Special Meetings

I am surprised at how beautiful the view is. There is a full moon that illuminates the sea with thousands of reflections, with its countless ripples.

It is the beginning of November, outside the Atlantic you can watch the winds of the trade winds take direction.

Jennifer is sitting with her legs crossed on one of the chairs arranged around a glass table, nearby there is also an acoustic box and a music mixer.

In the center of the small table, roasted fish and waves of sparkling wine with olives are ready. Aperitif, background music, dinner set ... Wow! What a pleasant surprise! I exclaim upon my arrival, opening my arms.

"It was time for you to come, only you were missing, please Robert, take a seat", smiles the commander. "Like my dinner," he continues, indicating the table with his straight hand.

At the console as DJ is my friend Sven, the first steward.

The other steward, Michael, is not there. "Michael's on shift tonight," Amy exclaims.

Jennifer shakes her head with a confident and energetic gesture which shows her the delicate and long neck of her, then runs the finished hair in front of the shoulder backwards, then delicately arranges a placemat on her skirt.

She wears a red suit like the flames of a volcano, yet she has the gallantry of a lady of yesteryear. She smiles at me with a mischievous look.

I taste the fish and it looks fresh. "Commander, did you catch it?" I ask. "Of course. This afternoon while you were in the engine room. " She replies. "So Arthur, do you like life at sea?" She asks again, turning to me immediately after drinking a drop of sparkling wine.

A moment before answering, I instinctively look Jennifer in her eyes and then nod her head. "Yes" I reply. Commander. I confirm. "

 Suddenly Jennifer asks: Do you like dancing?

Of course. I exclaim without hesitation.

Jennifer stands up and in her heels is taller than me. When I take her to hold her to my hips I feel the tone of her body. Jennifer has a charge of sensuality enclosed in a shell of formality and detachment.

I notice that the commander is sitting with his arms crossed, watching us carefully. However, her expression no longer seems serene like that of a moment before the dance. Her face seems to have darkened.

The dance comes to an end. Jennifer and I go back to sit down.

"Commander, congratulations, dinner is very delicious," says Amy, wiping her lips with a white napkin.

"Wow Amy, eat as much as the whole crew put together!" I exclaim smiling.

"Now Amy to digest allow me this dance ..." continues Commander Jhon Graham.

“No please commander. He embarrasses me, ”Amy exclaims. "I can not dance"

“Amy I'll guide you. I'm carrying a ship. Do you want me not to know how to guide a person in the dance? "

The commander continues in an ironic way.

Amy and the commander let themselves go in a waltz. Amy tries to make the best of her by hopping from foot to foot in an awkward way.

While the commander and Amy dance Jennifer gives me a mischievous look.

"So you are Italian?" She asks Jennifer who is sitting across from me.

"Of course." I answer

"You English right?"

We begin to converse with Jennifer between one sip of sparkling wine. I immediately understand that there is a link between you and the commander. Maybe Hostess Jennifer and Commander Jhon Graham are in a serious relationship. I notice that she is also wearing a ring on her finger tonight.

The commander and Amy sit down again. We continue to drink, converse and talk with gusto all together, until it starts to dawn.

"This party was a great tool to get to know each other better, how about Amy?" I ask my cabin mate as I hold her under my arm.

Amy has drunk a lot and she can't stand up. I too drank a lot but I can handle alcohol better than her. Amy can barely nod as we say goodbye to our colleagues and head to the cabin.

As I lay Amy on the bed, Amy unexpectedly stutters something.

"My love ... my love!"

"Amy what are you saying?" I exclaim surprised.

“Come here my love. Tell me that you are my love. I want you."

“Amy I remind you that you are drunk. And that you like women. " I exclaim.

"We're making an exception for tonight," says Amy, pulling me hard towards her.

I can't resist it. I fall on the bed on Amy and Amy starts kissing me.

She turns and immediately takes off her shirt remaining in her bra.

"Amy brakes ..." I exclaim once again.

"Don't break"

Amy starts kissing me on her neck. "Two colleagues shouldn't go to bed what do you say?"

“Don't break sailor” she exclaims.

"Just execute orders"

We are almost completely naked when suddenly Amy suddenly falls asleep. My eyes close almost without realizing it.

The day after

“You won't say anything about what happened between the two of us. Understood sailor? " Amy exclaims as she adjusts her uniform.

When I wake up, my clothes are scattered all over the place.

"But in fact nothing happened ..."

"Good."

I go outside and notice that the commander is on a rampage.

He's mad at Michael. Michael is at attention. With the tie not tied well and the pants wrinkled.

"Yesterday I gave you the task of taking over and watching over the ship. Instead you didn't. You fell asleep while you were on duty! "

"Excuse me commander." Michael stammers. "I will not do it again. "Now as a punishment you will have to work even on your day off, with a double shift"

“Now go to the cabin. Tomorrow instead of resting you will have to work once more ... "

Arrival in Ibiza.

We arrive in Ibiza.

Spanish passengers board the ship. Our task will be to show them around the main islands, we will serve them food and we will wait for them when the ship is stationary in the main destinations of the stage.

When the ship is full we have to give our best. The commander does not admit excuses for any errors, delays or other.

We will stay here for two weeks, after which we will resume sailing. I can't wait for this period to end. I am literally destroyed. After this period we will finally be able to rest for a whole week.

The shelter

After this tiring period spent at sea, we take refuge on a mountain to take a break from that long and tiring job. The first officer, like a perfect gentleman, has decided to bear the expenses for the shelter.

He chose to have only me Jennifer and Amy go beyond him.

The other two crew members are having fun in Ibiza. They booked a hotel in the center. I heard them on the phone today and they are apparently visiting all the clubs in town.

The ship, the Royal Fortune XVI, on the other hand, is docked at the port. She is also resting.

Although the Commander is a very educated person, he also turns out to be a very practical guy in my opinion.

We are now towards the end of November. It's cold.

The commander lights a fire with pine resin and a knife, while the four of us sit on top of a mountain, chilled, at the height of a hiking day. We are all around watching it. Suddenly from behind the horizon, and through the fog of the clearing, we see a herd of wild horses appear out of nowhere. Gray horses, brown horses, some spotted. Then there is one all black.

The horses, too, approach us, then one of them stands up on two legs and neighs. The horse's echo resounds powerfully along the valley.

That scene, so real and surreal at the same time, arouses something in me. It sounds like the call of the forest. Then I observe the fire. Not far away I frame a scorpion.

The scorpion that continues slowly but relentlessly to approach us, suddenly appears right from behind a stone. "But what does this insect want from us, just today? It seems that the fauna has it with us today! " I exclaim

Jennifer screams in terror. “Ah! Ahhh! " She leapt to her feet as if she had already been bitten by that annoying shiny black insect, with its sting pointing like an arrow towards us.

Jennifer approaches me, her head on my chest looking for protection. "Please help me!"

The commander looks at us with disdain, with severe and dark eyes and thunders: “What are you afraid of !? EH! WHAT ARE YOU SCARED OF! " She reaffirms rising abruptly to her feet, waving a long pine twig in her hand that she used to calm the fire, almost as if it were a whip, and a utility knife in the other.

 "Oh listen, my dear" brave "friends, he resumes his reply immediately after sitting down," Has anyone ever told you the story of the turtle and the scorpion? "

I answer with a sharp "no", not understanding what he meant.

It's cold and Jennifer is shivering, so she hugs me even more.