by Willow Rose
A cabin-boy showed us to our suite where we were going to spend the next twelve days. He smiled when he unlocked the door and saw the expression on my face. The view was…I wanted to say spectacular, but that somehow wasn't enough.
"Magnifico, si?" the cabin-boy said, with his cute very white smile.
Victor was hiding behind me. Christoffer walked right in like he owned the place. "Wow," he exclaimed. "This is nice!"
"That it sure is," I said and walked towards the big windows with views of the ocean reaching as far as I could see. The sun was about to set and painted the sky in many different tones of orange. The cabin-boy put my suitcase down in the entrance. I gave him a tip and he left. Victor walked across the light carpet. He stopped in front of something hanging on the wall above the mini-bar. I chuckled. The fire axe. Of course that was something he’d like to look at. The expensive suite with the great view and art on the walls didn't matter much, but the axe fascinated him. I continued through the glass doors into the living room.
"Oh my. There is a huge flat screen TV in here, Vic. And a great couch." I sat down and felt the sofa. It was perfect. I sank right into it. I chuckled as I threw a glance around the living room. I told Christoffer the small bedroom to the right was his. Victor and I were going to sleep together in the master bedroom. That way, Christoffer could have some privacy when he wanted it. He found his bed and threw his suitcase on it.
"I could get used to living like this, what do you say Victor? It's really nice, huh? And look at the view. We're on the top floor of the ship, buddy. We can see everything from here. And there’s a balcony. We can sit out here and eat if we want to. Order food to our room and enjoy it out here while we sail across the Mediterranean Sea. You know we're going all the way to Istanbul in Turkey, right?"
He didn't answer. I knew he wouldn't. But it was okay. I knew he heard me. I smiled and looked at him. He hadn't spoken at all to Christoffer on the trip here. Maybe it was a bad idea, after all, to bring someone else. Maybe Victor really needed my attention and some alone-time with his mother. Well, I couldn't change it now. Besides, I enjoyed Christoffer's company.
Christoffer walked up next to me. He stared out the big windows. "Thank you so much for bringing me here," he said. "I’ve never been on a cruise before. I’ve actually never left the island before."
I smiled. "I know. You just enjoy it, okay?"
"Oh, I will."
"Good."
I looked at him and enjoyed the expression on his face. He was such a good boy. Having five children, Sophia never had the money to give him an experience like this. I was glad to be able to give it to him.
"How long is there till the ship leaves the quay?" Christoffer asked.
"Not long. Half an hour maybe?" I said.
"Please tell me when. I don't want to miss it. I think I'll have to catch up on some reading while we wait. My teacher told us to read Lewis Carroll's Through the Looking-Glass…you know, the story of Alice in Wonderland over Easter break, so I better get started."
"Of course. I'll let you know."
Christoffer smiled. He had a very pretty face. "Great. Thanks. And thanks again for bringing me here."
"No problem. Just enjoy."
"I definitely will."
Christoffer went into his bedroom and closed the door. He was so polite. To be frank, he was my favorite among Sophia's children. He was always taking care of his younger siblings. It was good for him to get treated a little for once.
Maya was going to be so jealous once I started posting pictures on Facebook of this place. She was going to regret saying no. At least I hoped she would. I picked up my phone and took a series of pictures of the suite and posted them right away. Victor still hadn't moved. I walked to him into the bedroom and sat next to him on the bed.
"Don't you want to go out on the balcony and have a look?" I asked.
He still didn't move.
I drew in a deep breath. "You miss her too, don't you? I guess we both do. But we'll have to get by for a little while without her. She'll be back. At least, I hope she will. Oh God, Victor. What if she doesn't come back?"
I paused. "No, you're right. Of course she will. We're her family. She'll be back. Of course she will."
I felt tears build up in my eyes, but refused to cry. "Look at your old mom, tearing up because her daughter is growing up, huh?" I sniffled and got up. The ship suddenly made a loud noise. "Did you hear that, buddy? That's the horn. Do you think we're setting off to sea now? Come. Let's get out on the balcony."
I walked through the glass door. Victor followed me reluctantly. The ship started moving. I looked at Victor. "Do you want to go wave to people down at the quay? Yeah, let's do that. Come."
"Why?" Victor asked. "We don't know any of them."
"Let's do it anyway. It'll be fun."
"No it won't."
"Don't be so boring, Victor."
I knocked on the door to Christoffer's room.
"The ship is sailing now. We're going out to wave; do you want to come?"
Christoffer opened the door and jumped out. "I'd love to."
We walked fast towards the door. Victor followed me very closely. In the hallway, we met my mom and dad. They were holding hands and wearing big smiles.
"We're leaving now," my dad said.
"I know."
We followed the stream of people and entered a big deck with a huge pool area. Victor, Christoffer and I found a spot by the railing. Christoffer and I waved to the people down at the quay while the ship slowly maneuvered out of the port. Victor just stared at them, holding on tight to the railing.
"Wow," Christoffer exclaimed. "Look at how small the people are. And look at the view. I can see all of Rome in the distance. I've always wanted to see Rome. I would love to see the Colosseum."
I patted him on the head. "You will one day."
A man standing next to me on the other side was wearing a long coat and a hat. I found it strange, since it was still very hot outside.
"Cute boys you have there," he said. "How old are they?"
"Victor is eight," I said with a smile. "Turning nine next month. It's his first time on a cruise."
"He’s big for an eight-year old, then," the man said.
"Well, we're Scandinavian. We’re very tall. Well, except for me," I said and laughed.
The man didn't laugh. He stared at Victor. It felt a little uncomfortable.
"And the other one?"
"Christoffer is ten. It's his first time on a cruise too."
"Ah, ten is a wonderful age," the man said. "What a beautiful face."
I touched Christoffer's curly hair and pulled him closer. "Yes, he is a pretty boy. Going to crush a lot of hearts in a few years."
"Probably," the man said and lifted his hat gently. "Enjoy your cruise,"
I followed him with my eyes as he disappeared into the waving and cheering crowd. When I turned to look again, the quay and the people were nothing but a distant memory.
4
April 2014
THE MAN HURRIED DOWN the stairs towards his cabin on the lower deck. He was running late. Deedee hated it when he was late.
The man opened the door and closed it behind him. He took off the coat and put it on a hanger.
"What took you so long?" the voice said.
"I'm sorry Deedee. But I was held up. I'm sorry."
Deedee snorted angrily.
"I brought you pasta. Linguine. You love Linguine," the man said.
Deedee growled. "Ai Frutti di Mare?"
"Just the way you like it. And I brought you wine."
Finally, Deedee was content. They ate in deep silence. The man was sweating and had hardly any appetite.
"I think you're coming down with a fever," Deedee said. "You're burning up."
"I know," the man said and wiped sweat off his forehead. "It's just the infection in the wound. It's nothing. I have antibiotics. It'll be fine. Don't worry."
"I don't," Deedee said. "I
can't worry about you. I have enough of worries of my own."
"You shouldn't have to worry," the man said. "I'm taking good care of you. I promised I would, remember? I'm going to make everything good again. I won't let you down. I promise."
The man groaned in pain, found a bottle of pills in his pocket and took one, washing it down with wine. He closed his eyes and leaned back. The wine helped take the edge off the pain. Soon, the pills would kick in as well. It was all going to be alright. A good night’s sleep would do the trick. He had an important day ahead of him. He needed all of his strength.
"Don't fail me," Deedee hissed.
"I'm not. I’m just resting. Gathering strength." The man sipped his wine again and ate the rest of his pasta. He was feeling better already. The pasta and wine made him drowsy. It was a good sign. Maybe he would get some sleep tonight?
"I'm sad," Deedee growled.
"I know. I know," the man replied, trying to sound as compassionate as possible. "It won't be much longer now. Soon, it will all be much better. Just wait and see. Now we need to go to sleep."
The man undressed; all the while, his shoulder was throbbing. He turned off the light and, as his head hit the pillow and the darkness surrounded him, he felt the sorrows of his past once again flush in over him. He felt like crying, but didn't. He refused to feel sorry for himself. Instead he let the anger rise in him and fed off of it.
"You're thinking about it again," Deedee said. "I just know you are. It's going to keep you awake all night, and me as well. Stop thinking about it."
"I'm not," the man lied.
"Just go to sleep," Deedee said.
"I will."
The man tried to empty his mind and lie completely still, but still couldn't find rest. The discomfort in his body kept him awake, along with the sounds. There were many sounds on the ship at night. He hated this restlessness that he always felt. The feeling that everything was wrong. He loathed this endless grief that had taken such a stronghold in his mind and saddened his every thought.
"I'm gonna make it right. I promise you that, Deedee," he whispered into the darkness. "I promise it to you."
5
April 1976
NO ONE EVER STOPPED reminding the twins that they had been found in a dumpster. At the orphanage where they were taken to after an old lady found them while throwing out her garbage, they reminded them every day.
"Garbage-boys, garbage-boys," the other children yelled after them.
Even the staff working there called them names. Mostly names like circus freaks and monstrosities. They had given them real names. When the lady had brought them to the home, they hadn't known whether it was one child or two. Should they give them one name or two? Finally, they had decided to name them after the twins from Alice in Wonderland.
Their names were Tweedledee and Tweedledum. Soon reduced to just Deedee and Dumdum.
At six years of age, Tweedledee and Tweedledum started to realize just how different they were from everyone else. Not just because the other children told them, but they noticed how people would gasp or shriek when they saw them in the street. They tried to leave the orphanage as little as possible to avoid the staring eyes, but life inside the orphanage was rough on the boys and often they needed to get out in order to avoid being beaten up constantly. Everyone picked on the freak-brothers and told them they belonged in a circus. And they were easy to beat up, since they still didn't know quite how to control their mutual body enough to be able to hit back. Between them, the boys only had three legs, two heads and four arms. They could stand up, but they couldn't walk and, instead, they would crawl on their hands and feet, making them look like a giant two-headed spider. They had learned to coordinate their arms enough to be able to eat. They had separate heads and brains, but still thought very alike. They liked the same things and often finished each other's sentences. They had even developed a language of their own between them, one only the two of them could understand. But they weren't allowed to use it, so they only did it when they were alone.
No one told them it was their six-year birthday, but the boys knew what month they had come to the orphanage and, therefore, decided on a date and on that day, they left the orphanage in the morning and didn't come back.
They had planned the trip for months. All of their life they had dreamt of one thing and that was to see the ocean. They had read about it in books and seen pictures in magazines at the orphanage. And they had both agreed. They had to see it. No matter the cost. It was like it was calling to them.
So, Tweedledee and Tweedledum stole a handful of cash from the daily leader of the orphanage, Mrs. Campari's purse when she wasn't in her office and used some to pay the bus to take them there.
The twins hadn't been prepared for the reaction of the other people on the bus. Their deep gasps and small whines surprised the twins as they crawled on their hands through the bus to find a seat. People put their bags and purses on the seats next to them to let them know they wouldn't sit next to a set of freaks like them.
Tweedledee and Tweedledum found a seat in the back and sat down quietly. The bus started up and drove into the street. The bus was quiet. No one uttered a word. A couple of children stared at the twins with open mouth and eyes. Their mother told them not to stare. The twins turned their heads and looked at each other. It was like looking into a mirror, except one was slightly bigger than the other.
"I love you," one brother whispered to the other in the language they only understood.
"I love you more," the other replied.
The bus stopped at the harbor and the twins got out. They could already smell the ocean in the distance and crawled fast across the street towards it, causing the traffic to come to a stop. They were laughing and quickly forgetting everything about staring looks and frowning faces. As their hands hit the sand, they took off their four flip-flops they wore on their hands, rolled up the trousers that had been sewn specially for them by Mrs. Telesca, who cooked for the children in the orphanage, to fit their three legs. Then they looked at each other quickly before storming into the ocean and getting their feet and legs wet.
They loved how the water felt against their skin. They played in it, splashed it at each other, and laughed heartily and happily for the first time in their short life.
The two brothers both looked into the other one's eyes and smiled. "We'll always have each other," they said simultaneously. "It doesn't matter about all these people. Not as long as we are together."
The twins danced on their hands in the water for a long time, getting all of their clothes soaking wet. Then, they crawled back up on the beach and sat down in the sand, staring at the endless ocean where a huge tanker was heading out to sea.
"Where do you think they are?" Tweedledee asked.
Tweedledum didn't have to get more details to understand that his brother meant their parents. They had been wondering all of their lives where they were.
"I think they're looking for us somewhere out there."
They both looked out at the ocean and simultaneously decided they didn't want to go back to the orphanage again. They barely finished the shared thought before they heard steps coming up behind them.
6
April 2014
WE ARRIVED AT SORRENTO at eight in the morning. It was the first stop on our cruise. All night we had been sailing down the coast of Italy, but it was the first time I actually saw the magnificent coast. It was truly breathtaking.
I, for one, had slept excellently. When I woke up, I found Victor sitting in the living room reading a book.
"What are you reading?" I asked and looked at the cover. "Lewis Carroll's Through the Looking-Glass? You're reading Christoffer's book?" I shrugged. "Guess there’s no harm in that."
I walked to the balcony and saw the city of Sorrento in front of me. The town was situated on a cliff overlooking the Bay of Naples. I had ordered breakfast in the room and ate it on the balcony with Victor and Christoffer, while studying the city online. Chris
toffer ate eagerly, while Victor, as usual, was more reluctant.
"Better eat some more, buddy," I said, when he was about to leave the table. "We have a long and busy day ahead of us. We're going to see Mount Vesuvius and the city of Pompeii. You remember what happened to it, right? We talked about it at home. They were all buried in ashes when the volcano erupted. It’s still active, you know. I saw it ten years ago on a trip here. Smoke was coming out of the side of the volcano while I was walking on it."
"Wow," Christoffer said.
"I know. It's been like this for many years. But I want you both to remember that we have to walk all the way up there. It's a long walk and I want you to have the energy for it, okay? I think this will be something you'll enjoy, Victor."
"I’d like to see the dead people," Victor suddenly said. "The ones that show the positions they were in when they died."
I chuckled. "I bet you would. There are a few of them. You'll see them when we come to the city. Some look like they're screaming. They're not real bodies, you know."
"What are they then?" Christoffer asked.
I scrolled the text on my iPad. "It says here that the objects that lay beneath the city were well preserved for centuries because of the lack of air and moisture. These artifacts provide an extraordinarily detailed insight into the life of a city during the Pax Romana. During the excavation, plaster was used to fill in the voids between the ash layers that once held human bodies. This allowed one to see the exact position the person was in when he or she died. So it's more like a print of someone dying."
