by Debby Mayne
“I’ve got mine.” Sheila whipped it out. “What’s her number?”
Jake gave her the number and we waited. And waited.
Sheila shrugged and said, “Voicemail.”
“Where’s everyone else in the bridal party?” Warren asked. “In the other buses, right?”
“Right.”
“Maybe she’s with the maid of honor?” I tried.
I could see the relief on Jake’s face the moment I mentioned this possibility. “Good point. They’re all spread out on other buses. I’m sure that’s what happened. She’s with Natalie. Or her mom. Or someone else.” He nodded. “We’ll laugh about this later, I’m sure. Just kind of freaked me out that we’re headed back to the ship and she’s not with me. She’s always with me.”
“And she’ll always be with you.” I gave him an encouraging smile. “I can tell that girl adores you.”
“She’s the best thing that’s ever happened to me. I’m the luckiest man alive.”
“Blessed,” I countered. “You’re very, very blessed.”
He nodded. “Yes. Very.”
“Don’t worry about Meredith,” I said. “Trust me when I say that a bride usually doesn’t see her husband-to-be on the day of the wedding so she’s probably holding to that tradition in these final hours.”
“Trust me, there’s been nothing traditional about this wedding.” He shrugged. “We wanted it that way, but her mother. . .” His words trailed off. “Anyway, her mom usually wins out. Meredith and I wanted to get married in our home church, back in Texas, but she thought this would be more fun.”
“It will be fun,” I said. “You’ll make memories no one will ever forget.”
“Right.”
At this point Sheila engaged him in a conversation about the upcoming wedding and he reminded us that we were all invited. “Just after dinner,” he said. “So come dressed and ready.”
I nodded, but I couldn’t imagine getting dressed with this sunburn being so bad. Right now all I wanted to do was dive into a cold swimming pool and pray this pain would subside. Hopefully, once I got back on the ship, I could do just that.
Chapter Six
Bridge over Troubled Water
I don't know who named them swells. There's nothing swell about them. They should have named them awfuls.
—Hugo Vihlen
W hen we arrived at the pier, Jake took off to search for his bride-to-be. We would’ve joined him, but, frankly, couldn’t keep up. In fact, I could barely stand up. Sheila, who’d fallen asleep in the bus, was in even worse shape when we woke her. She actually cried. Real tears. If I looked anything like she did, we’d be the reddest guests at the wedding tonight.
If we made it. Right now, just getting off the bus took forever. And once we managed that—Lord help us—getting back to the ship would also be a challenge. I could barely move without wanting to weep.
Somehow we made it. I got through customs, boarded the Navigator of the Seas, and then went straight to the pool on the top deck. The guys went back to the cabins, Sheila joined me in the pool. We settled into the cold water and the sunburn instantly felt better.
“Ahhh.” She smiled for the first time all afternoon and then released an exaggerated sigh. “I might just live after all.”
“Me too.” Just about that time an elderly woman got into the pool with us. She took one look at the two of us and gasped. “For pity’s sake.” She turned to the man getting into the water behind her. “Earl, would you look at this? These poor ladies.” She clucked her tongue and went on and on in motherly fashion, giving us all sorts of advice about how to deal with the pain.
“Do you have any Aloe Vera?” she asked.
I nodded. “In the room. Brought it just in case.”
“Well, you two need to take out stock in some,” she said. “Because you look bad.”
“Really, really bad.” Her husband said, his eyes wide.
Gee, thanks a lot.
We stayed in the pool until four-thirty then climbed out to head to the room. Something about the hot sunshine on my cold wet body caused a weird stinging sensation. If we made it to dinner and the wedding it would take a miracle. Right now I just wanted to live in the swimming pool.
“Promise you’ll put on Aloe the minute you get to your room!” the elderly woman called out.
I nodded then took off for my cabin with Sheila on my heels, complaining the whole way. In the elevator we happened to see Kenzie, dressed in beach attire.
She gave us an incredulous look and shook her head, her mouth rounding into a perfect “O.” “Wow, you two look. . .”
“I know, I know.” I groaned. “Burnt.”
“I always use sunscreen.” She offered us a smile. “Learned the hard way.”
“Were you at the beach too?” Sheila asked. “Figured you’d have rehearsal or something.”
“They give us a break when we’re in port. Sometimes, anyway.” She smiled and then exited the elevator on the 10th floor. We went on down to the 9th and got off, then somehow made it to our cabins.
With Warren’s help I got out of my swimsuit and into the shower. I cried the whole time. Afterwards, I decided to air dry. Touching a towel to my skin seemed impossible, at best. Still, the tears flowed. Warren helped me put on the Aloe, gently applying it to all of the places I could not reach. It felt cool to the skin, which helped, at least for a moment. Then, just as quickly, it felt like a seal on my skin, which now felt like it was cooking. The tears came again.
Warren gave me a sympathetic look. “Annie, I’ve been with you through the birth of three children and don’t think I’ve ever seen you this worked up.”
“I. . .I know.” The tears flowed, which only aggravated things because they were hot against my burnt cheeks. “This is mi. . .miserable!” I eased my way down onto the bed—completely naked—and sent Warren off to deliver the Aloe to Sheila’s cabin. When he came back his eyes were huge.
“Wow. Just. . .wow.”
“What?” I asked.
“She never made it out of her bathing suit. I seriously doubt we’re going to dinner tonight.”
“We’re going, all right.” I tried to stand. “I’m going to wear my sundress, but we’re going, by golly. And we’re going to the wedding too. It’s at eight o’clock and I promised Meredith and Jake we would be there.”
“Don’t you think, under the circumstances, they would forgive us?”
“Yes, but I’m not one to go back on my word.”
And so, with teeth gritted, I somehow got into my underclothes and my sundress. I couldn’t stand the feel of my bra straps on my burnt shoulders, so I pulled them off and tucked them under my arms. “There you go,” I said. “A do-it-yourself-strapless-bra.”
Warren just shrugged. “Well, I’d say it’s sexy but this might not be the right time.”
“Trust me, there’s nothing sexy about how I feel right now.” I walked over to the mirror to put on makeup, took one look at my red-orange face and gasped. “Holy cow. Well, I guess I don’t need blush.” I did swipe on a bit of lipstick and reached for the mascara wand. “Okay. I’m ready.”
“What about Sheila and Orin.”
I turned away from the mirror. “If I know Orin, and I do, he wouldn’t miss dinner for anything. Not sure about Sheila.”
Turned out Sheila didn’t want to miss dinner, either. She and Orin emerged from their room a couple of minutes after we knocked. I could tell the woman was braless but didn’t mention it.
“I just couldn’t, Annie,” she whispered. “You know what I mean. I could barely get this blouse on and it’s loose.”
“I hear ya.”
We followed behind our husbands down the narrow corridor. They seemed to forget that Sheila and I were handicapped by our burnt skin. Before long they were a couple hundred feet ahead of us. Oh well. We’d eventually catch up.
They did hold our spot at the elevator, thank goodness, and we climbed aboard. With so many people pressed in aro
und me, touching my burnt arms, I couldn’t help but cry out. This cleared a path in a hurry.
We entered the dining hall at exactly five-thirty and made our way to our table. Weirdly, no one from the wedding party showed up. Finally, at six-fifteen, Jake arrived, a panicked look on his face.
“Jake?” Warren stood to greet him. “Where is everyone?”
“They’re still looking for Meredith. We were hoping she’d come here to dinner.” He shook his head. “I. . .I. . .” He dropped down in a chair and the waiter filled his water glass. “I don’t know what to think.”
“Jake, there’s got to be some mistake,” Orin said. “Surely you don’t think she’s. . .”
“Gone?” Jake shook his head. “I can’t come to any other conclusion.”
“Did she give any indicators that she didn’t want to get married?” I hated to ask the question, but the super-sleuth in me needed to get right to the point.
“No, she was so excited. You saw it for yourself. Everyone was.” He paused and I could read the concern in his eyes. “Well, most everyone.”
“Who? Who wasn’t?” I asked.
“I, well. . .I don’t think her mom was ready for Meredith to be away from home. They’re in kind of a co-dependent relationship.”
At this moment Kevin arrived, breathless. “She’s not here?”
Jake shook his head. “No.”
Kevin sat down and took a swig from Jake’s water glass. “I’ve been everywhere, from the top deck to the bottom.”
“Me too,” Jake said. “Even went to the ship’s security officer. He confirmed that she boarded. Her Set Sail pass was used to board and the passport was a perfect match. So, she’s got to be here somewhere.”
“Hiding from me, apparently.” Jake took another roll and shoved it in his mouth.
“Relax, my friend.” Kevin gave him a sympathetic look. “You never know with women. Maybe she’s just panicked or having second thoughts or something.”
“Is that supposed to make me feel better?”
“Jake, at least you know she’s on-board,” Warren gave him a fatherly look.
“Right.” The groom-to-be’s brows elevated. “Only, not in her room, and not with anyone from the wedding party.”
“Was she alone when she boarded?” I reached for the breadbasket but my burnt arm didn’t extend as usual. Warren handed it to me.
Jake nodded. “They photograph everyone coming aboard. From what they could tell there was another woman in the distance but maybe not with her? I’m not sure.”
“Probably her mom, right?” Sheila suggested. “Or your mom?”
“I’ve talked to both of them,” Jake said. “They haven’t seen her.”
“Well, maybe it was Natalie, then?” I tried.
“She’s the maid of honor, right?” Orin reached for a roll. “I’m having trouble keeping up with the players.”
“Yes, she’s the maid of honor, Orin.” Sheila gave him a “be quiet” look.
“Natalie was with Jake’s parents.” Kevin took another swig of water.
“Ah.” I took a bite out of my roll, deep in thought.
“I just don’t get it,” Kevin said. “The whole thing makes no sense.”
It made no sense to me, either. Why would a bride deliberately miss her own wedding? I’d talked to her just this morning and she looked elated. She certainly didn’t look like the sort to run and hide on her big day, and definitely not in a foreign country. Not that I could think clearly with this sunburn plaguing me. Right now I just wanted to dive face-first into the swimming pool and put an end to my misery.
A few minutes later Natalie showed up with the bride’s mother. “No word?” she said.
Jake shook his head.
The bride’s mother started weeping and before long the waiter was seating everyone at our table and filling water glasses.
“I can’t eat anything,” Meredith’s mother kept right on standing. “I might never eat again. I don’t know how any of you can sit here when my daughter is missing. We’ve. Got. To. Do. Something!” She gave Jake a disgusted look and then turned and walked away from the table, muttering all the way.
“She’s right.” Jake shook his head. “I don’t know where else to look but we have to try.”
“Talk to the captain,” I said. “He can put out a call for her. I heard him call for someone just last night, so I know it’s possible.”
“Oh, that’s right.” Momentary relief flickered in Jake’s eyes. “I’ll go find him. He rose and gazed at us all so intently I could feel his pain. “I know you guys are all Christians. I’ve heard you talk about going to church. Would you please pray? I don’t know if Meredith is deliberately staying away from me because she doesn’t want to marry me, or if someone’s done her some sort of harm, but I know that praying is the answer.”
“Of course,” we all responded in unison.
Jake took off toward the dining room door and Kevin rose. He looked our way and sighed. “Thanks, everyone. I’d better stick with him. That’s what the best man does. “
“Yes, and you’re a great best man.” I squirmed in my seat, the pain from my sunburn gripping me once again.
He took off and we sat quietly for a few minutes. The waiter finally broke the silence when he came to take our order. The next forty-five minutes were unbearable. I managed to swallow a few bites of food but couldn’t stand the pain any longer. Sitting was miserable.
Turned out, standing was next-to-impossible. I figured that out when my husband and Orin rose to leave after dessert. My burnt thighs didn’t want to cooperate. Looked like Sheila was having the same problem. She groaned and moaned as she attempted to get up from the chair. At that very moment, the whole ship started pitching back and forth, nearly causing us to tumble.
“Feels like we’re setting off to sea again,” Warren said. “Hope everyone’s got their Dramamine.”
I had some in the cabin, but right now I couldn’t stand the idea of lying down in the bed, even as nauseous as I felt. I had to get in the water. Now.
“Sheila, come with me.”
“Where are we going?”
“To the top deck. We’re getting back in the pool.”
“Right now?” Warren and Orin spoke in unison.
“Yep, right now.”
“But I’m not in my bathing suit,” Sheila argued. “And there’s no way I could possibly get back into it, feeling like this.”
“Exactly. Which is why we’re going in in our clothes,” I said.
“Is that even allowed?” Orin asked.
“I don’t know and I don’t care.” And that was my final answer on the subject.
We got a few strange looks from people as we entered the pool in our sundresses but we ignored them and kept going. Our husbands settled into lounge chairs to watch the outdoor movie and I eased my way under the water, feeling the relief of the coolness against my skin.
“Do you think they’ll let us sleep in here?” Sheila asked as she dipped her shoulders under.
“I don’t know but that’s the only thing that makes sense.”
The ship jolted and the lights of the shore began to fade off in the distance. The events of the day all hit me at once, right about the time the nausea took hold. I did my best to hold my stomach contents in as I reflected on the day: the tour bus. The missing bride. The guy on the beach. Jake’s frantic look. The maid of honor’s strange countenance. The mother of the bride’s anxieties. The best man’s kindness. All of it sort of rolled together.
Or maybe it wasn’t my thoughts rolling; maybe it was the ship. Yes, I could see people staggering about on the deck, a couple grabbing onto poles to keep from falling over.
“Annie, we’ve got to get back to the room.” Warren’s voice rang out. “It’s starting to rain.”
“It. . .it is?”
“And the wind is picking up,” he added. “Do you need help out of the pool?”
Ugh. I did need help out. And I needed help ge
tting back to the room. And help getting out of my wet dress. And help slathering on more Aloe Vera. And help getting into the loosest, most comfortable nightgown I owned. And help getting the covers down on the bed. And help easing myself into said bed. All of this, with the ship tipping this way and that.
Once in bed, I tried to get comfortable, but it was impossible. I must’ve moaned and groaned aloud because Warren sat next to me and gave me a sympathetic look. “Do you need something for pain?” he asked.
“If I took anything, it would come right back up.”
“I can’t believe I’m not feeling sick, with the boat rocking and rolling like this.”
“Me either. I guess I’m the one with seasickness, not you.”
An hour later I was still wide awake. Outside of our sliding glass door I could hear the wind howling. We might be on one of the largest ships in the Western Caribbean, but that didn’t stop the winds from knocking us around like a toy ship in a bathtub. The ship bobbed this way and that, and the winds whistled an eerie tune that made my nausea more extreme.
“Why?” I cried out into the darkness. “Why didn’t we get an interior room? At least the wind wouldn’t keep us awake.”
“I think the interior rooms might feel like the belly of a whale,” Warren answered. “Maybe it’s better that we can see outside.”
The piercing whistle of the wind nearly drowned out his words and the ship dipped to the right and then the left, a victim of the rocky seas.
“We. Are. Never. Doing. This. Again.” I felt a lone tear roll down my cheek. It burned, causing even more pain. “Never. Ever. Ever.”
In that moment, I thought about the missing bride. On a night like this, with the fierce winds blowing, I could picture someone losing their balance, tumbling off the side of the ship. I pinched my eyes shut and willed that thought away. Hopefully I would feel better by morning and could help Jake and the others figure this out. Right now. . .well, right now I just had to pray that sleep—merciful sleep—would come.
