by S. M. Welles
She smiled back. She couldn’t help it. Tears welled in her eyes as well.
“What’s wrong?”
“Just really stressed right now. Give me time to get acclimated and calm down.”
“Of course.” He took a hand in both of his began working his masseuse magic on her.
God, she was going to miss him real bad.
Food arrived shortly after the hand massage. By then she’d calmed down a lot, yet her heart ached. Mido savored every bite of his succulent bowl of shrimp with melted butter for dipping and Jessie tried not to feel disgusted as she focused on her salad.
“You keep looking at my bowl. Want a piece?”
Jessie shook her head fervently. “I don’t eat seafood. Sorry, I didn’t mean to stare.”
They made small talk about where they were from and what home was like. Mido was from Maine and he had a lot of Italian blood in him, which he jokingly said was why he could cook so well. He had a big family back home he saw just a few times a year. He’d had two girlfriends in his life of thirty years but neither of them could tolerate the whole long-distance relationship deal with a sailor. Jessie’s heart reached out to him and she felt a little angry towards the girls who’d left him like that. They’d given up on quality boyfriend material. She told him as much, which made them both blush. She let out a nervous laugh. “Well you are.” Oh, why was she saying this? She wanted him to want her, yet didn’t want him to ask her out. It’d crumble her resolve to leave.
“Thank you,” he said, gazing her with open interest. “So tell me more about your home, miss goddess.”
Being called that made her feel beautiful inside and out. It made her feel desirable, even after all she’d been through. She pushed around a couple pieces of romaine and began talking about her life. It was less pleasant after her father’s death. Before that it was happy enough, even while watching her mother slowly deteriorate from MS.
“My parents were a happy couple. My mom stayed home to raise me and my dad ran his own fruit orchard. Mostly wine grapes. I’m from Paphos, which is in the southwest corner of Cyprus. Beautiful countryside with lots of green hills and ocean views. I really miss it. But what I don’t miss are the few gangs that ruined lots of lives. Their violence came in waves, like my mom’s MS. She died a few years before my dad at the age of forty four. Once the quasi-children killed my dad, I had to get away.” She shook her head. “I never should’ve left.”
Mido scooted closer, making his chair scrape along the cement. No one paid the racket any mind. He wrapped an arm around her. “I wish I knew what to say to make the bad memories go away.”
She leaned against him. “You don’t have to say anything. Your company more than suffices.” She rested her head on his shoulder and he rested his cheek on her head.
“Well that’s a relief. I’m lousy with words sometimes.”
She laughed softly. “Me, too.”
They finished their lunches, then split some mint ice cream with fudge, crumbled cookies, and whipped cream on top for dessert. They took turns taking spoonfuls all the way down to the last scoop. Mido happily covered the tab and they took some waters to go.
Stomachs full, they headed farther inland at Jessie’s request. The plan was, once she was on her own, to stick to land until Egypt, and then hop a boat for the final stretch. Mido and crew were tied to their ship.
Walking around Revivre became progressively easier to the point where Jessie no longer felt the need to hold hands anymore. However, she held on. She tried to convince herself it was so she wouldn’t generate any suspicion, but she knew deep down she didn’t want to let go. The closer she drew to the unspecified moment of their parting, the tighter she wanted to hold on.
A few miles into their meandering, she pulled them to a halt. She’d heard train horns. This was close enough. Any closer and Mido might figure out where she would run off to—not that it’d be that hard, since the entire crew knew she was dead set on seeing home again.
She let go of his hand and stood before him. “Mido.”
He gave her his full attention with his gentle blue eyes.
She looked at the ground. “I have to go now.”
“To…?” He pointed with a thumb in the direction of the ship.
“Home,” she said. “I can’t go through with helping lift the curse if it means that much danger. I don’t want any of you dying because of me.” Mido began to voice his protest. Jessie got up on her toes and covered his lips with hers. That shut him up. He blinked a few times, then pulled her closer and returned the kiss. She pressed her hips and abdomen flat against him and he wrapped his arms around her.
She pulled away before the kissing lasted too long. It left them both gasping for breath. Mido licked his lips and leaned in for another round, but Jessie put a finger over his mouth. “No more. This is already hard enough. You’ve helped me so much. Now I return the favor by making yours and everyone else’s lives safer.”
He took hold of the hand in front of his mouth. “Jessie, that’s not a valid reason. Our lives aren’t your responsibility.”
“The level of danger considerably drops if you remove me from the situation. I say you’re wrong.” She peeled her body from his.
“And I say you’re as wrong as all those times you tried to tell me you weren’t hungry. Just stay until Cyprus at the very least.” He kissed her hand.
“I’ve already made up my mind. I’m telling you out of respect.”
“I’ll carry you all the way back to the ship if I have to.”
They were standing far apart enough to get in a decent swing, but close enough to make it impossible for Mido to react. Jessie swung a leg and the steel toe of her boot connected with his groin. He grunted and collapsed in a heap, clutching his groin. “I’m so sorry, Mido. Please don’t hate me.” He reached for her ankle but she easily yanked free and backed away. He looked up at her with eyes full of hurt. “Good bye.” She ran off with that heartbreaking expression etched in her memory.
“Jessie don’t!”
Jessie headed for the train station. Once there, she’d buy some supplies, then hop the soonest train to Egypt.
* * *
It took me a good hour to help my cargo pushers unload our delivery and get the next one on. Sauna had made quick work of bringing in more business. First a delivery to Athens immediately after Cyprus, and now a separate delivery near Paris. Not the most ideal direction but France was good money. It’d be worth the few extra days.
I took a conventional ladder off my boat so I wouldn’t be limping for the next three weeks. A dock worker used a steam crane to lift Jacobi onto the docks, and once he was settled, the three cargo pushers and Sauna left for their favorite Moroccan bar, Cerveza Sonriente. Smiling Beer. Dumb name but great beer.
“I’ll catch you guys later. I need a burger fix at Milud’s.” My crew broke into hearty laughter and we bid each other farewell. I waved back and made the fifteen-minute trek to Milud’s burger joint.
Even after all these years and a self-inflicted apocalypse, Morocco was still heavily influenced by Spanish food, language, and culture. Mostly Africans and Middle Easterners filled the streets, and all the locals were at least bilingual. Despite my age, I knew only English. I’m lazy like that. So, when I saw a food sign years ago that read “Hamburguesa Divino”, that was close enough to English to grab my attention. To my delight, the place served half-pound patties of heaven with perfectly seasoned steak fries. The complete meal, I must confess, was as good as anything Mido could fix, maybe even a smidgen better than his burgers. Of course, neither party would ever know that.
Hamburguesa Divino was an outdoor walkup and sit at the counter place. There was room for maybe twenty customers elbow to elbow. One stool on the end had my name on it. I carefully took off my trench coat without exposing my gun, draped it over the chair back, and fastened a button so no passing breeze or klutz could inadvertently expose the weapon. That would be everything short of fun to have the quasi
-children pop up during vacation. I plopped onto the stool and put my fists on the counter. Didn’t even bother looking at the menu.
A small African man with a roundish face and smile lines etched into his cheeks brightened at the sight of me. He set two plates in front of other customers and marched right over. “Why if it isn’t Captain Dyne Lavere! Welcome back, my friend. Can I fix you up with your usual?” He toweled his hands.
“Oh, yeah.” We shook hands and I sat back down. “How long has it been since the last time I was here?” I was already wincing at the ballpark answer.
“A year thereabouts. And you still look as young as the day we met.”
That comment made me wince for real. I had maybe five more years with him before my lack of aging made him ask too many questions.
“So where’s this fountain of youth you’re hiding?” He ripped a handwritten meal ticket from his notepad and handed it over to the portly chef.
I let out a humorless laugh. “I’d make myself younger if I had one.”
Milud laughed. “Okay, you got me there. So what’s new?” He poured me a tall mug of beer and thumped it on the heavily varnished counter. Foam rolled down one frosty side.
I took a couple sips. I was tired and sweaty from cargo pushing. “The usual globetrotting. Had a few more run-ins with Tethys since the last time we talked. Lost two techies during the second run-in. Hired two more, along with a bodyguard. That’s about it.”
“I’m sorry for your losses.” Milud reached for a ceramic jar and pulled out two seashells. He poked holes in them with a steak knife, then added them to the string of seashells hanging over everyone’s heads.
I raised my mug. “Thanks.”
“Of course. You honest sailors lead such dangerous lives. It’s the least I can do to honor their service.”
I nodded and he returned to his line of patrons.
Milud and I exchanged small talk between customers, him telling me about his feisty wife, how business was going, and even the weather. I more listened than talked, and summarized a few of my times with lovely women around the world. I didn’t really brag about them for fear of letting slip a tale that didn’t fit the time frame he lived in. I just enjoyed chatting with him about anything and nothing. He was one of few friends all over the globe who was oblivious to my curse. He treated me like a normal human, something my crew couldn’t do because of all the curse-related precautions they had to take. Meeting up with people like Milud helped me push my curse from my thoughts.
Shortly into my stay, Milud marched over with a plate that needed rays of light emanating from it to complete the picture. A crown of a golden brown bun resting atop a bed of lettuce, tomato, and sautéed onion, a melted layer of cheddar cheese, a juicy half pound of beef under all that melted goodness, and some mayo slathered onto the bottom bun. Milud slid the plate close to my face and rotated it so the fries lay behind the burger.
“Need any extra napkins?”
“Nope,” I said as I set one on my lap. I picked up the cheeseburger in both hands, inhaled its mouthwatering bouquet, then bowed my head and closed my eyes. “Please, God, let me enjoy this one burger in peace. It’s been too damn long.” I paused, just in case, but no interruptions came. I opened my eyes and took another whiff, then sank my teeth into the best meal on Earth. Oh, sweet, juicy, tender goodness inside a toasted bun. I savored it all the way down, then wiped a tear from my eye. Yeah, it was that good.
“How about a tissue?” Milud said with a wink.
I waved him off and he just laughed.
“Enjoy!”
For once I was. I opened my mouth for the next bite of heaven…
“Captain!”
… And stopped.
Just no. It couldn’t be. That familiar voice had to be calling for another skipper, and I had to be tricking myself into thinking I recognized the voice. I approached my lunch again.
“Captain Dyne!”
I’d gotten my mouth around the next bite when I recognized Mido’s voice. His urgent tone didn’t sound at all like he was about to join me to lunch. He, Scully, and Sauna were running right towards me. Holy hell. I hastily took another bite. What on earth required three of them to come get me? And why had I told them where I was eating?
The trio ground to a halt with noisy steps, causing other patrons to look our way, even Milud. Mido said, “Jessie’s run off! She’s trying to get back home on her own!”
That news at this moment was almost enough to make grown man me cry. I swear not being able to eat a cheeseburger in peace was part of my curse. I swallowed my second bite. “And you just let her go like that?”
“No, Captain. She… she kicked me.”
I raised an eyebrow. “I thought you were getting along really well…”
“She apologized before she ran off.”
“Which way did she go?”
“The train station I think. She left me when we got near.”
“Well let’s go chase her down.” I reluctantly got to my feet. “Milud, I—”
“Here you go.” He bagged my lunch and handed it to me. “Catch you later.”
“Hopefully tonight or tomorrow. Take care!” Mido and my two cargo pushers took off running. I hurried to catch up. “Did she say why she was running off?”
Mido said, “She doesn’t want our deaths on her conscience. She thinks it’ll be her fault if we die while she tries to help you lift your curse.”
“Did you tell her how ridiculous she sounded?”
“She wouldn’t listen. Is it right to try and get her back? I came for you because I wasn’t sure.”
“When her rationalization is irrational, yes. But if she doesn’t change her mind come Cyprus then there’s nothing we can do.” We wended our way to the train station. Since this wasn’t Newport, I made an effort to not push people aside. Instead, I let my crew tactfully clear the way.
Chapter 16
Retrieval
The bustling plaza was full of open-air shops geared towards travelers and hungry people. Jessie bought a backpack, bottled water, and snack bars right outside the train station. She thought of buying a knife as well but decided to give her potential attackers one less weapon to turn on her. She managed to buy everything from a shop run by a female, along with not looking over her own shoulder too much. Even though she’d managed a clean getaway, she couldn’t help but worry Mido would catch up and know exactly where to find her. She felt like no matter how hard she tried, no hiding place would last. They’d find her just because she didn’t want to be found.
Getting a train ticket was far more nerve-racking. The line she stood in moved slow, and there were two men behind her, one portly and the other almost as short as her. There was merriment in their eyes, and when she glanced at them, they smiled and waved but otherwise ignored her. She kept reminding herself that these two men had places to go, just like her. Raping her probably wasn’t on their minds at all. Still, she put her backpack straps in death grips as she waited her turn in line.
There was a male Indian teller on the other side of the glass with no way to get at her. “Where to, ma’am?”
“How much is it to New Cairo from here?”
“Three hundred and fifty U.D. one way.” He rattled it off as if it was an answer to a common question.
Jessie winced. “I’ll take it.” She’d spent a good eighty bucks on her backpack and food. No toiletries, no extra socks or undergarments. This was going to suck.
The teller tapped in the ticket info on the tablet front of him. “Would you like your balance on your receipt?”
She hesitated. “Yes.” She wasn’t going to like the number either way.
“Alright. Just need your confirmation for the transaction to be final. Press right over there, please.” He pointed to the thumb scanner at shoulder height.
Jesse pressed her thumb on the pad and two pieces of paper popped out of the stainless steel counter. She took them, thanked the teller, and walked off. The larger piece of
paper had her train ticket number and boarding info. The other her account balance. She stopped walking when she read the balance. $13.50. That’s all she had left to get to Cyprus. She felt sick to her stomach; she should’ve had more money than that.
Jessie looked around the platform and spotted an ATM near the end of the ticket booth line. She fast walked up to it and waved a forearm in front of the screen, then navigated the menu to transaction history and read through the short list. Everything was correct. She’d forgotten about the 10% income tax Cyprus took from its citizens’ paychecks. That explained the other forty eight bucks she was missing. There was nothing she could do to get it back. She ended her inquiry.
She walked towards the trains on leaden feet, head bowed, and ticket in hand. She should probably give up now, get the money back, and return to Mido with a mountain of apologies. But if she did that, then what?
Maybe she was jumping to conclusions too fast. She could find work in New Cairo, couldn’t she? She was a farm girl but she could learn new skills, like she’d been learning how to fight on Dyne’s ship. There just had to be a way around her financial obstacle.
According to her boarding pass, her train awaited her on platform twenty, and it was leaving in fifteen minutes. Heart pounding, she started walking in the direction the signs pointed. Each step felt like a horrible mistake but she didn’t know what else to do. Going back meant giving up and giving in. Going forward might mean she’d be stuck in New Cairo for an indeterminable amount of time, unless she could sneak onto another boat. Staying put was absolutely out of the question.
Jessie heard a polite beeping behind her. She and several other people shuffled to the side to make room for solar cart bearing an elderly couple and their luggage. The couple was dressed a little warm for the sweltering atmosphere but they didn’t seem to mind. They were holding hands and smiling contentedly. Jessie tried picturing her and Mido in their place. Her heart wrenched. It was effortless to envision herself with him, even when they got old and wrinkly. Mido would always have those gentle eyes and his charming smile.
