Hello, here is the next chapter :)
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Chapter 4: Going To Be A Success
She wouldn't listen... With every moment, it sunk deeper and deeper into Skipper's brain. He had lost it... He had lost his fight with his own ship, his own Marlene. Is this how Julien felt back then? The thought came quicker to his mind than that he ever could have imagined. Did he now feel some kind of sympathy for Julien? He shook his head. He couldn't be. It was impossible. That guy had stolen his love, his life. Sympathy was not something he would give someone who stole away everything from him. He was a thief. And still when the first thunderbolt decided to accompany the captain, his ship and the sailors, he could think of nothing else but her...
Collapsed economies... Dying loved ones... Broken trust... Skipper folded his large hands around the corner of the dark wooden table he was sitting at. He felt sickened by the speed his life was collapsing from right underneath his nose. He had lost his love, lost his friends... He gave a deep sigh. Was it worth staying?
"Skipper!" His youngest sailor called out. "What can we do?!" He seemed desperate and anxious. Skipper walked slowly and like a real captain to Private, seemingly full of wisdom and determination. "Keep her straight." Was his only command and the young sailor nodded and worked with all his might on the ship.
"Marlene... Why are you so darn ignorant and stubborn!" He called out after her. Her brown hair danced on her back as she walked away from him, with raging fury in her steps. "Marlene! Wait!" He ran towards her, laid his hand on her shoulder, but she shrugged it of. "Goodbye, Skipper. Good. Bye."
"I can't hold her, Skipper!" Kowalski called out from behind the rudder. The ship struggled and fought with the waves but it all seemed to go too quickly for Skipper to come into action. He watched the tall man fighting the rudder with all his might, his little sailor dashing forward and back over the deck, saving what yet could be saved...
He had left her alone... All alone... In the dark on a table, for two careless and strange hands to cut her open and prepare her for the last goodbye. Her words still echoed in his head, how could he have been so stupid? How could he have let her go away? Why didn't he ever step in and took action. None of this would have happened. She could even be waiting for him now, with a nice bowl of soup and a warm story about her colleagues. But she wasn't. And she never would be again, not for him, not for Julien. His fault.
What could he do to save her? Nothing came to his mind. He looked at the two sailors on his ship. Would they all follow Rico to their fate soon? Could he let that happen?
He didn't see her anymore ever since. The paper was his only source of information. It drove him mad, but maybe it was better this way. He probably didn't deserve her, she was too good for him... He pushed his black marker hard on Julien's printed face. His anger rose, not only towards the long skinny fool in the picture, but also towards himself.
No. He couldn't. He could not let anyone die for him, not again. Skipper reached out to the lifeboats and Private and Kowalski are with him in seconds. He lowered the lifeboat slowly and carefully down, and then he watched Private and Kowalski getting into the boat. He took a step back, even though they both were yelling that he should join them. But he wouldn't leave his ship, his love, alone ever again. The sea seemed darker than ever and the waves reached high. Another lightening bolt lighted up in the dark sky.
"So you're leaving?" His friend looked him straight in the eyes. "Why would you leave such a beautiful big city as New York to just go out on sea with a couple of nut-heads on a boat?" The friend played a bit with the bottle in his hands. To be honest, Skipper never really saw him as much of a friend... And now that he had heard all of his accusations... He was glad to be leaving. No more haunting memories, no more pressure of society. He would finally have the chance to be who he really was and to get over her...
He watched the small boat sailing out of his eyesight. "Gone..." He mumbled silently as he holds himself at the railing of his rocking ship. She seemed to struggle and fight with the strongest waves of the sea, but Skipper felt deep in his gut, that this couldn't go on forever. He didn't attempt to steer the ship in any other way, or to get it straight again. He had fought more than enough in his life. It was over, and he was completely fine with that.
He raised the sails of 'Marlene' with an excited feeling in his stomach. It was finally going to happen! After all he has been through, he finally could start living. He looked at the three men that had agreed to accompany him on his trip. All without a clear future, even though they all were great individuals. He nodded. This was going to be a success. He could feel it in his gut.
Thank you for reading so far :)