Second on the Right (11 page)

"Robert."

He relaxed slightly; his expression softened
as he looked at her. His first name coming from her lips sent what
felt like electricity through his body. He attributed the sensation
to the length of abstinence he had endured recently, but deep down
he knew it was more.

"I've wanted to thank you. Thank you for
giving me a chance to learn, to prove to the crew, to you and to
myself that if I put my mind to it, I can accomplish anything. You
have made me confident in, well, in me. I would not have been able
to change on my own. Thank you." The last bit came out in a
whisper; her emotions seemed to overwhelm her.

"Miss Davis…Eileen…it bein' my pleasure, I
would do it a thousand times o'er," he said as he gave a slight
bow. Taking her hand, he kissed it tenderly.

She wrapped her arms around his neck and
squeezed him tightly. He coughed, surprised by her display and
choked slightly from her initial squeeze. Regardless, he was happy
to receive her affection and responded in kind. As she drew back,
she gave him a light kiss on his cheek. Then, standing tall, she
straightened her clothes.

She bowed slightly and said, "Captain." She
walked down to the lower deck.

Benedict watched her, wanting to say more, to
do more, but knowing that the moment was lost.

The winds picked up violently, pitching the
Mistral Thief
back and forth. Waves swelled and crashed
against the ship until, eventually, they reached over the deck.
Crewmen hung on, moving carefully about to prevent from being
washed overboard.

Captain Benedict knew the ship was entering
the worst part of the storm. He realized that Eileen was not in his
quarters. He stepped out onto the deck and was met with a huge wave
that crashed over the ship’s side and left him soaked. He clung to
the railing that led up to the helm. He was confused by the sight.
At the wheel, Eileen struggled to hold the ship leeward.

Smythe was coming from below deck, trying to
make his way to the helm. The icy winds whipped over the surface of
the ship, causing Benedict’s skin to burn and throb. He winced with
each gale of wind. Rain beat down upon the ship and, when the winds
blew, thrust sideways, like piercing needles.

Benedict grappled his way up the stairs to
her and the helm. Just as he reached the top, a large gust of wind
hit, rocking the ship into an almost horizontal position. The
captain did not have time to grab hold of the ship. Benedict clawed
and scratched at the deck. As the waves receded, they pulled him
towards the edge of the ship and out to sea.

"No!" He heard Eileen scream.

The ship jarred. Benedict clung onto the
side, his fingers beginning to lose their grip from the water and
the cold. Eileen took a leap and slid her body to the railing. As
she grabbed hold of his wrists, she struggled to lift him back onto
the ship. Bracing her feet on the rails, she screamed and pulled
Benedict back onto the ship. He fell onto Eileen. With a grunt, he
rolled off.

The two scrambled to find something to hold
fast. Another large wave crashed, knocking them against the helm.
Off balance, Eileen fell into Benedict's arms. Smythe took control
of the helm.

"Tha' would be th' secon' time ye saved me,"
he said. Before she had a chance to respond, another large wave
crashed hard over the
Mistral Thief
, ripping Eileen from
Benedict's hold and into the sea.

November 7, 2001: 6:01 pm

The ship slowly rocked as a mother would rock
her child. The movement was calming. Sunshine filtered through the
clouds: beams of warmth fell over the deck of the ship. A light
gust of wind blew through the open door cooling the room only to
have the warmth return as it died down. There was the muffled
crashing of waves against the ship. The sliding door had a strange,
almost metallic tone as it hit against its frame.

Eileen’s eyes flew open. She leaned over the
bed and coughed violently. She expected to spit up water, but there
was nothing. At last, she took in a sharp breath. When she regained
better control of her breathing, she fell back onto her bed. The
last thing she remembered was falling overboard into the stormy
ocean.

“Benedict,” she said in a melancholy
whisper.

Eileen's brow furrowed. Her lips turned into
a frown. The palms of her hands gripped the bed cover. Images
flashed in her head: the whirlpool, the
Mistral Thief
, the
crew, Benedict. She sat up quickly and looked around. She was back
in her cabin, on the cruise ship, pajamas completely dry. She could
hear the muffled thump of the bass from the deck of the ship.
Trying to suppress a yawn, Eileen glanced at the clock and read the
time: 6:01 pm.
Feels like I’ve been out for hours or days
even.
Her thoughts were interrupted by the presence of white
piece of paper on the floor.

IMPORTANT NOTICE: Event Change

The previously scheduled 80s pool party has
been moved to tomorrow night.

Tonight's party theme: Pirates! Aarrghh!

Location: Pool Deck

8 pm sharp, Don't miss out!

“I don’t understand. I was on—I was with— It
was just a dream? But it felt so
real
,” Eileen murmured.
Closing her eyes for a moment, she rubbed her temple.

As Eileen tucked the notice in her pajama
pocket, her fingers brushed against a small metallic object. Taking
hold of it, she pulled out a long gold chain with a ring pendant.
She didn’t recognize the necklace she now held in her palm
.
The pendant had an inscription.

True love's magic is not to avoid changes,

But to navigate them successfully.

With questions running around in her mind,
she stared out at the sky and drifted to sleep.

"You can't lie about all day. Up you go. Take
the bad with the good. Make your own fortune," said the familiar
female voice. "Get up!"

Eileen took in a deep breath and opened her
eyes. She was alone, curled up on her bed. She needed to take the
negative and use it to make her stronger. She felt stronger than
she ever had before.
What an amazing dream.
I feel so
alive!

Eileen sat up. In her dream, Robert Benedict
had helped her a great deal. Feeling refreshed, she planned to make
changes to her life. She would go back to medical school. She would
quit her soul-sucking job and tell George what he could do with it.
She grinned. The dream had convinced her to change, and she was
looking forward to exercising this new-found assertiveness.

Ander's words echoed in her ears, "Follow yer
gut."

Eileen recalled the man she had met on deck.
He had asked her to join him at the pool party. She had intended to
avoid him.

James, wasn't it?

Glancing at the clock, she saw the time was
6:15 pm. She reached for the cabin phone and called down to the
shops. She described the few items she would need to complete her
pirate outfit. There was a boldness that rang in her voice. The
items requested were personally delivered to her cabin. While
taking what felt like the best shower in the world, she began to
play out in her mind how that night would go.

By 8:00 pm, Eileen was ready for the
evening's festivities. She was dressed in a loose white shirt under
a long red vest with a chest belt. A yellow sash was tied around
her waist. Her dark blue pants were tucked neatly into a pair of
knee-high boots. Over all she wore a form-fitting, knee-length dark
blue coat. She wore the gold pendant she had found in her pocket
earlier. Only the sword and dagger were missing. She had grown
accustomed to wearing them on the
Mistral Thief
. She topped
off the ensemble with a small tri-corner pirate hat, recalling
Captain Benedict’s oversized hat from her dream.

“Perhaps he was compensating for something,”
she murmured, a grin playing at her lips. She wished she had
thought to point that out to him.

She was looking forward to the party, if only
to fantasize about returning to the
Mistral Thief
. When she
arrived, there were multitudes of people milling about. A DJ was
taking requests at the other end of the pool deck. He was
surrounded by people dancing, cheering and drinking. A crisscross
mess of pirate flags, with skull and crossbones on each, hung over
the entire pool. Colored spotlights hit the deck, illuminating the
party-goers in hues of reds, greens, blues, and yellows. Tucked
under an overhang, the bar was crowded. Bartenders worked their
magic. Eileen was going to grab a drink, but started feeling
uncertain. Moving in the opposite direction, she headed to the
railing.

Stop it,
she chided herself.
That
was the old Eileen.

"Have ye come ta save me yet again? Or be it
ye who needs savin' this time?" asked a familiar gruff voice. Her
heart raced at the sound.

"Captain—” she said spinning around
excitedly, but the word caught in her throat as she turned to see
no one nearby. She tried to locate the source of the voice, but no
one was looking her way. Curiosity overpowered any feelings of
shyness she might have had. She headed in the direction of the
voice, guessing that it was someone at the bar.

As she drew closer, she saw a familiar large
hat with blue feathers. Her heart beat faster. She pushed her way
towards it. She scolded herself as she made her way to the man; the
thought of Benedict being there was ridiculous.

"Do ye have a name, missy?" said the man,
still facing the bar.

Her heart skipped a beat. Eileen’s mouth felt
dry. She tried to clear her throat. She knew it was not him, but
the voice sounded so much like his.

"Eileen Davis," she said gaining power in her
voice.

The man turned to face her. "Miss Davis,
didja say?" he said with a smile. There sat James, his blue eyes
shining bright. With a gleam, he bowed low, took hold of her hand
and kissed it lightly.

James was self-assured in his knee-length
coat fitted with silver buttons. Underneath he wore a white
long-sleeved shirt, dark blue vest, blue sash, dark brown pants,
and shin-high boots with folded wide brim. On his head, he wore a
large hat with blue feathers. Not believing her eyes, Eileen took
another long look.

"Seen enough, have ye?" he teased, causing
her to blush.

"Aye" she answered. Then, gathering her
confidence, she asked, "Your name is James, right?"

"Yes. James Benedict," he replied.

Her smile disappeared. "Oh, come on…in all
seriousness? You can't possibly be Benedict," she said
incredulously, her heart skipping a beat.

"Actually, I am. The Benedict. I gather you
recognize me from the conference program?" he asked.

She shook her head. In nervous response, her
hand involuntarily reached up to hold her gold pendant. Her thumb
ran along the inscription.