Until the Gangaway Tears Us Apart

by V. Louro



  UNTIL THE GANGWAY TEARS US APART

  By V. Louro

  Copyright 2012 V. Louro

  This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This ebook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each recipient.

  1

  The Spa manager’s leaving party was so outstanding that early morning Denise could still hear the beat of the drums echoing through her mind. There was also the drinking. Her efforts not to drink too much hadn’t really worked. The plan was to stop by and say goodbye to Joanne, have one drink and then go to sleep. But the drinks multiplied and when she finally made it back to the cabin she should have gone to sleep. Should…

  Her blurred thoughts were interrupted by her supervisor’s enthusiastic voice on the radio.

  “What are you talking about?! Of course the passports match. I checked them myself. Tell those idiots I’ll be in the terminal in a second!” Amy shouted. The port authorities were trying to make things difficult. They counted the passports, checked the paperwork and either decided the numbers didn’t match or came up with some little detail that stopped things from moving forward.

  “It’s ten o’clock in the morning, I haven’t had my coffee yet, and all this people do is pissing me off!” Amy grumbled, sinking on the chair.

  Denise knew it was not a good idea to talk to her supervisor before she had at least one dose of caffeine, however, rules didn’t really apply on turnaround day. “I can’t wait to get out of Asia and get rid of these passport dramas.” She said as Amy fixed her short dark hair looking at the small mirror over her desk.

  Denise felt her stomach growling. It was breakfast time hours ago. Because of Diego she forgot to get some supplies from the galley the night before and there hadn’t been time to eat anything yet.

  “Let me go and push my diplomatic button. I really need a coffee…” Amy declared in a very theatrical way before she left the crew office, ready to face more madness.

  Her high heels could be heard on the metal floor all the way to the end of the corridor and Denise wondered how someone could wear those shoes on a day when they never worked less than twelve hours.

  She stood up and took a peek at the small square mirror above Amy’s desk. Her blond hair was pushed back on something that looked like a ponytail. She would have to do something about it later, when she didn’t feel so tired and hungry.

  Denise tried to focus on the pile of passports growing on the messy desk. It was only ten in the morning and her eyes were already burning from looking at a computer screen for so long. What kind of person had already worked for five hours at ten o’clock in the morning? A crew member, of course!

  “I need a drink!” She murmured. “Better, I need a lot of drinks to survive this contract.”

  It had only been two months and she already felt exhausted. How she was going to survive the next four months was a mystery. It had worked before, it would work again. That was what she told herself every time she signed another contract and went back on cruise ships.

  Denise hated turnaround days. On the busiest day of the cruise it would be nice to have peace and silence. She wanted some fresh air but opening the door was a very bad idea. First, unwanted guests would show up for sure and second the noise from the M1, the ship’s main service corridor, wouldn’t let her concentrate. There were people everywhere because the ship was being loaded with supplies for the next cruise and the forklifts went back and forth all morning into the terminal building. The sound was everything but harmonious.

  Since Amy’s departure to sort out the immigration officer’s trouble, the radio had been unusually quiet. Benjie and Diego were getting the leaving crew out of the ship and Denise needed to get the paperwork ready for the new crew arriving. If the information was not in the system on time the ship wouldn’t get clearance to sail.

  She heard a key on the door and Diego walked in with a box of papers on each hand.

  “Hi there. Did you get rid of them?” She asked briskly.

  “What a rude way to talk about our beloved colleagues.” Diego riposted. “They’re all gone. Everyone is on the way to Bangkok airport and they are no longer our problem.”

  “Good. That’s half our problems solved. Let’s focus on the other half. Where is Benjie?”

  “Helping Amy. She’s still handling a Thai guy who can’t make up his mind about a few things and since he doesn’t have a clue what he’s doing of course that automatically becomes our problem.” Diego explained. “Or let’s just say we can reward him with a few gifts and I can promise you those papers will be miraculously in order.”

  Denise sighed. “I can’t wait to get to Australia and start working with normal people. These Asians are way too complicated. The Chinese lost a fortune worth of bottles of champagne, which I’m sure will be sold in some Hong Kong market, the Koreans held us in port for two hours for no reason other than showing us they can do whatever they like, we missed a bunch of ports because of the typhoons and now these ones conveniently can’t count passports unless we give them something to boost their memory.” She made a pause to put her thoughts in order. “At least you don’t have to worry about putting up with crazy people for much longer.” She vented, her stomach growling. Hunger was making her crabby.

  “I know. Are you still very upset?” He asked looking her in eyes.

  “About my job change? Yes, being treated unfairly has that effect on me. But I am happy to give you my place. Amy is the best. You’ll have a good time here.”

  He could feel that Denise was very disturbed by having to leave a job she liked so much to become front desk supervisor the following cruise. The decision had been made by a senior manager who didn’t like her and she hadn’t been taking it lightly. Diego didn’t see the point of keep talking about something he couldn’t change so he sat on the other side of the desk and started ordering the papers from the departed crew. “Is there anything else I can do to make you happy?”

  Denise dropped her glasses on the desk again and gave him an indulgent look. “As a matter of fact there is. Strawberry milkshake would be great, since I didn’t have time for breakfast and lunch is clearly not in the picture today.”

  “And let me guess, you want me to get it for you.”

  “For us.” She corrected. “You do the transportation. I pay.”

  “Deal. But only because you were really nice to me last night.”

  Denise gave him a wink. “It’s because I was so nice to you last night that I only slept three hours and feel so damn tired. Please bring milkshakes for Amy and Benjie too.”

  Diego smiled as he remembered that they should have gone to sleep early the night before having such a long day of work ahead but they were having too much fun to think about sleep…

  As soon as he walked out the door there was a loud squawk. “Gangway to crew office. Gangway to crew office. You have a new arrival.” The voice said.

  Denise snatched the radio from her belt and pressed the button on the left side to reply. “On my way”.

  She locked the door and walked carefully along the busy corridor where a mess of food deliveries, suitcases and people doing all sorts of jobs reminded her that she was working in a house of madness.

  Every turnaround day they disembarked 3000 passengers with their luggage before eleven in the morning and loaded the ship with supplies for the next cruise. By midday another 3000 passenger came onboard with their nearly 6000 pieces of luggage and on top of that, crew members went home after a contract at the same time new crew members arrived tired and jet lagged and were immediately put to work. Most crew would
work at least twelve hours and everybody was expected to do all that with a smile. Total madness in the name of great service provided to the passengers who paid for a holiday dream and expected nothing less.