Liz, or Elizabeth, was shaking me, "Wake up, Chuck, Bonita said I had to wake you since she isn't supposed to get up yet."
I groggily looked at the miniature Sue and smiled, "Okay, I'll get up. Go ahead and go tell her I'm getting up."
"No, she said I have to wait until you're up, she says she waits until you're through in the bathroom and dressed."
I closed my eyes, trying to think of a way out of this problem.
Mercy came into the cabin and smiled at me, "You can't keep the women of this boat out of here can you. Come on, Liz, let Chuck get up and get dressed. You've got him awake."
"But Bonita said I should wait until he's dressed to make sure."
Mercy was near laughing as she saw my distress. "Let's give Chuck some privacy. I know you like to have some privacy sometimes."
Liz looked at me, then at Mercy, and told me, "You better get right up. Bonita will be mad if you go back to sleep."
"I promise to get up and get going, Liz," I said, acting as if I was getting up as Mercy and Liz left the cabin.
I quickly did my morning ablutions and dressed before I walked down to Bonita's cabin to say good morning. Kathy, Serene, and Gloria were clustered around her as they checked her incision. Serene looked up at me and said, "You look at it, I think it looks fine. If we all agree, we can get underway."
The area around the incision was barely pink. The doctor had made a tiny incision and stitched it with some very tiny sutures so there would be just a minimal scar. The area didn't look stressed or tight, so there was no real swelling. "Looks good to me. Bandage her, and if she'll take it easy, I think she could walk around today."
Kathy hugged her youngest and put some fresh clothes on her. She took her into the head, then led us to the galley where the family was preparing for breakfast.
Gloria said, "Your boat is so much fun. So informal, so much like a family, I just love the atmosphere."
Mercy quietly said so only Gloria, Serene, and I could hear, "You just like the sleeping arrangements. They can be fun."
Gloria turned crimson, while Serene just smiled. I just shook my head at Mercy's teasing. Gloria looked at me and asked, "Did you tell her? Are you a braggart?"
Mercy came to my rescue, "I read minds. Right now you're thinking someone will inform the ladies of the Irish Bell and the jig will be up. Don't worry, I'll never tell."
Gloria was still blushing and Serene said, "She's like my sister. My sister was always able to know what people were thinking. She could put thoughts in your head as well."
Mercy gave me a sly look, but didn't say anything.
Breakfast is always fun when all the kids are together. The smart ladies served pancakes, so the kids ate well, without any protest, before they adjourned to the big salon next to the dining area. The adults then took a turn at the table, chatting and discussing the day ahead.
Little Dewey and Stevie came up and asked the adults, "Can us older kids stay on Dewey's boat for a night? We'll be good and promise to be a help over there. Dewey has some video games we haven't played yet and we can play games over there while the other kids play over here."
Sue said, "We need to ask Dewey, Sheila, and Sheena, and we'll also have to talk to Michael, Chanda, and their ladies."
Sue and Juanita headed toward the main deck to go talk to the other parents to make sure everyone was in agreement. Gloria gathered what she had brought, and as she headed to the Irish Bell, said, "I'm sure that I'll be needed on the Bell since they won't have an attendant for the main salon. If most of the kids are here, they'll probably leave Serene here." Gloria turned to me and touched me on the wrist, "Please come visit us some more. It's fun to have a new friend."
Soon Michael, Chanda, Lucille, and Margaret came on board and said they were agreeable to the children staying on the other two boats for a night or two. They did want for Serene to stay on board with their children and to be able to attend to Bonita. Serene had a big smile on her face as she went to get some changes of clothes.
By eight o'clock in the morning, we were on our way out past Cook's Inlet, heading toward the Pacific. The wind was much more favorable today and we were able to unfurl the sails and get up some decent speed, going nearly fourteen knots. I spent some time on deck with Steve who was at the helm.
About ten, Kathy came out and asked me if I was up to going below to give some music lessons to the kids on board. She said Bonita was organizing them so I could teach.
When I reached the lounge below deck where the kids played, they were all sitting with their guitars, strumming to the music in front of them. They cheered my entrance, making me feel very important. Serene was sitting on a sofa away from the children, so I asked her, "Serene, don't you want to be a part of our fun?"
She stood, but held out her hands as if to ask, what should I do? "Hang on a second, Serene, I'll get us a guitar."
I went to the storage locker and pulled out one of the extra guitar kits, then passed by my cabin to get my trusty old Gibson, not the Blues King. When I entered the lounge, I held up my hand to call for quiet. In front of all the kids, I asked, "Bonita, you saw and heard Serene play the other day, do you think she should have her own guitar?"
"Oh yes, Chuck," Bonita said, excitedly. "Serene will be a wonderful help teaching us."
I presented Serene with the guitar case. She sat on the couch next to Bonita and gently opened the case, looking inside at the collection of extra strings, a variety of picks, the electronic tuner, and an assortment of beginner's music. Serene gently took the guitar from the case and picked at a few strings.
Bonita took the tuner box from the case and took it out putting the batteries in it then handing it to Serene. In a few short minutes, the guitar was tuned and ready to play. Serene strummed a few things, then sat looking at me, just like the children in the room.
"Okay, how about let's start out doing some exercises by doing the chord progressions. We'll do a regular scale, a sharp scale, and a flat scale. Let's try."
The children all pulled their music sheets out and put them in front of them so they could see the notes they should play. Some still had the fingering charts, but all of them began with me. We did that for a while, then I said, "Let's see if you can recognize the chord I'm playing. If you do, play it with me. You'll know if it's wrong."
We did this game for a while then we began picking the individual strings for a single note at a time. We went through the major scale from very low to very high. These kids had been practicing and were getting pretty good.
I asked if any of them could think of a song that we could learn to play.
Greg said, "Mama, Don't Let Your Babies Grow Up to be Cowboys."
Bonita giggled and said, "Let's play that one about 'Save a Horse, Ride a Cowboy."
The kids bantered for a while, trying to convince me the first two suggestions were what they wanted to learn. I told them I would go on the internet to get the music and lyrics. They continued practicing the scales as I left.
It didn't take a lot to get sheet music downloaded. I wanted some real classics, so I found the "Wabash Cannonball" and "Hey Good Lookin'" as both would be fun lyrics. Then I thought a love song would be good, so I found a Willie Nelson song, "Always on my Mind" and got that as well. I printed copies of the music, which also had the lyrics on them and took them back to group.
The group decided to do "Mama Don't Let Your Babies Grow Up to be Cowboys" first. I told everyone that we would learn the chords and the words at the same time so we could play and sing together. I said to Serene, "It may not sound professional, but it will sound great to us.
We were interrupted by lunch but returned to the lounge right after. Bonita wanted to try to play the piece on the piano and soon found she needed a lot of practice to learn to play with both hands. She was at least able to pick out the notes and interpret what she read to the keyboard as well as the fret board of the guitar.
By three PM, all of the kids were looking tired, so I suggested that if they wanted to, they could practice later, but we needed to go outside for some fresh air. You can't believe how fast kids can put a guitar in a case.
The weather outside was still brisk, but it felt good to be in the sunshine. Juanita was at the helm so I stayed and chatted with her awhile. She needed to use the potty, so I stayed at the wheel while she went below while I looked at the huge sails at they propelled us through the water.
When Juanita returned, Sue asked me if I had used any of the gym equipment yet. I had to admit I didn't remember exactly where it was, so she took me below and showed me the small room that had some free weights, a multi-station exercise machine, a bike, and a treadmill. Knowing that I needed a workout, I went to my cabin to put on some shorts and my sport leg, and went back to the exercise room for an hour.
When I came out, the ladies were in the final stages of fixing supper. The kids were all hanging around in the lounge as they were getting hungry. They commented on the funny spring foot of the sport leg, so I had to tell them that was how I could run now.
I quickly showered and dressed, coming back out just in time to eat. Kathy was missing, so I assumed she was at the helm. I ate quickly and went up to relieve Kathy so she could come down to eat with the family. She tried to tell me it wasn't necessary, but I insisted. She said, "Let's open the inside helm for the night and close this down. You watch things here while I turn everything on inside.
We soon had the outdoor helm closed up and weatherproofed. Kathy showed me some radar targets she had been watching and went below. About a half hour later, Steve came up and complimented me on giving Kathy a break to eat. He looked at the targets on the radar then using a grease pencil marked them on the screen. After making the notation, he said that we would plot the targets to see if they were on an intersecting course. At this time, they were about fifty miles out, moving on a course similar to ours.
Steve radioed Dewey's boat. Ben answered and the two had a conversation. Steve said he wanted us to stay a little closer together tonight, never more than five hundred yards apart. Steve did the same with Irish Bell. The Captain of the Bell asked Steve if he had been tracking the movement of the vessels to the west of us, and of course, Steve told him that was why he wanted us to stay close.
That evening, everyone was relaxed and enjoying having nothing special to do for a change. I watched a movie with the kids and helped put them to bed, checking Bonita's incision with Serene and Kathy. She was healing well and would be at full speed in a couple of days.
After checking with Steve to see when he was on duty, I went to bed until two in the morning so I could be on watch with the teacher. Serene came and joined me in bed, but we didn't make love. This time we just snuggled, kissed a little, and drifted off to sleep.
My alarm went off at one thirty, so I showered, dressed, and went by the galley to get a mug of coffee. Up at the weather helm or bridge in the main salon, Mercy smiled at me and asked, "Are you enjoying having company at night?"
"Of course, Mercy. Snuggling to a warm body is a perfect way to relax. You don't even need any sexy stuff to enjoy another's company."
"That's good to hear, us girls are about to go into our monthly shock. We're pretty good about not being bitchy, but we do get a little touchy. I'll remember that you enjoy just snuggling. I'm sure Kathy will want to know that too. Juanita gets all excited when the rest of us are out of order. Since she began her change, she thinks it's the perfect time to monopolize Steve."
I said, "I can understand that. She probably feels as if she should take up the slack."
Steve came up with a cup of coffee and was briefed by Mercy. He marked the new location of the far off targets, mentioning that we were now within about forty miles of each other but still not rapidly closing. Steve told me to watch the helm while he checked the rigging.
We spent the two hours learning about the various ways to use the different sails. He had a big notebook with pictures of the various sail configurations with printed notes on each picture to explain the type of wind conditions you should use the sails in. When Kathy relieved us, Steve sent me to check the rigging once again. I stayed up a little while, talking with Kathy before going below to get some more sleep.
When I went into my cabin, I assumed the form in my bed was Serene and snuggled down to sleep some more, but Barbara said to me, "Are you going to see me in your bed and just leave me alone? I could have stayed asleep in my own room for that. When Serene came in to sleep, I knew you probably weren't here, so I wanted to be next."
"There is no next, Barb. We were just sleeping last night. Don't you want to get your rest?"
Her hands and body language gave me my answer, as we were soon demonstrating the beast with two backs, enjoying our enthusiasm for each other. She did fall asleep quickly as soon as she had reached her peak. I stayed awake awhile, thinking about women, Bobby, Brandy, Lisa, and all the other women back home.
The days and shifts began to run into each other. We had been at sea for eight days and were within a day or two, at the max, of arriving in Honolulu. Since they had a yacht club that could handle our three large craft, they had been chosen over some of the outer islands for our first landing.
The radar targets that had been near us for the whole trip turned out to be a tanker full of refined diesel fuel. The closer we came to Hawaii, the closer the target came to us until we were within a mile of us and we could see what it was.
The children and I had entertained the adults last night with our four new songs. We played and sang the four tunes to everyone gathered on the Mercy Mercy. The three boats were tied together as the kids and some of the adults swapped boats for the last days of the trip into port.
The kids who had learned the music were proud. The kids who didn't get to learn yet were envious and vowed to learn some music to compete. I switched boats to the Executive Suite (Dewey's boat), while some of the kids, along with Serene, went onto the Irish Bell. This time I had the older little ones. We picked out some music to learn and downloaded it then began the process of learning the words and music. They practiced diligently and you could actually recognize the back up music by the end of the first day.
I stood watch with Dewey that night as he reviewed several different aspects of operating a large watercraft. Dewey said, "When maneuvering a boat this size, remember the absolute best tool and best way to operate a boat like this is to do it slowly, so slow you can barely feel it moving. If you do it that way, you won't run into things so hard that can damage your boat. Slow is best. He emphasized that boats as large as we were in were measured in tonnage. They were very heavy, therefore hard to stop. If they collide with anything, something has to give way, either what we hit or the boat. So slow is always best."
Back on the Mercy Mercy, I was standing watch the last morning before arriving in Honolulu when I saw Sue, Kathy, Juanita, Beth, Missy, and Barb all come from the main lounge heading for the bow. This wouldn't be unusual, but they were all naked. Steve saw my shock and laughed. He said, "I'm surprised it's taken them this long to enjoy the sun. There's a law that says women sunbathe nude on a boat. If you want, you could go sunbathe with them. I'm sure they would want you to help with the lotion."
I just looked at Steve and shook my head. Oh no, I wouldn't be joining them, that was a sure way to embarrass myself. I did consider that it would have been nice to have Serene and or Gloria parade in front of us the same way. It would have been enjoyable.
When our shift was over, I went below and checked my e-mails to see what was going on. There was a priority e-mail from John that said he wanted to talk to me. I was to call him at my earliest convenience.
Back up on deck, I used the satellite phone to call him. "So, what's the rush call for, John?"
"Who do you know back here that I could use for a couple of missions. Dave got winged again down in Louisiana and is out of commission for a week or so."
I thought a second and said, "There's a young man in Houston that is a good backup. You have the ex-station chief from Buffalo that is a hell of a man. There is the ACE up in the Dakotas that is definitely a good man, but I don't know if he's had much combat experience. I know there are some men out in San Diego that would qualify. Call a deputy named Hal out there and he'll tell you who you might use."
John said, "I'll check on the guy from Buffalo since you think highly of him. Since he's on the strike force, he has to be worth something."
"What's going on, John?"
"Same shit only a different place. We come up against a group of escapees that have joined forces with some Mexican drug people. They've been terrorizing the area and have now gone too far. They kidnapped some young girls and are holding them in one of the illegal prostitution houses there. I'm going to go, but I think I need a backup. I may bring the Strike Force team down there for a raid."
"Want me to fly back to help out? We'll be in port by tonight so I could be in El Paso by tomorrow night. The two of us should be able to guide a group or groups in to take back what we should."
"I need to do this with as little bloodshed as possible. Everyone will know I'm involved and will want this to be pristine. I don't think it's possible."
"You're right, John, it isn't. If the escapees are hardcore, mixed with some Mexican drug people that don't care what life is worth, your odds of gunplay are high. You should probably spend a little time politicking, so they know someone is going to be hurt."
John said, "I'll get the Marshal working that angle and get the strike team moving. If you think you can get here, come. I'll send you back as soon as possible."
I hung up and called Wanda. "Wanda, I need to get from Honolulu to El Paso, ASAP. Find a way to get me there by tomorrow night. I'll be in port within an hour or so."
"So you heard about Dave already, I take it."
"I did, how is he?"
Wanda said, "He says he's all right but he was hit in the left arm and it shattered the bone. They operated on him to put it back together, but Sarah said he may lose a lot of movement of the arm. We can only wait to see."
"Dave's a good man. We'll lose a lot if we can't use him in the field. Anyway, Wanda, you be my travel agent and see what you can do. I need to get there fast and return here to join up with the folks."
"I'll get on it, Mr. Johnson. Keep in mind that you've been a little short on luck lately. You be careful?"
I went to find Steve to advise him that I had to go back to the states for a day or two, but would be right back. He said, "Don't sweat it. We're staying here for a minimum of a week. We may not go on to Japan or anywhere else. There are several islands here for us to investigate, so we'll be here. Ah, if you have to do something dangerous, be careful. It seems you've become a part of the family. Now even the kids would miss you."
I called the El Paso station on the sat phone and talked to the Station Chief. He told me, "I've lost a man and have two more injured. We have four from Houston, four from Dallas, and two from Austin here to help. John just said he was sending the Strike Force, so now we'll have enough men."
"You sound like you know exactly where they are, do you?"
"Yep, they are in a group of buildings about hundred yards from the border. They walk back and forth through some fence that's been torn down as if they have every right. They're bringing in people daily and I'm afraid they're shipping kidnapped kids south every day as well."
"Can't you just rebuild the fence and push them out of the buildings?"
"That's how we lost a man and had more injured. We're constrained because of some ACLU folks that are hanging out watching us. Our guys won't shoot and the Mexicans open fire at the drop of a hat."
"We'll take care of that when I get there. I want some heavy equipment out on site. I want bulldozers and backhoes there. I'll be there by tomorrow night and we'll go right to work, regardless of the time. Some big spotlights would be good, but make sure they have bulletproof glass over the lenses. Work on all of that, and John and I will see you soon."
A plan was forming in my mind, but it may not be feasible when I see the layout. We'll see.
I was sitting back, looking at a map of El Paso, when Wanda called. "How far out are you? Are you close enough for a helicopter to pick you up?"
"Yes, I'm sure I am. I can get the exact coordinates if you want."
"Save it for the helicopter. The Navy is going to pick you up and take you to a carrier off the coast of Honolulu. They have a flight of F-18F Super Hornets that are coming back to San Diego for some upgrades. You'll ride with them. I'll have a charter take you from San Diego to El Paso when you get there. You're going to be tired and hungry, but you'll be there faster than you would believe. If they didn't have to keep slowing down to refuel, they could make it in three hours, but you'll take about four and half hours to make it. When you get to the base, call me. I'll give you the information to get to El Paso. Get ready because the flight has to leave within the hour."
"Thanks, Wanda, I'll go up on deck as soon as I get my stuff together."
"Don't take anything but your vest and sidearm. They'll get you clothes and toiletries. I told them to have three more magazines for you also. They promised me a rifle for you and anything else you need."
"Okay, Wanda, I'll talk to you in a few hours."
I went topside to talk to Steve and he was on the radio. He smiled at me, and between transmissions, said, "They are about here. Go aft and stand near the dinghy. The girls will all say goodbye from back there." Steve stuck out his hand and said, "Be careful."
Back by the dinghy, the ladies were assembled to say goodbye. Mercy pointed out toward a ship on the horizon and said, "That's the carrier you're going to. You can see the helicopter on its way here. You be careful, Chuck. All of us will be thinking of you."
I received hugs from everyone and saw the two ladies from the "Executive Suite" waving. The ladies from the "Irish Bell" were waving as well. This was nice; I guess all these folks were like family.
The helicopter hovered over the rear of the boat and dropped a sling. I wrapped it around me and was lifted off the deck quickly and hoisted into the helicopter as it was flying back to the carrier.
All the crewmen on the helicopter were friendly and were laughing at my vest. I had to yell to tell them that I wasn't supposed to take any baggage and it was the only way to carry it. They stuck their thumbs up in understanding, smiling.
As soon as I was on the deck of the carrier, a deck officer took me across the big deck and inside a small crew area. He looked at me and pulled out a flight suit and said, "Put this on. Hope you don't need your clothes as you can't take them with you. You'll get something else when you get to either San Diego or El Paso. You can have the flight suit, but you can't take the helmet. It's too valuable."
As I was changing clothes, the guy made a couple of comments about my fake leg that I ignored as it wouldn't make any difference in the aircraft I would be riding in. The young officer thought my backup gun, strapped to my fake leg, was funny as he said, "cute." I took time for one last pee break, as it was going to be a while before the next opportunity.
As soon as I was dressed, I was led out to the flight deck to a group of aircraft that were being readied for flight. Most had their wings in the normal position but a couple still had their wings folded up. It was impressive to see the massive aircraft up close.
I was introduced to the pilot I was going to fly with so he could go over the rear controls that I would need to access. The intercom switch and the oxygen knob were about all I would need. The pilot explained that if we had to ditch, he would blow the canopy and eject me first, then he would eject. He said the jacket I was wearing was a self-inflating life vest with several pieces of lifesaving gear in it. If it was needed, he would tell me about them.
When it was time to get into the airplane, the crew chief helped me get in and buckle up. He pointed out the instruments to me and the switches I would want to access, then pulled the pilot up to get into the aircraft. As soon as he was buckled in, the crew chief went down, pulling the access ladder away from the aircraft. The engines were started and we were pulling away from where we had been parked. Men were waving, directing us to be in line for the catapult. I was really excited and very happy that I had taken time to pee. This was really something.
I felt the catapult lock onto the wheels, felt the engines reach peak thrust, saw the pilot salute the flight deck crewman, then a second later I was pressed back against the seat as we shot off the deck of the carrier into the air. We dipped slightly before climbing rapidly. Another F-18F had launched at the same time we did on the other catapult and we both climbed to join the growing flight as it circled, assembling as each pair of aircraft launched.
Soon the flight was on its way. I watched the airspeed indicator climb past the mach one mark, flying close to nine hundred miles an hour. I didn't feel any different, but knew our wake was creating a huge sonic boom across the water. We slowed twice during the trip to refuel from two huge tankers and finally set down in San Diego.
There, after profusely thanking everyone I could for the great ride, I was taken to their operations building where I was instructed to wait while they found the pilot of the charter service that was there to take me to El Paso. I quickly headed to the restroom to offload some accumulated liquid and paused to get a drink of water.
I turned around in time to be tackled by a tiny person. Tiani said, "I had to bend everyone's ear to come see you. Brandy said to give you a kiss, so here it is."
While getting a kiss from Tiani, Lisa walked up and waited. I put Tiani down and hugged Lisa. She smiled up at me and said softly, "I want one of those kisses too. I'll wait for some privacy though, okay?"
"Where's the airplane, Lisa?"
"On the other side of the ops building, with some other non-military type of aircraft. I understand you have to hurry, do you need to change out of the flight suit?"
"It's all I have to wear. They took the helmet, so I'm ready. I want to stop at that snack bar and get a sandwich though."
Tiani said, "We have sandwiches on board. Come on and let's get going so you can go do what you have to do. You better be careful though. You have a couple of kids that will want to know their daddy."
In the waiting Lear, after doing a quick preflight inspection, I was in the right seat being the assistant as Lisa started the aircraft. She punched the flight path into the navigation equipment while requesting taxi instructions. We were quickly on the runway, taking off. There was a big difference between a normal takeoff and being catapulted off a carrier deck.
As soon as we were at altitude and on course, Tiani handed Lisa and me a bottle of water and a sandwich. It was then that I realized this was my Lear. I commented on it and Lisa said, "I switched with John. I thought you might like to ride in your own aircraft for the trip."
It took us three hours to get to El Paso, setting down a little after midnight. After parking the aircraft, I called into the duty office to find that everyone would meet me in the morning. I was directed to a nearby hotel. I told the duty man, "Have whoever picks me up to bring some clothes. I only have the flight suit I'm wearing."
Tiani was pulling my arm, "We brought you jeans and shirts, along with some heavy shoes."
I told the deputy on duty to forget the clothes as I was taken care of. The girls got their pull along suitcases and brought me a small duffel bag with clothes and toiletries stuffed in it.
At the hotel, we checked into a large double without any eyebrows being raised and went up to our room. I was able to get room service to bring me a tall drink and a couple of wine coolers for the girls. I also ordered a chicken Caesar salad for each of us.
The three of us ate ravenously then undressed for bed. Tiani pointed at the extra gun strapped on my leg and said, "That's a sneaky little gun you have there. Do you need the extra one?"
"Not so far, but it's there as a backup. You never know when something can happen. It's a safety type of thing."
The girls made it clear there would be no sleep until they were both satisfied. I was very attentive to both of them, but they were still wound up after I had done my best. They knew how to enjoy each other and took care of what I left undone.
Primary editing by Pepere
Proofing by Sagacious