I woke to kids climbing on top of me. "Get up, get up, come on, Chuck, we can't eat until you get up. We're hungry, Chuck, please get up."
They all left, or so I thought. I was about to throw the covers off when a soft voice said, "I'll be glad to be back on the ocean so you can teach me how to play some more. I've missed you teaching me."
Bonita was sitting cross-legged on the bed, facing me. She was sitting there waiting, for what, I don't know.
"Ah, Bonita, why don't you go to the galley and I'll join you in just a few minutes."
"That's okay, I'll wait for you."
Kathy came in the cabin and smiled at me, "Already have my daughter in your bed, huh?"
"Kathy, don't talk like that!"
"I am in your bed, Chuck. I'm waiting for you to get up. Come on get up."
"Ah, Kathy, I don't have anything on, can you take Bonita with you?"
"Where am I going, Chuck? You can get up with us in here. Like she said, she's waiting for you to get up."
Kathy added, "Don't worry; she's seen Steve and her older brothers many times. Her brothers are worse than you, I'm sure. They wake up ready for something that they don't have readily available yet."
I rolled my eyes and pulled the covers off me to get up. Bonita was leaning way over, trying to look at what I didn't want her to see. Kathy was as bad, as her eyes were locked on my morning ego as well.
There was nothing to do but be an exhibitionist and hop to the head. As I hopped to the head, my ego bounced in front of me, causing both Kathy and daughter, Bonita, to giggle. I hopped straight into the shower and turned the water on to bathe quickly. I had just finished my hair when Kathy stepped into the shower with me. She hugged me and stroked me, reawakening my morning erection. She said, "Mercy had you last night, but I needed you. I wish that you would sleep in the big bed with all of us, as I wanted Steve too. I could have had both of you and you could have had all of us."
Kathy turned and had me lodged in her special place in seconds. She was slick, I was firm, and our clutching connection felt wonderful as she drove herself back onto me. In seconds, we were building our passion until I filled her with the magic elixir that had brought her many sweet kids into the world.
We stood under the spray gasping, then separated to hug. "Hurry, we're wasting water. We have to have the waste tank emptied in a few minutes."
We quickly dried off and I went out into the cabin to find Bonita still sitting on the bed. I turned, found some underwear, then put on the rest of my clothes. As soon as I had my leg on and was standing, Bonita hopped off the bed and said, "Finally, you sure took long enough. Mom said she was going to hurry you up, but I think she just made you take a longer shower. Let's go eat."
Kathy had a smirk on her face and winked at me as we left my cabin, heading for the galley and the big table.
With so many kids, the chatter is continuous as moms and grandmothers attempt to corral the exuberance of youth long enough to get them fed. The men were all standing, sipping coffee from big mugs as we watched the melee called breakfast. The three separate family groups really complemented each other, as the kids seemed to all get along and the women were all working in concert to control the near hysteria. The kids were really all very well behaved, eating, talking, drinking, talking, fidgeting, and talking. It was almost comical as the kids paired up in two, three, and four people groups of the same age or interest levels and jabbered about things that interested that specific group. Then, as if a bell rang, all the kids took a last drink of milk or juice, asked to be excused, and exited the table for the big below deck lounge.
The table was cleared and plates were set for the adults and young adults that were Kathy's older kids. As we ate, the men confirmed the plan for the day and the plans for the next ten days or so for the trip to Hawaii, with each other. The Captain of the Irish Bell said he would follow us out of the narrows instead of leading this time. He said that after we were out in the north Pacific, he would remain in the drag position, as it would be too easy for him to run off from us.
At the ladies suggestion, we all agreed to tie up together every other night so any boat changes could be made, mostly by the kids. Michael and Chanda were very insistent that I should spend a few days on their boat. They wanted me to get a first hand feel of how nice their boat was.
I told them, "I don't have any evening clothes, so when you are served in your beautiful dining room, I'll be in jeans or shorts. I have some dress slacks, but I wasn't planning on being dressed up this trip at all."
Chanda said, "In that case, we'll adopt a clothing optional policy, similar to the Riviera, and we'll all go nude. That will resolve what clothing we'll wear when we eat."
Sue, who was sitting next to me, muttered under her breath, "That will probably cause a change in what will be eaten for dessert."
I had to snigger a little, and elbowed her so she wouldn't embarrass me any more.
The Captain said, "We need to dump our holding tanks so the sewage is processed properly. The environmentalists watch private boats and passenger ships closely to make sure we abide by the rules. Let's get that done and get on the move. We're ready."
There was a last minute shuffle of kids to different boats along with some extra clothes and life vests. The kids were good about grabbing their life vests to take between boats. The kids that moved also took their guitars, as they knew they would have plenty of time to practice now that they didn't have the opportunity to go ashore.
Sue suggested, "Why don't you go stay on the Irish Bell for a couple of days and switch when we tie up next. That way you can enjoy all the different boats. Get your new guitar, a bunch of your music, some clothes and toiletries, and go over there. They will enjoy having you. I'm sure some of the kids will follow you over there too."
As Sue was saying this, I noticed Bonita talking to Kathy.
I moved some clothes, music, and my guitar to the Irish Bell. Lucille showed me to a cabin below the main deck, next to the master cabin. As I went through the various roomy lounges, all I could think of was, 'Don't touch anything, it's all too perfect, I'll get a fingerprint on something.'
Lucille showed me the master suite. Wow, pure luxury, fit for royalty. I guess to an extent, Chanda was royalty, but this boat had upper crust stamped all over it. When I laid my clothes on the bed, in preparation for hanging them up or putting them in drawers, a maid magically appeared and began putting them away. She took some with her, saying she would iron them for me.
Back up on the main deck, a crewman appeared in some kind of tux and asked what he could get for me. Lucille asked for a cup of tea, so I asked for coffee. The man proceeded to name off several different flavors of coffee, but I held my hand up and said, "Plain, ordinary, strong coffee, served without any milk, cream, or sugar, just black coffee, please." The man vanished as fast as he had appeared.
Lucille suggested we go out on deck to watch the proceedings of casting off. While the two sailboats were hoisting their anchors and coiling their lines after disconnecting from each other, I noticed a crewman on the big yacht, dressed in smart sailor uniforms, doing the duties on board.
It was interesting to watch Dewey's and Steve's boats as the kids were busy climbing around, having a great time, while here on the Irish Bell, the kids who had come aboard were not to be seen.
"Where are the kids, Lucille?"
"Oh, they are below decks while we cast off and get underway. It's too dangerous for them to be out on deck while we are getting underway."
I said, "Oh, come on, get them up here. If they have to wear their vests, they will, but my goodness. They need to be yelling at their family and friends like the other kids."
Lucille looked troubled, but went for the kids. They all came up to where I was, wearing their vests. I said, "Let's go to the bow where we can see better."
Lucille rolled her eyes at me, but I led the way and the kids followed. The big boat had a good strong railing that we were able to stand at and yell over the side at the kids on the two sailboats. As each boat tied up to the dump station, the others hung back just a little ways, waiting their turn, Dewey was first, then Steve, followed by the big motor yacht. Dewey gave a blast on his horn as he began motoring out toward the narrows. Steve gave a blast on his horn as he followed, then our Captain gave a blast on his horn as he fell in line.
I wanted to see the bridge, so I led the kids up the stairs to get to the outside door of the bridge. The Captain welcomed us on the bridge and was delighted to show the kids all of the various instruments that he used to guide the boat. A crewman manned the guidance system as we all looked around. Lucille was very nervous, as she said, "I didn't think we were allowed in the bridge."
The Captain said, "Considering it is your family's yacht, you can go just about anywhere you wish. I'm only the Captain, Miss, you are the owner's ah, wife. You can do as you please. Can I get you two something to drink?"
I said, "No, but I'll be back. I want you to teach me about this kind of craft while I'm on board. I can see I have a lot to learn."
"It will be my pleasure, Mr. Johnson. Please advise me when you have time and I will school you in how to operate a boat such as this."
We left through the interior of the boat, going down to the top-level lounge where there was even a fireplace. It wasn't lit, but showed signs of having been used extensively. Everywhere you looked was elegance and luxury. When I met up with Margaret, Chanda, and Michael, I had to ask, "How do you enjoy yourself on board with everything so pristine, so perfect? Where do the kids let off steam? Is there a giant play room or lounge for them?"
Margaret said, "The children have the big lounge next to the adult lounge to play in. There are many things to occupy their time."
"Show me, I want to see what they have to do and where they get to do it."
Margaret led me below and showed me the adult lounge first, which was next to a fancy dining room. Next she escorted me to a large room that had fancy seating, but did have a large open area where some of the kids were drawing, and some were now watching TV. Bonita was sitting at the new keyboard Michael had purchased, wearing headphones, as she was reading some of the new music we had purchased. One of the other kids was playing his guitar, with the practice music sheets in front of him.
I considered the room and decided it was probably adequate, as there were not that many kids that were usually on board. It was then that I noticed a uniformed lady sitting in a corner observing the children. She was sitting quietly, observing. I asked her, "Why don't you come play with the children? I'm sure you would have more fun if you did."
The young lady stood and said, "I am not sure I'm allowed to mingle in that manner, Sir."
I looked at Margaret and asked, "Wouldn't it be better if the person watching after the children had fun with them? She could answer questions on the fly and be available in the event they wanted to talk."
"I suppose that would be permissible," Margaret commented. "What would she do?"
I looked at Margaret frustrated, "She would play with them. If she plays an instrument, she could teach them. She could draw with them, teach them reading, math, almost anything. I'm sure you hired this young lady for her qualifications, so use them." I motioned the young lady to come to me and asked, "What did you study at the university?"
She smiled and said, "Child psychology, Sir, I also studied to teach social studies. What you call geography, government, and history."
"Can you play a musical instrument?"
"I play the piano and can play a little guitar. I'm very impressed with the instruments you found for the children. I love the new keyboard the young lady is playing. The girl's name is Bonita, isn't it?"
"That it is and what is your name?"
Margaret almost looked horrified that I was speaking to servants so personally.
The girl said, "Serene Horvach, Sir."
"May I call you, Serene?"
"Please do and how should I address you, Sir."
"Call me, Chuck. That is unless the owners here object." I looked at Margaret to make sure I wasn't trampling all over their protocol.
"Serene, I want to introduce you to Bonita. She is just learning to play the piano and the guitar, so it is the perfect time to stuff her full of information and teach her everything she can store. Would you enjoy teaching her?"
"Oh yes, Sir. I would love to teach her more."
I took her to Bonita, and after she had taken her headphones off, I said, "Bonita, this is Serene. She wants to teach you more of how to play the piano. I'll come teach you too, but Serene can do some right now. Would you like that?"
Bonita grinned and said, "Please, Serene, can you get a chair and sit with me. I have some questions about some of the music Chuck bought for us."
I said real loud, "Kids, all of you. This lady is named Serene. She's here to help you if you have a problem. She's here to talk to you when you just want to talk. She'll teach you piano, and maybe the guitar, if you'll lend her one. I'll bring mine in a little while and we'll learn some more and practice what we know."
Margaret looked nervous.
"What's up, Margaret, why are you acting like that wasn't a good idea?"
"Oh that will be too much noise. I'm sure Michael and Chanda won't like the noise of all those instruments."
I shook my head, "My goodness, Margaret, the kids have to make noise. That's what kids do. They need to practice on their guitars and this is where you keep them. We might as well make their dungeon more pleasurable."
Chanda was standing in the doorway and said, "You know what, Chuck, you're right. We're keeping them in here as if it were a dungeon. They are welcome up on the other decks to play games or play their guitars. I think it would be good to christen this boat a little more. It is almost too fancy. We need more life in it."
Margaret said quietly, "The housekeeping steward will not be happy. The kids will make too much work for him."
Chanda grinned, "Then we'll have to get another steward. The kids are owners too, so let them know the kids are welcome to play anywhere and everywhere. No more dungeon, this will be just another place, but a place they can come to if they just want to be messy and loud. The kids need music in here. We need to arrange a stereo for them to play; perhaps a couple of different stereos so they can listen to different types of music."
Serene was smiling happily as she sat with Bonita, listening to what Chanda and I were saying. It was Lucille and Margaret that were afraid of loosening up.
Soon it was mid-morning snack time. Lucille and Margaret arranged some juice and fruit for the kids, so they all went to wash their hands then sat at a small table in the galley to eat. I shouldn't have, but said, "Hurry and eat then let's go up on deck and get some fresh air for a while. Next time, we'll have our snack up on deck."
Margaret almost looked mad at me. "Look, Margaret, you have crew all over the place to help you do anything you want. If you want lunch out on the deck, have the crew set up a table and chairs under the sun canopy and serve us up there. If you want to eat on the bow, tell them. They'll set up a table and chairs and serve you anywhere you want. If you don't give them something to do, they will be bored. The crew has been hired to keep up the boat and to keep you a happy owner. Let's enjoy this monster boat."
The kids played on the big rear deck for a while. They lost a Frisbee and a ball, but had a great time running around. We walked up to the bow and waved at some kids on Steve's boat that were looking back at us. I climbed up to the bridge and borrowed a pair of binoculars and brought them back down. All the kids were looking to see exactly who they were waving at. It was "Oh there's Liz, there's Stevie, there's Greg, no, that can't be Greg, he's here." When they tired of that game, they migrated back to the rear while I took the glasses back to the bridge. Soon the kids were in their lounge, so I went for my guitar.
I gave lessons for an hour. Bonita brought her guitar so Serene could play and practice with all the kids. I would make sure I brought one of the extra guitar kits for Serene to have. It would be a great present.
As it came to be lunchtime, or midday tea, as it was spoken of, Margaret came and told me, "We are having tea under the canopy on the open air deck. There are places set for the children, as well. I'm surprised, but the crew didn't have any problem with what I wanted."
Everyone enjoyed lunch, then it was quiet time. Serene had the kids sitting and laying quietly in their lounge as she read from the first Harry Potter book. The kids all loved to be read to, so Serene had made a good decision to become more involved with them.
I went up to the bridge and was given some detailed information of how to use the boat's guidance system. The bridge didn't even have a wheel. It had two big handles that reminded you of a video game. The Captain explained that the boat had two big propellers and a rudder. Even though the rudder was the main guidance system, the bow thrusters were used to keep the boat on its predetermined course. We went over all of the various instruments and what to watch for, then he took me below to see the engine room.
The engine room was as clean and pristine as the rest of the boat. The two big engines were running smoothly, as a uniformed crewman kept watch over a control and instrument panel.
The Captain showed me the crew's quarters which were quite extensive, with their own galley and small lounge. You could tell the Captain was proud of his crew, as everywhere you looked, the place was what you would call ship shape.
Back on the bridge, the Captain showed me the charts he used and some of the backup navigation tools he had available in the event all of the GPS units failed. When I left the bridge, I went to look for the rest of the family. The kids were all now busy in their lounge, but none of the adults were to be found. There were plenty of crewmen and women to be found, but no Michael and women. They must have needed a nap.
I brought my guitar to the lounge and the kids once again began learning something new. This time, Bonita decided to practice the guitar, so I let Serene play my Blues King. She recognized the quality of guitar instantly, and knew that it was something special. I let her show the kids how to do some fingering and I sat down at the new keyboard, put on the headphones, and played for a while.
I wasn't paying any attention to what the kids and Serene were doing, and when I stopped playing, I heard a remarkable sound. The kids were playing and singing the Mary Poppins song, "Supercalafragilistic." Serene was picking out the notes and the children were playing rhythm and singing. They did the entire song, then applauded each other. I was surprised at how well the kids sang, but was super impressed at Serene's clear beautiful voice.
I went to my cabin and found some music that I had purchased and brought it back. I went through the music, quickly made sure I could play it, then had Serene sit with me to sing as I played. I played and Serene sang, "Somewhere over the Rainbow" very clearly and very well. She said she liked that song as well, and knew most of the songs that were in that show or opera. When she was done, she looked through the music that I had and picked out "Where have all the Flowers Gone" and a couple of other Olivia Newton-John pieces. She sang them beautifully, then we set about to teach the kids how to play the rhythm with us, so she could sing while they played. I used several pages from my pad as we put the music in a form the kids could read and play.
I heard something in Serene's voice that told me to try a Mama Cass Elliot song. I began playing "Dream a Little Dream of Me" from memory and Serene not only recognized the song, but began singing it. Wow, this lady could sing. The kids just sat there, wishing their fingers knew where to play, so they could join in.
About four, I called a halt and said, "It's time we all go out and get some fresh air. Let's see how far we've come."
All of us, including Serene, went out on deck to get some fresh air. We ended up on the bow, letting the breeze hit us in the face. I noticed that the sailboats had their sails still furled and were using their motors as the wind was almost directly into our bows. We passed a giant cargo ship heading into Anchorage. The kids were all impressed at the size of the ship. As it passed near us, it towered over us, giving us the impression that it could just swallow us up. The wake from the big ship made the big yacht roll a little and that in itself was impressive.
Serene and the kids went back inside, and I joined the now awake and more formally dressed adults in the high deck lounge, where they were enjoying some snacks and wine. The lady at the bar asked what I wanted and I asked for a Beefeaters on the rocks, she smiled and poured the gin into an ice filled glass. When she held up the bottle of vermouth, I shook my head. When she held up an olive, I held up three fingers, so she put three into the glass.
As she handed me the drink, I said softly, "We have perfect communication. Thank you."
She just smiled and curtsied. At least some of the people on this boat were not stuffed shirts.
The adults and I discussed what I had done with the children so far today. They said they had enjoyed eating dinner out on the open air deck. I told them that the kids should be out as much as possible. Perhaps they could encourage them to read books out on deck or even play their guitars out there. It was good for them to get the fresh air. I didn't know that much about kids, but I did remember that I was always outside as a kid and it didn't hurt me at all. I think it helped me to become a healthy adult.
I asked the ladies who the expert at changing dressings was, as I thought my wounds should probably be looked at. Chanda pointed at the lady who was the lounge attendant behind the bar and said, "Gloria is our medical person.
She is in charge of our medicine locker and has been trained in all forms of emergency medicine. Ask her to schedule a time to check your wounds."
During the evening, I spoke with Gloria and described what I needed for her to do. She said she could help me before I retired. She also said that Serene was trained in medicine as well, so if I wanted, both could attend me. I told her, "That would be great. I need for all the little wounds to be looked at to see if there are any more metal fragments in there, to clean them up, and bandage them again."
Evening tea, or supper to me, was very formal. While my host and his women were dressed formally, the children were dressed up for the occasion. Even Bonita had a nice dress on. I put on my slacks and a sport coat, but with an open collar. I didn't feel out of place, but you could tell these people loved to put on the dog. This definitely was not me. Give me some jeans and a T-shirt, a bunch of barbecue, a log to sit on, and I would be fine. Give me a beer, instead of the wine in the fancy crystal glass, and I would be even better. As a matter of fact, when I requested a beer to have with "Tea," I was brought an almost warm glass of beer. Yuck. I drank it, but was determined to find a place to chill a couple of bottles just for me.
We finally finished tea and adjourned to the upper lounge again. Margaret mentioned that this was far away from the children's racket. I made a deal with Gloria to stuff a couple of bottles of beer into an ice bucket so they would chill. She said most Europeans drank their beer warm and felt as if Americans were silly with their preference for cold beer. We discussed why that might be and figured out that Americans enjoyed guzzling a beer while Europeans seemed to sip their beer over longer periods of time. I'd rather guzzle.
I went to the children's lounge and listened as some were practicing their guitars and Bonita was showing one of the other kids how to begin learning the piano. Serene was right there and offered help as they were enjoying themselves. The room had become very happily busy. A TV was playing a video, another TV had a video game being played on it, a stereo was playing some music, and all that was with the guitars and the piano. It was enough to make you smile.
Later, I was on the open air deck, sitting in one of the lounge type chairs when Gloria came out and asked me if she could get me one of the colder beers or another type of drink. I requested some scotch with ice and she came back with two glasses. She sat with me and said, "After Michael and Chanda leave the lounge for the evening, I'm allowed to have a drink and relax for a while. Soon, Serene will come up and probably join us. There is also, Matilda, and Genovese, the housekeepers and assistant nannies. We sleep in quarters near the children so we are available if they should need us. The crew's quarters is all male, so we don't spend much time down there."
Serene did come out to the open-air deck with a glass of wine. She sat with us and told Gloria how much fun we had today as we played music and sang this afternoon. Gloria told Serene that they needed to take me to my quarters with their medical kits so they could check my wounds and dress them again. I explained that my fake leg had been hit by a bullet and metal splinters had scattered into my thigh.
We adjourned to my room, where I took my pants and leg off. The two girls pulled the Band-Aids off and probed around, looking for additional splinters. They did find two more areas with splinters and removed them. They cleaned me up and put more Band-Aids on me with some antibiotic cream. I slipped my leg and pants back on and we went back out to the open air deck where Matilda and Genovese met us.
I asked where Michael and the ladies might be, and the girls thought they were probably in the hot tub in their cabin. Matilda commented that I had worn the children out today by taking them outside so much. I told the girls to take them outside as often as possible as the kids needed the sun and the air. They both nodded, but were not used to the concept of so much time outside.
Telling the ladies that I had enjoyed their company, I left, going into the upper lounge to get a cold bottle of beer. I passed through the kids' lounge and picked up my Blues King and took it to my cabin.
After washing up and brushing my teeth, I decided to see what kind of TV reception I could get. Surprisingly, there were hundreds of channels on the satellite receiver. I watched an HBO movie that was fairly boring until I was sleepy. I shut the TV off and went to sleep.
Primary editing by Pepere
Proofing by Sagacious