“OK, Good,” Reina announced. “Let’s go.”
“I can’t wear these,” Lori said.
“They look fantastic.”
“You can see everything. I’m not walking out the door with...what are you doing?”
Reina pulled a black windbreaker out of her bag. “Use this.”
Lori held out her hand with a sigh. “Alright.”
She tied the jacket in a knot around her waist, which did nothing to make her feel better. Her hands kept naturally travelling down to cover her hips. Walking to the buffet, she could practically feel the eyes on her, like prying fingers testing a piece of meat at a butcher’s shop.
It got worse when they closer, trying to push through to get to the entrance. For the past few days, the line to get seated at the buffet have been getting longer; having spent the majority of their money eating at the ship’s more expensive restaurants, the passengers were forced to eat the common fare, like pigs settling for slop.
Reina must’ve been a expecting exactly that, because when she saw George waiting in the corner for them, she didn’t pay him any mind — not until she saw Lori — who was still covering her butt — step into to the crowd in front of the restaurant and follow him back into the private seating area, “Is this the kind of treatment you get all the time?”
“Tim bought some special package or something. I don’t know.” Lori took her usual seat, grateful that she didn’t have to show her hips off any longer.
“I hope you’ve had a chance to enjoy it.” Raven said, taking a seat across from Lori. George left them with another complimentary bottle, along with a basket of melon balls, fresh pineapple, mangoes, and peeled oranges. Lori thanked him, but she didn’t plan on eating any of it.
Reina, however, was already something mango slices into her mouth. “That’s too bad. I wanted to Harris see us eating together.”
“It’s probably better to keep them wondering,” Lori said as she reluctantly picked up a ring of pineapple and held it up in front of her face. It was stiff, which meant that it was fresh. She took a cautious bite and decided that it was safe to eat.
Out of the corner of her eye, she could see Ashley, Troy’s plus one, sitting alone at her table. Reina glanced over, “You think she’s alone?”
“Sort of,” Lori said, “her boyfriend is the one that I told you about. He’s the one invited me to breakfast right after she left — which was after he made her feel guilty for being paranoid.”
“He doesn’t deserve to have a penis,” Reina exclaimed.
“No, he doesn’t,” Lori told her.
“Do you think we should invite her to breakfast with us?” Reina asked.
“Maybe,” Lori said, eyeing the young blonde who was nervously searching around the room. “She looks like a single breath will blow her over.”
“Yeah, she’s clearly looking for him.”
“Which is bullshit, because I had George one down his invitation right in front of her.”
“That is so depressing.” Reina tried a slice of pineapple.
Lori pulled her phone out of the pocket of her windbreaker, so she could check the time. “It’s getting kind of late. We should get going.”
“Yeah,” Reina said, “you’re right.”
They cut their break short and made their way to yoga class. Walking outside wasn’t easy. The promenade deck was narrow there; even when she hugged the wall, the edge was only four, maybe five feet.
The whole time, Reina looked like she wanted to grab her and force her to hold onto the railing. Just thinking about it was enough to make her throat tighten. She’d never felt so relieved than when she darted past Reina, latched onto the door handle and took a lungful of air inside.
The instructor, who was standing at the head of the room, looked as though she had tried to give herself a perm, but it had gone horribly wrong, giving her a gray clown wig instead. It was so stiff that when she turned her head to confront them it didn’t move at all. “A little earlier this time ladies,” she stepped forward.
The rest of the class was at the back of the room, talking and taking their time. They started to take their positions when she called out, “And stretch,” she reached her hands up in the air and raised herself onto her toes, completely ignoring the fact that everyone was still trying to find their places.
Lori couldn’t help but think that this entire thing was pointless. All of the stretching in the world wouldn’t be enough to work off the buffet slop. She was about to turn to Reina and tell her that when she realized that the girl was running to get to an opening in the front row before somebody else grabbed it.
Once Lori realized why she was running, she hopped over and took the space next to her. As casually as could be, she removed the jacket tied around her waist and let it flutter to the ground, revealing the curve of her hips, covered only by a thin strip of fabric. She turned back and gave Harris a wink before raising up onto the balls of her feet and reaching her arms up into the air as high as she could. “A-a-and down,” the instructor said with an exhale as if she’d been running on a treadmill.
She stabbed her feet up and down, running in place as she shook her hands out. “Now go ahead and shift your weight forward, putting your right leg out as far as you can. And go ahead and turn your left foot just a little bit to the side, and let it support you. Stretch forward and you should feel it in your thighs and your calves.” Lori was able to get a look at Harris, who was standing straight, his arms crossed, rolling his eyes so hard it looked like they were going to start spinning around like rollers on a slot machine.
The instructor caught on like a hawk. She cleared her throat, a shrill, almost shrieking sound that had a woman in the center of the room, wobbling on giant feet. “Is there a problem?”
Harris didn’t say anything, and he didn’t move, either.
“Well?”
“Whatever,” he stormed past them and left.
“I don’t know what you think you’re doing,” the instructor said.
“We know,” Reina cut in, dismissing her comment. “What’s next?”
The instructor responded instead to Lori. “I work hard to create a peaceful, cohesive environment for couples to enrich their lives, and you come in here dressed like that playing games.”
“He tr—
“No, you can leave now. You as well,” she motioned to Reina. “I won’t have you disrespecting my class like that.”
When they left, she was grumbling about bad chi, while she gathered her things. “It’s just no—
The door closing behind them cut her off. “How does it feel?” Lori asked, making her way to the next corridor as fast she could.
“Fantastic,” Reina beamed.
“Really? It doesn’t leave anything to be desired.
“We’ll see when I’m through,” she said with a grin.
11
Reina was adamant—no more classes for the day. Instead, Lori was to dress down and meet her at the pool. As expected there was a grab for every piece of furniture on the ship, which must’ve started long before they got there.
Lines of old men, women who shouldn’t have been tanning, and young bucks, had taken over every inch—just not the pool. It made no sense. What was the point of going on a cruise if all they ever did was sit around? They could easily do that at home, and what was the point of sitting there like that? It wasn’t like they were experiencing anything other than the backs of their eyelids.
Still, it would’ve been nice to have a place to sit while she was drying off. It didn’t matter. It was obvious why Reina brought her there. She knew as soon as she saw the little tub of coconut tanning creme. “You’re going to have a lot of fun.”
“I plan on it,” Reina winked back at the porthole behind her. She was hunched over, rubbing the cream on her calves. Lori started to do the same. Harris booked a room where he could see the pool.
“This is my second time doing this,” Reina said, before moving on to her thighs.<
br />
“How do you know he’s watching?”
“He’ll close his curtains,” she said. “At least that means he knows, and it’s pissing him off.”
“Smart.”
“But wouldn’t it be nice to do something constructive for yourself, instead of focusing on him.”
“What do you mean?”
“Well, you don’t want to spend any more time on him than you have to, do you? That’s what this is about.”
“It has been years,” she said. “But this is just a little fun.”
With a shrug, Lori turned back and hopped into the water She expected it to be warm; the air was, and the ship was designed for comfort—the best in its class, with the finest staterooms and suites. They should’ve at least had heated pools. She paddled over to the side and pulled herself out of the water, shivering against the cold. Reina was standing, ankle deep on the first step, daring herself to step down to the next one.
Behind her, a silhouette appeared in Harris’s window. “That little shit. He’s laughing. Get in now.”
Without a second’s hesitation, she dove in and swam like a fish, over to where Lori was sitting with her legs dangling. She whipped around, right before she hit the side and gave him the finger. His drapes closed, and Reina pulled herself out. “He’s such an asshole. He’s always acting like I can’t do anything. He thinks I’m a child.”
“Which is what he is. He’s too immature to recognize real beauty. He’ll probably never be able to, especially if he smokes every time he gets upset.”
“He does.”
“Then his perception can’t be trusted,” Lori said, “and you shouldn’t have to worry about it.”
Reina gave a solemn nod, before hopping off the edge and beginning a series of laps. There was a real, empty lounge chair that had just opened up on the side of the pool. Lori hopped up and did her best to get to it as fast as she could, without slipping and breaking her neck.
There were other stragglers, leaning against the wall, congregating around the ashtray, and they all seemed to be moving in the same direction as she was. The fastest of which was a bore of a man, a shirtless blob of white, carrying a platter of nachos.
When he saw Lori getting close, his foot flew forward, the chair flew to the side, nearly bashing against her bare toes. “Could you get that for me?”
In a flash, his hairy chest was covered in olives and chips glued to his skin with a giant glob of cheese. “Could you get that for me?”
He seemed to grow in size when he stepped up, using his full girth as an obvious attempt to intimidate her. She wasn’t going to back down, because she knew that if she did, he would back off, and the three crewmen rushing forward would lose their chance to confront him.
He was ready to push her into the pool, and he would’ve had two Caribbean men not came up beside him. A third, bald with bared teeth gleaming, twisted the screaming man’s arm behind his back, “Fuck you, fuck you, fuck you,” he bellowed out, red in the face and hunched over.
“Apologize!”
“I’m sorry! God, let go of my arm!”
“I don’t think he meant it, do you?” the bald one asked playfully.
“No, not yet.”
“Boys?” he looked from one to the other.
“Do it,” they both said in time.
He swept his leg, forcing the man’s knees to buckle. He fell to the ground, twisting is arm, almost to the point of pulling it out of the socket. “I’m sorry! I’m sorry!”
“Now get off this deck, and know, these are international waters. We are your government for the time being.”
There was a thwacking sound that quickly increased in tempo; two hands clapping, then four, another pair and another; soon, cheering passengers had gathered around, their chairs forgotten. Two men hollered, and a woman yelled out, “Thank God!”
Lori’s cheeks were flushed and burning. These people weren’t going to forget what happened. News was going to spread like a flame devouring a strip of tissue paper. Everyone was going to know. They’d whisper, give her smug looks and sympathetic smiles. Some would offer favors, invite her to eat, maybe slip her a key to their room.
She could see it all stretching out in front of her—the entire cruise, and it was enough to make her pause. She felt like she was dangling over the edge, her fingers slipping, and there was nothing she was going to do. She was going to fall.
“Let’s go, come on.” Reina wrapped her arm around Lori’s neck, so she could lead her inside, oblivious to the smiling faces, watching them through parted curtains. Lori need the support; she didn’t breathe until they walked inside, and she was afraid she’d topple over.
When Reina did let go, and the weight was gone, she stood limp, her eyes travelling along the golden lines, etched into the surface of the white marble. She wanted to disappear. In any other situation, she could have.
The walls of the ship suddenly felt confining. She wanted to get off as soon as possible. Maybe there was a way. She could make a request. She had Tim’s credit cards. Maybe she could pay the drew to fly her out on a helicopter.
“Come on,” Reina said, slicing through her thoughts. “Let me walk you back to your roon.”
“OK.” Lori shuffled down the walkway, dodging couples and strays. She could feel their eyes on her. There were whispers and sidelong glances, even when she got into the lift. There were two young blonds in the corner with their hands shielded over their mouths. “It’s just not right,” the taller of he two said.
“If they try anything, I’ll have my lawyer here so quick.”
“Oh, Darren’s ready. He already got ahold of ours. If they lay one hand on me, they’ll be jailed and garnished, I can promise you that.”
They were in international waters, which meant that the Lunafreya really was its own little dictatorship. When the word spread about that, the passengers would get angry; they’d revolt and confront the crew, maybe even fight.
Because the assault was committed on Lori’s behalf, she’d be seen as the bad guy—siding with a bloodthirsty tyrants. All of the possible scenarios—the fights, people swarming around her room, attacking her in the halls—all the while, the crew would do what they were ordered, enflaming the passengers even more.
She saw—mutiny—the ‘m’ word, and she was terrified. By the time she got back to her room, she had convinced herself that people were going to raid everything, ransack the living area, tear through her suite and force her overboard.
Reina was by her side the whole time, leading her through the door into the living area, where Lori collapsed on the couch. “I can’t come out of here.”
“I should’ve known that’s what you were worried about,” Reina said, still standing next to the door.
“Bullshit, people are going to be talking about that for years.”
“You’re forgetting something very important; they’re dealing with their own personal drama—hysterical fits, people walking around blacked out drunk, fighting over their lovers. Do you honestly think you’re the only person that the crew had to protect?”
“You’re right.”
“I know I am. There’s probably six people getting dragged to the brig right now.”
“The brig,” Lori gave her sidelong glance. “Do they really have that?’
“They have to,” Reina said. “These guys have a ship to run. They can’t have people running around, attacking one another, getting into fights. Even little stuff—they have to be sure before trouble spreads.”
“It’s still a little weird,” Lori said, watching Reina run her hand along the back of the couch across from her. It was stiff paisley, a soft blue and gleaming white. When she sat down, her eyes rested on the pink rose, laying on its side. Below it, there was a card with a picture of black palm trees, set against a vibrant orange sky and the sun hovering over the water.
She took it and opened the card before Lori could stop her. “You and one other guest are hereby invited to dine with the capt
ain in the Historic Margot Dance Hall at eight p.m. Dress will be formal.”
“He went all out,” Lori said, “it’s annoying as hell. I have George following me around, passing out complimentary food and bottles. He even had them make my favorite, cherry white chocolate cheesecake, and you saw the oysters.”
“You think Tim’s still at it?” Reina asked her.
“Calling the ship for favors? No, he planned it all ahead. They’re just following his original plan.”
At least you get to enjoy the finest,” Reina said, looking from the couch to the arm chair—the faux mantle on the back wall; everything was purple, white, sky blue and violet; flowery designs and purple stripes had been sewn into the upholstery; crown molding lined the baseboards and along the edge of the ceiling, and ruffled drapes, backed with lace covered the porthole on the back wall, next to the fireplace. They made Lori feel like she was in a real, Victorian parlor, and not aboard a ship. “Do you know what this kind of room costs?” Reina said, leaning forward, “at least twenty-thousand—more, I spent hours looking up ticket prices and different companies. This really is the best of the best.”
“I don’t care about that kind of stuff.”
“Lori, you could have fun—let loose for a night and enjoy yourself. You can’t just hide and panic every time somebody makes a sudden movement.”
“That,” Lori motioned to the card, “is not my idea of fun.”
“There’s no obligation.”
“See that’s what I’m getting at,” she said, frustrated by her prodding. “I shouldn’t have to worry about anyone trying to stick their dick in me. It’s demeaning.”
“Then we’ll go together.”
“You saw what happened last time. No. Let’s have a movie night and try the ice cream bar. It’ll be fun.”
“But not as fun as dining with the richest people you will ever see. Plus, Nina Feldman is playing, and she’s wonderful.”
Sweetest Obsessions - Anthology Page 29