Unleashed

by Patrick McLaughlin

  Chapter 18

  Shawn thought, I’ve gone from happy to miserable in one day. He had accepted the invitation, wanting to spend even just a few more hours with Sally, and now found he was heading to a boat to have dinner with a TV preacher who was dating the woman he loved. Man, sometimes I’m way too nice a guy.

  Sally pulled into the Kona Yacht Club Marina and, as it was the end of the day, parked in the tourist lot where the glass bottom boats tied up. Shawn looked up and down boat slips, but there were no other vessels visible.

  “Sally, where’s his boat, I don’t see anything we would want to have dinner on, unless you want look at fish beneath you as you eat fish,” Shawn joked.

  “Shawn, patience, you wouldn’t find it along the dock. Maybe boat wasn’t an accurate term to use.” Sally answered. They parked and Sally grabbed an overnight bag then took Shawn’s hand with her other, and they walked down the ramp.

  “Here we go,” she said, and at the bottom of the gangway awaited a small skiff with the name “Salvation II” on the stern, with two crew members ready to assist them into the boat.

  “Sally, where’re we going? Where’s Daniels boat?” he asked.

  Sally sat down next to him and said, “Well, like I said, it’s not really a boat Shawn. It’s a bit bigger, actually a lot bigger, more like a yacht,” and she pointed over his shoulder to a 158-foot super yacht glistening on the water with soft lights coming from the windows as the sun set to the west. Beneath the yacht, underwater accent lights gave the impression it was sitting on a sea of golden blue.

  “Well Sally, this is nuts! C’mon, now I have to ask you, what the hell were you doing in first class with this guy? With a boat, ah, ship like that, why doesn’t he have his own jet? What, did he go cheap on you?”

  “No Shawn, his jet was taking a mission of his parishioners to El Salvador to install a well and schoolhouse for a small community. He does that often. He is incredibly generous as you will see, and before we arrive alongside Salvation, I need to tell you something, it just can’t wait any longer. Daniel and I are engaged. It happened all so suddenly. I know; I don’t wear the ring because I’m in the lab too much and jewelry is not allowed. I love him which is why I want you to meet him. I know it’s not something I need you to approve, but hopefully, after all you and I have been through, you will see he is good for me.”

  “Sally stop! What the hell? Could you possible drop a bigger bomb on me?” Shawn felt like someone had punched him in the stomach. “What do you mean, engaged? Nah you’re just busting my hump. You’re not really engaged, don’t go and tell me that!”

  As the skiff pulled alongside the high-gloss hulls, the decks towered above. Sally continued to speak frantically, now realizing the mistake she had made. “Shawn, his name is Daniel Gibbons. I wanted to tell about our engagement when we arrived, but I never even had a chance to tell you about him at all. You may have seen him on The Christian Message Media show on Sundays if you watch TV.”

  With that comment, Shawn looked at Sally sideways “Really?”

  “Well you told me once religion was very important to you. Some people who travel as much as you do find the Sunday ministries a way to stay close to a source of spiritual sustenance. Not saying you have, just thinking you might have seen him.” Sally remarked. “I don’t know, Shawn, I’m so sorry if I’ve hurt you.”

  “Not a chance, don’t even own a TV, and the places we stay usually don’t have electricity. Guess I’ll meet him now though. Oh, and about the hurt, may be a bit late for that,” Shawn answered.

  As they walked up from the stern platform past the gilded name Salvation II emblazoned across the transom, Daniel spotted them and called out to Sally, “Sally Evans, what a glorious sight to behold!”

  Shawn looked at Sally, “Glorious, behold — are you friggin’ kidding me?”

  “Shawn stop, of course he’s different, he has given his life to his God. He has a congregation and speaks to millions on his show each week. Please, you accepted the invitation as my friend, and his guest. Try to show some gratitude and respect.”

  “I will do my best my little bamboozled senorita!” Shawn promised with a smirk as they reached the quarterdeck.

  Daniel clasped both hands over Sally’s and gave her a polite kiss on her cheek. “My lovely Sally, why are have we stayed apart so long? I am so busy with my missions, and your time is spent in secretive laboratories designing devices I am not sure our Savior would approve of. You know, we’ve spoken of this. You needn’t work if you chose not to, it could all be arranged.”

  “Daniel, yes, we have discussed the topic thoroughly. It would not be acceptable for either of us for the reasons we both know. After we’re married, things may be different of course. Please, Daniel, this is Shawn Pérez, I’ve spoken often about him. We are dear friends, and Shawn is already quite impressed with Salvation. Shawn photographs seas around the world, and has said he’s never seen such a magnificent vessel.”

  Daniel let go of Sally’s hands and extended his right hand to Shawn with his left in the air, palm toward the sky. “Shawn, may God bless you and welcome you to our Salvation II. With that he cracked a smile and Sally chimed in, “Shawn, Daniel always thinks that’s pretty funny.”

  Shawn shook Daniel’s hand a bit grudgingly and released his grip almost at once, but Daniel kept on pumping. “Shawn, tonight, as my guest, I offer you both nutritional and spiritual sustenance; Sally and I are both delighted you welcome my hospitality.”

  At that, Daniel finally let go of Shawn’s hand, but not before it made Shawn think of a childhood handshake joke where they squeezed each other’s hands saying, “Welcome to the dairy cow company” or “Hi, I’m from the Heart Foundation.”

  But the instant Daniel released Shawn’s hand, a powerful feeling of unease came over Shawn, a dread he just couldn’t make sense of. He wasn’t sick, that wasn’t it, and being on the water certainly didn’t bother him, but it was almost as if his head was starting to spin. He closed his eyes for just a moment to regain his composure, but when he opened them again, it was the same. Like he was walking on lily pads, as long as he kept moving, he wouldn’t sink. He had to go, to keep moving. This was not a place he was supposed to be.

  “Sal, ah, Daniel, hope you don’t think I’m rude, and I’m glad to meet your holy worship, but I just got a text and they need me to sit in on a prep meeting for Drake’s big wave attempt tomorrow. Not unusual, a pre-event meeting with the yada, yada corporate guys you understand. I think I’m gonna have to pass on dinner. If I could ask your assistant sailor guys to take me back to shore.”

  Shawn then spoke directly to Sally. “My sweets, I’m bummed and appreciate the entire time we’ve spent working together today, and the invite for dinner tonight, but Deep Surf pays my tab. Don’t know if I’ll ever have a minister of holy dollar to cover my expenses. You understand, don’t you?”

  “Shawn, do you really have to go? Why do they need you there, you know your business. You would have enjoyed yourself tonight; the cuisine is always wonderful on Salvation.” Sally held his forearms and urged him to stay. Shawn had made this excuse up, but she really couldn’t blame him. She had botched the day with her reluctance to tell him before they came to Hawaii.

  “Sally, no doubt the grub is great onboard, but no, it’s cool, tomorrow is a huge day for Drake. I’ve been urging him to deliver this new stunt on this particular wave at Coast Guard Beach for some time. I have to be there tonight. I will have one of the local surf shop bros pick me up and take me to the airport. Have to get to the North Shore in two hours, and if I leave now I can just make it. You both have a romantic dinner alone, Sally. It’s what I think you want anyway,” which was very unusual for Shawn to say. He rarely if ever felt sorry for himself.

  “Daniel, God is okay with candlelight and wine, isn’t he?” Shawn added sarcastically.

  Shawn gave Sally a massive hug, did a flying fist bump without connecting with Daniel, leapt back down the gangw
ay, and hopped back into the skiff. On the return to the dock, he couldn’t pin down the inky mood which had come over him but decided it was one of foreboding, of something soon to come.