouldn't believe the royalties we're getting from the Expedition stuff and our own albums. ITunes sends us a check every month that would choke you. We have an agreement with a publisher that makes and distributes the albums in music stores, and those are really paying off."

Elmer told Dewey, "I know they have to be doing well, since I'm getting the biggest royalty checks I've ever had every month since joining up with Chuck and Lisa. This whole group is so much fun, that I really went into withdrawal during the day of the storm. Chuck was worried about the boat and us, so he wasn't being creative. He's gone nuts again now that the danger is over."

It was decided that some hot tub fun was in order when the kids were all in bed. I had to do a deck tour and came back in to see Kathy and Frieda at the helm. Kathy told me, "Go help out the poor men down there. We'll be down to collect if you still have anything left for us when we're relieved."

There was nothing but naked people in various stages of having fun down in the tub room. Steve was behind Maggie, who was lined up with Brandy, Judy, Nancy, Sheila, and Sheena. Dewey was doing a very admirable job on Mercy, Beth, and Missy, while Etta and Julie were making sure Giovanna, Gina, Taiying, and Sing were singing their fun song.

Oh my, where to start? I began with the girls Etta and Julie were making happy. I made the two older ladies happy too. Etta held me tight and softly said, "Thank you for including me with your other ladies. I know how special I am now."

Julie was quickly exploding, followed by Gina, and then the two tiny Oriental sisters. I would have been satisfied with just them, but Sheila and Sheena wanted me to entertain them. Sheila and Sheena were next, of course, and were followed by Brandy. Then came Jane, followed by Beth, Missy, Sue, Judy, and Nancy. Lisa nudged me and said, "You're holding back. What's the matter, Stud, don't you think you can get off more than twice?"

That did it, so I thumped Lisa good, dumped a max load, and then lined up with Tina after Tiani prepped me. There was Gio, of course, who I hadn't had much contact with, and realized that she was a nice version of my seductive Gina. A man could be satisfied with any one of these women, but I was in the midst of an estrogen rampage.