Tiger's Voyage

by Colleen Houck

  I saw Ren clench and unclench his fists several times in my peripheral vision, as I pretended to read a paragraph. Finally, he spun around and stormed off through the hatch.

  I didn’t see Ren or his new girlfriend again until dinner. Kishan and I had just filled our plates and sat down when they showed up. Nilima and Mr. Kadam were sitting at the end of the table talking with each other quietly.

  “Oh, how wonderful! I’m so famished,” Randi said and approached the buffet table, warning Ren not to eat the chicken or the shrimp that was being served.

  She took a seat across from us and explained, “I’m very careful about what I eat. I only eat vegetables, and occasionally some fruit. It helps me maintain my figure.”

  Her plate had two forkfuls of salad and a wedge of mango. Carefully, she pushed the croutons away with a butter knife. I looked at Ren. He was staring at his plate of vegetables like a man who’d just been sentenced to prison.

  Randi continued, “I’ve never eaten meat in any form. Not even eggs or milk. I just think animals are so filthy. I can’t imagine ingesting them. I don’t even like house pets. Especially cats. Their fur is so dirty. They lick themselves all over. And their little paws touch you everywhere.” She shuddered. “I think animals should be kept in zoos, don’t you agree? That’s all they’re good for, after all.”

  I sniggered loudly, took a bite of chicken, and sipped my papaya juice.

  She leaned over and, in a stage whisper, said to me, “You do know that papaya juice makes you fat. My personal trainer says you should never eat sugar in any form.” Her gaze dropped deliberately to my waist. “But I can see that maintaining your figure is not a priority for you.” She smiled sweetly at Kishan, who was frowning. “A girl should always try to look her best, shouldn’t she?”

  Ren looked up, smiled at her, and said, “Yes and your figure is … exquisite.”

  She pecked him on the cheek, and Ren went back to picking at his plate.

  Kishan set down his fork, stared at Ren incredulously, and said, “There is absolutely nothing wrong with Kelsey’s figure.” Then he stood and picked up his empty plate, heading back to the buffet again.

  Randi quickly backpedaled. “Oh, of course you wouldn’t think so because you’re such a gentleman, but you are biased after all.” She pushed aside her plate. “Oh dear, I’ve eaten too much. Now I’ll have to work out for an hour.” Half of her salad was still on her plate. She pouted prettily at Ren, who consoled her by telling her that she looked beautiful.

  I poked my stomach covertly. It still seemed pretty lean to me. Obviously, I wasn’t built like a supermodel, but all the swimming and workouts were keeping me trim enough. Kishan took my hand, squeezed it, and brushed a kiss on my fingers before setting it back onto my lap. I smiled at him in gratitude. He smiled back and began eating his second helping. Ren scowled at his half-eaten dinner plate. Barbie said she wanted to take a nice romantic stroll around the deck. Ren rose quickly, taking her with him, and we all were finally able to relax and enjoy the rest of our meal.

  Kishan purposely made a giant ice cream sundae for us to share, and we had a great time feeding each other spoonfuls. I “accidentally” missed his mouth and smeared ice cream on his nose and he “accidentally” dropped a spoonful down my shirt. After that, it was a free-for-all. He grabbed the canister of whipped cream, and I grabbed the bottle of chocolate syrup. Nilima and Mr. Kadam quickly exited, leaving us to our food fight.

  Several minutes later, our arsenal had run out. We stood there laughing at each other. A big glob of whipped cream slid from my hair to my cheek, and Kishan was coated in chocolate syrup. I ran a finger down his arm and put it in my mouth.

  “Mmm, you taste pretty good.”

  He scooped up a glob of whipped cream and smeared it across my cheek. “Hmm … you’re not quite done yet.” He picked up a bottle of confetti sprinkles and shook them dramatically over my head while I stood still with a small smile waiting for him to finish.

  “There. All done.”

  Kishan wrapped his arms around my waist and tugged me closer. I looked up into his handsome face and felt an immense wave of appreciation and love overwhelm me.

  “Thanks,” I said softly.

  He laughed. “Thanks for what? The sprinkles?”

  I shook my head. “Thanks for making me happy.”

  “Anytime.” Kishan hugged me, and we stood there in the wind long enough that we started sticking together. “Want to go for a swim in the ocean and get all this stuff off?”

  “You’re on.”

  As we strolled down to the dock, taking the back stairs so we wouldn’t muss the carpet, he said, “That woman is crazy. How could anyone live without sugar?”

  I grinned and twined my fingers through his as he draped his arm across my shoulder. “I don’t know. What’s life without something sweet?”

  He nodded in agreement.

  Kishan and I managed to avoid Ren and Randi the next day by having picnic meals using the Golden Fruit. For breakfast we ate egg sandwiches while our feet dangled over the railing, and for lunch we climbed on top of the wheelhouse. Kishan had the Scarf make comfortable cushions and surrounded them with silk flowers.

  He placed a heavy linen napkin on my lap and used another napkin to blindfold me. He then hand-fed me a variety of scrumptious foods, making me guess what they were. Some were easy, especially the fruits. Dips were hard. He included a pear torte from Shangri-la that I hadn’t yet tasted. I did the same for him and I giggled mischievously choosing weird dishes like tuna surprise. He just smacked his lips saying each one was better than the last. After we were full, we sipped sparkling grape juice and leaned back against the cushions to watch the clouds.

  We’d planned to swim during the afternoon, but I found Randi sunning herself at the pool in a tiny red bikini held together with thin gold chains. I mentally groaned in disgust. Kishan and I would have to swim later. I turned to exit, but she’d spotted me.

  “Oh, there you are! I’m so glad you’re here. Can you be a dear and ask that serving girl, Nilima, to come here?”

  “Nilima is not a serving girl.”

  Randi waved her hand in the air and flipped over onto her back, talking in great detail about a certain kind of lotion she must have. Her top barely covered her heaving bosom.

  They looked too perfect to be real and I briefly wondered how much something like that cost. Wow. What if one pops? I giggled.

  “It’s not funny,” she languished. “If you cared about your skin at all, you would understand why I need to have that lotion. It would be so much easier to have blotchy, uneven skin like yours. Why, no one even expects you to look pretty. You don’t have the same pressure that I do. Wrinkles might not matter to you, but they do to me.”

  Kishan strolled to the pool area and kissed my cheek.

  “Kelsey would look beautiful in wrinkles.”

  Randi’s expression changed immediately. “Isn’t that just sweet of you to say something like that, but the truth is women don’t age as gracefully as men do. In the blink of an eye, men move on from their forty-year-old wife to a twenty-year-old.”

  Kishan frowned. “I would never do that.”

  She gushed, “Oh, I know you wouldn’t. But so many men do. A girl just has to do the best she can with what she has.”

  “Can’t you ask Ren for what you need?” Kishan asked. “We’re busy.”

  She sniffed, “He was here, but he disappeared.”

  “We’ll find him for you and make sure he gets your lotion.”

  She smiled coquettishly. “Thank you so much. Such considerate men in one family. Your mother must be so pleased.”

  “She was,” Kishan said abruptly and turned me around. “How about a workout and a massage instead of a swim?”

  “Sounds good.” We left and started walking toward the gym. “Aren’t you going to go find Ren and tell him she needs him?” I asked Kishan.

  “Nah. I’m sure he already knows. If I were Ren, I�
��d be avoiding her too.”

  On the way, I ran into Nilima, who was furious with Randi.

  “She’s so demanding! She’s insulted every member of the crew. The chef, who I had to beg to come here, has been demeaned in front of his staff. The captain has taken to locking the wheelhouse, and Grandfather refuses to come out of his room until she’s gone. If she’s not infuriating them, she’s flirting with them. She uses every trick at her disposal to get what she wants. I don’t care why Ren invited her here. I want her off the ship!”

  I’d never seen Nilima so upset. I was glad, though, that I wasn’t the only one who disliked Randi. I’d been concerned that I was responding with jealousy, which might have been true at first, but now the situation seemed kind of funny to me. I actually felt a little bad for Ren.

  The next morning, Kishan burst into my room. I sat up and rubbed my eyes sleepily. “What’s wrong?”

  He was wet and had a towel wrapped around his waist. “She’s gone too far.”

  “What is it?” I tried to keep my eyes locked on his face and ignore the very nice bronze torso barely hidden under the skimpy white towel.

  “Randi came unbidden into my room and interrupted my shower!”

  I frowned. “Why would she do that?”

  “She claimed that she was desperate to find Ren.”

  I shrugged. “There might have been some truth to that. She probably kept him up for most of the night, and he still has to be a tiger for twelve hours a day. I’m sure he’s just hiding out somewhere.”

  “Even so, she had no right to barge in on my shower! I’m going to finish in yours. You keep an eye out.”

  I giggled. “Okay, I’ll watch out for any dangerous women. Don’t worry. I’ll protect you from their crafty wiles. You can go shower in peace.”

  He ducked his head through the door and grinned. “Just so you know, you are welcome to barge in on my shower anytime.”

  I laughed. “Good to know.”

  After Kishan was safely ensconced behind his suite door, locked against intruders, I headed off to breakfast. On my way, Randi accosted me and demanded my help in locating Ren.

  “He’s really being a terrible host. In fact, I think you should help me find him, and you convince him that he’s in love with me.”

  I folded my arms across my chest. “And why would I do that?”

  She smiled. “Because if you don’t, I’ll just move on to the next rich eligible man, his brother, and I don’t think you’ll be too happy about that.”

  “Kishan wouldn’t touch you with a ten-foot pole, and honestly I never would have suspected Ren would either. Besides, it’s time for you to go. There’s no time for more of your games.”

  “You’d be surprised at the things I can get men to do in no time at all.” She adjusted her skimpy tank top to show off her cleavage. “I don’t mind switching to Kishan. He’s handsome, and the brothers are obviously wealthy and well connected. Daddy would be pleased either way. I’m sure I could win over Kishan just as quickly.”

  I put my hands on my hips and stared her down. “I don’t love them because they’re rich. I love them because they’re sweet, good, and honest men. And neither of them deserves to be saddled with a witch like you.”

  Randi tittered mockingly. “Oh, you are naive, aren’t you?” She patted my cheek condescendingly. “You need to learn there’s no such thing as a good man, honey. Men are stupid and only think of one thing.”

  She swished her hips and was out the door before I could think of a response so I just shook my head and sighed. Obviously she didn’t really care about Ren at all. Someone should tell him so he can deal with her and get her out of all of our lives.

  Ren’s new room was empty. The bed was made and the clothes were all put away. His dog-eared book of Shakespeare quotes was lying open. I flipped it over and found a line highlighted: “But O, how bitter a thing it is to look into happiness through another man’s eyes.”

  Turning the book over, I set it down gently where it rested before and reached into my pocket for my phone. Flipping it open, I located Ren on the GPS tracker and found him hiding out in the back of a storage room in the garage. I didn’t see him at first. Boxes were stacked everywhere, as well as cleaning buckets, mops, brooms, and shelves full of parts and supplies. In the very back, on a mat, lay my white tiger.

  I squatted down next to him. He kept his head on his paws. His chest rumbled softly.

  “Your new girlfriend is making trouble for everyone, you know.” I couldn’t help myself; I reached over and petted his head. “I don’t know what you were thinking. She doesn’t even like cats.” I grinned lopsidedly, then sighed. “Kishan and I will try to keep her occupied for a couple of hours so you can be a tiger. But you owe us a big favor. She’s trouble. The ‘double, double toil and trouble’ kind.”

  Ren started purring when I scratched behind his ear. Then the sound cut off abruptly, and he shifted away from my hand.

  I stood up. “Well … see you later,” I said, as I headed off to breakfast.

  When I found Kishan, he was so happy to see me I laughed.

  “Ren needs to be a tiger a while longer, and I promised him we’d keep her busy,” I whispered.

  “Because you asked,” he kissed my forehead, “I will help you entertain her and try to tolerate her ceaseless talking and flirtation.”

  I smiled. “I knew there was a reason I liked you.”

  He put an arm around me. “The feeling is mutual.”

  Kishan suggested we all watch a movie. Randi agreed and sat on the couch patting the seat next to her when he strolled over. He deliberately sat in a recliner instead, snagged my wrist, and dragged me over to sit with him.

  No one paid any attention to Randi, who sulked from the couch, and claimed she was bored after the first half hour. We gave up and decided to swim instead.

  Kishan and I dove in and swam laps. Randi came over and sat on the edge of the pool, leaning back in the sunshine, presumably to soak up rays, but I believed it was actually a ploy to show off her artificial bosom.

  At a break, I stopped near her and turned to watch Kishan stroke smoothly through the water.

  “I’ll still get him, you know. Either him or the other one. I’ve never met a boy I couldn’t have. You really shouldn’t swim without a cap. The chlorine ruins your hair.”

  I smiled falsely, nodded, and began swimming laps again until I felt a hand grab my ankle and yank me underwater. Big arms wrapped around me and pulled me to the surface.

  Kishan grinned. “We’re done babysitting. Ren came to retrieve her on the last lap.”

  I looked over his shoulder and sure enough, Randi was gone.

  “Now … how would you like to change and finish snuggling in the media room?”

  “I thought you’d never ask.” I yelped as he carried me quickly up the pool steps and sent me off to the showers to change.

  That evening, as the Deschen drew anchor, Kishan, the crew, and I made sure that Ren escorted Randi off the ship.

  Ren smiled and bent to kiss her cheek. He murmured something quietly and pressed her close in farewell. Kishan smiled secretively.

  “What? What is it?” I asked.

  He whispered, “Ren called her a sukhada motha. ‘A delightful weed.’”

  I laughed. “He does have a knack for nicknames.”

  Randi headed our way and grasped Kishan’s arm. In a stage whisper, she said, “I hope your little girlfriend didn’t mind me watching you shower. I’m sure she’ll understand. Please contact me anytime.” She slipped a pink card into his hand and pressed her ample bosom to his chest as she went to peck him on the cheek but purposely hit the corner of his mouth instead. She winked at him meaningfully and sashayed down the ramp, swiveling her hips like a church bell.

  As soon as Randi’s stilettos were out of sight, there were murmurs from the staff of locking the ramp to the side of the boat just in case she decided to come back.

  Kishan wiped his mouth with t
he back of his hand and grunted. “My mother would have eaten her for breakfast.”

  “Really?” That made me smile.

  “Yes.” He grinned. “You, on the other hand, she would have loved.”

  He draped his arm around my shoulders and as we headed back upstairs, I looked for Ren but he was gone.

  When the Deschen finally lifted anchor, everyone on the ship breathed a collective deep sigh of relief.

  13

  Lady Silkworm

  After we were under way again, I headed up to the wheelhouse to visit with the captain.

  “Ah, hallo, Miss Kelsey. And how are we feelin’ ta’nite, eh?”

  “Hey, Captain Dixon.”

  “Jus’ call me Dix.”

  I laughed. “Okay, Dix, Mr. Kadam had me bring up dinner because you didn’t get a chance to eat tonight.”

  He smiled and glanced at me briefly, then returned his gaze to the window. “Jus’ set it down right dere if ya would, den, miss.”

  I set down his tray, leaned my hip against the console, and quietly watched him work.

  He peered at me out of the corner of his eye. “You’re lookin’ more at ease dan I’ve seen you in a while, if I may say so.”

  I nodded. “I’ve been doing better. Kishan takes good care of me, and we finally got rid of the sea hag.”

  “And happy was de hour she stepped off of me boat too.”

  I laughed. “I heard you locked her out of the wheelhouse.”

  “She was coming to bodder me all times of de day and night. She be complaining dat she was seasick and all manner of rubbish.” He set a few instruments and picked up his dinner tray. “Would ja be keepin’ an old sea dog comp’ny while he eats his dinner, den?”

  “Sure.”

  He sank into the captain’s chair and sighed. “Every time I settle me old bones in a chair it gets a little harder to coax meself out of it.”

  I sat in the chair next to him. “A good chair is worth its weight in gold, my mom always used to say.”