by S. M. Welles
I lay on my back on the bow, facing east, and watched the sun rise while I shed joyful tears. I didn’t care how unmanly anyone might think I was being. I was the happiest I’d been in so long. I was free. I could die happy. But it wasn’t time to go just yet.
* * *
After getting to know the family for a month, Jessie and Mido were about to head out for a small charter vessel that would bring them back to Newport. Vacation was over and soon it would be time to get back on shipping schedule. The two of them had discussed at length what Jessie wanted to do now that Dyne was no longer cursed. She had no home to go to. She had Mido’s home and family, though. They’d been absolutely wonderful to her. Treated her like a daughter by his parents, and like a sister by his two brothers and sister, all of them older than Mido. The whole family was warm and friendly, and as loud as the next Italian family. There’d been lots of great food, great stories both funny and heartfelt, and a few about the parents that made Mido cover his ears, telling them that those were stories he could’ve lived without ever hearing. Jessie laughed through it all, touched by his parents’ passionate youth and equally passionate older age.
Warm welcome aside, the Robustelli family lived too far inland for Jessie to want to consider settling with them. She’d grown up with the sea always visible from a window. Seeing just a freshwater pond and endless forest didn’t suit her. That and she didn’t like how cold it got at night. Fireplaces were cozy and all but watching waves breaking on shore was far more soothing.
For now she would stick with Mido and the Pertinacious and see what happened.
The two of them stood outside the large house with the entire immediate family present to see them off. Lots of hugs and kisses were exchanged, and some cheek pinching from Mido’s mother, whom everyone called “Ma.”
Ma said to Jessie, “If you ever change your mind and decide you want to stay here, you’re always welcome. Working on that boat is so dangerous. I’ll rest better knowing you’re safe with us, but only if you’d be happy here. Maine is a far cry from the Mediterranean.”
“Thank you, Ma. I really appreciate it. I’ll stay in touch.”
“You better, honey.” Ma gave her one more kiss. “And make sure Mido eats enough. Take good care of my baby boy. You’ve made him very happy.” She pinched Mido’s cheek.
“I will,” Jessie said. Mido winced, then rubbed his cheek.
Ma turned to Mido. “And you,” she said, taking his face in both hands, “Take good care of her like your father has taken good care of me.”
“I will, Ma.”
“God has given you an angel. Cherish His gift.”
“I already do, Ma.”
“Good boy.” She lowered his head and kissed him on the brow.
Jessie and Mido shouldered their duffle bags, then waved as they began their hour-long trek to shore. Technology was scarce in Maine. It had less than Newport before the tsunami hit. Once they could no longer see the house through the pine trees, Mido said, “I’m glad you don’t want to stay. I was secretly hoping you’d want to come back to the Pertinacious.”
“I could tell when we talked about it. You’re so bad at being objective when it comes to me.”
“I know. I just love you that much.”
She threaded an arm in his and hugged it close, and they exchanged a kiss. “All I know is that I want to be with you. Maybe I’ll be like the other wives and settle somewhere while you work, but not yet. I’ve got a lot of things to figure out. I’m even thinking of saving up to revive the orchard back in Paphos. Make it home again. But we’ll see.”
“You’re younger than me. You’ve got plenty of time to figure things out.”
“Maybe you’ll want to settle with me one year, if the Mediterranean suits you.”
“I still like the idea.”
Jessie smiled. “Let’s just take things slow.”
“You don’t mean no more sex, do you?”
“Not that kind of slow, you goof.” Mido winked at her. She gave his strong arm a loving squeeze. She knew he’d been joking. “I may not even want to live in Paphos again. I really wish I could’ve introduced you to my parents. The would’ve loved you.”
He kissed her temple. “Well, if we decide on Paphos, we can visit their graves often. It’d be bittersweet, but it’d be something.”
“It would.”
They stopped walking and started kissing, which slowly grew into a full make out with wandering hands. And right before the need to get Mido out of his clothes became irresistible, Jessie pulled back, gasping for breath as her heart pounded away. “Okay, my turn to stay no more of that, or else we’re gonna miss our boat to Newport.”
* * *
After four weeks, my entire crew started trickling back to Newport and onto the Pertinacious, eager to get back to making money and trotting the globe. As much as my crew loved visiting family, it was hard for them to sit still. Sailors needed to flow like tides and currents. I greeted each of them at the stern when they climbed aboard the repaired deck.
There were several blood stains on the bow, but I’d scrubbed at them when I wasn’t helping rebuild my home, or just lying around and purposely doing nothing. The stains were almost gone, the hull had been repaired by professional welders, and the only thing left that needed replacing was the harpoon gun. While on our way to San Juan, we were gonna stop by Port Chesapeake for a new one. I didn’t expect to make any money off this very belated delivery, so what was a few more days? I didn’t care. Wasn’t gonna apologize for it, unless they complained—well Sauna, my suave salesman, would do the apologizing, if the occasion called for it.
When Ed and Ted boarded, they both stopped and did a double-take. Ed said, “Captain, you’ve got some grey hair coming in!”
I ran a hand through my hair, surprised by the news.
“Just above your ears,” Ted said. “Welcome to getting older the natural way.”
“I’ll take it.” It was both a breath of relief and depressing. Yeah, I wanted to grow old and die but, I think, deep down, I wanted to skip the getting old part, since I technically was beyond ancient by human standards. However, I didn’t feel quite ready for the dying part. I felt like there was still some business I needed to attend to.
“Don’t worry,” Ed said, “you’re sporting the rugged sexy look. You’ll still get the ladies.”
“Anyway.” I tried to say it dryly but was too busy smiling. “Go unpack, you two.”
“Aw, don’t wanna hear about our family visit?” Ed said.
“After you unpack, certainly.” I’d happily listened to all the others who’d arrived so far recant their vacation. I enjoyed listening about what brought joy to my crew, getting joy out of their joy. The stories weren’t all peaches and cream, though, especially Sauna’s. He’d returned after only a couple of weeks. He came from a broken home that had been anything but pleasant. He tried to make his parents happy but, after bending over backwards for nothing, he gave up, came back to Newport, and helped me with my house and my ship.
The Pertinacious got a new paint job along the top half of her hull, tackled some repairs on the interior, and cleaned out the lockdown container, which would stay there, in case I ever decided to use it as more cargo storage space for deliveries.
Sauna was a kind, gentle, intelligent kid, despite all the crap he’d endured back home. No wonder he’d escaped to my ship at age sixteen. It wasn’t until he was helping me build my home that I realized he’d taken to me like a surrogate father. My heart reached out to the kid. I’d make sure Rammus did a good job of taking over as Captain and surrogate father, and help Sauna become a real man.
By the time everyone returned to complete my crew of twelve, counting me, I realized I had no clue when I’d retire. I thought maybe in a few months, then maybe in a few years. Maybe never. What the heck would I do with all my free time? At the very least I’d make sure everyone was taken care of before passing the torch. Still, I had a feeling retirement would come s
ooner than later. My time on this screwed-up yet lovable world was drawing to a close. I could feel it. Wasn’t sure how to explain it. It’s just that whenever I found myself alone and it was quiet, this sense of peace and serenity would wash over me, and all I’d want to do was just stand, sit or lie there, and enjoy the feeling.
We spent a few days in Port Chesapeake getting a new Harpy, which we christened with a shot of liquor, dubbed it the “Harpy II”, and ruined a few buoys for kicks. The thing fired great. Maybe I’d get a whale flounder with the Harpy II someday. Wasn’t gonna hold my breath, though. Chances were, if I ever saw one again, Jessie’d be there to beg me not to shoot it.
We arrived in San Juan another week later and actually made money. Sauna talked about our speed bump in Newport without telling the whole truth, and our business associate admired our kindness and bravery. I gave Sauna a bonus for that, and he got us another shipment to Revivre, which I’d been hoping for. My heart was set on having one of Milud’s burgers to celebrate my pure human status.
Life settled back to normal on the Pertinacious as we crossed the Atlantic. We had a minor run-in with young and stupid black market mercenaries right out of San Juan. Scully sank their ship with one beautiful shot with the Harpy II. We yawned while their taunts turned to pleas. Since land was still in sight, I decided to let the mercs swim to safety and we began our charter to Revivre in earnest. The rest of the two-week trip saw no worse than stretches of rough seas.
My crew trained and whatnot during the day, Jacobi started being kind to Jessie, and sea life still flocked to her if she spent time on deck. I tried calling water to me only once. Nothing happened. It was only a minor disappointment. Magical powers were neat and all, but overrated when they came at the expense of one’s humanity. I’d worked so long to be pure human again. I wasn’t about to ruin the enjoyment of finally obtaining that.
We threw the lines in Revivre one hot afternoon, got all our business done, then dispersed all over the city. Sam, Cancer, and O’Toole stayed back while the rest of us got in a couple days of rest and relaxation. I headed straight for Milud’s burger joint, had my pick of seats available, and chose my favorite spot on the end. Milud was pleasantly surprised to see me again so soon, compared to my annual visits. He noticed my grey hairs coming in, but was more interested in my scars.
“How the heck did you get all those?”
“Long story.” I took a sip from my tall, frosty mug of beer.
“Well start talking. Your dinner is gonna be a few minutes.”
“We ran into trouble again.” Like he’d believe the truth. I had no intention of sounding like some lunatic who liked to make up fantastical stories. Wasn’t gonna lie either.
“You didn’t happen to be in Newport, Rhode Island when it got attacked, did you? A few of those look like bite marks.” He pointed at my jawline.
I sat up straighter. “You heard about that?”
“It made world news. Everyone has. Monsters razed the town and a tsunami wiped it away, and two great mythical beasts battled on the horizon.” He set a few newspaper clippings in front of me on the counter. All of them were pictures of the devastation left in the wake of everything that happened. My ship was in a couple of the shots. Oh, boy.
“That was not a fun day.”
“But you survived to tell the tale. I’ll hold your burger until you start talking if I have to,” he said with a smile.
“Fine.” I recanted the day in maybe a minute, leaving out everything curse-related. Milud was fascinated by it all, but looked like he didn’t know what to believe by the end of my telling. That was fine with me. He soon set my meal on the counter so it looked like my burger was smiling back at me.
“Now let’s see if you can make it through this meal without interruptions.” He put his fists on his hips.
I inhaled the lovely bouquet of scents. “Despite the Newport stuff, I believe my luck has changed. I think I finally will.” I picked up the carefully-assembled meal of juicy goodness and admired the layers of meat, cheese, vegetables, and condiments looking so fresh and tasty. “But if I get interrupted, I just might cry.”
“I’ll find you some tissues if it happens.”
I took my first bite and savored every last morsel going down. If my luck proved to have changed for real, I might start having Mido make me cheeseburgers for dinner every night, until I got sick of them—if such a thing was possible. I opened my mouth for the next bite of heaven…
“Why if it isn’t Captain Dyne Lavere,” a sensual female voice said.
… and stopped with my mouth still open. A woman with lovely red curls appeared beside me, her breasts ready to fall out of her dress. “Delilah!”
“Hello, Captain.”
“Have the day off?” As far as interruptions went, this wasn’t bad so far. I took another bite while keeping my gaze on Delilah.
“Not a chance, which is why I came looking for you. That handsome bronze man in your crew showed up, which meant you had to be nearby. I’ve been looking forward to seeing you again. The bronze one is great with us, but not as great as you.”
“Need me to teach him a few things?”
She stepped inside my personal space, her mesmerizing breasts, brushing against my shoulder. “I have something better in mind.” She ran a hand through my hair, then stood behind me and took the burger from my grip. She pushed her breasts agains the back of my head, which she tilted back, then brought the burger to my mouth and let me take a bite. Somehow the best meal on earth suddenly tasted even better.
“Milud…”
He held out a to-go bag with my steak fries already in it. He gave me a friendly wink. “Bring the mug back when you’re done. I trust you.”
I stuck my burger on top of the fries, then carried my beer and meal in one hand, and escorted Delilah to our favorite hotel with my free arm. Burger, beer, and boobs. Great combination. Best interruption of my life.
* * *
One the morning of the second and final day of my vacation with Delilah, we lay together in bed, just enjoying each other’s warmth and company. Being with her had distracted my thinking mode, but this morning I was deep in thought.
“What’s on your mind, Captain?”
“Lots of things,” I said offhandedly. I couldn’t go into detail with her. The truth behind my longevity and everything that went with it would hopefully die with me and my current crew.
“Like…?”
“Any new rumors about me and this curse thing?”
“Actually there is.” She started stroking my bare chest. “Now we both know you were in Newport, Rhode Island that day. Some say you were the one who called forth the sea monsters and the tidal wave. Others say you transformed into a mythical monster and dueled another, then you spirited some locals to your ship so there’d be survivors to tell the tale.” She paused in her stroking and looked me in the eyes. “I’ve seen the pictures and I see your scars. This is a very strange tale.”
“It was a very strange and rough day.”
“What? Not gonna tell me what really happened?”
“I don’t think you’d believe me if I told you the truth.”
“Well what is the truth?” She settled her head back on my shoulder and resumed stroking my chest, tracing one of my many scars now and then.
“Besides what you can see in those pictures and glean from all my lovely scars, the truth is I can’t turn into some giant monster and summon tidal waves, but I think you already knew that. We’ve covered what my curse really is.” Her gentle, skilled hands were turning me back on.
“Yes we have.” She reached under the sheets and I went hard. She began stroking me anew, then paused. “What’s wrong? You still look so serious.”
I took her in my arms and rolled on top of her, but didn’t enter her. Instead I cradled her in my arms and ran my fingers through her amazing hair. “Do you ever fall in love with any of your clients?”
She raised an eyebrow. “I have favorites like yo
u, but do you really want to hear about all the other men I sleep with?”
“Probably not. Have you ever wanted to settle with any of them?”
She wrapped her legs around me and began massaging my neck and shoulders. “You poor thing. You’re not trying to get me to marry you, are you?”
“No.” The thought had rolled around in my mind, but it didn’t feel right to settle with anyone anymore, not after hunting down Rhode lookalikes for over two hundred years.
She laughed, running her fingers over my graying sideburns. “How old are you?”
“Probably ten times your age,” I said offhandedly. “What if I told you there really was truth to some of the curse rumors, but only now I’m no longer cursed?”
“I’d say you’ve been listening to the stories so much that you’re starting to believe them.” She grabbed both my glutes and squeezed as she pulled my body to hers and started kissing me. My body responded but for once my heart wasn’t in it. Bearing my sexual reputation in mind, I forced myself to get back into it, pretending I hadn’t asked her to settle with me. Making Delilah happy was more important than my own unobtainable wants at the moment.
* * *
Sauna netted us a huge shipment to Newport the day we left. Ports all over the world were sending in supplies to help the recovery. Sauna asked me if I was okay with returning home so soon. I didn’t mind at all. Anything to help repair the damage my stupidity had caused.
We pushed off with the huge payday in the evening, and with the thoughts of Rhode weighing heavily on my mind. Mido and Jessie whipped us up a hearty steak dinner with mashed potatoes and steamed veggies, and some fantastic butter rolls with a honey glaze. I ate slowly while most of the crew devoured theirs. Jessie and Mido ate with us on the stools positioned at the edge of the table, and O’Toole hovered near me, totally quiet and eating his mashed potatoes with a finger. Jacobi exchanged pockets of small talk with Jessie. Both of them were comically awkward, but he clearly respected her now, and she clearly didn’t know what to do with his new behavior.
