Steve
I had been told first by Mercy, then by Sue, that all of the women wanted to talk to me. That usually is almost instant death, or maybe it was going to be an execution, mine. At least they had waited for me to finish eating breakfast before the hanging.
It was with great apprehension that I was following Sue, Kathy, and Mickey up the stairs, or more appropriately, the broad curved ladder that goes up to the salon. Mercy was at the helm, with Juanita sitting beside her
.
Juanita heard us coming, turned, and said, "There's fresh coffee. Get some and come sit here at the helm with Mercy and me."
All of us except Mickey poured mugs of coffee and went over to the big comfortable couch behind the captain's chair. I brought Mercy a fresh cup and Sue took Juanita's cup back to the bar for a refill.
When we were all settled on the couch, Mercy swiveled the captain's chair and smiled, "Steve, I suppose you're curious about what this is about."
I answered by telling the group, "It must be something important to call a family meeting."
Still smiling, Mercy said, "It is. We ladies have been talking about our best friend and his family. We think you are the only one who can really influence him to give any consideration to what we all want."
Mercy fidgeted in her chair before continuing, "We've all spent a lot of time talking with Chuck's women. Taiying and Sing are interested in the topic, but feel they shouldn't interfere with the head of the family. You see, they all want to figure a way for Chuck to get away from being in danger so much. They know his job requires some risks, but they feel he's been getting deeper and deeper into more dangerous situations. Lisa frowned when we brought it up with her, but she did say that Chuck was increasingly worried about her being along with him. She also said that there was no way she would let Chuck go out on any mission without her. She's even said that she has put in notice to another of her employers that she wants to consider separating from their service."
I asked, "What service is that?"
"Don't know," Mercy answered, "She just said she was employed by another service that Chuck was also employed by."
This made me nervous, "Ah, if Chuck and Lisa are employed by some service they don't name, we don't want to know anything about it. Anything we know could jeopardize all of us. I know Chuck was shown a lot of special consideration by the State Department on the trip to the Netherlands, and I know Lisa was involved somehow, but Chuck didn't say anything about why. He just rolled with whatever came along."
Sue said, "You have brought Chuck into our businesses, especially the airpark and air charter companies. Can't you figure out a way for him to devote a hundred percent of his time there?"
I didn't understand and asked, "What's so important about Chuck getting away from the Marshal Service?"
"Oh, Steve," Kathy sighed, "You two have become very special friends. We see your concern when he's been called away to do whatever he's done. We see and hear on the news of some dangerous criminal being captured and Chuck shows up right after. Lisa and Chuck were both injured not that long ago, but they still went right back out on another mission. None of us wants to lose Chuck. If we lose him, we lose his whole family. The five girls will go back to their house and that will be the end of them. Lisa will probably be lost at the same time we lose Chuck. Taiying and Sing will have to be looked after, and then there is Maria. She's pregnant with another of Chuck's babies. I lost a husband in a war. I don't want to lose our friend to some unknown war."
I looked at each of the women, trying to think of something intelligent to say. Before I could respond, Mercy said, "Steve, I'm in your head, I know how you feel. I've been into Chuck's and Lisa's minds and know they have both been apprehensive lately, almost scared, and that's not like Chuck. They are constantly on guard unless we're like we are now, out at sea. You know you see the difference in him. You know you see how he looks at everything so intensely. He blocks me from knowing more about what he does, and so does Lisa. Whatever they are involved with is not for public discussion. Frankly, Steve, I'm concerned that Chuck will drive the five girls away because of their fear of losing him. You know they've left before, but lately seem to have become used to most of his job's demands."
Juanita spoke up, "I think the new house has all of them pacified right now. They have each other and the other women to be with right now, so they at least appear to be more at ease. The five girls are important to Chuck, but he's very loyal to his job. We all saw that last year when he was almost killed. I care for Chuck and all of his family, and want them to be a part of us. Little Maria has become like a sister to me. She's so proud of being pregnant by Chuck that she even asked me if she can name her baby after him. She didn't know whether she should since she isn't really a relative or even a citizen yet."
That brought a murmur from the girls. Mickey said, "To bad there already are a Steve and a Greg. I'd love to name my baby that."
Mercy said, "Don't plan on a boy, I've already told you that you may have a girl. You can always name a boy after your dad. That would make your dad proud."
Sue said, "We're getting off the subject." She turned to me, "Steve, you need to come up with an idea that will keep Chuck out of harm's way. At least keep him with us where we as a family can protect him. You know him; you came from some of the same background as he did. Talk to him and see if he might consider doing more with you, or maybe doing more with his own investments."
I nodded, "I'll work on it. We have a few weeks to work on him and his women. Make sure you include them in things you do so their attitudes will become more intertwined with ours. I don't think you have to work on Lisa. She'll be right there with Chuck in whatever he does. I'm sure she is thinking about a peaceful life the same as we are."
There were a lot of moans and noises from the ladies as they stood up. Sue said, "I don't think we've resolved anything, but at least you, Steve, know how we feel about Chuck and his family. They have become a part of us."
As we all stood, I saw a lot of movement on the far side of the weather deck. When I peered around the riser of the outdoor helm, I could see Don, Chuck, Lisa, Wanda, Taiying, Sing, and all of the kids in Gis going through forms. The one-legged Chuck was leading them as they went from position to position, totally amazing me. I should probably join them, but damn, I'm getting to the point that I don't want to have anything to do with confrontation. I sure hope I can keep it that way.
Mercy and Kathy saw me looking and both left the salon and went back to watch the lesson. Sue came up to me and hugged me, "Come on, let's take the captain's chair and get this tub to Italy."
We hugged as we went over the instruments and monitors. Sue punched up the weather on the TV monitor to see it was going to be another beautiful day. It looked like we would have clear skies and warm days the rest of the way.
Sue began talking about Italy and our stay there. She said, "I think I told you that I contacted Eduardo the Italian guide for us again. When I told him how many we're going to have with us he said he would hire a big bus for and begin making plans. I'm supposed to call him so he can give us a proposed itinerary. We're going to be there for at least five days, maybe a week. That way, you can go see your new factory there, and we'll have plenty of time to travel around the country. Ed is going to have reservations at hotels where we'll need to stay overnight and will plan everything for us."
I said, "Good thinking on contacting the guy. He was very knowledgeable and was able to cram a lot into a little time. I'm glad that this time we're going to take our time and see more of Italy than just around Rome."
Sue hugged me, "I know you have to see the Italian factory and you need to go see how Hans is doing while we're there, but do make time for some of the sightseeing."
I told Sue, "I might be able to wait to see Hans until we're on the Riviera. Dewey says we should probably go to the exclusive yacht club just west of Nice when go to the French Riviera."
Sue said, "I'm way ahead of you, I had Eduardo make reservations for us and the Irish Bell at the yacht club that is west of Nice. Hopefully, there won't be a problem with our two big boats. The place was fine last time but the yacht club where we stayed wasn't as close to everything as I would have liked. Ed says the yacht club we wanted is close to the airport, as well as the casinos and the beaches we enjoy."
"You should begin getting everyone's wish list for Italy. We know what we want to do on the Riviera."
Sue giggled, "You probably want to go the nude beaches on the Riviera. You know all the girls have been talking about that, including Juanita. She sure has become more of a free spirit since the last time we were here. I want to see you and Chuck in the casinos. With the luck you two have, it's going to be a massacre."
I said, "We should try the casinos with and without Missy. It was Missy who really made the difference last time. At the end, I tried to give some of the winnings back but got lucky on my own. Chuck seems to have the same sense of anticipation that Missy does, but I sometimes think he is even more perceptive than she is. He just doesn't display it."
"You might be right," came from Mercy's voice. She had come up on us without our noticing. "Sometimes I think Chuck is reading me without me even knowing it. Sometimes he'll talk to me a little to let me know he's thinking of me, but I think most of the time he looks into me to make sure I'm not seeing something I shouldn't. He has the ability to sneak in, whereas mom and I always seem to alert people when we're listening and reading."
Sue said, "You need to get into his head and plant the seeds of him becoming more like Steve, of him being more of a stay at home dad."
About noon, Chuck came to the outdoor helm where I was at, saying, "Hey Guy, I'll take over now. I think I'm supposed to be on from now till four. We probably should get back on some kind of rotation."
As I pointed to the long range radar monitor, I told Chuck, "Look at this, there's a good sized boat doing about twenty-five knots heading straight for us. What do you want to bet that is the Irish Bell? They should catch us by around four thirty or five depending on the wind."
Chuck said, "Probably is. I'll wait until they are about twenty miles out before hailing them. They should close on us in about two hours after that." Chuck was punching up history on the GPS and said, "It looks like we've been averaging between fourteen and sixteen knots for the last twenty-four hours so they should catch us soon."
I stretched and went below for lunch. I wondered if Chuck had eaten before he came on duty. That's when I saw Brandy making up some sandwiches on a plate I thought was probably for Chuck.
While we were eating, Dewey softly said to me to keep everyone else from hearing, "I'll bet you had the same family discussion my ladies had with me. Are you supposed to influence Chuck to get more involved in our businesses to keep him home, or at least out of the dangerous stuff he does?"
I looked at Dewey with a smile, "It's a conspiracy, Dewey. We're being manipulated by a bunch of women."
"Yep," Dewey said, "I think all of the women got together and are plotting. I actually like Chuck being involved in any of our projects. The man does seem to bring luck to us when he joins us. I also really enjoy the rascal. The man is so magnetic while he's playing and singing, and did you see him teaching martial arts to the kids this morning? All of the kids think he's special."
Sheila leaned down between Dewey and me to softly say, "I think you two could convince him to kick back and relax by doing business deals with you two."
I laughed, "So much for trying to have a private chat."
Dewey chuckled too, "Yeah, we're never going to have a private conversation with all these female ears around here."
Juanita was next to Dewey and said, "We ladies know what's good for you, so we listen to you and what you're talking about. We want to make sure that you two stay happy and healthy."
After lunch, I went to the office area on the lower deck to use the phone to check in back home. When I got through to Tiny, he said, "You were busy in Germany. Hans has turned his place inside out. According to Jeff, Hans appears to already be running his original line back at a standard pace, if not faster. Jeff says Hans had been micro-managing everything, but now that production is going as he expects; he has backed off a lot. Jeff says all of the new lines, including the new casting plant are running. They were able to purchase a nearby casting plant that was immediately able to begin making casts for our motors. As soon as he has a complete sampling of the components, he is going to ship them back here for us to test. He's also going to ship a complete engine for us to put through the paces."
"So how is the main plant there at home? Is the economy still playing havoc with orders?"
Tiny said, "We're still backed up on rebuilds of super lifts, but almost current on the smaller lifts. A lot of smaller businesses just can't afford to get their lifts repaired. I've begun a new strategy that should help them and us."
There was a long pause so I asked, "So what is it? Are you going to keep me in suspense?"
Tiny chuckled, "We are now in the full maintenance leasing business. We are taking a customer's broken down lift in trade and giving credit for them toward a full maintenance lease on one of our rebuilt products. The customer gets a lift that looks and runs like new, with on site maintenance if needed, and we get something to rebuild and lease or sell to the next customer."
"Good idea, Tiny. That makes sense," I said, relieved to hear another idea to keep men working. "How are you marketing this?"
Tiny said, "Phil has his men blanketing our customer base to talk about our deal. He figures a lot of sales are being made to companies that just don't want to have a maintenance agreement with us. This has been a good move so far."
"Good job, Tiny. Anything else happening?"
"Your buddy, Chuck, is spending a bunch of money with us on his island. Ben just paid for the wind generators, plus six brand new FEMA modular homes for construction workers and their families. Mark nearly stole the trailers for fifteen hundred a piece. Terrell had them shipped down on barges, along with equipment to put them in place. Mark had to import a couple of bulldozers, a couple of graders, and has even created a small concrete plant. I'm told that it is for the runway they are building. Terrell seems to know what he's doing, but I think you need to ask Chuck if he has a dollar limit on what he's going to spend down there."
I said, "I'll talk to him. He seems to think the island will be a great place for vacations for all of us. He said that he plans to use it for weekend getaways too."
Tiny said, "Sue's girls have taken over the management of the T-shirt operations. The new knitting and dye plant is producing cloth, the sewing plants are putting together the T-shirts, and the screen printing plants are running at maximum capacity. We've been able to produce product for several other companies, along with getting ahead on what we sell. Shawna has come up with cartoons for all of the race day T-shirts for the rest of the season, so there isn't a big deadline to meet every week. We should have our inventory in the warehouse in plenty of time before any of the races."
"That's good news. How is the rest of the race car support group doing?"
Tiny had a smile in his voice, "The motor group is at full production, with a waiting list. The fiberglass shop is putting out product to keep up. Sheet metal is a little behind, but there have been a lot of accidents in all three divisions lately. The one place that we've sort of put ourselves out of business is in the frame shop. The new alloy frame isn't bending, or at least it doesn't stay bent. Now that most of the owners have switched to our alloy frames, they don't seem to need as many. Thank goodness they still need body parts and motors."
Tiny said, "We're getting some more business from the Hollywood entertainment industry for our motor homes. That group still has money and spends it generously. We've been chosen as a favorite vendor for that industry. I have two drivers that drive the motor homes out to buyers and fly back for another delivery. We're averaging about six a month right now. That's like almost two million a month on big motor homes."
"Wow, who would have thought we could keep the motor home business going."
"I'm just as surprised," Tiny said. "Truck bodies are doing pretty good as owners want fuel efficiency. They also like the idea of getting an almost new truck back when we rebuild it. Of course, that keeps that group working as well as keeping the hotel filled near capacity."
I sighed, "There's too much, isn't there, Tiny? We started out small and let it keep mushrooming, until we're now really involved in so much that it's tough to keep track."
"Not too bad, " Tiny said, "I have help to watch the numbers and it helps that you made me put so much cash back for a rainy day. When we've had a little bump, we still have plenty of cash to keep rolling just like normal." Tiny paused, "Oh yeah, we've received another grant to train people. The education center is packed. This stimulus deal the feds have come up with is a grant to train skilled workers. I don't know where they will get jobs when they are trained, but we're putting a lot of people through. I think we are training all of the air conditioning people in Florida right now. That is a very popular field."
"That's good news. As long as we can continue to keep the school training people who want to work, I'm all for trying to help them pay for school. We can't hire them all, but we've enjoyed the trained graduates in all of our operations so far."
"That we have," Tiny said. "One last thing, Gene, Gerry, and Wes have come up with some more innovations for their twin engine aircraft. Wes invited several aircraft manufacturers to visit and check out his two new aircraft. He has the twin turboprop and a new small business jet. Wes and Gene both think we can make a bunch licensing the products. Bombardier is interested, and Cessna has already sent some test pilots down. The group is a little behind on their LSA production, but that's because we're getting as many overseas orders as we are domestic. The group is working on designs to make the LSAs easy to take apart and re-assemble for foreign export."
I said, "I guess I need to talk to Wes about getting too far ahead of himself. I did give Wes and Gene a free reign to create, so it's mostly my fault. Those two are amazing."
Tiny said, "Gerry is the key to a lot of what's happening. Her new composite material is extremely strong. She wants Wes to build a remote control aircraft and intentionally crash it so three of them can work on safer designs. That's going to be expensive. What do you think?"
"Actually, Tiny, it's a good idea, but expensive. See if you can get some numbers together. If we have that information, then get the trio to come up with a profit analysis."
Tiny laughed, "The businessman finally comes out. Now you want profit analyses. Next thing you know, you'll be able to read a P&L statement."
"Go away, Tiny, I know just enough to stay in business."
"Okay, Boss, everything on the home front is cool. The pictures you guys have been sending us are great. Everyone seems to be enjoying your vacation."
"Okay, Tiny, talk to you later. If you need me, you know where I'm at."
"Bye, Steve."
"Bye, Tiny."
A wave of homesickness passed over me. I did miss Tiny and Ruth, along with all the rest of the people that made up our extended family at home and at work.
I stretched and went up to the galley to get some coffee. Glenda told me, "You need to go up and listen to what those kids are playing. They are playing a bunch of oldies that Martin and I used to dance to. Martin's up there patting his foot and smiling from ear to ear."
Taiying and Sing walked up from below deck, carrying some fresh laundry. The two were smiling as they passed Glenda and me.
Glenda said, "Those two are something else. They work like demons getting the laundry done, then come ask me what else they can do to help. Little Maria is just as bad. Every time you turn around, she's dusting or washing something. Sue told me she had the kids polishing chrome and brass outside earlier. Chuck sure has some busy women."
I nodded in agreement as I finished my coffee. Brandy and Tiani came into the galley and smiled. Brandy said, "Do you have a minute? Tiani and I have a question."
The two led me down the gangway to their cabin and put me in a chair as they sat on the big bed. Brandy started out, "We know your women asked you to talk to Chuck about finding a less hazardous occupation. We agree, but we don't want to take him from what he enjoys doing for a living. The man is obviously a good businessman to be able to use the money he received from those lawsuits to invest in several good deals. The five of us would love to have him be at home more, but we understand and want you to know that we don't want to push Chuck."
Tiani spoke up, "All of us think you and your family are wonderful. We all feel like we've been uppity because Chuck built that beautiful home for us. Since we've been there, because we are close by, we've had the opportunity to become closer to your women and the women in the park. Our lives are richer because of it. Thank you for including us at home and on this trip."
I told them, "This is Chuck's boat, so I'm the guest here."
The two girls looked at each other with their mouths open and big eyes. Brandy said, "I wondered about that. Damn, how in the world did he afford a boat like this?"
Tiani said, "I know he was making a deal on this boat down in Miami, but I thought it was for you."
I told them, "In the beginning it was for me, but Chuck had the money and the boat was a steal, so I convinced him to buy it for himself. Now you have another reason to keep him home, so you can all go sailing more often."
Brandy said, "Back to the subject, Tiani and I have a good reason to keep Chuck around more. Chuck doesn't know it yet, but Tiani and I are both pregnant. At least we think and hope so. We waited until the others were about to give birth so our kids would be here about six months or so later. Although we don't want to put too much pressure on Chuck, we would enjoy him being around for us and all of his children."
I had been leaning forward listening to the two girls, and now leaned back to look at them. "Don't you two think you should tell Chuck? I understand Maria is pregnant. How do you feel about that?"
Tiani said, "It's really great. Chuck is going to have a house full of kids just like you. It's going to be so much fun. We hope Taiying and Sing join us giving Chuck some babies. We're going to be a big happy family."
Thinking the interview was over, I stood. The two girls came to me and hugged me. Brandy said, "As soon as we know we're pregnant for sure, we can come play with you guys in the hot tub, but if the water is too hot we probably shouldn't go in. Mercy really wanted us to play last night, but well, we want to make sure Chuck's the dad."
I hugged the two girls and we left the big cabin to head back to the galley and the stairway up to the salon. Frieda, Judy, Nancy, and Maria were in the galley where Brandy and Tiani joined them. They were working on something that was obviously for supper. Glenda was getting ready to go up to the salon when she saw me. Glenda said, "Chuck's women are making supper tonight. From the way they're working at it, it's going to be good."
Glenda and I walked up the wide circular stairway to the salon. Watching Glenda make her way up the stairs made me think that an elevator would soon be a good idea.
Chuck and Lisa were with the kids while they were looking through an old beat up fake book. Lisa had the big book on her lap, with Chuck sitting next to her, and the kids all crowding around and behind them to see. It did make you smile to see the interest the kids had.
By the time I got to the bar, Martin handed Glenda and me a beer and said, "You know, you should have put a tapper on this boat. You have everything else, but no draft beer. I think I must be spoiled having good fresh draft everyday at the house."
Glenda elbowed Martin, "My goodness, Martin, you're such a freeloader. Free beer is free beer. I'll bet you're not turning up your nose at the bottle beer on board." Glenda turned to me and said, "Thank you for letting us come along with you on the trip, Steve. This is probably the most exciting thing I've ever done, except for going to that cabin with this old fool when we eloped."
Martin looked wistful, "You know, that was about the most exciting thing I've ever done too. Imagine that, all those years ago and it seems like yesterday. Hey, Glenda, want to see if our cabin is as fun as that cabin?"
"Patience, Martin, if you don't have too many of these," Glenda said, waving her beer bottle at him, "You might get lucky, just like you've been getting lucky darn near every day of our lives together."
The two kissed sweetly and I could see all of the others smiling at the closeness of the old couple.
The kids were strumming along and began singing an old Tennessee Ernie Ford song, "Sixteen Tons." That got Martin to begin patting his foot again and singing right along. The folks were all enjoying themselves.
Dennis came to me and said, "I spoke with Gerry a little while ago, and she said Henry hired a new guy for the R&D shop today. I knew we were going to get some people, but didn't know they would add them while I was gone. He said the guy's name was Flowers, Sandy Flowers."
I told Dennis, "Tiny didn't say anything to me about it, but if Henry thinks the man will be an asset, he will. Call Henry tomorrow and get a copy of his resume and employment app. You can direct what you want him to do from here if you want. I'd bet the man will be interested in doing anything you wanted him to learn and get started on."
Dennis seemed deep in thought, "He probably will be a good addition. I would have liked to interview him before we hired him. I suppose he must be good enough that the company can use him in other areas as well."
I told Dennis, "Call Henry during their work day and get a handle on this Sandy guy. No sense in fretting about it while we're having so much fun."
That's when I told Dennis to come with me and waved at the other guys to join us outside. When all the guys were gathered around, I said, "Tomorrow is Valentine's day. If you didn't bring along a card, I have a bunch that I brought so everyone would have something. I also have a small necklace for all the women and girls that will be a commemorative gift of this trip. It is a gold chain, with a small heart locket, that has 'Valentine's Day, Sailing to Europe 2011' inscribed inside. For the boys and you guys, I had a silver coin stamped with the same thing. The other side has an image of the boat and Lucky Lady – Seraglio around the edge. That should just about take care of it."
Martin said, "I remembered to get a card and have something special for Glenda. We always enjoy Valentine's day."
Ben said, "Man, am I glad you remembered. I would have been toast tomorrow."
Smiling, I told the guys, "That's why I brought a lot of extra cards. Come down to the office before supper to pick one out. Chuck said he's covered for Valentine cards and has a special gift for each of his girls. He said he was going to cause a riot, but it would be a good riot."
When the guys went back inside, Dennis and Don hung back. Dennis said, "Marie and I've talked about us being together, but I want to formally ask her to marry me tomorrow night. I have the ring and possibly want to get married when we're in Italy. I spoke to Sue about it and she has spoken to the guide about finding a church we can get married in, as well. Sue said that we probably couldn't have a Mass, as we haven't completed the pre-nuptial stuff the church wants. We have been to church though, and I know we've both been to confession and communion before we left."
I said, "That's great, Dennis. I didn't know you attended Catholic Church."
Dennis answered, "I used to go to church with some friends of mine back home and did the catechism thing with them. Believe it or not, we were all altar boys for a couple of years. Mom and Dad always went to a non-denominational church, and Tina, well, she never did go to church much, especially since she's been in school. Marie was raised Catholic, but as you know, we haven't followed our early teaching very well. We've always felt like we were meant to be together, so I want to tie this knot in Italy where it will be really special."
"Not to try to discourage you, but what about her folks?" I asked, "Won't they want to see their little girl get married?"
Dennis grinned, "Got it covered, I bought Marie's family tickets to get to Italy. They should have already arrived by the time we get there. I made hotel reservations for them beginning the fifteenth."
Startled, I asked, "Are you going to be able to afford this?"
"No sweat, Steve, you pay me well and I don't spend any money. Marie and I live cheaply at Chuck's place and were eating all our meals with them. Now we eat with you guys. We both have cars that are paid for that we hardly use, since I now use a cart and Marie rides with Wanda most of the time. I have plenty saved for this trip. I'm going to really surprise Marie by having her family there with us."
"That's a nice Valentine gift, Dennis. I'm proud of you. You two have been a sweet couple."
Don now moved closer to us, "I'm going to do almost the same thing with Jan, but I want to get married by the captain of the boat. I think that is the most romantic way to get married there is. That Chuck would be the captain is even better. I know Jan is as ready for this as I am. Since she is a ranking agent with the Bureau, she might get transferred anytime, but I'll go with her and open a dojo wherever that might be. If we can stay in Tampa, so much the better. We're like Dennis. We live cheap and are about as happy as a couple can get. Last night, I found we had the capacity to enjoy each other enjoying others. That was wild. I think we might want to find out more about the hot tub times out at the park."
"Do you have a ring?" I asked Don.
"You bet," Don answered. "I bought a ring about three months ago and have been waiting for the right time. Now is that time."
I was thinking tomorrow evening was going to busy. "Guess I'd better talk to Chuck and make some plans about giving out the lockets. We might do that in the afternoon, or how about I do that at breakfast in the morning? You guys tell the others to meet me downstairs in the office to get cards. Be careful that the ladies don't hear you. If you have to, just tell whoever to come with you, and that you have something to ask them."
Inside, I went over to Chuck and said, "Have a minute? I need to talk to you down in the office, shouldn't take long."
Once we were on the stairs, I told Chuck, "The guys are going down to pick out Valentine cards. You told me you already had what you needed and were planning on doing something special. Don and Dennis are going to ask their girls to marry them tomorrow night, so you guys need to coordinate as to how you're going to do this."
Chuck said, "They can have the night as their special night. My stuff can wait."
"No way, Chuck, you obviously want to do something special for your women, so do it. Either before or after the two guys do their kneeling bit. I don't know what you're going to do, so I want to give out our cards at breakfast. I'm going to hand out the lockets and coins then too. That way, the evening will be for you guys. I do have a little something for my women. Nothing real big, but something that I thought would be nice."
Chuck said, "Okay, sounds good. I think I'll wait until Dennis and Don are done, then line my ladies up and do them all at once. With so many, that's the only way I know how to do it. Hope this doesn't cause any of them to want to run, but I do want to do this."
I told Chuck, "You're secure with your women. I would doubt any of them will run. They'll all be excited to have something special."
"We'll see," sighed Chuck, as we entered the office.
I brought out the box of cards I had picked out. They were all nice cards, but fairly plain so the giver could augment whatever was printed on the card. The guys didn't take long at picking one out. They grabbed pens and all wrote out some mushy words for their ladies.
Chuck was standing back, smiling. He said, "For once I'm ahead of the game. I've already made out cards for all of my ladies and there will be cards for Tina, Lena, and big Tina at home. I've made sure Peaches and the girls get cards and candy too. I've even made sure Sarah gives the girls in my office their cards and candy tomorrow. I've got a bunch of sweet cards for all the women and kids on board too, so I'm covered."
John said, "I remembered we would be gone for Valentine's Day and got a card and candy for Wanda, but I didn't get anything special. The locket will be a nice gift. How much do I owe you for it, Steve?"
I laughed, "Nothing, my friend. I made a deal with a jeweler a long while back and he was happy to have the business. You'll see, John, we really enjoy Valentine's Day. The guys at the park are throwing a big party with a specially decorated tent and a catered meal. Tiny says he thinks the women have something up their sleeve too. I know he spent a king's ransom for a diamond necklace for Ruth. I'll bet he'll get lucky tomorrow night."
Martin chuckled, "He gets lucky all the time. They play bunnies more than Glenda and I used to." That got a laugh from the guys.
We broke up and went back up to what we were doing. When I was the first to get to the top of the stairs, I saw that the women were all crowded together. Even Chuck's women had abandoned the galley to get in on the conversation. As soon as they saw me, they all laughed and broke up, smiling at me as they passed.
"You girls are up to no good, I can tell."
Mercy came up to me, batting her eyes, "Oh, just some women stuff. Just like your men's stuff."
That's when I realized my mind was totally transparent to Mercy and Missy. I wondered if they were able to probe inside Chuck for his surprise.
The evening's festivities were fun. The kids played some special music for us and Chuck and Lisa finished all of us off with a special instrumental duet of "Somewhere over the Rainbow" followed by what had become Chuck's favorite, an instrumental of "Summertime."
Chuck came on duty for his two hour shift and would be in bed by midnight. Hopefully, he had worked out everything that was on his mind the night before. We were all wondering why the boat that had been catching up to us, now seemed to be slower and not closing on us hardly at all. If they don't catch up to us by morning, I'll use the satellite phone and call to make sure they are alright.
When I got to our big cabin, Sue was already snuggled in bed. She would relieve Chuck at midnight. Don said he was going to stay up with Sue as he wanted to learn some more. John said he was going to get up with Juanita to keep her company. I was going to get up with Mercy so we could spend some time together. I thought it was good to have a second person on duty with the women at night while we were in the Mediterranean. You never know.
Primary editing by Pepere
Continuity by Sagacious
More when complete