Chapter Seven: Fried
Poseidon anchored about a quarter of a mile off shore of Grand Bahama Island. Since the ship was so large, it could not come all the way to the docks. Passengers had to be ferried from the ship to the docks by island boats.
Zack, Cody, Carey, Bob, Mark, Max, and Barbara all met on the transfer deck to await their turn to board a ferry. The transfer deck was the closest deck to the waterline where it was easiest for the boats to dock with the ship and transfer the passengers. A ramp could be extended from Poseidon to the docking boat which allowed people to walk at a very minimal incline from one vessel to the other. The deck was also used for passengers that wanted to go scuba diving or take jet skis out of the ship and onto the water.
After two 60 foot island boats had come and gone, a third one arrived and it was finally their turn to board. As they walked down the ramp to the boat Cody remarked at how clear the water was here. Where Poseidon sat anchored, the water was deep and had a very dark sapphire look to it. Off towards the shallower waters near shore, they noted how it changed to the most vibrant aqua blue color they had ever seen.
"Wow" was all any of them could manage.
They made their way to the starboard side railing of the ferry. At first all they could see was the black wall of Poseidon's port side, but as the ferry moved out and away from the massive ship, they could watch ahead of them as the island got closer. Exotic birds flew around overhead and the group even spotted some bottle-nosed dolphins racing along with the boat.
Barbara stood next to Cody who had his arm around her.
"Feeling better?" she asked.
"Better than I was last night…Zack, Bob, and I still feel a little queasy now and then and I have a slight headache, but it's all good" Cody replied.
"The Codester and I figure we'll just sleep off whatever's left of it on the beach!" Zack added.
"How about you Max, feeling better?" Zack asked.
"Same as you guys I guess…but I'm going to make myself go to the stores with Carey, you coming with us Barbara?" Max asked.
"Yeah, I'll go, but I'd like to hang out on the beach some too" Barbara replied.
"I think we should all plant ourselves on the beach and relax for a while…how often is it this nice in Boston?" Carey said.
"Sounds good to me" Max said.
"Yeah, me too" Mark said shouldering a bag containing his beach towel and a bottle of sunscreen. At the moment he was busy putting on his first layer of the white UV blocking cream.
"Whoa Mark, got a big enough bottle of sunscreen there?" Zack asked laughing a little.
"Laugh all you want…at the end of the day when you look like lobsters I'll…" Mark began.
"Still look like Casper" Bob finished for him.
They all laughed.
"…ha ha, very funny, no…I was gonna say that I'll be the one who is burn free" Mark said with a smirk.
The others thought about his words a moment before everyone except Zack grabbed for the bottle to apply their own layer.
"Wimps…you're not gonna get a tan wearing that stuff" Zack said.
"I dunno Zack, remember what happened at dad's cabin last…" Cody began in a worried tone.
"That was because I slept too long in the sun, that won't happen this time" Zack said.
"Okay, suit yourself" Mark said putting the bottle back in his bag.
They ferry docked and everyone disembarked. Locals eyed the tourists and the group could almost see the dollar signs in their eyes. Carey led them to the nearest public beach which just happened to be the best one on the island. It was crowded but they were able to find a nice spot near the center by some palms. Everyone spread out their towels and sat down.
"Would you look at that" Cody said.
All eyes turned out to sea and their breath seemed to be sucked right out of them in an instant. The view was amazing. The sky was as clear blue as the water and the sun was directly overhead. Poseidon floated in the distance off to their left. Now that they could see the ship from an unobstructed vantage point, they could truly appreciate its size and beauty.
Cody and Barbara went to get smoothies for everyone with money Carey had given them. They returned a short while later and everyone settled in with their drinks, listening to the surf and the sounds of people playing near the water.
Soon, everyone was stretched out and soaking up the sun. Carey lay on her towel with Zack and Max laid out by her feet. Cody and Barbara were next to them and Mark and Bob were next to Carey.
"So guys, are you all ready for your classes to start day after tomorrow?" Carey asked them.
"I guess so…I've never been a big fan of school, but since its school on a giant ship, that makes it a little better" Zack said.
Mark and Bob agreed with Zack's assessment.
"We can't wait!" Cody said referring to himself and Barbara.
"Dork" Zack said eyeing him.
Cody flicked sand at Zack who proceeded to flick some back.
"Cut it out" Carey said ending their war before it had a chance to grow.
Sensing the tension between the twins and hating the silence, Max propped herself up on her elbow and cleared her throat.
"I'm looking forward to the basketball tryouts in P.E." she said.
"Yeah, that should be cool" Zack said.
"Where is our next stop from here Cody?" Bob asked.
"Rio De Janeiro in Brazil" Cody replied.
"What the heck is in Rio De Janeiro?" Zack asked looking over at Cody.
"Well, they have...umm...they have...you know I'm not quite sure. I guess we'll learn about it in school while were on the way" Cody replied.
"I know a few things..." Carey began "...they have this beach called the Copacabana and from what I've heard it would most likely put this one to shame" she said.
"Awsome! I bet its just loaded with hot ba..." Zack began to say before he met the stern gaze of Max.
"...nana trees! You know 'cause they are out in the hot sun!" he finished, desperately trying to backpedal.
Max just continued to glare at him before putting more sunscreen on and laying back down.
After a while everyone was quiet. Cody turned over towards Barbara and began drawing lines on her face with his finger, earning him giggles for a reaction. Zack too turned his attention to Max, simply looking at her as she lay on her back with her eyes closed. He picked up her hand and held it, entwining their fingers. To his delight, she let him. He didn't think she would after his stupid comment.
Carey watched from a propped up position. She suddenly felt a little melancholy as she looked on. She knew that in a few short years her boys would be men, graduating high school, going to college…and getting married.
Could I be looking at my future daughter-in-laws? Carey thought.
She shook her head of the thought. Although she adored Max and Barbara and hoped they would be around for a long time, Carey knew that there was still plenty of time for potential breakups and new girls.
Carey turned her head to the right and observed Bob and Mark.
And what of these two? Maybe they'll meet someone during the trip she thought.
The hours ticked by, the sun lowering slightly in the sky. Max and Barbara had turned over and back again several times now as if they were on a sun timer. Zack and Cody had followed suit, turning with the girls each time. Bob and Mark had gotten up to go swimming in the surf.
When Carey returned from a trip to the cabana for another drink, she looked ahead of her towards the group sunning themselves and noticed her oldest son's skin had taken on an odd shade…it was red.
Oh crap! she thought to herself.
"Zack, honey, wake up please" Carey said shaking him.
They may be a few years from being men but I'll be darned if I'm gonna quit the mother act now she thought.
"Mom, ex-nay on the oney-hay!" he said looking next to him at Max.
"Orry-say…I think you'd better get covered or sit in the shade or something…I think you just got yourself fried" she said.
Zack looked down at his chest and pressed a hand down on it. When he pulled it away, a white hand print remained. Zack groaned.
"Aww man!" Zack said.
"Mark tried to tell you but you said sunscreen was for wimps" Carey said using a mock deep voice to exaggerate Zack's words.
Max and the others roused from their sleep and Max's eyes, upon seeing Zack, nearly popped out of her head.
"Whoa…it's lobster boy" Max said as she reached over and slapped Zack on his shoulder a few times.
"Ahhhh, OW!" he yelped.
Zack grabbed his towel and relocated to the shade of the nearby palms. There he sat pouting, gingerly poking his new burn.
"You girls ready to hit the shops?" Carey asked.
"Yeah, I think so" Max said yawning.
"I'm ready if you are" Barbara said standing and gathering up her towel.
As Carey and the girls made their way past Zack, Carey plopped Mark's sunscreen in the sand next to him and knelt down.
"Next time think of sunscreen as practical instead of wimpy" she said touching him on the nose to which he replied with a painful sounding hiss.
"We'll meet you at that dockside restaurant we passed on our way here at sundown" she said to the boys before she and the girls left.
Zack grabbed up the sunscreen and put it on in earnest before joining Cody and the others.
"So what do you guys want to do now?" he asked them.
"We could just wander around and see what there is to see" Cody suggested.
Everyone agreed and the four of them set off the see the sights.
At nightfall the island came alive with lights and music. Zack, Cody, Bob, and Mark sat waiting for the girls by the restaurant.
The restaurant was encircled with tiki torches and strings of festive lights. People sat outside under the stars amidst baby palm trees eating their meals. The waterfront was just on the other side of the restaurant. A warm breeze blew in off the ocean. Further down the dockside the guys could see the island boats going to and from Poseidon. The ship herself was a sight to see, looking like a floating chandelier hovering out in the pitch black ocean. Her lights cast down upon the surface of the water creating hundreds of sparkles.
"Quite a sight eh?" Cody said.
"You can say that again, looks like it belongs on a postcard" Bob said.
"It is on a postcard" Mark said holding up a postcard of a cruise ship anchored at night in roughly the same spot the Poseidon now sat. He had just purchased it from a nearby stand.
"Heh, how about that" Bob said taking it and holding it up in front of himself.
He whipped it down, then up, then back down a few times.
"Only difference is our ship is clearly bigger" Bob said handing it back to Mark as if to say 'you've not proven anything'.
"It'd be nice to share this lovely view with the ladies…where the heck are they?" Zack asked exasperated.
"Zack…its females…they're shopping, what did you expect?" Cody replied.
Zack nodded in a 'you have a point' kind of way.
"I wish we had more time to be here instead of a one night stopover" Mark said.
"Any more time out here and I'd have a blackened skeleton for a brother" Cody said chuckling.
"Funny…I learned my lesson about sunscreen alright, lay off it" Zack said.
Soon the girls arrived and they decided to have dinner at the restaurant. The money Carey made aboard the ship was more than enough to buy everyone's meal.
They sat right along the water and Zack, Cody, Bob, and Max were all pleasantly surprised to notice that they had their full appetites back.
When they had finished eating they decided to head down to the beach again where live island music was being performed around a bon fire. They all sat watching the dancers and musicians, even partaking in some of the dances themselves, well into the night. Then, exhausted, they made their way back down the dock to a ferry which took them back to Poseidon.
Carey said goodnight to everyone and got in an elevator to go to her suite. The rest of them got in another elevator and headed to deck 5. All had checked in with their cards upon boarding and had updated the system to let it know they were back on board. They had been allowed to stay out late because they were with Carey.
When they reached deck 5, they all kind of stood around in the area where the elevator had dropped them off not saying much.
"Um, Bob, Mark, I guess were just gonna walk the girls down by their door and…say goodnight there" Zack said.
At first Bob and Mark didn't get it. Then the light bulb came on in Bob's head and he pulled Mark along with him.
"Oh, yeah, okay…we'll see you guys in a bit then" he said as he and Mark disappeared down the hall towards the bow.
Zack and Cody walked with their respective girlfriends towards the stern until they neared the door where the twins couldn't pass, each brother walking in a V pattern away from the other as to have some privacy. When the two pairs were far enough away from the other, they each began their goodnights…
"Today was fun, sorry you got fried" Max said looking Zack in the eyes.
"Thanks, I'll be okay, I'm glad you had fun, and I'm sorry about the babes-on-the-copabanana beach comment...you're the only one for me" Zack said returning the stare.
"I think its pronounced copacabana, and you're forgiven" Max said giggling at Zack's mispronunciation then growing serious.
Slowly they closed the distance between them for a nice short kiss.
"I had a blast dancing with you on the beach tonight" Cody said as he locked eyes with Barbara.
"I did too, you're a great dancer" Barbara replied.
"Thanks, I try; I wouldn't even have attempted it if you hadn't been with me…until tomorrow then?" Cody said.
"Until tomorrow" she replied.
Cody leaned in and Barbara met him half way for a kiss.
They all said goodnight and the girls disappeared around the corner and through their door.
Zack and Cody began walking together towards the bow.
"What a great day" Cody said.
"You said it bro" Zack replied.
"I was just thinking how nice it is that we both have girlfriends at the same time so that one of us isn't feeling left out or jealous" Cody said.
"You'd be jealous if I had Max but you didn't have Barbara?" Zack asked.
"Well, yeah maybe, a little I guess" Cody said shrugging.
"It's probably what Bob and Mark feel like" Zack replied.
"Maybe we should set them up with someone" Cody said.
"I've been tryin' to do that for Bob for years…it ain't easy, and Mark, he doesn't need help…remember that model he had for a girlfriend before we left?..." Zack said and Cody nodded before Zack continued "…how does he do that?" he finished.
"I don't know, it really is a mystery…but you'll find someone for Bob, I have faith in you" Cody said patting his twin on the shoulder as they walked.
"Aaaah, easy, the shoulder!" Zack hissed.
Cody pulled his hand back as if he'd just touched fire.
"Sorry, forgot" Cody said.
They passed through their door into the boys section, got their night stuff from their cabin and went to the shower room. Even though they showered in different areas of the room, Cody could still hear Zack's shriek of pain as the hot water hit his burn.
"You okay bro?" Cody yelled across the room to him.
"Using big words like you often do I can safely say that after a brief initial assessment of this shower's high temperature I have decided that it should be much lower!" Zack shouted back.
"I'm impressed, you do learn things by listening to me" Cody said laughing.
"Shut up" Zack said also cracking up.
Once they were finally ready for bed the twins collapsed in their respective bunks with Zack "ooo"ing and "oww"ing the whole time. Cody sympathized with his brother's pain, knowing how horrible burns felt, but his sleepiness soon overcame the noises of Zack's misery coming from beneath him and he fell into a deep sleep.
At some point during the night, Poseidon's great engines came to life and startled Cody out of his sleep. Cody looked over the side of the bunk, expecting to see Zack still wide awake in pain. To his surprise and relief Cody instead saw his brother was fast asleep and Cody knew no sound would pull him out of it. Zack, he knew, could sleep through a tornado. Cody smiled as he looked over the side a few moments more before turning over and falling back asleep himself.