been when we interviewed him in our room. “What are you girls doing here in the employee cafeteria?”
“We’re just working on that project for school,” Lauren said, taking the camera away from her eyeand holding it close against her body, “and we’re videotaping in different places on the ship.”
“Did you ask the cruise director if you were allowed to come down here?”
“No,” Lauren said. “We didn’t think there would be anything wrong with it.”
“Sorry,” I said. I felt terrible!
“You should get permission before coming down here,” said the guy sitting with Manuel, who looked and sounded American. I wondered if it was the American roommate he’d told us about.
Manuel put down his napkin and stood up. “Let me walk you young ladies out.” He herded us out of the cafeteria and down the hall. “The management is very strict about who is allowed down here,” he said in an apologetic tone. “If you ask the cruise director, and he says yes you can come, then that would be okay.”
“We just want to know what goes on behind the scenes,” said Lauren.
“Go see the cruise director and see what he says.” Manuel held the Employees Only door ajar for us. “Bye, girls,” he said. “See you later!”
We stood in the hallway outside the door.
“We should have asked before going in there,” I said. “I hope we’re not in trouble.”
“Dad says it’s better to ask forgiveness than to askpermission. I’m glad we went! And we can ask the cruise director. Manuel sure seemed anxious to get rid of us, though, didn’t he?”
We headed down the long hall and then took the elevator back up to the teen-club deck. Back in the teen club, Guy and Evan stopped playing video games long enough to ask about the video we’d shot in the employee section of the boat.
“Oh, we just took a short little piece,” I said. “They told us we had to leave.”
“Can we see it?” asked Guy.
Lauren shrugged. “Sure, let’s watch it.” Lauren plugged the camera into one of the video monitors near the editing suite.
We saw her wide shot of the employee cafeteria, with the plain linoleum tables lined up. Then we saw the camera pan across the various people in uniform eating at the tables and focus on Manuel and the guy with the American accent talking.
“Turn it up,” said Evan. “See if you can hear what they’re saying.”
Lauren turned up the video, and we watched.
Manuel said, “It is gone, that is all.”
The American said, “What do you mean, it’s gone? How did it get away?”
“I do not know,” said Manuel.
“You have to find it,” said the American.
“I have looked. I cannot find it anywhere.” Then Manuel shook his head, looked up, and saw us. He asked us what we were doing there.
Lauren paused the tape. “So, that’s their conversation.”
“I wonder what’s gone?” I said curiously.
“Yeah, rerun it,” said Guy.
We watched the scene again, then sat quietly, thinking.
“So something has gotten away, and the American told Manuel that he had to find it,” said Lauren. “I wonder what it is. I wonder if it’s connected to what Diana heard them talking about before.”
“What’s that?” asked Evan.
“Diana overheard them talking about doing something illegal,” said Lauren.
“Whoa,” said Guy. “Weird.”
“I don’t like talking about this,” I said. “Manuel is so nice. And he has all those little children at home in the Philippines.”
“Yeah, but something is definitely weird,” Lauren said.
“Let’s just have fun on our vacation and forget about this, Lauren,” I said. “I don’t want to think about it. Grammy’s birthday celebration is tomorrow,at the dress-up dinner, and we have to make plans for that. I want us to write speeches or maybe a poem for Grammy.”
“That’s so like you, Stephanie, wanting everything to always be so perfect,” she said. “Well, sometimes things just aren’t.”
“All you have to do is ask
“We’re just working on that project for school,” Lauren said, taking the camera away from her eyeand holding it close against her body, “and we’re videotaping in different places on the ship.”
“Did you ask the cruise director if you were allowed to come down here?”
“No,” Lauren said. “We didn’t think there would be anything wrong with it.”
“Sorry,” I said. I felt terrible!
“You should get permission before coming down here,” said the guy sitting with Manuel, who looked and sounded American. I wondered if it was the American roommate he’d told us about.
Manuel put down his napkin and stood up. “Let me walk you young ladies out.” He herded us out of the cafeteria and down the hall. “The management is very strict about who is allowed down here,” he said in an apologetic tone. “If you ask the cruise director, and he says yes you can come, then that would be okay.”
“We just want to know what goes on behind the scenes,” said Lauren.
“Go see the cruise director and see what he says.” Manuel held the Employees Only door ajar for us. “Bye, girls,” he said. “See you later!”
We stood in the hallway outside the door.
“We should have asked before going in there,” I said. “I hope we’re not in trouble.”
“Dad says it’s better to ask forgiveness than to askpermission. I’m glad we went! And we can ask the cruise director. Manuel sure seemed anxious to get rid of us, though, didn’t he?”
We headed down the long hall and then took the elevator back up to the teen-club deck. Back in the teen club, Guy and Evan stopped playing video games long enough to ask about the video we’d shot in the employee section of the boat.
“Oh, we just took a short little piece,” I said. “They told us we had to leave.”
“Can we see it?” asked Guy.
Lauren shrugged. “Sure, let’s watch it.” Lauren plugged the camera into one of the video monitors near the editing suite.
We saw her wide shot of the employee cafeteria, with the plain linoleum tables lined up. Then we saw the camera pan across the various people in uniform eating at the tables and focus on Manuel and the guy with the American accent talking.
“Turn it up,” said Evan. “See if you can hear what they’re saying.”
Lauren turned up the video, and we watched.
Manuel said, “It is gone, that is all.”
The American said, “What do you mean, it’s gone? How did it get away?”
“I do not know,” said Manuel.
“You have to find it,” said the American.
“I have looked. I cannot find it anywhere.” Then Manuel shook his head, looked up, and saw us. He asked us what we were doing there.
Lauren paused the tape. “So, that’s their conversation.”
“I wonder what’s gone?” I said curiously.
“Yeah, rerun it,” said Guy.
We watched the scene again, then sat quietly, thinking.
“So something has gotten away, and the American told Manuel that he had to find it,” said Lauren. “I wonder what it is. I wonder if it’s connected to what Diana heard them talking about before.”
“What’s that?” asked Evan.
“Diana overheard them talking about doing something illegal,” said Lauren.
“Whoa,” said Guy. “Weird.”
“I don’t like talking about this,” I said. “Manuel is so nice. And he has all those little children at home in the Philippines.”
“Yeah, but something is definitely weird,” Lauren said.
“Let’s just have fun on our vacation and forget about this, Lauren,” I said. “I don’t want to think about it. Grammy’s birthday celebration is tomorrow,at the dress-up dinner, and we have to make plans for that. I want us to write speeches or maybe a poem for Grammy.”
“That’s so like you, Stephanie, wanting everything to always be so perfect,” she said. “Well, sometimes things just aren’t.”
“All you have to do is ask
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