Tenchi Muyo All Good Things Chapter 82 Choices
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Captain’s Choice Ch. 03-04 free porn video
This story was edited by ErikThread and DaveT with my thanks and appreciation. Any errors are mine alone. Previously posted on another site.
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Chapter 3 The Busy Season
Del continued to live aboard during the winter. We took on a few charters and it gave us the opportunity to get to know one another. I really didn’t know quite how to categorize her presence on board. She was almost like a big sister. A little older, a little more experienced, a little smarter, and yet a comfortable companion. There were times when I thought we could read each other’s mind. When something needed doing, we both seemed to realize it at the same time. When we were on the boat, it was like we were in a cocoon where everything was within reach of us.
I hadn’t been thinking of Del in a sexual way … well … not much, anyway. I was attracted to her, but she was strictly ‘hands off’ from my point of view, and I got the same impression from her. All the same, whatever we had as a team of two, we had it in spades.
As the spring and summer season approached, I could see we were going to be as busy as we wanted to be. We would sit down regularly and decide which charters to take and which to refuse. There was a strategy to these meetings and as we discussed the options, I could see that we both thought the same way when it came to a yes-no proposition. It took any tension that might have existed between us and made it a non-factor.
I was lucky this spring to have my usual crew available for the season. The two young men had crewed with us during the weekends and over Christmas and Spring Break. It was good that we didn’t have any rookies to break in and I was looking forward to a smooth operation over the next five months. The ‘season’ was generally agreed to be from late April to early September, although my guys weren’t out of college until early May. Until then, I would only charter what Del and I could handle ourselves unless I could find a temp crew of known quality. Of the roughly twenty weeks, we had bookings or deposits on eighteen so far.
For the first time, we would be based out of Campbell River in July and August. I thought it might be a risk, however our bookings said otherwise. With regular airline service and multiple ferry options to the island, we had no trouble convincing people it would be closer to their objective, whether that was fishing or wildlife or just exploring the dozens of inlets and passages in the area.
‘Are you ready for this, Del?’ I asked one morning before our first full charter.
‘Yes, I think so. You and the boys have already warned me about the long days. I can handle that. We had long shifts on the tow boats.’
‘Don’t let yourself get overtired, that’s all I’m asking. I don’t want you getting sick or exhausted. You’re too valuable to us to have that happen.’
She gave me a questioning look before turning away.
‘I’ll be careful,’ she promised, still not looking at me.
It seemed like an awkward moment despite the fact that all I was doing was giving her some friendly advice. Early on, it wouldn’t be so bad. Later in the summer, with day after day of looking after guests and trying to keep them happy with our services, it could get very wearing. With Del as the ‘extra’ crew-person on board, I was hoping I could spell off anyone who did become exhausted or even ill.
I had to work hard to find a place to dock in Campbell River for the two months we would be based there. The main marina was expensive and reluctant to rent out to us for that length of time at any discount. I needed a reasonable alternative. I found it in Menzies Bay, just north of the city near the site of the now-closed paper mill. It was less than a ten minute drive from the town and better still, the north end of town was where all the new stores had been located, including a Walmart, Home Depot, a specialty liquor store and a large supermarket.
A newly renovated motel was in the vicinity and made an ideal place for our guests to stay. All in all, it was a good situation at a reasonable cost.
‘We’ll move the boat up to Menzies Bay on Tuesday, Del. Our next charter will be arriving on Thursday evening for the long weekend,’ I said, looking over the booking schedule.
‘Okay. Are the boys going to come with us or meet us up there?’
‘They’re going to meet us up there. They want a car available. Gee, I wonder why?’ I chuckled.
‘Raging hormones, I imagine,’ she snorted.
‘No doubt. Our first four charters will be staying at the motel and I’ve got a confirmation of the rooms, so we’ll have the boat to ourselves in the evening unless they want to go on a moonlight cruise.’
‘Where are they from?’ she asked.
‘Reno. I remember the conversation with the guy who booked it. Their wives were going on an Alaska cruise and these guys wanted to do some salmon fishing. The cruise is leaving from Victoria and then they are driving up island from there.’
‘Just four of them?’
‘Yup. No space problems for us at all. I just hope the new caterer is up to the standards we want.’
‘I checked with a couple of the other charter guys,’ Del offered, ‘and they all said we wouldn’t be disappointed.’
‘I guess we’ll find out soon enough. In the meantime, we’ve got another day-and-a-half to get everything on board for the next two months.’
‘That should take about two hours,’ Del chuckled. ‘Relax, Pat. Everything is taken care of.’
‘If you say so, then I’m satisfied. You’ve been a god-send, Del. I feel so much more relaxed with you around.’
She didn’t respond to my compliment, looking away and fussing with some packages that needed stowing. Apparently, my praise made her uncomfortable for some reason.
‘I’m going up to the post office, Pat. Is there anything I can get you while I’m out?’
‘Not that I can think of. We’ve got to make a run to the liquor store, but that’s about all. We can do that this afternoon.’
‘Okay, I’ll be back in about an hour,’ she said, stepping out of the cabin and onto the dock.
I watched her go, noticing the confident stride and bearing that I was getting used to seeing. The more I saw, the more attractive she had become. What she lacked in cover girl beauty, she more than made up for in other ways. I found myself regularly being reminded that she was an employee and according to my rules, off limits.
Del was gone for over two hours and I was beginning to wonder what had happened to her when I saw her slowly walking down the gangway onto the dock. Her shoulders were slumped and she didn’t look very happy. I wondered what had happened. She looked nothing like the woman who had walked off the boat a couple of hours earlier.
‘Hi, any problems?’ I asked, noticing the frown on her face.
‘No … not really. Just something that I’ve been expecting and didn’t know how I would feel about it.’
‘Okay,’ I said, deciding not to pursue the unspoken question.
She flopped herself down on the bench in the galley, placing a large manila envelope on the table.
‘Would you like a coffee or a beer?’ I asked.
‘Beer … thanks.’
I opened two and passed her a bottle. She remained silent, looking thoughtful and unfocussed at the same time. I still wasn’t about to disturb her.
At length, she pushed the envelope toward me, indicating she wanted me to look inside. I picked it up and pulled some papers out of it. It took a moment to understand what I was reading. It was her final divorce papers. She was now single again and obviously it wasn’t a cause for celebration despite what she thought of her ex-husband.
There are times to talk and times to shut up and let the other person decide what should be said and when.
‘I didn’t think this would bother me at all, Pat. I thought it would just be another thing that had to be done. I guess I was wrong.’
‘Six years is a long time,
Del. You had a lot invested in that marriage. I’m sorry for you that it ended this way.’
‘Yeah … me too. I’ll tell you what, though. I’m having a hard time feeling sorry for myself. I’m pissed that it came to this, but I’m not sorry. It was my mistake and I had to fix it. Fuck him and the horse he rode in on,’ she spat, taking a big swallow of beer.
‘Come on, let’s go get lunch at McGillicuddy’s and then do the booze run. Maybe that will get your mind off it.’
‘Yeah … let’s do that.’ She seemed to brighten up at that suggestion.
I volunteered to put her papers in the safe and she agreed. If my observations were correct, she was coming out of her funk and getting back to normal. It seemed she was very resilient.
We left Coal Harbour early Tuesday morning for the long run to Campbell River. It would be almost two hours by the time we cleared English Bay and then Bowen Island. We set a course northwest and settled in for the run to the entrance of Johnstone Strait and Campbell River. Our ten knots maximum cruise speed would get us to our destination near five o’clock that afternoon.
We spend almost the entire trip on the upper bridge, trading stories about our adventures at school and at sea. The more time I spent with Del the more impressed I was with how bright she was. I also got the feeling that her family was well off and that money hadn’t been a problem in the past and perhaps not today either.
I knew her father had been a well respected newspaper editor and very visible in the community. Her mother was in her mid-fifties and in good health. She was living on what Del described as a ranch in the south Okanagan Valley, right on the U.S. border. It was hard to tell just what her relationship with her sisters was, but I didn’t detect any animosity. It was more like they just didn’t have a lot in common other than being family.
I envied her having siblings since I had grown up without any. It seemed very strange that she wouldn’t be close to them, but it wasn’t any of my business and I promised myself not to pry into her private life.
‘So, I suppose you were the serious student at college,’ Del said.
‘Hah! Like that ever happened. I was a scrape-along arts student, just managing to get by. I belonged to a fraternity and my main objective was to get through to Friday night to start partying.’
‘I don’t believe that. That’s not you at all.’
‘That’s not me now … but it was then. Remember, my father was still alive and I had a guaranteed job when I graduated, even if it wasn’t with a MBA. Everything in my life changed when Dad died. I was suddenly alone. I had no one. No parents, no brothers or sisters or uncles or aunts. That was a very sobering experience. So … like the popular saying goes, I had an epiphany.’
‘How long was it after your father died that you began to work on the boat?’
‘A few months. I had to get the estate through probate … or at least my lawyer, Sam Fowler, did. I was lost, to tell the truth. I didn’t know what I wanted or what I was going to do with myself. I needed something that would sustain me, at least for a while. I chose the boat and now it seems I lucked into exactly the right thing for me.’
‘You had a girlfriend at the time I recall you saying.’
‘Claire had given up on me a couple of months after I started on the boat. I was virtually living with the project. I had committed myself to the restoration and I felt closer to it than I did to her. It wasn’t like we fought about it. She left quietly one day, wishing me good luck and telling me she was sorry she couldn’t handle my lifestyle.’
‘There’s something about living here on the coast and being on the water,’ Del said. ‘It’s hard to explain to someone who doesn’t relate to it. Kurt didn’t understand it either. Why would I want to do a hard job like that when I had been offered a good job on dry land? He didn’t get it and I guess that he and your ex-girlfriend had that in common. I couldn’t live anywhere else, now. This is what I have to have,’ she said, looking out at the scenery surrounding us.
‘Maybe that’s why we work so well together,’ I suggested. ‘We both have a passion for being here, doing what we love. In that case, we’re pretty damn lucky.’
I saw her nod, still surveying the surrounding mountains, islands and waterway. She had a quiet, comfortable look about her that afternoon. It was a nice change from the forlorn look I saw a day earlier.
I had been watching the gauges carefully since this was the first extended-hours constant speed run this year. There was no need to worry. The temperature gauges were steady and right where they should be. Oil pressure and fuel consumption were nominal. The electrical system was functioning normally and all the electronics were performing as per expectations. Everything was just where it was supposed to be. Nine continuous hours of full cruise was a good test.
We docked at the floating wharf and checked in with the Menzies Bay Marina manager. We were assigned a permanent spot, as promised. It was on the outside, near the end of the dock, making it very easy for us to get in and get out at any time. I was pleased to see that they provided carts for taking heavy goods and luggage to the boat. I had a couple of small, portable ones that we carried on board, but the larger ones the marinas featured were much more efficient.
I had planned to arrive a day ahead of our guests so that I could see the facilities and check out the surrounding area for parking, supplies and fuel. I was happy with my brief reconnoiter. I wouldn’t have to run down to Campbell River for fuel or bait. It was all here, as promised.
‘This is going to work well for us, Del.’
‘Yep. Better than being in those tight berths at the big marina. I’d say we can pretty much take tomorrow off, Captain. I doubt we’ll see Pete and Dean until mid-tomorrow afternoon.’
‘As long as they’re here and organized before the guests arrive, I’m okay with that.’
‘Quit worrying, will you,’ Del said with an exasperated look. ‘I watched you all the way up here fussing over the gauges. Everything is fine. You’ve done everything you need to do. The boat is perfect. Relax before you drive me nuts.’
I chuckled at her little diatribe. ‘Sorry. I guess I’m just a bit anal about making sure everything is just right.’
‘You’d think you’d never been on this boat before. You’ve got all kinds of hours under your belt and never had a problem.’
‘I know. I know. I’ll lighten up,’ I promised with a grin. ‘In the meantime, what do you say we head into town and get some supper? Captain’s treat.’
‘I’ll go for that,’ she smiled.
Our cab dropped us off at an upscale pub near the marina and we had a nice meal and some red wine for a change. Ardele was in a good mood, and now that we had arrived and the boat was performing perfectly, I was as well. We started telling stories about some of our college antics again and found we were laughing as if they were the funniest things we’d ever heard.
‘You guys are having fun,’ the young waitress said as she served us another glass of wine.
‘Yeah,’ we nodded in unison. ‘Talking about school … way back when,’ I said.
‘Oh, that can’t be that long ago.’ She was examining us more closely.
‘Ten years for me,’ I volunteered.
‘Eight for me,’ Ardele added.
‘Jeez, I just realized it was almost eight for me too,’ the girl said.
‘Time flies when you’re having fun,’ I said, using an old worn-out cliché.
‘What do you do?’ the girl asked.
‘I own a charter boat. We’re up here for the next two months. Ardele is my first mate.’
‘Really?’ she exclaimed. ‘That must be really a great life.’
‘It’s pretty good,’ I agreed, ‘as long as you’ve got a great partner.’ I had inadvertently put my hand on Ardele’s as I answered.
‘Let’s take a walk along the waterfront,’ I suggested afte
r paying the tab.
The sun was low but wouldn’t set for another hour at this latitude. It seemed natural to hold her hand as we strolled along the sidewalk toward the boatyard. We stopped near the gangway to the dock and gazed at the multitude of boats before us.
‘It always amazes me,’ I observed, ‘that just around the corner … the other side of Quadra Island, or a couple of kilometers up Johnstone Strait and we’re in complete wilderness. I can’t imagine a coastline anywhere in the world that has the scenery and wildlife that we do from here to Alaska.’
‘I know,’ Del said, watching the ferry to Quadra Island move past. ‘I’ve been on these waters many, many times and still they fascinate me. The idea that you could navigate a hundred thousand ton cruise ship through these channels still staggers me.’
‘What are we doing tomorrow?’ Del asked after a period of silence.
‘Nothing planned until mid-afternoon when our guys are supposed to arrive. The guests will be along sometime after four by my reckoning. Maybe I’ll set the barbeque up on the dock to give us some more room. Weather should be okay according to the forecast.’
We headed back to the pub, calling the cab company as we walked. It wasn’t busy that evening and the cab was waiting for us as we arrived. Fifteen minutes later we were back in Menzies Bay and walking along the floating dock toward my boat.
‘What do you suppose those women are doing on that boat?’ I asked, pointing to a sixty-foot fiberglass yacht moored two floats over from Captain’s Choice.
‘Why, whatever do you mean?’ Del answered in a faux shocked voice.
‘Have you seen any guys on board at any time?’
‘Nope,’ she chuckled, just barely containing a full belly laugh.
‘What’s so funny?’
‘Have you ever heard of the Calcutta Cougar Club?’
‘No. Why?’
‘Do you know what a ‘cougar’ is?’
I thought for a moment. I was sure she wasn’t talking about mountain lions.
‘Yeah … older women who like getting together with younger men,’ I said, recalling the term now. ‘You mean …?’
‘A boatload of them. Five to be exact. In their forties and looking for studs half their age.’
‘How do you know this?’
‘I’ve talked to a couple of them. They wanted to know if I was interested in hooking up with them. I guess they go ‘bi’ once in a while.’
‘Where the hell did you run into them?’ I asked, now really curious about the crew on the Sound Settlement.
‘They’ve been here before, but usually at the big marina. I remember them from a couple of years ago. They are mostly divorcees with a couple of widows thrown in for good measure. They spend most of the summer hunting young, horny males for entertainment.’
‘The boat is registered in Tacoma. Is that where they’re from?’
‘Gig Harbor,’ she nodded.
‘Huh … how ’bout that,’ I said in mild surprise.
‘I went over to say hello this morning. They’ve been trying to get me to join them now and then. It has its appeal,’ she smirked.
‘You’re kidding, right?’
‘Maybe … maybe not,’ she said with an arched eyebrow.
Chapter 4 Getting a New Perspective
The conversation with Ardele last night had rattled me. I lay in my bed thinking about what she had said. I was upset about the implication that she might be interested in some young guy, maybe even one of our crew. And then the bi-sexual thing. What’s up with that? Was she just pulling my chain or did she really mean it. I still had my rule of no fraternization, but I had to admit Ardele was really testing my resolve. It took some time before I finally fell asleep.
I crawled out of bed and stretched, checking the clock on the wall. It wasn’t seven yet, but that would amount to sleeping in if my customers were keen fishermen. I wandered out to the galley and plugged in the coffee machine. I set about making my usual breakfast: fruit, juice and cereal. There was no sign of Ardele yet.
I looked out the stern to the east and saw we were in for another sunny, calm day. The tide chart said it was a half-tide at five-thirty am and low near noon. Not ideal, but it would do. I looked in the mirror, examining myself. Still lean and fairly fit. I would have liked to claim I was six foot tall, but in truth I fell a half-inch short of that. Thick, dark brown hair was a feature I inherited from my father. Brown eyes, a clear, all-weather suntanned complexion, a slightly larger than average nose and ugly, knobby knees. Yeah, that was me all right. A shave and a shower and I’d be looking as good as I was ever going to.
Alma
- 09.11.2020
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