gently. “I don’t have to do anything. Not that I don’t hope to get married someday, if I meet the right woman.” Half under his breath, he added, “Not that I’m worrying about the future right now, considering where we’re living and what we’re doing...”
Grass Snake broke the moment of tension this caused among the guys with a good-natured snort.
“You wish, Gator. You’re going to end up in Eduardo’s shoes, married to your job. You know he’s got his eye on you already.”
Alligator shrugged.
“So be it. I don’t mind. It’d be a pretty huge honour. Wait and see what the Lord has in mind, anyway.”
“The Lord and the boss,” said Grass Snake, and they exchanged knowing grins.
The two blond girls – what were their names? Francine and... no, couldn’t remember – were sulking.
“So I suppose you’ve got a boyfriend,” said Francine grumpily, when Alligator caught a descending blanket and tucked it around her just as solicitously as before.
Alligator looked shocked.
“Of course not!”
“Why of course not?” Francine was clearly perplexed. “You can’t register, obviously, but surely you want to... you know ...”
“Well, want to , of course...” Alligator’s cheeks darkened in the moonlight – going very red. “But I’m not going to misuse something beautiful and sacred just for my own pleasure. We don’t believe in behaving like that.”
Francine looked totally bewildered this time. Alligator took a deep breath – and launched into a more detailed explanation. Grass Snake was now trying not to crack up as well.
“Only Alligator,” he muttered to Hippo. “ Theology of the Body 101 to a group of nonBelievers in the middle of the night in a speed boat in the middle of the Mediterranean...”
“He’s a legend,” agreed Hippo. “He really should’ve been Unicorn.”
Bane’s voice broke in on all this.
“There’s the ship...” Bane pointed to a speck on the horizon, back in the direction of France, then consulted his phone. “Go right a bit,” he told the boatman. “Uh, I mean starboard. Yeah, keep it like that.”
He followed our progress for a few more minutes and finally nodded.
“Right, cut the engine. We’re in the pick up zone. Quiet, everyone.”
“We’re going to be getting on a ship soon,” I expanded on that order. “That’s why we need to be very quiet, okay? Other people on the ship are asleep, and we mustn’t wake them up. It’s very important.”
Silence fell. The group around Alligator wore expressions ranging between thoughtful and aghast, so he’d clearly got far enough not to leave them totally mystified. We waited, the dark silhouette on the horizon growing bigger and bigger. Eventually the ship was clearly visible in the light of the moon, towering over us – a few excited squeals and giggles, quickly shushed by the other girls.
“Looks like the Freedom II ,” I said softly to Bane.
“It’s not. But I think it’s a sister ship.”
The ship glided up to us, slower and slower, coming to a fairly precise halt within a rope’s throw. The name was there on the front, high above us. Freedom IV .
“Suppose they thought they’d got a good name, so they might as well stick to it,” I whispered to Bane.
“Great name. Works for me.”
The sailors tied our boat up quickly, fore and aft, fastening the boys’ boat behind, and dropped rope ladders.
Pussycat and a few of the guys climbed up first – the easiest way to show it was safe – and the girls began to follow them. I stayed put, whispering goodbyes and good wishes as the girls headed past and making sure not to turn my un-balaclavared face up towards the deck. Eduardo had promised there’d be kindly people on board ready to take charge of the reAssignees, so when they were all aboard our team members climbed back down, grim-faced, and we cast off.
“What did the captain say?” asked Bane uneasily, the moment the ship was out of hearing.
A deathly silence
Grass Snake broke the moment of tension this caused among the guys with a good-natured snort.
“You wish, Gator. You’re going to end up in Eduardo’s shoes, married to your job. You know he’s got his eye on you already.”
Alligator shrugged.
“So be it. I don’t mind. It’d be a pretty huge honour. Wait and see what the Lord has in mind, anyway.”
“The Lord and the boss,” said Grass Snake, and they exchanged knowing grins.
The two blond girls – what were their names? Francine and... no, couldn’t remember – were sulking.
“So I suppose you’ve got a boyfriend,” said Francine grumpily, when Alligator caught a descending blanket and tucked it around her just as solicitously as before.
Alligator looked shocked.
“Of course not!”
“Why of course not?” Francine was clearly perplexed. “You can’t register, obviously, but surely you want to... you know ...”
“Well, want to , of course...” Alligator’s cheeks darkened in the moonlight – going very red. “But I’m not going to misuse something beautiful and sacred just for my own pleasure. We don’t believe in behaving like that.”
Francine looked totally bewildered this time. Alligator took a deep breath – and launched into a more detailed explanation. Grass Snake was now trying not to crack up as well.
“Only Alligator,” he muttered to Hippo. “ Theology of the Body 101 to a group of nonBelievers in the middle of the night in a speed boat in the middle of the Mediterranean...”
“He’s a legend,” agreed Hippo. “He really should’ve been Unicorn.”
Bane’s voice broke in on all this.
“There’s the ship...” Bane pointed to a speck on the horizon, back in the direction of France, then consulted his phone. “Go right a bit,” he told the boatman. “Uh, I mean starboard. Yeah, keep it like that.”
He followed our progress for a few more minutes and finally nodded.
“Right, cut the engine. We’re in the pick up zone. Quiet, everyone.”
“We’re going to be getting on a ship soon,” I expanded on that order. “That’s why we need to be very quiet, okay? Other people on the ship are asleep, and we mustn’t wake them up. It’s very important.”
Silence fell. The group around Alligator wore expressions ranging between thoughtful and aghast, so he’d clearly got far enough not to leave them totally mystified. We waited, the dark silhouette on the horizon growing bigger and bigger. Eventually the ship was clearly visible in the light of the moon, towering over us – a few excited squeals and giggles, quickly shushed by the other girls.
“Looks like the Freedom II ,” I said softly to Bane.
“It’s not. But I think it’s a sister ship.”
The ship glided up to us, slower and slower, coming to a fairly precise halt within a rope’s throw. The name was there on the front, high above us. Freedom IV .
“Suppose they thought they’d got a good name, so they might as well stick to it,” I whispered to Bane.
“Great name. Works for me.”
The sailors tied our boat up quickly, fore and aft, fastening the boys’ boat behind, and dropped rope ladders.
Pussycat and a few of the guys climbed up first – the easiest way to show it was safe – and the girls began to follow them. I stayed put, whispering goodbyes and good wishes as the girls headed past and making sure not to turn my un-balaclavared face up towards the deck. Eduardo had promised there’d be kindly people on board ready to take charge of the reAssignees, so when they were all aboard our team members climbed back down, grim-faced, and we cast off.
“What did the captain say?” asked Bane uneasily, the moment the ship was out of hearing.
A deathly silence
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