CHAPTER 3

Sex Adventure

Sure, sex and adventure were my goals. I didn’t care about what was out of my control like world war. And I couldn’t get into this whole hunting and fishing thing after seeing the ridiculous advantage of their arsenal. How they enjoyed trapping and killing helpless creatures was almost diabolical. If space aliens wanted to catch and torture helpless humans for sport or just because they tasted good, they wouldn’t do things any different than these guys did to fish. Still, Carl and Gun and the old guy Jim didn’t seem like bad people, at least they were interesting. I didn’t know anyone like them. I wasn’t so sure about Killis, though. And, maybe there was no actual sex or adventure so far but there were fights, rescues, crashes, almost-naked girls, and I hadn’t done a dive yet. That was encouraging!

Across the channel, lights from The Rapture cast shadows over the marina. The idea of the open ocean sounded great to me as the humidity made the night feel like a wet blanket. Rotting fish smell was everywhere but I already noticed it less. Not much a crisp ocean breeze wouldn’t cure.

I crisscrossed the open main deck. With the illumination across the channel and all the police activity there was enough light that I saw my reflection in the oily water slapping against the hull. My face seemed too long and rippled on the rising and falling waves, looking dark and stretching to its limits until it broke up around the edges.

Gun wandered over. “See something interesting down there?”

“Just checking out my reflection in the water, making those weird shapes.”

“Oh, yeah?” He looked over the side with me. “That’s not so weird. I can even make out the copper highlights in your hair!”

I stopped him from walking away by saying, “Sometimes a weird reflection shows how you really look. Does that one make me look stupid? With my eyes sunken-in.”

“Na-ah…you? You need big stupid ears to look stupid!” He wiggled one of my lobes. “But, you got the pretty blue eyes,” he told me. “Not to mention that nice little butt and 30-inch waist. I haven’t had a 30-inch waist since high school.” He rubbed my arm in a mocking sexual way which I ignored.

“Yeah, but my face. See, I thought my face was rounder. But, that reflection in the water, if it was a cartoon say, it would be longer, see? Uglier, that’s what I’m saying, if it was longer, which I’m not even saying it is. What do you think?”

“What are you’re talking about? You’re even uglier than these damn things!” Gun threw open a big hatch in the deck. It slammed to rest against the railing and revealed the boat’s soot-encrusted engines. He glanced at me, “Ever seen one of these babies?” He watched me shake my head before climbing down into the shallow compartment with a toolbox, and stirring up black water at the bottom.

“Is that the bilge?”

I thought it was a smart question but he replied, “Those right there, Caleb, my friend, are famous Detroit Diesel engines, workhorses of the fishing industry.” The straight beard shined with sweat as he stroked it downward with his hands. He proceeded to use wrenches on the engines for who-knows-what, while singing refrains of, “Ca-leb, mah belle…these are words that go to-gether well,” and smiling up at me now and then. He must work that refrain in with all his new friends.

“So, you really don’t think I have a dumb-looking face like that reflection?”

“Who the hell cares? What do you want me to say—you got the cutest little baby face? OK.” He yanked the wrench. “Oh, you’ll do alright, don’t worry. Can’t get into those copper highlights, though.”

When he brought up the highlights I spotted their red sheen in the sparkling beads of oil-soaked water. Parts of the reflection were sharp and true and changed every moment with the wave action so trying to evaluate anything by it was itself stupid. At least he mentioned a baby face and pretty blue eyes.