17. Imagination
Three days into the journey and I was already bored. My girlfriend, Bobbi, had convinced me that travelling to Europe via a cargo ship would be a great way to meet people. What she didn't tell me was that taking a cargo ship journey wasn't like taking a cruise ship journey. First of all, there was no bar, and no alcohol as it was a working ship. Secondly, there was no entertainment, other than what you could borrow from the onboard library. Library meaning a small storeroom with a few dozen books, board games, VHS and DVD movies, some of which had been viewed so many times they were worn out and more often than not got stuck in the replay. The crew were either too busy with their jobs to be friendly, or they would be friendly with seemingly only one goal in mind, a brief fuck in their shared quarters on their off times. The passengers, which on this trip numbered about a dozen, were equally unlikely friends. There were a couple of older couples, that seemed to enjoy the quiet on the ship, walking around the running/walking track that snaked between the shipping containers, a pair of younger couples who barely left their quarters except to appear at the dining room, eat and disappear back into their cabins to spend all day in bed. That left me, Bobbi, an older man named Darryl who was buried into his book, and a couple of frat boy types who continually complained about being bored, until they found out about the workout room and disappeared into that sweaty pit to amuse themselves.
Bobbi wasn't much help either as on the second day she appeared to be suffering from sea sickness. She went to the medical centre and they put a patch on her but in her usual dramatic way she took to her bed, moaning and sighing about how she couldn't keep anything down but would I mind bringing her something from the dining room that she would try to eat when she felt up to it? Feeling rather let down at being demoted to personal nursemaid from travelling companion I would bring her something then head out on deck to take in the sea air. At least there, in my little sheltered alcove that I found I could daydream and imagine myself on a three masted ship travelling across the Atlantic to join my future husband in the new world. Yeah, I was that type of romantic.
I was surprised on that third day, after I had just dropped off Bobbi's lunch sandwich and bottle of water, when I stepped out of our shared cabin and walked right into the most beautiful man I had ever seen. He seemed startled when I walked into him and gently grasped my arms with his gloved hands to steady me as the ship rolled slightly.
"I'm sorry," he said, in a soft voice that made me look up immediately, into eyes as blue as the ocean.
He was tall and his broad shoulders almost filled the passageway. His dark brown hair was short and he hadn't shaved for a couple of days but the stubble looked good on him.
"No, I'm sorry, I wasn't watching where I was going," I said, trying to step to the side.
He smiled shyly and stepped to the side himself as we squeezed past each other. Nodding his head once he continued on down the passageway and I stood there, dumbfounded, watching him walk away until he got to the door of another cabin and entered it. He glanced back at me before he went in then closed the door behind him.
"Damn," I thought. "Has he been hiding in his cabin this whole time?"
For a moment I wanted to tell Bobbi about him but then I realized I wanted to savour the moment for myself, and I turned back towards the way I was headed, up to my private alcove. When I got there, I got into my daydream mode but now the blue-eyed man was in it, as the handsome, yet sensitive naval lieutenant, who joined the ship's crew to escape a forced marriage with the earl's daughter, arranged by his heartless father in order to save the family estate that he had put into jeopardy with his reckless gambling. I had the daydream all figured out, the chance meeting, the longing glances, the brief touching of hands when he picked up my handkerchief to return it to me, the almost chaste kiss, then the heartbreak when I revealed I was already engaged to a man I didn't know in a marriage arranged by our parents. That was followed by more longing glances then the passionate kiss one night on the bow, as the ship sailed through the light of a full moon. It was good stuff, and it was completely in my head.
Of course I tried to find him again. At first I thought maybe he was out and about at certain times but the rest of the day I didn't see him. Bobbi was feeling better on the fourth day and she wanted to get out of the cabin so after breakfast we went for a walk on the deck. I looked down every pathway that snaked off of that route but there was no sign of him. Bobbi noticed me looking and brought it up.
"Who or what are you looking for?" she asked.
"Nothing...no one," I stammered. "I'm not ..."
She giggled. "Wow, you're so defensive. He must be cute for you to keep him to yourself."
At that moment Blue-eyes walked past us, quickly, with his head down as if he just wanted to get his walk done with. My face must have shown something because Bobbi picked up on it and pointed at him as he walked away from us.
"Him?" she said then she totally embarrassed me by calling out to him. "Hey, handsome!"
For a moment he hesitated and looked back at us, with a look that was almost terrified. Then he looked to either side then back at us.
"Me?" he asked.
Bobbi ever so elegantly (not) strode right up to him. "Yeah, you," she said. "Where have you been hiding yourself?"
"In my cabin?" he offered and Bobbi giggled then began playing with her hair (yes, she was that girl).
"What's your name?" she asked. "I'm Bobbi and this is my girlfriend, Emily."
We stood there waiting for him to answer. Actually, she waited for him to answer while I tried to shrink myself into nothing because I was so embarrassed at her boldness with him. I could tell he was reserved, introverted, and maybe even a little afraid but Bobbi didn't see any of that. She saw a good looking man who she wanted to pay attention to her.
"No one," he said, in almost a whisper. "I'm no one."
He turned around and ran from us, literally ran. Bobbi just stood there, with her mouth open, for about a minute before turning to me.
"I wonder what his problem is," she finally said and started walking again.
Just like that she dismissed him from her mind. Which was fine, because I was already protective of him. I know that we had barely spoken two words to each other, but I felt a kinship with him. In the few times I had seen him he struck me as someone unsure of his place in the world, something I could empathize with. Yes, I put him in my fantasy daydream but not as himself. It doesn't make sense, I know that, but I lived in my head a lot and he seemed like someone that lived in his head as well. Not that it mattered. I'm sure that he wouldn't step foot outside of his cabin now that he had experienced Bobbi's unwanted attention.
We went to dinner in the dining room and had just sat down at a table for four, as all the tables for two were taken. As more people came in Bobbi kept looking at me.
"Where are all the single guys?" she asked. "The only reason I thought this would be better than taking a regular cruise is because I was told it was mostly single guys that took these cargo ship trips. If I had known it was mostly couples I would have just flown to Europe." She sighed in disgust then just as quickly perked up. "Hello."
She looked to the doorway where the two frat boy types had just entered. I put my hand on my forehead, already feeling a headache coming on. Bobbi stared at the two, making eye contact with one of them. He nudged his friend and they both looked at us. It was all so...high school, no... more like junior high. I stood up.
"Where are you going?" asked Bobbi. "Two of us, two guys. It's perfect."
"No," I replied. "I've already had the pleasure of their company and I'd rather go to the dentist. You do what you want but I'm leaving."
I got up and left, already regretting coming on this trip with Bobbi, because it was heading towards how it always ended up; her coming on to anything remotely "attractive" wearing pants. As I got into the passageway I just blindly walked, until I realized that I was lost in the maze of hallways and stairways. I tried to find my way back but it was hopeless and when I found a stairway I sat on the bottom step and cried, waiting for someone, a crew member perhaps, to find me and lead me back to where I was supposed to be. After about twenty minutes I heard footsteps and looked up, surprised to see Blue-eyes. I wiped my eyes and nodded my head at him.
"Are you alright?" he asked, in that soft voice of his.
"No," I said honestly as I looked at the floor because he was too pretty to look directly at. "I'm sorry my friend was so pushy with you. I kind of got upset with her and left her in the dining room. I didn't watch where I was going and now, I'm lost."
He didn't say anything, but he didn't leave, and I looked up at him. His broad shoulders seemed to take up the entire space and in another context, he probably would have seemed menacing, but he smiled kindly and offered me his hand.
"I've been walking through here for something to do," he explained. "I know the way out, if you trust me." Taking his hand I let him pull me up. "I'm Jakob."
He gestured to the stairs and told me to go up to the next level. Following behind me when I got to the top he told me to go right. The passage wasn't big enough for us to walk side by side but I found his presence behind me comforting.
"Your friend is very confident," he said.
I smirked. "You could call it that," I replied, turning my head to the side so he could hear me. "She's not very respectful of boundaries sometimes. I don't mind it most of the time but sometimes it's something that bothers me about her. Like today. It made me uncomfortable how she talked to you."
"Thank you for saying that," replied Jakob. "I'm not very good with talking to people either. I've spent most of my time in my cabin, reading."
"I couldn't even do that because she was seasick," I said. "So, I found a nice little spot on the deck and sat there most of the time, just enjoying the sun and daydreaming."
"You found a good spot outside?" he asked. "I've been looking because I was getting tired of being in my cabin. It's why I was out today and why I was walking the passageways."
"I could show you," I offered. "There are a couple of deck chairs there, and a vent gives off some warm air without being too noisy. It's really quite nice."
"Lead on," he said, and I looked back to see him grinning.
He directed me to the outside and from there I led him to my secret spot. As we turned the final corner to have our own little secluded spot with a view of the ocean and sky he whistled in appreciation.
"This is nice," he said, gesturing to me to sit on one chair while he sat on the other. "What is it you do while you're here, daydreaming?"
"Yeah," I admitted. "I just let my mind go and imagine myself in different scenarios. I read a lot, so I imagine myself as a character in a story, you know, just letting my imagination run wild."
He nodded, then closed his eyes and turned his face to the sun. I noticed that his lashes were thick and dark. His face seemed so calm and serene that I didn't want to spoil it for him by talking.
"I remember reading Jules Verne for the first time," he said softly. "Journey to the Center of the Earth. There's a part in it where they find an ocean full of prehistoric sea creatures. I would always imagine myself on a raft on that ocean, looking up at the aurora which somehow existed so deep underground. They ended up being pushed out of a volcano in Italy, Stromboli. When I saw that actual volcano, it was like living that moment in the book again."
"At least you're imagining a real book," I replied. "I just make up my own story and put myself into it."
I didn't want to say that he was in it as well.
"Do you write your stories down?" he asked, his eyes gazing at me. "You should. That's probably how a writer starts, imagining themselves in a situation then writing it down."
"No one would want to read it," I blushed. "They're kind of a schoolgirl romantic thing. You know, imagining the perfect love. Someone handsome and dashing but kind and understanding."
"Jane Austen or the Brontë sisters probably didn't think that no one would read their stories," he said. "Their works still live on."
"You've read them?" I asked.
It was his turn to blush. "I have," he replied. "More to impress girls originally but they were well written and I definitely enjoyed them. Plus I think they were a window into how things were in those times. Relationships were so repressed and formal, that showing affection and strong emotions was considered unseemly."
He was looking at me. "You must have a degree in English Literature," I said. "Sounds like something a professor would say."
"I didn't even finish high school," he said. "Times got tough and I quit to go to work. Never stopped reading though."
"How long ago was that?" I asked, trying to find out how old he was.
"Longer than I want to admit," he said. "I'm older than I look."
"You could always get your GED," I suggested. "Can get into college with it as a mature student."
His smile was sad, but he didn't answer, and I left the subject alone.
"Are you stopping in Lisbon or are you going on to Civitavecchia?" I asked, as it was the port closest to Rome.
"Civitavecchia," he said. "You?"
"Same. Bobbi and I were thinking of taking one of those hop on/hop off bus tours around Lisbon," I said. He looked at me blankly. "You know, you get on this bus that has a predetermined route that goes to the main sights. You can get off, spend some time at the attraction then get on the next bus that comes around and go on to the next attraction. It's an easy way to see the city if you don't have a lot of time to explore."
"Thanks for the suggestion," he said. "I might do just that. I've never really travelled before, not on my own, for pleasure."
He stopped talking suddenly, as if afraid he would say too much. We sat there for a while, each of us lost in our own thoughts. Occasionally we could hear people walk along the pathway at the bottom of the stairs nearest to us. I had found it odd that no one ever came up those stairs to find this little alcove, but I guess they weren't curious enough. On this occasion I could hear the distinctive voice of my friend Bobbi, as she was talking to someone male about something they both found hilarious. They stopped at the bottom of the stairs, and we were able to hear everything they said.
"Well, we've searched just about everywhere," said Bobbi. "I don't know why she took off. She gets like that."
"While you were sick in your cabin she ignored us," said the one male voice, that I recognized as one of the frat boys. "We figured she was just kind of snobbish. No big deal if we don't find her. Listen, we dock in Lisbon tomorrow. What are your plans? We were thinking of taking that hop on/hop off bus tour. That way we see the highlights and we can finish up at a tavern before we board the ship before 8 pm."
"We were going to do the same," said Bobbi, "but I'm pretty sure she wouldn't be good company now that she's mad at me. Why don't I pretend to be sick again? I'll tell her that she should go on her own. Then half an hour later we can get together."
My best friend, supposedly my travelling companion, was going to ditch me to spend the day with a couple of guys who were obnoxious at best. I felt a touch on my arm. It was Jakob, with the most sympathetic eyes I've ever seen. He put a finger on his lips, and we listened to the other three complete their plans before they walked on.
"We don't have to take that bus," he said. "I can talk to one of the crew and find out something different and unique we can do."
"You don't have to do that," I said. "I don't mind going on my own, except I don't speak the language."
He took an audible breath. "I do," he admitted, looking at me with those big blue eyes. "I kind of misspoke before. My previous job took me a lot of different places, but I never had a chance to enjoy them as a tourist. I was always working and as soon as my work was done, I went on to the next job."
"What did you do?" I asked, trying to think what kind of job would take him all over the place but not give him time to enjoy a different culture.
Now he looked quite distressed and I was concerned I had brought up some bad memories. He was trying to come up with an explanation then suddenly got up as if to leave.
"Please, don't leave," I asked. "I'm sorry if my question distresses you. Were you a spy or something like that?"
He sat back down and wrung his gloved hands together. "Something like that," he said in a low voice after a time. "I'm not proud of what I did, and I won't do it anymore. There are times I have nightmares of what I did for them."
"How did you get out of it?"
It took another while before he answered. "I'm still working on that. It's why I had to leave the States. They were still looking for me. Europe has more places to hide." Quickly, he looked at me. "I've changed my appearance so I shouldn't be recognized but if you don't want my company anymore, I understand."
I wasn't sure what he had done that he was on the run because of it. But I also knew that I never felt any sort of danger or fear while I was with him. For some reason it made me think of that film The Bourne Identity. I'm sure many people remember it; a story of a hit man who lost his memory but kept having flashbacks of being a killer. He wanted to find out the truth about himself but didn't want to be a killer anymore, especially once he fell in love with a woman named Marie, who helped him. Of course, being pursued by the CIA all over the world meant that there were times he had to use his skills to escape and sometimes people died because of it, adding to his distress. Even though it was an action movie the development of the romance between him and the woman had always intrigued me. I could envision being on the run with Jakob if he looked at me like Jason Bourne looked at Marie.
"Jakob, were you a hit man?" I asked hesitantly.
He looked at me with fear and distrust. "Why do you ask that?" he demanded, his voice sharp. "Who are you?"
"I'm no one," I said. "It's just the way you said that you were like a spy and you had to do things that you didn't like. It reminded me of a movie."
I told him about the character of Jason Bourne and how he had all these safe deposit boxes in banks with cash and passports, that he could speak many languages but didn't know he could until someone actually addressed him in that language. Basically, I gave him the premise of the whole film series. He sat and listened to my description in a kind of fearful fascination. When I finished I watched him, hoping it would maybe help him.
"There are similarities," he said, after a time. "The CIA likely had their own program for assassins that tried to copy what the people I worked for did but they did more to me. I can't tell you because it's better you don't know. They changed me and I don't know if I will ever get my memories back. They're all torn up and fragmented like a puzzle. It will take me years to remember it all and put it together, and that's only if I can stay under the radar."
His distress was evident by his heavy breathing, and I touched his arm, not taking it personally when he flinched. Slowly, I moved my hand down to his and squeezed it.
"Your secret is safe with me," I smiled softly. "It should be okay to go out tomorrow. We can get off the ship early and see the city together. They won't be looking for someone who looks like you do right now, and definitely not if they're with a woman. We can pretend we're a couple and throw them off that way."
Slowly, he nodded his head and agreed. It was almost dinner time and we agreed to sit together at a table for two. Bobbi came in with the two other men, giving me a glaring look which I ignored. After they chose a table she approached, barely acknowledging Jakob.
"You're not sitting with us?" she asked.
"No, I'm sitting with my friend, Jakob," I replied. "It's not like you want my company anyways. I heard you and those two talking about the hop on/hop off bus tomorrow. I'll save you the trouble of pretending to be sick. I have other plans tomorrow."
"Why are you being like this?" asked Bobbi. "We're supposed to be seeing Europe together."
"I don't like the company you keep. When you were sick, they made themselves known to me and they just weren't my type."
"And this guy is?"
I looked at Jakob. "He's been a gentleman the entire time. We've had some really good talks. You've always wanted two guys to make a fuss over you. Now's your chance."
I turned away, seething inside. Our whole friendship had been based on Bobbi pushing me to do what she wanted to do, with little to no regard for my feelings. Now that I was asserting myself, she was making me out to be the bad friend and I wasn't having it. She gave up trying to convince me which is what I wanted and didn't bother us again. After dinner, Jakob and I went for a walk. He offered me his arm and it was nice just being with him. We stayed out there until well into the evening, watching the stars come out over the ocean. Then Jakob walked me to my cabin door where he bashfully stuck his hands in his pockets.
"I haven't kissed anyone in a long time," he said softly. "Not sure I ..."
I kissed him, throwing my arms around his neck. Quickly, he enclosed me in those muscular arms and returned the kiss without making it seem sloppy or too intrusive. Instead, it was soft and sweet, like the kiss all girls dreamed of having for their first kiss. When we pulled apart, he smiled shyly and began walking to his cabin, looking back at me when he arrived at his door. With a nod he opened his door and entered, while I did the same. Bobbi was already in bed and never said a word as I changed into my pyjamas and got under the covers. That night I dreamed Jakob was Jason Bourne and I was Marie, with less violence and more kissing.
When I woke up the following morning the ship had been docked for about an hour and Bobbi was just about ready to go. She was sitting on the edge of her bed, presumably waiting for me to wake up. When I sat up, she put her hands in her lap and gazed at me.
"I'm sorry," she said. "I know I can be pushy at times." Understatement. "I'm hurt that you would chose a stranger over your best friend." I was hurt she was choosing two jerks over her best friend. "There's something about him that isn't right." He's more truthful than you, Bobbi. "Be careful, okay? Don't let him lead you into anything that makes you uncomfortable."
Seriously, she was trying to look out for my well-being but choosing to go with two creepy guys who wanted to know if I'd ever been part of a threesome before. I told her to have a good day then I went to the bathroom to shower. Jakob and I agreed to meet at the dining room. When I got up there, he had a table for two and was nursing a coffee. We placed our order at the counter and waited only a few minutes. Once we finished eating, we double checked to make sure we had our passports, some Euros, some water, and we were ready to go. A customs officer was on duty on the dock, checking our documentation. It was straightforward and we were cleared to enter the country. There were several taxis waiting and Jakob addressed the first one in Portuguese which surprised the driver. He answered back then looked hopefully between me and Jakob.
"I told him we would pay him well for the day if he showed us the real Lisbon, the parts that tourists should see but often don't," said Jakob. "He's offered to chauffeur us for 200 Euros, but I don't know what that is in American dollars."
I pulled out my phone and quickly looked it up. "At today's rate it's about $220," I said, shrugging. "It seems like a lot but if he drives us all day he would likely make that much in regular fares."
"True," he said, then turned to the driver and addressed him Portuguese, accepting his offer.
It ended up being a bargain as he drove us everywhere, telling us about the sights in broken English, then letting Jakob translate when he switched to Portuguese. Among the highlights were the Palacio da Ajudo, the official royal residence from when Portugal was a monarchy, a richly decorated palace that had no lineups or crowds. From there we went to a market, Feira do Relógio, translated as Market of Clocks. Before we went in, he warned us to keep our wallets safe, as there were pickpockets. He suggested we take a small amount of cash out and keep it in our pocket to pay for something. It was fascinating and we tried some street food, with the driver, Jacinto, describing what we were eating. There was a place we had to walk uphill a bit while Jacinto waited for us, Miradouro da Senhora do Monte; the view was incredible. The bullring, Campo Pequeno, was interesting, although there was no bullfight that day, not that I would have wanted to see it. But the design of the building was definitely unique as was the area it was in. We finished the day at the aquarium, as Jacinto said it was a favourite of his family. He paid for himself to go into the Oceanário de Lisboa and even though it was busy it was definitely enjoyable. Jakob seemed to be transfixed by it all, standing in front of the aquarium glass gazing at all the fish swimming around.
When Jacinto dropped us off at the gate to the dock, Jakob offered him his ungloved hand. He said something complimentary in Portuguese which pleased Jacinto as he said something back then he turned to me.
"You very nice people," he said, in his broken English. "Your husband good man. Good luck."
Before I could correct him he entered his taxi and drove off. Jakob smiled at me with a twinkle in his eye.
"Sorry, he assumed we were married and it was easier than trying to correct him."
We checked in at the gate and walked towards the cargo ship. It looked like all the loading and unloading had been completed as there were no dock workers around, other than a few that were gathered near the bow of the ship, having a smoke. Jakob let me go through the security check-in first then followed me. We took the elevator up to the cabins level then he walked me to my cabin.
"Will you join me for dinner?" he asked. "I enjoyed your company today."
"I would love to," I said, then opened the door to see Bobbi lying on her bed, in tears. Immediately, I went to her, while Jakob waited in the open doorway. "Hey, what's wrong?"
She looked at me then at Jakob and shook her head. He looked at her with concern for a moment, then took a breath and came in, kneeling in front of her.
"Did they hurt you?" he asked. "Those two you went with. Something happened, didn't it?"
She swallowed noticeably then nodded her head, trying to calm herself. "We were having a good time, then it got ugly." Her voice was diminished and shaken. "They began suggesting things for us to do tonight, the three of us, and it wasn't ... it was crude, at best. I tried to get off the bus but I was on the window seat and they blocked me. We got to this garden area and they pulled me off the bus."
She began crying again and I looked at Jakob. His face was frozen but his eyes were blazing and I knew he was angry at those two assholes.
"Bobbi, did they assault you?" I asked. "If they did, we should file a police report."
"It would be my word against their's," she answered. "They didn't ... if that's what you're asking but only because a big tour group came along and I pulled away. I ran through the group and out to the street, grabbed a taxi and asked them to bring me here. I've been holed up here ever since. My imagination has been going wild, terrified they were going to break down the door."
"They know which room you're in?" he asked. She nodded. "I won't let that happen."
"How? You going to stand guard outside my door?"
"No, but I'll sleep on the floor if I have to, and if I hear them out in the hallway I'll take care of them."
"Jakob, you don't want to draw attention to yourself," I said, frightened if he hurt them and they filed a police report.
"I'll barely touch them," he said, making eye contact with me. "I can be pretty scary and I'll just make sure they know they can't treat women that way. Now, you wash up, Bobbi, and come up to the dining room with us for dinner. We're not leaving you alone tonight, okay?"
I couldn't believe how much of a gentleman Jakob was to Bobbi that evening, to both of us. When we entered the dining room he pulled our chairs out for us after we placed our orders. I noticed he kept the chair that faced the doorway for himself. Then he brought us each glasses of water. Once our food was ready he brought it over and served us before picking his up. It was kind, attentive, and in a way, it was almost unnerving because it was obvious he was preparing for something to happen.
When the two jerks arrived the look on Jakob's face changed into something almost unreadable, like a curtain fell over his eyes, hiding what lay behind them. It was definitely chilling. Yet it was all directed at the two men. When Bobbi turned her head and saw them, Jakob's look to her was of understanding.
"I won't harm them," he assured her, with a soft smile. "I promise you. But they will see the error of their ways."
Standing up he offered his arm to both of us, me on the left with Bobbi on the right. We walked right past the two and heard one of them mutter. Jakob stopped, and looked at them.
"Did you say something?" he asked calmly, looking up into the man's eyes, as he was taller.
"I said it didn't take long for the slut to find a new guy to fuck," was the reply, loud enough that several people in the dining room looked up from their meals.
"Take it back and apologize," said Jakob, his whole body tensing up.
"Or what?" smirked the second man, also bigger than Jakob. "You think you're man enough to take us both on?"
Jakob made eye contact with me and I nodded, reaching across to take Bobbi to the doorway. She looked terrified but knowing what little I knew of him I was kind of calm. What was certain was that they were judging him by his size in comparison to theirs and that was their first mistake. When Bobbi left his side Jakob turned to face them both.
"I'll give you another opportunity to apologize for your insult and for your behaviour towards the young lady earlier today," said Jakob politely. "I won't ask again."
"Fuck you," said the first man, who went to shove Jakob on the shoulder.
Faster than I would have believed possible Jakob put his hand on the man's wrist, twisted it behind his back and brought him to his knees, bringing a yell out of the man's mouth. The other man tried to intervene and Jakob did the same move on him, basically immobilizing them both by locking their wrists, bending them back towards them while keeping his thumbs on the back of their hands under their middle fingers. A couple of people in the dining room, including one of the ship's officers, stood up as if to intervene but Jakob looked up at them calmly.
"It's a simple wrist lock used in self defence," he said out loud. "There will be no permanent damage but it hurts like hell and they can't get out of it without great effort. These two men made an attempt to assault one of the young ladies waiting at the door today, then insulted her when we walked past. My mother raised me to be a gentleman. I gave them two opportunities to apologize for their behaviour but you can see they chose violence."
The officer went to the wall, placed a call on the phone there, then returned and nodded to Jakob who instantly released the two men. By then two other ship's officers arrived and the first officer ordered the arrest of the two men. He looked at Bobbi and me.
"Would you like to press charges?" he asked. "It would mean calling in the local police and you would have to disembark from the ship to follow through, as we must leave at our scheduled time. Or, we can just make them pack up their things and banish them from the ship before we leave the dock."
"Do you have a plank?" asked Bobbi drily, making the officer grin. "Kick them off the ship. I don't want to waste any more time on them."
"Take these two to their cabin, make sure they pack and get them off the ship," ordered the officer, then he looked at Jakob. "Thank you for bringing this to our attention. I appreciate your restraint."
With a nod to the officer Jakob offered his arms to us and escorted us to the outdoor walkway. We stood there enjoying the early evening as the sun began to dip. About twenty minutes later we looked down to see the two jerks being escorted off the ship. What was most interesting was watching them approach the gate that separated the dock from the city itself. As they exited the gate they were suddenly approached by a police vehicle which flashed its lights and ran its siren briefly. Both of them were taken into custody and placed into the back of the vehicle. A cough behind us brought the presence of the ship's officer.
"We received a call from the police that there was an incident at a bar late this afternoon," he said. "The description was vague enough that we couldn't tell for certain who it was. When that incident happened in the dining room we sent the photos we had of those two to the local police. Their identities were confirmed as the suspects, and we were asked to remove them from the ship. Sometimes karma is a bitch."
He smiled and left us there to watch a beautiful sunset over the Atlantic Ocean from the Port of Lisbon. There were two more days of sailing before we arrived in Italy. Bobbi was much nicer to both Jakob and me, even joining us in our little alcove when Jakob secured a third lounge chair. On the night before we docked she gave us some privacy, knowing that I really liked him. As we sat in the dark looking at the night sky I touched his hand.
"Bobbi and I were talking," I said. "You're more than welcome to join us on our travels. We don't have anywhere specific to go. We're kind of playing it by ear."
"I can't," he said apologetically. "It's tempting but I need to find that perfect spot to hole up and remember my life."
I knew he would say that but it still hurt. My imagination had pictured us falling in love, me helping him find himself, then having a life together.
"I could come with you," I said hesitantly. "It'll be difficult on your own."
"It will be difficult," he agreed. "This past week has been kind of a dream for me, a break from what I know is to come. Keeping under the radar is going to consume my attention. Dealing with my demons is something I have to do on my own. I did some terrible things, Emily. There's a lot of blood on my hands."
The pain in his voice almost broke my heart. It was obvious he had been through hell before and in his mind there was more to come. I began to cry and he stood up, lifting me up so that he could hold me. He gave me the most beautiful kiss then buried his face in my neck. He must have been crying as well as his face was wet.
"You enjoy your trip, and try to write down the things in your imagination," he whispered. "If I wasn't dealing with my past I would have made you my girl but you deserve much better than a broken down man like me." I tried to protest but he shushed me. "I'm leaving as soon as the ship docks in the morning. Promise me you'll have a good life."
He kissed me again, a goodbye kiss then turned to leave. I could see his face in the reflection of the ship's lights. Still handsome but full of sadness.
"My real name is James but my friends call me Bucky," he said softly. "Goodbye Emily."
"Goodbye Bucky, I promise," I replied, then he was gone.
That month touring Europe was bittersweet. Bobbi and I became better friends and she made an effort to be more inclusive as we made our travelling decisions. We both missed Jakob. I told her what he told me of his past but it wasn't until two years later when there was a bombing in Vienna that killed the King of Wakanda that we realized who Jakob really was. Neither one of us believed he had anything to do with it, remembering that day in the dining room when he brought two bullies to justice. When it was revealed that he had been framed both of us were thrilled for him. By then we were both married with families on the way. I could only hope that he was at a point in his life where he could actually have one. In my imagination I wished that for him, for the love of a good woman, who accepted him for what he was, not what he was forced to be once upon a time.