Claire Gulliver #04 - Cruisin' for a Bruisin' (20 page)

“Mom, look at that one with a baby on her stomach. Isn’t that sweet?”

The otters were bigger than Claire expected. She thought they were bigger than the ones she had seen at the Monterey Bay Aquarium, but they had the same cute, wizened faces and sleek fur bodies.

The guide explained they were required to keep the boat a certain distance from the animals. “But laws can’t control the animals’ curiosity,” he said, “so one might swim close enough to get a good picture.

“Please notice how they keep their feet out of the water. Otters live mostly in the water, but they don’t like to get their feet wet. Actually, that’s because they don’t have insulation on their feet, so if they kept their feet in the water they would lose too much body heat through their feet and they could die. Otters spend most of their time eating and grooming their fur. The fur is what protects them from the icy water. The females and children stay together, camouflaged by rocks and seaweed for protection from predators.

“This is a group of females with their young. Can you see how they carry their babies on their stomachs? They teach them to groom themselves and feed them bits of the shell fish they bring up from the bottom. Otters are intelligent enough to devise tools to help them survive. You might see one remove a stone they’re carrying from under their front arm to use in breaking open the shell fish. They only intermingle with the males for mating. I think we’ll see a colony of males a little further on. The males lead a more frivolous life. They don’t have to worry about feeding another mouth, so they like to cavort and play as well as eat and groom themselves. Not a bad life.

“We’re going to move on now to watch the males. I don’t like to spend too much time near the females as it upsets the mamas to have us so close to their babies.” Their guide turned his attention forward, looking for the male colony.

“Did you get a picture of the mom and baby?” Millie asked Claire as she sat back down while the boat headed for their next encounter.

“I think I got a good one, but I’ll know when I see it on the computer screen.” She craned her neck, trying to see the next group.

The male otters were not far away. The pilot lingered there a while so they could enjoy the otters’ antics. Claire was able to zoom in close enough to get some pictures and the people with video cameras were ecstatic. But eventually they moved further inland. Here the lush forest lined the shore and there were no signs of humans. They saw several eagles’ nests built at the top of dead trees. These huge piles of twigs were built at the top, their guide explained, as the eagles liked to be at the highest point in order to survey the surrounding terrain. And they saw two eagles, one soaring over their heads and one sitting on a branch near its nest.

And further yet, passing a stream which fed into the inlet or bay they were traversing, there was a bear. He was fishing in the water near the shore and was disturbed by the noise of the boat. With a disgusted expression on his face he turned his back to the intruders and ambled off into the woods. Only one of the passengers was quick enough to get him on camera, but they were all excited at the encounter and very pleased they were on the boat out of his reach.

On the way back to the dock, one of the passengers said he saw a moose, but no one else saw it so it might have been a shadow. They landed back at Sitka after only a short passage through the rough water. The generous tips handed off to their guide indicated the passengers’ pleasure with the excursion. They had seen some of the magnificent wilderness Alaska is known for, felt some of the solitude Alaska boasted of and captured pictures of some of the unique wildlife. And if some of the passengers claimed they saw a whale in order to escape the ordeal of the rough water, who cared? Everyone was satisfied.

“Whoa, I’m glad to have my feet on solid ground again. I suddenly have a little more empathy for Anita’s sea sickness,” Millie said as they walked up the street into town. “I wonder how Ruth and Lucy are doing fishing out on that rough water?”

“Oh, I didn’t even think of that. Well, maybe the water isn’t as turbulent further out where they were going. I’m hoping they get fish so we can share in the spoils.”

“We’ll hear soon enough. Let’s stop in here for a little lunch, then I’d like to see some of the town and maybe look at the shops. I understand they have a lot of Russian goods here. I wouldn’t mind picking up a piece of amber jewelry.”

Later, over a cup of clam chowder and a shared crab salad sandwich, Millie told Claire about Mrs. Bernbaum’s life quest.

“She’s been carrying his ashes around with her all these years?” Claire was shocked.

Millie nodded. “Isn’t that touching. But now she says it’s time to let go.”

“I guess. Fifty years and another husband, and she still hasn’t buried him? I’m not sure I think that’s touching, Mom. I think it might be a little spooky.”

“No, dear. You don’t understand how difficult it is to give up your loved one. You know, I slept in your Dad’s old flannel shirt for several years before it finally disintegrated in the washer leaving me no choice.”

Claire looked at her with amazement. She never knew this about her mother; suddenly she realized how hard it must have been. Her mother had been a young woman. With her husband’s untimely death, Millie had suddenly been alone in the world to cope with raising a young daughter. She had to be strong for her daughter when she probably would have preferred to fall apart. Claire reached over and grasped her mother’s hand. That reminded her how Mrs. Bernbaum always grabbed her listener’s arm to hang on when she was telling a story. Here she was, less than half Mrs. Bernbaum’s age, already acting just like her.

Millie patted her hand and then told her, “I told Mrs. Bernbaum we would come to the cemetery tomorrow. I thought she could use some support. Even after all this time it will still be a wrenching experience for her. I know that. You don’t mind, do you?”

Claire nodded agreeing. “What time and where?”

“I don’t know. I’ll check with her tonight. I’m sure we can fit it in around the excursion we booked. I’ll ask Ruth and Lucy if they want to come, but they may not want to. They don’t really understand Mrs. Bernbaum’s feelings for Nate.”

“No, they’ve had different experiences with the men in their lives,” Claire agreed thoughtfully.

The women settled their bill and walked down the street towards the Russian Orthodox Church which sat right in front of them requiring the street to branch around either side of it. The little town was a unique blend of Russian frontier architecture and fishing village.

“I just love this town. I read Louis L’Amour’s, novel,
Sitka,
when I was young and was taken with the romance of that time. I think they made a movie out of it, too. Anyway, I feel like I’m there. I’m in that Sitka he talked about,” Millie said in a dreamy tone.

“I saw that movie. What’s interesting about that time is that it wasn’t so long ago. Actually, Mrs. Bernbaum’s Nate lived here not long after the Gold Rush. When you can talk to someone who knew it first hand it makes it all seem like it was only yesterday. It’s exciting, isn’t it?

“Here let’s check out this shop.” Millie’s attention was now riveted on shopping.

Claire, good-naturedly, followed her Mother into the shop. They weren’t in a hurry, so if Millie wanted to pick up souvenirs, this store seemed to have a nice selection.

“Whoa, grab that glass.”

Sean captured the wine glass just as it teetered on its edge.

Pearl wiped her mouth with her napkin, her face a strange greenish color. “Harold, I have to go. Please excuse...” and she was gone, moving quickly through the tables, heading for the door.

Harold put down his fork and excused himself before following his wife to make sure she made it to their cabin safely.

“Well, everyone else okay?” Lucy asked looking around the table.

“I guess we’re going to have a fun night, huh?” Ian didn’t look like the rough sea was going to bother him.

“This is nothing. It was really rough out there on the fishing boat, wasn’t it girls?” Sean asked Ruth and Lucy.

“Yeah, but not so much so that I let go of my fish.” Ruth was proud of the picture she had passed around of her holding a seventy pound halibut. Actually, it was seventy-six pounds and measured fifty-three inches long, as she had told everyone several times.

“For sure, that was a beauty. I’m wishing I was sending home the fillets from a seventy-pounder. Mine seemed a little puny in comparison.”

“Your mistake, Sean, was not catching three, like I did. Mine might not have been as big as Ruth’s, but the smaller ones are easier to bring in and I ended up with as much fish as she did.” Lucy’s smile indicated how pleased she was, as if she could control which fish took which hook.

“All I can say is I’m looking forward to cooking it. We’ll have a wonderful meal. Actually, with that much fish, we’ll be eating it all year,” Millie said with enthusiasm before asking, “Mrs. Bernbaum, perhaps you and your nephew would like to join us for dinner one night? Ruth is going to supply the fish and I’m cooking it. Ian, Sean, are you sure you can’t stay in San Francisco for a few days? I assure you this will be a meal you won’t want to miss.”

The ship rolled sharply and Claire grabbed the table as her chair started to slide out from under her. Ian grabbed it and held it steady.

“When will your fish arrive, Ruth?” Claire asked, giving up on her soup. The lurching of the ship was making it too difficult to get the spoon to her mouth with anything on it.

“They said next week. They fillet it, flash freeze it and then overnight it with dry ice. They said I could expect about fifty pounds net weight. It’s going to be the most expensive fish you ever served, Millie. But it’s going to be delicious. Wait and see.”

Pedro and Juan started clearing the table. They didn’t seem at all disturbed by the turbulence of the water.

“Where are the Merriwetters?” Pedro asked.

“I don’t think Pearl was feeling well. She left,” Mrs. Bernbaum said. Obviously she wasn’t bothered by the movement of the ship.

“Actually, I’m not feeling well, myself.” Richard did look pale. “I wonder if you can excuse me.” He stood up, paused a moment as if trying to get a feel for which way the ship was moving and lurched off towards the door.

“Oh, dear, I hope he takes some of the medicine he gave Anita.” Mrs. Bernbaum gazed after him with a concerned expression on her face. Then turning towards Claire, she said, “Not that it seemed to help Anita any.” She nodded her thanks to Pedro, who just set down her plate of roasted chicken.

“Mrs. Bernbaum, was your nephew able to contact Anita today?” Claire spoke in a low voice so her words wouldn’t reach the others at the table.

“No, no one answered the phone. I’m still very worried. Did you hear from your friend?”

“Yes, I did. He said no one answered the door and the neighbors reported that Anita went on a cruise to Alaska and they didn’t expect her back until Wednesday. My friend suggested we contact the Juneau police and have them check the hospitals and,” she hesitated a fraction of a second, then finished, “the morgue. He says it appears she didn’t return to San Francisco, so something might have happened to her in Juneau to prevent her returning to the ship.”

“Oh, dear, now I’m really worried. I hope she didn’t have an accident. The poor thing. What if she’s in the hospital, waiting for me to find her? I didn’t think Anita would just desert me. I should have insisted they look for her right away.”

“I don’t think you could have done much, Mrs. Bernbaum. I believe there is a waiting period before the police take any action on a missing person. But maybe if you talk to the cruise line’s security people, they can start the steps to look for her in Juneau?”

“Yes, you’re right. After dinner I’ll ask Dickie to contact the security people.” Then she remembered. “Oh, dear, I forgot Dickie left.” Then she straightened her spine. “Well, no matter, I think I can use the phone. I’ll just call them.”

Claire nodded. “Don’t worry, I’ll walk you back to your cabin and even stay with you while you call, if you like.”

“Oh, thank you dear. That will help.” She took a bite of chicken before continuing. “You know, my dear, I’m a little disappointed at Dickie’s attitude. He refuses to consider that Anita missing the ship could be a serious matter.

“He didn’t like Anita, you know. Well, it was mutual. She didn’t like him either. I admit she was very suspicious of Dickie, but really, Anita wouldn’t do any thing to harm me. As disapproving as she was of this trip, she did come rather than have me be on my own, so I find it very strange she would become so annoyed she would leave, and without even telling me. No, I’m sure something happened.”

“You know this lurching and rolling is getting to me. I’m going to skip dessert and head down to the cabin for an early night. Please excuse me.” Ruth was the next casualty. She put down her napkin and got to her feet, holding firmly to the table. Then seeing Millie’s worried expression, she reassured her. “Don’t worry about me, Millie. I’m fine. I’m just tired and not inclined to continue fighting this roll. I’m going to bed and let it rock me to sleep. See you all tomorrow.”

Claire noticed, as she watched Ruth weave an unsteady path through the tables, how many of the diners had left. Tonight was not a good night for dinner.

“Is she not feeling well?” Pedro asked, picking up Ruth’s almost full plate.

“No, she’s passing on dessert. How about you, Pedro? Does it ever bother you?”

He gave an exaggerated shrug, rolled his eyes. “Not much. I am a sailor you see. We walk like this.” He lurched around the table gathering their finished plates while they laughed at his antics. “Problem is, we try to walk that way on land and then they think we’re drunk.”

“We’ve really been lucky on this trip, don’t you think?” Lucy asked him. “This is the first rough weather we’ve had.”

“Yes, we’re very lucky this trip. This is our last trip to Alaska this season and some years the winter moves in too quickly and we get storms on our last trip. But this year is good. You are very fortunate.”