by Denise Irwin
“Let me ask, how do you think this is going to shake out?”
“I wish I could tell you. Whoever ordered the hit is still gonna make another attempt.” Sam laughed grimly, “There’s a good chance that Grossman’s now the bigger target since he failed in his mission. If he squeals and tries to cop a plea, he’s a dead man.”
“When will you and Leona be back in town?”
“We’ll fly home Sunday, November 4. I’ll drive to Jersey first thing Monday morning.” He held his elbow out to escort her. “Let’s get back to the party before people suspect us of plotting adultery on my wedding day.”
Abby saw Leona at the bar and joined her in a drink. “You look great and what a wonderful party.”
“Thank you. Sue and Neal did all the work.”
“John told me the original date was postponed due to some extenuating circumstances.”
“You could say that. Abby, I hear you and John are hanging out a shingle in Austin. How did you choose Austin?”
“Well, remember that’s where our plane landed on 9/11 and we immediately we fell in love with the area.”
“Somehow, I’m still trying to picture two lawyers, who wanted to practice law in big cities, have suddenly decided to move that far away.”
Abby sighed, “Well, life changed for many people after 9/11. For John and me, we suddenly realized, even if we worked sixty or seventy hours a week, we might not make it to the top of the legal mountain. I told him I’d never leave my Boston firm, but when I fell in love with Austin, it became apparent that I could. When John’s firm told him they planned to cutback and he would unfortunately, be the first to go, the decision was easier.”
Leona looked at Abby stunned by she’d just heard. Abby asked her, “Leona, you didn’t know he was laid off, did you?”
“No, he told me that the two of you decided to move his resignation date from December to October.”
“I didn’t think he told you the truth. John thought he was doing a good job, so when the managing partners told John he was first employee they were laying off, they attacked his ego with that news. What do you plan to do? John’s worried about you.”
“I don’t know. I haven’t developed an action plan just yet. Sam told me not to worry about it, but you know how that goes, I’ve always worked. John told me to wait until they laid me off since there would be a compensation package. When we return from our honeymoon, I guess I’ll figure out something.”
“John’s right, stay until they lay you off. I don’t know how much they are going to offer you, but John fought hard to get you all he could. We would really enjoy having dinner with you and Sam before we leave.”
“When are you moving to Texas?”
“We move the second week of November.”
Leona didn’t know what to say. Sam would be in Jersey the week they came home. “That would be wonderful. We would enjoy that.” It was a lame response, but she would work on a better excuse when the time came.
“Great, I’ll give you a call when you get home. John told me the two of you are sailing in the Caribbean for your honeymoon. You must be excited about that.”
“I really am. We leave tomorrow morning.”
“John and I really enjoyed joining you on the boat last summer. It’s a shame that we can’t sail in Austin. Oh my, I see that I need to go save Bill from John, otherwise, he’ll talk in Bill’s ear all afternoon.” Abby hugged Leona and congratulated her again.
Leona watched Cassie talking animatedly to Sue. She was about walk toward them to join their conversation when out of nowhere her mother appeared.
“Daughter, this has been a delightful day.”
“Ma, it sure is, and it appears that everyone’s have a really good time.”
“Yes it does. What time is your flight?”
“You know what? I really don’t remember, but I think we leave around 10:00 in the morning, that’s why we brought Bailey with us today. Sue’s gonna keep him while we’re gone.”
“Sue’s cousin is a very nice young woman.”
“She is ma. Did she tell you she lives in Frisco?”
“Yes, she went on to say that she’d been laid off her job and isn’t sure what she’s going to do next.”
Leona tried to sound surprised, “Is that right? I wonder if she’ll stay in this area.”
“She didn’t say.”
“Ma, I’ve gotta tell you something that I haven’t had a chance to say. The firm is probably going to lay me off at the end of the month.”
“What are you talking about?”
“John’s leaving at the end of the month and he said the managing partners are not going to replace him, which means I’m out of a job. He did tell me to wait until they laid me off. Apparently they might give me a compensation package if I wait for them to lay me off.”
“Well then daughter, by all means, wait till they give you the boot. You’ll find another job.”
Leona sighed, “That’s what John said, but the thought of looking a new job, is a bit overwhelming at the moment. There’s just so much going now. I’m still adjusting to the fact that he won’t be here when we return from our honeymoon. Sam leaves the morning after we come home. So, all that combined is a bit overwhelming.”
Nancy wrapped her arms around her daughter, and as she held Leona in her arms, she told her, “Life is full of chaotic change for all of us. None of us knows what the future holds. You are a talented woman, s you have no reason to fear the unknown. Go on your honeymoon and relax.”
“As always Ma, you give the best fucking advice.”
Nancy laughed, “Leona, it might not be wise to say the work ‘fucking’ to your mother. I still see me sweet child when I look at you.”
Leona giggled, “Sorry Ma, but you have always given me the best fucking advice.”
Nancy chortled as she kissed her daughter’s cheek.
Their family crowded around Sam’s car as he and Leona left. Leona knew they would party late into the night. As Sam drove down the driveway, he and Leona heard the clang of tin cans tied to the bumper. Sam and Leona waved goodbye through open car windows.
Chapter Twelve
October 2001
Salvatore Cappella was pissed. “Tony, Bruce fucked up and now you’re standing in front of me telling me you can’t do anything about it.”
“Sal, they’ve put him in solitary. When I go to talk to him, they post armed guards outside the door. Tell me what you want me to do.”
“I want you to make this mess go away. Your neck is on the line, do you understand what I’m telling you?”
Mob head Salvatore Cappella was arguing with Grossman’s attorney Antonio LoVerde in the back of a coffee shop Cappella owned and where he conducted most of his business.
Sal’s face was blood red with anger when he slammed his fist onto the tabletop, “I told Michael, that Grossman is unstable. Michael told me that the fucker would get the job done. Tony, I want Grossman dead.”
“Sal, he’s in custody facing the death penalty. If we go near him, it’s likely going to topple your house of cards.”
“I don’t give a fuck where he is; you make him go away. If that asshole squeals, he’s gonna take all of us down. You either get it done or you’re done.”
When Sam and Leona walked down the staircase from the plane in the St. Thomas Airport, the warm tropical air felt delightful. The mid-day sun was high in the sky. The floral fragrance along with the floral colors filled the senses to the max. They climbed into a cab and Sam gave the cab driver the address for the charter boat. When they arrived, Sam grabbed their bag, and told Leona, “Let’s go see our home for the next two weeks.”
When they entered the charter boat office, the owner introduced himself as Bob Johnson. “Can I help you?
“I’m Sam Marksman and this is my wife, Leona Marksman. I chartered a fifty foot center cockpit Morgan for our honeymoon.”
“Congratulations on your marriage. I’m sure your anxious to see your boa
t.”
Sam stepped forward, “We are. Bob, is there a chance that we can get onto the water today?”
“As soon as I go over the boat with you, you can leave whenever you want.”
Leona’s jaw dropped when they walked down the pier. She whispered to Sam, “It’s so big for just the two of us. Why isn’t the cockpit in the back? Look at the name, Island Hopper. Does that mean we’re going to hop islands?”
“That’s exactly what it means, and I chartered a center cockpit. I think you’re gonna enjoy it.”
After Bob went over the boat with Sam, including the engine room and generator, Leona asked Sam, “Did you get all that?”
“Yes ma’am, I did. Bob thanks. I think we’re ready to shove off.”
Sam started the engine. “Leona, come take the wheel while I throw the dock lines to Bob. It’s just like the Cream.”
Leona took the wheel, “Sam, excuse me one minute.”
“Yes Leona?”
“Don’t we need to go to the grocery store or are you planning to eat out every night?”
Sam threw the dock lines to Bob. “Leona, put her in gear.”
“Sam, you aren’t listening to me.”
As Leona motored into open water, Sam told her, “Let me have the wheel, go below and look in the galley, and bring me up a beer.”
Leona looked at him as if he’d just told her he was pregnant. “What are you telling me?”
“I’m not telling you anything. I’m asking you to bring me out a beer. Go get familiar with this big girl.”
Leona went below into the cabin, which in her opinion was beyond huge. She investigated the galley and found someone had stocked the boat with lots of food, along with bottles of red wine and beer. She grabbed Sam a Heineken, opened a bottle of wine, found a steel wine glass just like the one on the Cream. When she got herself and the beverages back into the cockpit, Sam was smiling at her.
“Did you find everything you need?”
“This is not a boat, it’s a floating hotel. How much did all this cost? I told you I was losing my job.”
“Wife, come sit beside me. If the cabin impressed you, watch this.”
From the cockpit, Sam hit a button and the mainsail rolled out of the mast. He then undid the self-furling jib and they were sailing, just like that.
“How far are we going to sail today?”
“The first quiet cove I find, we’re gonna anchor down for the night.”
Leona watched the shoreline pass beside them, fascinated by the sandy beaches. “Leona, do you remember our first sail?”
“Yes, I do.”
“Do you remember when you asked me if we had reached the ocean?”
She giggled, “Yes, and we weren’t even near the Chesapeake Bay.”
“You’re sailing on the ocean.”
“I am? Let me take the wheel, go grab the camera out of my bag and take my picture, so I can show everyone back home that I sailed on the ocean. Shelly’s gonna just die when I show her my picture.”
Sam found the camera and returned to the cockpit to take her picture. “Give me a sexy look.”
She laughed, “I don’t think I have one.”
“Oh yes, you do. Give me that look you use to entice me to make love to you.”
“I don’t do that and you know it.”
“Oh Mrs. Marksman, I beg to differ, come on and show me that sexy pout you do.”
“Like this?”
“That’s the look. Hold still. Great, you’re gonna love it.”
“Sam, I’m sailing with blinders on. Where should I go?”
“Keep the land on starboard, while I go below and bring up the chart. Do you want me to bring you another wine?”
Leona handed her empty wine glass to him, “Husband, I would love another wine.”
When Sam returned to the cockpit with the beverages and chart, he flipped the switch for the depth finder. “We’re in deep water, so hold your course, while I look for a place to anchor. Leona, since the wind’s out of the east, once we clear that piece of land over there,” Sam pointed to the piece of land he wanted her to see, “we’ll turn more northerly. It looks as though we’ll pass a couple of small islands, and on the other side of them, it looks like there’s a nice spot to anchor for the night.”
She glanced at the huge domed compass mounted in front of the steering wheel. She could easily read the compass headings. “Okay, I’m already falling in love with this boat. The cockpit is just, so big. Sometimes on the Cream I have to stretch to see over the housetop; I feel like I’m sitting in a tractor trailer on this boat.”
Leona headed north until the boat cleared the smaller islands. They rounded the smaller islands and when Sam saw what he was looking for, he turned on the motor, rolled the sails in, and then said to Leona, “If you think the roller main was cool, watch this.”
She watched as he went forward. When they boarded the Island Hopper, she hadn’t noticed that the anchor hung on a bracket outside of the boat’s bow. She was amazed that when Sam lowered the anchor into the water and the anchor rode fed from a locker. Sam didn’t need to pull the rode onto the deck cleat it down. Using the same hand signals they were accustomed to on the Cream, Sam held his hand up for her to take the engine out of gear. When he released the anchor rode, the anchor slid into the water. He motioned her to put the boat in reverse until the anchor took hold.
When he returned to the cockpit, Leona asked, “Are you hungry?”
“Whatcha got in mind?”
“I really don’t know, so let me go see what’s in the galley.”
Leona went below to see what food was loaded onto the boat. There was enough food to last them a month. She called up to Sam, “Sam, it looks like we’ve got everything you could possibly want. How hungry are you?”
“I’m not hungry for a meal if that’s what you’re asking.”
“Me either, so I’ll see what our snack options are.”
Leona found liver pâté, caviar, a variety of cheeses, crackers, fruit that included apples, pears, bananas, and kiwi. She put together a plate and handed it up to Sam. “Are you ready for another beer?”
“Does a bear shit in the woods?”
As she pulled a beer out of the cooler, she responded, “I don’t really know since I’ve never asked a bear where they do their business.”
Leona poured herself a cup of wine and went to join her husband in the cockpit. When the last of the sun fell away in the west, Sam hung the anchor light. Leona looked up to see that the stars were beginning to twinkle in the east. It took only a few minutes for the last hint of the sun to slip into the water leaving a pale orange glow in the western sky.
“Sam, thank you.”
“Did I do something right for a change?”
“You goof. Thank you for inviting me on your honeymoon. This is spectacular.”
“You are very welcome.”
The following morning they sailed to the British Virgin Islands, where they anchored down in a small isolated cove for two days. They spent the days, swimming, snorkeling, lying in the sun, reading, and making love. They dined in the cockpit each evening as they watched the sun set in the west leaving a glow on the water.
From the Virgin Islands, they set off for St. Martin in search of another quiet cove. As soon as they had the anchor up and the sails set, Sam said to his wife, “Take your shirt off.”
“And what sail in my bra?”
“If you’re wearing one take it off too.”
“Sam Marksman, I’ll be half naked.”
“By the end of this trip, I’ll have you sailing naked.”
Leona giggled, but did as he asked. She pulled off her shirt and bra. When she threw them below, she faced him and asked, “Husband, is this what you were looking for?”
“Step closer to me.”
When she stepped closer, Sam ran his hands along the sun warmed skin of her breasts, “This is exactly what I was looking for.”
After two days in St.
Martin, they turned the boat toward St. Barts, where they swam ashore in crystal blue water. The water was so clear they saw the fish swimming with them. As they walked along the sandy beach, Leona picked up shells along the way to take back to the boat.
“Leona, just how do you propose to swim back to the boat with all those shells you’ve been collecting?”
“I’ll just put them on my stomach and do the back stroke.”
From St. Martin, they sailed to Antigua. Once they anchored the boat, Sam told Leona, “I have a surprise for you.”
“What’s the surprise?”
“If I tell you, it won’t be a surprise, will it? Pack a small bag with a swim suit and a pair of shorts.”
“Why? You gotta tell me first.”
“No, I don’t gotta tell you first.”
Sam radioed for a water taxi. The taxi carried Sam and Leona to the dock, where Sam whistled for a car taxi. Sam winked at his wife when he gave the cab driver the address.
The taxi stopped and Sam paid the driver. “Sam Marksman, this is a horse ranch.”
Sam chuckled, “I heard somewhere and I can’t recall where, but I remember I was told that you are very bright. This is a horse ranch. I’ve reserved a couple of horses for the afternoon to ride along the beach. I also asked the owner to pack some lunch.”
“Sam, I’ve never ridden a horse, which means I have no idea how to ride one. Since I have no idea how one rides the animal, I’m gonna fall off and make a fool of myself.”
“Don’t worry about it. If you fall, there ain’t gonna be a soul around, other than me, to see you fall.”
“Is that all you have to say? I bet if I fall that horse, you’ll laugh your ass off.”
“You never sailed before you met me. Look at you now. You’ll soon be entering single-handed racing. Come on honey, it’s gonna be a great afternoon. Come over here and meet the horse. Don’t look so worries, I’ll help you into his saddle.”