Authors: I.M. Hunter
Heroin Love (3 page)
Life went on. I haven't heard from Rachael, and I haven't reached out to her. My life resumed to the normal routine. It was November, right around Thanksgiving, my family and I always went on a cruise, it was a little tradition of ours. The morning of the cruise I woke up and just as expected everyone was excited about our upcoming trip. The kids were scurrying about trying to locate their last minute must haves before the limo picked us up. Megan was shuffling clothes around in the closet making sure she had everything she needed. She picked out a couple more pieces of jewelry and packed it away.
I got dressed in a casual business outfit as I still needed to go to the office to review a couple of time sensitive things before I left. I turned towards Megan and told her I had to go to the office and I will meet them there.
"Okay" she said under a sigh.
I threw my luggage into the bed of my truck and drove off.
Speeding down the highway towards Onyx Environmental, I didn’t have too much time to spare before the ship departed. Pulling right up to the front door, parking across three spots to not waste time properly parking. I rushed into the lobby of the building.
"What needs to be looked at before I leave, Ann?" I asked in a hurry.
Ann handed me a plethora of papers "Here is a few bids that need your approval, and the order of chemical as well."
"Thanks Ann, I will be right back." I hurried down the hall to my office and jumped into my desk chair to begin reviewing everything. My eyes kind of glazed over while looking over the bids for new jobs we acquired. I was more concerned about leaving to go on vacation, I signed everything in a hurry, and rushed down the hall back to Ann.
"Here you go."
"Wow, that was quick." She uttered in surprise.
"Yeah, well everything looked good. Have a good Thanksgiving Ann, I'll see you next week," I rebutted.
“Did you ever call Mr. Carlson about the Buena Vista Development? He keeps calling, they are having a lot of issues over there.”
“No, when did you tell me this?”
“A couple of months ago, you said you would take care of it.”
“Well, he will have to wait. It is the holidays after all.” I blew off her recommendation of calling, which I don’t know why. Buena Vista is our largest account, over 50,000 multi-million dollar homes spread out over numerous developments and we secured the contract for them all. That contract launch us into the stratosphere and it has been smooth sailing ever since. Losing that contract would surely cripple a significant portion of my business.
“Have a good holiday.”
"You too, sir."
I hopped into my truck with excitement, I was finally free. I glanced over to my carry-on bag and decided to give it one last look before I made my way towards the ship. Shuffling through it, I was taking mental inventory of everything reassuring myself I was good to go.
Then it hit me "Ah, SHIT!"
I forgot my passport in my desk at home. I slammed my hand sharply on the steering wheel and peeled out of the parking lot with great haste. Racing into the driveway I ran out of the car and towards my office. Rummaging through my drawers, tossing papers, folders, and everything else in my way onto my desk.
‘Where the hell could it be?'
I darted to my bedroom and shuffled through the drawers of my nightstand.
"AHA!" I shouted as I held it with delight.
I ran out of the house like a gazelle, locked the doors and got back into my truck. As I put my truck into reverse my phone began to ring. I peered down at my phone, the caller I.D. read 'Blocked Number.’ It must have been my office, as a lot of the inter-office numbers show up blocked. I ignored the call and began to leave my development. The phone rang again, the same 'Blocked Number' read on the caller I.D.
I picked it up "This is Kevin." and then I hear a whispered voice.
"Hey Kev, where have you been?"
Driving down to the port, sitting with my back towards the driver in the limousine, I was excited for our much needed vacation. We decided to take the same cruise from last year with the same ports of call, Belize, Cozumel, and Panama. It was one of our favorite cruises we ever took. The excursions were my favorite thing to do. Last time we went tubing through the caves of Belize, it was an incredible experience. The slow moving river pushed you through the dark caves, the stalactites hanging over you as you romantically drift through the caves hand and hand with your partner. A rain forest full of vibrant green shrubbery surrounded the river, the sounds of frogs croaking, birds chirping, and the water splashing filled the otherwise quiet air.
The only thing Kevin ever wanted to do down in Panama was to go see the Panama Canal. While it was impressive and all it was really one of those things that once you see it one time, you didn’t need to see it again. He was always fascinated about how things worked, how they were built. A tall steep staircase lead up to the observation area of the canal. Massive cargo ships lined up the river waiting for their turn in the lock system. The ships were pulled through by a much smaller set of boats that slowly pulled them into position. Water than rushed into the chamber to match the water level of the next section, a series of three locks made the journey possible for each ship in six long steps. Last time we were there for over an hour watching this ship go through the canal, amazing and all but once is enough.
Cozumel was by far my favorite, the turquoise blue ocean, white sandy beaches underneath your feet. The radiant sun reflecting everywhere as a tropical breeze brushed across your body. The last time we took a sunset horseback ride as our excursion. Caramel colored horses trotting along the beach, the sky turned different shades of pink and red as the sun went lower and lower. The waves gently cracking against the sand, washing away our trail of hoof prints.
“You guys excited about the cruise?” I asked the children.
Their attention shifting from their phones as they look at me, “Yeah!”
“What are you guys going to do?”
Amber jumped out of her seat and ran towards the front of the limo at me.
“I’m going to go in the room with all the toys and bounce house. The, the, the lady is going to take us around the boat and show us all the lights and games. Going to paint and umm, umm, color and play with all those little girls,” her eyes were lit with excitement, her hands flying around as she described what she wanted to do. “And the blue juice with ice in it. I love that juice.”
I smiled at her, staring at her as she excitedly went on and on about her expected adventures. “That sounds like a lot of fun.”
“Pappy can take me in the pool and play monster with me and the other little girls.”
Crossing over the bridge to the port, a fleet of cruise ships filled the water. The smokestacks emitting a thick cloud of smoke as they ideally awaited passengers. The massive ships resembled small floating cities being able to house thousands of people. As we drove closer the ships got bigger and bigger, having to look straight up to see the top of it.
"Finally!" I announced as the kids and I rolled out of the limo. I turned towards the kids "Has anyone heard from your father?" They just shook their heads in disappointment.
"Where would you like your bags Ma'am?" the driver asks.
"Let me see..." looking down at my tickets. "2C, they need to go into section 2C." The driver proceeded to put the bags into their designated spot.
"Have a good trip, I will see you afterwards." he wished and left the loading zone.
"Can someone call your father to see where he is?" I said in a demanding tone.
Benjamin one of my sons picked up his phone "Just a busy signal Mom."
I let out an angry sigh. "Okay, maybe he is on the ship already. Let's go board."
We were waiting in the boarding area to get checked in, and go through the security screening. It was your typical port boarding zone, cramped seats, people scattered everywhere, musty chilled air circulating throughout the place. No matter how much you travel you will never get use to that odor. They place these fake palm trees around the lobby in a pathetic attempt to lighten up the dreary ambiance that surrounds you.
As we were waiting, I was anxiously looking around the lobby trying to spot Kevin. Staring down every man that walked through the doors, waiting and hoping he would show up already.
“Tickets 0425-C proceed to the desk." Announced over the P.A. system. I couldn't believe the archaic check-in system this cruise line still used. They make you wait and call everyone one by one like the DMV, to each their own I guess. I approached the desk and was greeted by the receptionist that had a smiled plastered on her face.
"Hello, welcome aboard. May I have your tickets please?" I complied and handed over my tickets. "Have you ever cruised with us before?" She asks me to make small talk while she looked up our information.
"Yes quite a few times, we try to come every year."
"We are glad to have you back." She replied. "You are good to go, fair winds and following seas." Handing me back my tickets and a welcome package.
"Can you do me a favor, my husband is suppose to meet us here and we can't get ahold of him. Can you see if he has checked in yet?" I asked with concern.
"If you have his ticket number or..."
I cut the receptionist off "Hold on, Hold on." I stuck my hand in my purse and began feeling around for my phone. I pulled the phone out and began searching through my email. "I know I have the confirmation e-mail you guys sent over. Just give me one second...HERE! 03251964-C thats his ticket," I said anticipating an answer. The receptionist began clicking away on her keyboard looking for his information.
"Can you just confirm the last name on the account?"
"Barrick, our last name is Barrick."
She looked up at me disappointed of the news "I am sorry ma'am. He has yet to check into the ship."
"Thanks" I muttered as I walked away from the desk towards the boarding ramp. I took one more gaze around the lobby trying to locate Kevin, but he was just not there.
We scanned our tickets one more time on the boarding ramp and entered the ship. We entered on the Promenade Deck and were greeted by the captain and co-captain. The entrance was grand. The ceilings were vast, going all the way to the top of the ship with a enormous sunroof at the top. The carpeting had continuous baltic designs woven throughout it. A replica bronze statue of the ship stood in the middle of two arch staircases made of acrylic with hand rails to match, as if to give you the impression of walking on air. A song began to play throughout the deck and the staircases started to light up to match the music. Starship's 'Nothing's Gonna Stop Us' started to play. A smile overwhelmed my face, hearing the sweet tune of our wedding day. A surge of memories just came rushing into my head as I stood there gazing at the lobby.
I beckoned the kids to follow me and we went towards the elevators. Standing and waiting for the next elevator car to come, and I asked once more if someone has heard from their Dad. Got the same response, no. The ding of the elevator notified us it was there, the doors rolled open to reveal the glass encasement of the elevator. I hit our deck number, 15, and the elevator started to gracefully rise above the lobby. Looking down you see everything shrink, the people turned into blimps. As we approached our floor, we became eye level with the massive chandelier that was hanging above the lobby. What a piece of art it was, thousands of tiny glass pieces strung together that formed an abstract vision in your mind. The lights inside the chandelier sparkled through the glass, it was so beautiful. Hearing the elevator ding once more broke my trance of staring at the chandelier.
"Come on boys," I commanded as I grabbed Amber by the hand.
We walked down the incessant hallways, lost and confused only following non-descriptive signs with room numbers and arrows to point you in the direction you needed to be in. We arrived at our room, I inserted my magnetic keycard into the door and kicked the door open.
Kevin never let us down when it came to the type of room he chose, it was a ship view suit. Once the door opened you were granted a panoramic view of the ocean as if you were driving the ship. The suite was floored with a white and blue marble with a full living room decorated with paintings of tropical islands encased in carved wooden frames. Taupe colored leather couches surrounded a white rustic coffee table facing a flat screen T.V. mounted on the walls. A balcony off the living room allowing you to enjoy the sounds of the ocean as we made our way towards our destination. We received a welcome basket spun out of thin wood full of fruit, chocolate, and champagne with a picture of the ship carved into the bottle. Without spending too much time admiring the amazing room accommodations, I threw my carry-on bag onto the counter.
"You guys watch Amber and stay here, I will be right back." I rushed out of the room to go to the Guest Services Desk back on the Promenade Deck to see if Kevin checked in.
There were several people in line in-front of me, zig-zagged in the maze like setup of dividing poles and velvet rope. Waiting impatiently, I began fidgeting with my hands, tapping on the poles, tapping my feet to the beat of the music playing throughout the lobby. The line moved at a snails pace, I repetitively turned around glancing towards the entrance to see if he was making his way on the ship. Shuffling through the line, I was finally next to be served, I hear the ships horn echo throughout the ship. It sounded off three times with a deep ominous tone.
"Next in line please," I hear muffled under the sounds of the horn. "How may I help you?"
"I need to know if my husband has boarded yet. His ticket number is 03251964-C." I was anxiously waiting her response as I tapped my fingertips knocking on the counter.
"I am sorry Mrs. Barrick, he has not boarded yet and the captain just signaled the final horn for boarding. The ship will be departing in just a few moments," she explained with regret on her face.
Leaving the Guest Services Desk defeated
‘I can’t believe he abandoned us. He always gets lost in his work.’
I began the massive trek back through the labyrinth hallways of the ship. As I approached our room, not knowing what I was going to tell the kids, I bursted out into tears. I leaned against the wall and slid down into the fetal position, just balling.