You Never Know

"Huh?" I said, as I walked in wondering who he was talking to. Then, finding no one else there, it suddenly dawned on me that the other person he'd been talking about bringing in on our plans was none other than Jennifer herself. I turned around to see both of them smiling at me. So, I just threw my hands up in the air, and grinning like an idiot, said, "Okay! What do I have to do?"

Mike laughed, and pointing at Jennifer, said, "Well, the first thing we need to do is get her down to Florida and let her take a look at the submersible. Now, before you get defensive Doug, keep in mind that, while I trust you totally and completely, Uncle Sam wants to make sure you don't kill yourself in that thing."

Jennifer looked at me and said, "I'm not going to change a thing Doug. I just wanted to take a look at your specs and relay them back to Mike. He'll take care of everything up here."

"How long will it take you to make your report?" I asked her.

She smiled and said, "Well now, that depends on you, doesn't it?"

"And how is that?" I asked confused.

I heard Mike snickering, then Jennifer laughed and said, "Didn't you say that you personally, would teach me how to SCUBA dive?" I knew at that moment, that my life was about to drastically change, never to be the same again.

~~~~~~

Chapter Three

It was at noon on Sunday, a week later, when we landed in Key West. Jennifer's eyes had been dancing like candles ever since we boarded the shuttle plane, out of Miami, to the Keys. I can understand though, because to someone who's never been there; the first time you see the beautiful water, you can feel yourself being automatically drawn to it.

As far as accommodations were concerned; Jennifer would be using the guest room at my place for the duration of her stay, however long that was going to be. The first day was spent getting her settled in and comfortable with her new surroundings. As soon as she had her belongings put away, she emerged from her room wearing a pair of tight blue jeans, with a tight tee shirt, sandals, and a bright smile and said, "Well, what time do you want to get started on the submersible tomorrow?"

When I looked up, I saw that she had her hair hanging loose around her shoulders, making her look like the angel I saw the first time I ever laid eyes on her. I wiped the sweat that from my palms and replied, "Whoa, easy Tiger! Before you can even enter the submersible as a crew member or otherwise, you're required, by law, to have at least an Advanced Open Water Diver's certification, or a recommendation from me. So, it looks like this coming week will be spent getting you trained and squared away."

"Why a week, and why can't you just write me a recommendation?" asked Jennifer, with a slight pout.

I laughed and replied, "Because, it just so happens that my crew, as well as my students, are required to know all the material in the diving manuals, by heart." then pointing out the window to the ocean, "Keep in mind that you can die down there if you don't know what you're doing. Besides, a good diver is only as good as his instructor."

"I never thought of it that way," Jennifer said apologetically, "I guess I got a little too excited."

"It's okay to be excited," I replied smiling, "As a matter of fact, I hope that you stay excited about diving. I'm sure you'll do very well, and to tell you the truth; I still get excited right before a dive." She grinned and then leaned in and kissed me on the cheek. "What was that for?" I asked.

"That's my way of saying thank you, Doug," she softly answered.

"Hmm, I guess I can live with that," I smiled, "In the mean time, how about we go get some fresh lobster?"

"Yum," she happily replied, "I've been craving fresh sea food ever since we left Washington." I offered my arm, which she took, and off we went.

~~~~~~

I took her to a place that's not well known to tourists called, The Rusty Anchor. I pulled up in the parking lot and turned off the ignition. As we were getting out of my Jeep, Jennifer came up beside me, took my arm again, and said "In case I forget to tell you later, I had a good time tonight."

As soon as we walked into the restaurant, I failed to see that three of my crew were sitting at the bar drinking beer. However, they saw us the minute we walked through the door and it was only seconds before I heard someone yell "HOO-YAH!!! THE BOSS IS BACK HOME!!!!"

I turned around to see David Bower, Todd Jackson and Chuck Massey sitting there with stupid grins on their faces. They immediately took notice of Jennifer, and before I could make introductions; David giggled and said "Holy Shit Doug, she's pretty. What's she doin with you?" with laughter following close behind from all three men.

I maintained my cool and replied, "Gentlemen, allow me to introduce Miss Jennifer Pierce from the Office of Congressional Funding, in Washington D.C. She's going to be working with us for a while."

After I made all the introductions, Chuck got right to it and asked, "Well, did you get the grant or not, Doug?"

It was Jennifer who laughed this time and said, "Yes, he got the grant, but I'm down here to make sure that he keeps it."

"Now, what is that supposed to mean?" asked Chuck, defensively.

Sensing the rise in testosterone, but not backing down, Jennifer calmly but coolly replied, "That means as long as Doug and his crew meets, and continues to meet, all the necessary requirements, then everything will go smoothly" I knew better than to say anything at this point, because I found out a long time ago that it was much safer to pick my own battles than to face them all head on.

However, Jennifer would have to introduce herself to the rest of the crew eventually so, now was a good a time as any. After she'd made her last statement, the guys looked at me and Chuck sarcastically asked, "So is she the new boss now, Doug?"

Before I had a chance to reply, Jennifer sharply, and in no uncertain terms, replied "No, Doug is, and shall continue to be, the head of this company and all aspects that pertain to it."

Being the men that they are, the guys looked at me, and speaking for the other two, Todd cockily replied, "We want to hear you tell us that Washington is not pulling your chain, Boss."

Giving the guys a very serious glare, I sternly replied, "You guys know me, and nobody pulls my chain, ever." Then, looking at not only the guys, but Jennifer also, I added, "Are we clear on this?"

I was not surprised when everyone nodded their heads, and the guys smiled as Todd said, "Now that's the Doug we know!"

I laughed and said, "You lunatics stay out of trouble. Jennifer and I are gonna get something to eat." As we went to our table, I looked over my shoulder and said, "Don't drink too much tonight. Remember that we're all getting wet at zero six hundred tomorrow morning, gentlemen," laughing as I heard them groaning while Jennifer and I walked away.

Once we were seated and the waitress took our drink orders, Jennifer leaned towards me and softly asked, "You don't think I was too harsh with those guys, do you?"

"Nah," I laughed, "If anything, you woke them up and opened their eyes. You'll have them eating out your hand in no time."

She looked at me oddly and asked, "What do you mean?"

I leaned in as if I was about to divulge a great secret, and laughing, replied, "They're not used to being around smart women."

She laughed with me, and as the waitress came to take our food order, Jennifer asked, "What did you mean about getting wet at six o'clock in the morning?"

~~~~~~

After we finished eating I took her back to the eastern side of the island near the old Navy base where my house sat on the water. Actually, the house was sitting on dry land. The back deck, which stretched out onto the water, was built on stilts and attached to the back of the house. "By the way, Doug," Jennifer smiled, as we pulled in, "Thanks again, for letting me stay here at your house while I'm in Key West."

"It's the least I could do, Jennifer"

~~~~~~

At four thirty the following morning, the alarm woke me to start a new day. I waited till I had the coffee brewed and ready to serve before I woke Jennifer. Then I went down the hall to the guest room and tapped on the door and said, "Rise and shine," loud enough to wake anyone asleep behind it. I heard nothing. I knocked louder the next time, and even louder, said, "Rise and shine!" Two seconds later, a pair of sleepy, but beautiful blue eyes, surround by a shroud of messy blonde hair, peeked through the partially opened door and said, "Are you serious? It's not even daylight yet."

I laughed and replied, "I'm going to get dressed. I suggest you do the same if you want the coffee that's waiting for you in the kitchen.

Because the guest bedroom had its own bathroom, she was up, dressed, and twenty minutes later, sitting down at the kitchen table joining me for a cup of coffee. To tell the truth, I was very impressed. As she took the first sip, I could see her begin to become more alert. "Is it good?" I asked.

She rolled her eyes into the back of her head, then smiled and replied, "It's heavenly." Then she looked at me and said "Can I ask a question?"

"Sure!"

She put her coffee cup down on the table then looked at her watch and asked, "What in the world are we doing up at five o'clock in the morning?"

I took one more sip of my coffee, and then I set my cup down, and with a warm smile, said, "Well, we all go for a long swim every Monday morning before we start the week."

She looked at me like she'd seen a ghost and said, "How far is a long swim, and who is we?"

"Well, we usually swim two and a half miles out," I informed her, "Then we turn around and come back"

"That's five miles," she gasped, "I can't swim that far,"

"Relax! You don't have to do it," I smiled, "But you're going to have to be able to swim at least a mile to qualify for your Advanced Open Water Diver certification."

She grinned and said, "I can probably swim a mile, but I'll have to work up to it. I'm not in that good of shape"

"That's a matter of opinion," I silently told myself.

I then noticed that she was wearing a tee shirt and shorts so, I smiled and told her, "I hope you packed a bathing suit, because you're gonna need it this morning."

"I guess I need to go and change then, huh?" she smiled.

"I think it's better than swimming in your clothes," I laughed, "Don't you?"

Then she looked at me and, with a slight pout, said "I thought you said I wasn't going to have to swim today."

I just smiled and replied, "Well, like I said, it's a requirement for your certification, and there's no time like the present to get started. So why not start today?"

"Oh okay," she said, as she sulked off to change clothes.

When Jennifer emerged from her room, I thought I was going to have a coronary right there on the spot. She was wearing the same blue jean cut-offs that she wore when she came to pick me up at my hotel in Washington to take me to Mike's house. In addition; she wore her bikini top sans the shirt. The black shiny material was strategically cut to reveal just the right amount of flesh and cleavage. Her breasts were full and rode high on her chest; and it was all I could do to keep from drooling right there. I could tell by the look on her face that she knew the effect she was having on me, but she simply gave me that earth shattering smile of hers and asked, "Will this do Doug?" All I could do was nod my head, as I was speechless for the first time in many years. She began to giggle, and with a wave of her hand in front of my face, said, "Earth to Doug, are we going to eat breakfast first?"

Snapping back to my senses, I smiled and said, "Why don't we work up an appetite first with a swim?"

~~~~~~

When we arrived at the docks, everyone was there. David, Todd, Chuck and even little Sherry, were all waiting patiently for our arrival. Andromeda was moored and idling in her slip. After I introduced Sherry to Jennifer, and as we all climbed aboard and prepared to shove off, Jennifer looked at me and asked, "Is Sherry part of the crew also?"

Before I had the chance to reply, Sherry spoke up and excitedly said, "I sure am, at least on Monday mornings anyway. I'm also a certified Technical Diver, as well as an Open Water Scuba Instructor. Doug was my instructor and he taught me well."

Jennifer gave her a puzzled look and asked, "What do you mean by, on Monday mornings?"

I stepped in and said, "Sherry runs the dive shop while the rest of the guys work with me. She'll be your instructor for the class room phase of your training!"

~~~~~~

We'd been underway for about forty five minutes and were one hundred and twenty-five miles southwest of the outer markers when Chuck cut Andromeda's engines and said, "We're here boss!"

Jennifer gave me an odd look and said, "Where is here?"

I smiled and said, "It's a surprise?"

As the rest of the crew was scrambling around the boat, I threw Jennifer a sweatshirt and said, "Put this on," then turned to the rest of the crew and said, "Prep the Nautilus for deployment, guys." I pushed a button on the console of the bridge, and the aft doors of the stern deck opened up as the fifteen ton crane came to life. In a matter of three minutes, The Nautilus, my submersible, appeared on its platform, shining in the bright lights of its mother, Andromeda. For those who don't know what a submersible is; it is the same type of deep submergence vehicle which was used to go to the Titanic and the World War II Battleship, Bismarck.

The morning sun was just beginning to peek over the horizon, and as we prepared to lower Nautilus into the water; I looked at Jennifer and said, "Climb aboard."

"I thought you said that I couldn't enter the submersible till I was SCUBA certified," she said apprehensively.

I laughed and replied, "What I said was; you can't get in here, until you were either SCUBA certified, or had a recommendation from me. That's why you're going to keep your hands in your lap and not touch anything, okay?"

"What am I supposed to do then?" she asked timidly.

"Enjoy the view," I happily replied, as I helped her climb the ladder to the open hatch atop Nautilus. Once Todd and Jennifer and I, were all in, I closed the hatch and dogged it shut. I turned on the Oxygen generators and the Carbon Dioxide scrubbers, and after a radio acknowledgement from me; Sherry and David released the chocks and chains on Nautilus' docking platform, while Chuck activated the crane. In the next moment, we felt ourselves being lifted from the boat, and as I looked out her starboard observation port; I watched as we were being lowered into the sea.

Once the umbilicus was separated, I guided Nautilus as she descended into the darkness of the deep. As we were going down; I watched our depth gauge closely to make sure that we didn't descend too quickly, otherwise we could easily implode, killing all aboard.

Once we reached a hundred feet; I turned on the outer lights, and the once black sea became an opaque bluish-green within 30 yards around us. As we descended deeper, Nautilus began to groan with the pressure changes and Jennifer, with a frightened look on her face, asked, "Is that normal for this thing to make noises like that?"

I smiled, and reassuringly, said "It does that every time. It's just the hull adjusting to the pressure of the depth we're at."

"By the way, how deep are we?" asked Jennifer, uneasily.

I looked at the depth gauge, as well as the sonar screen and replied, "We've just come to eight hundred feet, and if you look out the observation dome on your starboard side; you'll see why I brought you here"

Jennifer's face lit up like Las Vegas at night when she saw, in near pristine condition, a World War II German U-Boat, lying on its side on the ocean floor. It was plain to see that it had been torpedoed aft, near the screw (propeller) and rudder housing. It must not have had good water tight integrity, because normally; any other submarine could've maintained surfacing ability with a hit like that.

"Oh Wow! Look at that!" Jennifer said excitedly. Then, with a smirk on her face, she turned away from the observation dome to look at me and said, "I'll bet you a thousand dollars that Congress doesn't know anything about this, huh?"

"They do now, don't they?" I replied with a smirk.

"What's that supposed to mean?" she asked.

I looked at her, and as plainly as I could, replied, "Well, you work for Congress, and it's my guess that as soon as we get back to port; you'll be on the phone telling them everything you've seen."

While I hadn't meant to, I could tell that I'd definitely pissed her off when she crossed her arms abruptly, and barked, "I don't tell everything I know," and then, turned away from me to look back out to the sea, "Besides, I report to Mike Nelson and what he does with the information I give him is up to him and not me, dammit!"

~~~~~~

Chapter Four

That afternoon while Jennifer was in the classroom with Sherry, I got on the phone and called Mike Nelson to keep him apprised of what was happening, as well as the information about the U-Boat that would be coming across his desk in the next couple of days. I also told him about how I'd pissed Jennifer off, and that she'd not said two words to me since the dive in Nautilus this morning. He laughed and replied, "Aw Hell, Doug, give her some time, she'll come around. I'll bet that she's back to herself by this evening. Trust me Doug, she won't stay mad at you for too long, I promise," and with that; he began laughing and then abruptly hung up the phone before I had a chance to say anything else.

It was nearing four o'clock and I was sitting in my office going over some things I'd left for after my return from Washington. Suddenly I heard girlish laughter coming from the front of the shop, and I knew that Jennifer was done with her first class. Before I could get up from my desk, Sherry, followed closely by Jennifer, came into my office and said, "Hey Doug, guess what?"

"What?" I replied, looking up from what I'd been working on.

Sherry smiled and looked at Jennifer then back at me and said, "She aced her oral exams today, and I'm pretty sure she'll ace her written exam tomorrow afternoon. So, don't forget about what you said you were going to do for the first person to ace all three, well four tests, because she's going for her advanced certification too."

"And what was that?" asked Jennifer.

Sherry laughed and replied, "He said he would buy them dinner at the Fontainebleau Hotel in Miami."

After grinning at Sherry slyly, Jennifer looked at me with a smirk across her face and replied, "I like my steak medium rare, Doug," and then laughed wildly, as she and Sherry left my office. I made that offer as an incentive, to a rather large dive class that had come through the shop a few months ago.

Sherry knew it, too, but because she and I like to play practical jokes on each other; all I could say now was, "Me and my big mouth!"

That evening I was sitting out on my front deck having a cup of coffee. Sherry had invited Jennifer out for drinks in celebration of the scores on her tests thus far. I was watching the sun sink slowly into the western horizon when I heard the phone ring. I answered it and said, "Hello?"

"Doug, this is Sherry. You need to come to the Green Parrot now, there's trouble," was all I heard before she hung up abruptly. I knew that the Green Parrot was a bar that, most of the time was calm, but at times, had a reputation for having some pretty rough customers. I stood up and went inside the house, got my keys, and then after locking up; I ran back outside, hopped into my Jeep and took off.

~~~~~~