Sailing To Survive

My heart froze and Carla could feel it. "At ease Stuart, no one knows you are here but us." She gave me a cheek kiss and hug.

The second man down was slightly taller than I was and I knew from the way he walked that he was an ex-SEAL. They may not be in uniform anymore but they always wear the invisible signs of the training. Emily said, "This is my Uncle Tom and behind him is my daddy."

I shook hands with Tom and then turned to Emily's father. He smiled a warm smile and said, "You don't have to call me daddy; my name is Ray and I want to thank you for taking care of my rather impetuous daughter."

"It was my pleasure sir." I also felt that all three had been officers and I naturally responded to them with the respect they deserved. Emily had gone below and brought out five glasses, a bottle of wine and a bottle of scotch with a bucket of ice and put them on the table. "She has helped me out far more than I helped her I am certain."

"Good. Now, first things first; relax, we aren't here to barbeque you. Well we do need to check out the guy who has swept Emily off her feet but not for any other reason. She says that you can walk on water. I doubt that but as a former SEAL, I can understand why she feels that way."

"Thank you. I can't walk on water but if the enemy is nipping at my heels, I can probably run on top of it very nicely." Both Tom and Ray laughed in agreement. "Please have a drink and sit down. I guess I have some explaining to do."

Carla replied, "You don't have to explain anything you don't want to; there is no hint that you have done anything wrong except ruffle some feathers in high places. Mainly, we need to find out what you want to do about it."

Emily sat on my lap and said, "Your picture and name are all over the newspapers and television. What did you do? Did you shoot someone or something?"

"It was the 'or something'. I quit my job and that didn't sit well with some people. Well, they also probably didn't like the way I turned in my resignation either."

"But that someone was the President of the United States!" she said as if that made much difference.

"Hey, people get pissed at their boss at all levels. He was just a boss who used his employee wrong. I had enough and left."

Ray said, "Emily, he's right; the only difference is that he wasn't just an employee; he was an insider and probably knows a lot of things that they would rather not like getting spread around. People in high places get paranoid that their carefully crafted images might get tarnished."

"That just about sums it all up. I wanted out and I felt that the only way to do it was to disappear. I'm not going to talk to the press or write a book or anything. I just want out and to find a place where I am not important and can get on with my life."

Carla took over the conversation. "That's what we figured but now the question is how to put the cork back into the bottle. It has been a slow week for the news people. They have beat up all of the old scandals and they are hungry for a new conspiracy to keep their ratings up. A presidential aide disappearing makes good headlines. So far there has only been one report of you being abducted by Martians but there are three reports that say you were drugged and flown to Moscow. Others report you dead at the hands of terrorists, the Mafia, Mexican drug cartels, and one that says you were run out of town by an irate husband."

"Oh I like that one."

Emily snorted and said, "You do not. Why don't you just tell them the truth?"

I looked at her and said, "Emily, in Washington the truth does not exist. The only thing that matters is if the story fits the party line that they want to tell. It is bad practice to be consistently wrong and inconveniently right. It is best to just go with the flow and make the man you work for look good. The truth will usually make him look less than good."

All three of the adults nodded at her in agreement. "So what can you do?" She asked.

Carla replied, "Probably the best thing would be to just contact the FBI and tell them that you are alive and well and are just traveling for personal reasons."

Tom finally entered the conversation, "That will help some but not much. By the way Stuart, the official word is that we are to identify you and see that you are unharmed and report your location. That's all. We aren't supposed to detain you at all."

"I thought you were a cop; this sounds like you are more than just a cop."

"I'm FBI; the regional intelligence officer for the Midwest."

"Oh. Emily said that you were a cop."

Carla replied, "That is my fault. I told her to tell people that because if she said her uncle was FBI, three quarters of the male population would wet their pants while running away from her. We are here today as Emily's family, not in an official capacity."

I just nodded but my mind was working overtime. "I think I have a better idea. Talking directly to the FBI could get messy. Let me try this on for a moment. Carla, you are a private attorney, so I retain you to represent me in this matter. You report to the FBI that I am safe and well and just traveling. The reason is that my PTSD was getting the best of me and I just wanted to get away. That way, you don't have to tell anyone anything else because of lawyer-client privacy and Tom isn't put on the spot."

The three of them looked at each other and nodded. Ray added, "Maybe we can take a picture of the two of you with today's newspaper to document that you are telling the truth."

I replied, "Fine but not on or near the boat or anywhere recognizable. I really don't want a horde of news people or others trying to track me down." Ray nodded as did Carla. Tom on the other hand, pursed his lips and looked hard at me but didn't say anything.

I could feel Emily getting impatient in my lap and she said, "Now that this is settled, can we go on to what is next?"

The other three smiled and nodded. I looked at her and said, "What do you mean by 'next'?"

"Next as in what we are going to do for the rest of the summer."

"You are going to summer school and I am going to sail down the river to the Gulf. That is the next that I know about."

"Yes, that is right with one teeny modification."

"I am afraid to hear this." I replied

Ray added, "With good reason. Go on Emily ask him; don't tell him."

"Yes daddy. Stuart, I have enrolled in a summer class but it is a field project class and I need to ride down the river to take some measurements because the river changed some this spring. I was thinking that if you wanted, I could ride with you and cook for you and stuff." She was toying with the hair on my neck and I was getting hard with her in my lap.

"You mean that you really want to ride down the river with me on this stinky boat and cook for me and pretend that you are doing something for a class?"

"No, I mean I want to ride down the river on this beautiful yacht, cook meals for us, do my school work and have you make love to me every morning and night all summer long."

I looked at Ray and then at Tom and finally at Carla. All three of them were ginning at my discomfort. "I can't believe that you said that in front of your father and uncle. One or both of them could shoot me."

"They won't. Daddy wants to get rid of me for the summer. I think he has a new girl friend or something. Uncle Tom and Carla want to get away from me for a couple of weeks and go fuck on a beach somewhere. So either I stay here and pine away from missing you or we spend the summer fucking. I also need to work on you to get you to admit that you love me like I love you."

"I already admitted that."

She sat up straight and said, "When did you do that?"

"The other night when you were asleep."

"You did not." Then she turned to Carla, "Is it legal if he tells me when I am asleep?"

"It depends. Were you asleep before he fucked you or after?"

"It was after the best loving I have ever had."

"Then it probably counts. If a guy tells you that he loves you before he fucks you, he is just trying to get in your panties. If he tells you afterwards, he probably meant it."

"But I didn't hear it."

"So fuck him again and ask him. It is perfectly all right to ask a man if he loves you."

I said, "I am not believing this conversation. I didn't know that there were rules and stuff."

Tom replied, "Believe it. I got down on my knee with a ring and all that and asked her to marry me. She then wanted to negotiate for four days before she would say yes." Carla slugged him in the shoulder.

"Asshole. It was only three days and we fucked for more than half the time so it was only a day and a half. I just wanted to make sure that you were serious."

I muttered, "That is where she gets those love taps."

Tom grinned and replied, "Yes, Carla has taught her a lot of things including the love taps. It got so bad that I thought the bruises would be permanent so I had my shoulder tattooed so that the real bruises wouldn't show. And if you think that is bad, wait until you hear the way they define the difference between fucking and making love. You will love that one."

I looked at Ray expecting to see a concerned father. Instead, he was laughing his head off. Finally he looked at me and said, "Forgive our family. With three of us ex-Navy and Carla and Tom in law and me in history, we don't mince many words around each other. I am afraid that Emily has picked up a couple of bad habits."

"I have not. Now shut the fuck up. He hasn't said 'yes' yet. So what do you think Stuart? Can I come along for the summer?"

"I have just one question to ask your father first. Ray, if I agree to take her along, one of two things is going to happen this summer. Either I am going to feed her to the sharks in the Gulf or I am going to marry her. If I decide to marry her, do I need to call and ask for permission first?"

"No, just call and tell us where and when so we can be there to celebrate."

"I can do that."

"Hey you, you haven't even told me you love me much less asked me about marriage." She slugged my shoulder.

"Hush, this is man talk." Both Carla and Emily laughed out loud.

Ray said, "I guess I ought to ask you how big of a dowry do you want to take her off my hands?"

"Daddy! Stop that."

"Oh maybe a cow. If that is too much, maybe a chicken or something."

"I am worth a lot more than a damn cow."

Tom interrupted, "Carla and I will throw in a cow each too. So that would get you started with a herd of three."

Emily whined, "Carla, can you divorce your own family?"

"Not really, but if you can convince Stuart to marry you, you can just ignore the others in your family."

She stood up and looked at me. "Stuart, will you marry me?"

"I'll have to think about it. I still have to decide if I love you."

"Fuck all of you. Am I going down river with you or not?"

"Come here." She came to me and I pulled her across my lap. "Carla, is it all right to spank the woman you love and want to marry before the ceremony?"

"Sure; Tom spanked me a number of times before we got married. Of course, I spanked him too."

I gave Emily a swat. "Yes, you can go down river with me. Yes, I love you. And yes, I want to marry you." Then I gave her four more. When I finished she jumped up and into my lap and kissed me passionately. When she finished, I said, "It is getting late. Why don't you fix dinner for all of us?"

"I already have it ready. Put the grill up. Daddy, let's go get my things from the truck." Ray stood and said that they would be back in a few minutes.

When they were gone Tom looked at me and said, "Stuart, you had a look in your eye that said that you are worried about something else besides the press chasing you down. What else is going on?"

"I can't say for sure but I have a feeling that there are invisible people who might be more bothered by my disappearance than the visible ones. When you said that I wasn't to be apprehended but to only provide a location, I got the feeling that unofficial people will be hunting me for a while. That's why I don't want to be identified with this or any other boat. I think that this is the best way to keep moving and stay anonymous."

"You might be right. Do you have any idea of who might be coming after you?"

"It could be from one or more of his serious but quiet backers. I saw some papers that I wasn't supposed to see. That is what triggered me to get out."

"What did you do with the papers?"

"I attached them to my resignation letter. In hind sight, I should have just shredded them and left."

"So he knows that you saw them but doesn't know what you will do with the information."

"That sums it up. The people involved want to keep their reputations clean even if they are manipulating things behind the scenes. That is what pissed me off most. One of the companies is based here and the others are around the Midwest. I don't know which one wrote the papers I saw but it wasn't pretty."

"Do you think they could get violent?"

"That is the one concern about Emily going along. They might. One the other hand, they are looking for one guy on the run; not a couple in love on a leisurely sail down the river."

"Do you have a place to hole up for awhile if you need to?"

"Yes, but one of them can be traced to me; the other one can't be traced."

"That's good."

Carla spoke, "Stuart, don't worry too much about Emily. She looks innocent and in some things she is, but overall, she is tough. Both Ray and Tom have worked with her on self defense, shooting, and taking care of herself. The other thing that comes to mind is that I assume that you don't have anything that can be traced to you. She has her phone and can call or take calls from us and they won't arouse any suspicion. If you need to talk to us or we need to get some information to you, that will be the cleanest way to do it until they figure out that she is with you."

Tom nodded his agreement. "Do you have weapon on you?"

"I have three in a locker I had built into the cabin. I haven't told Emily about them yet."

"Better show her how to use them, just in case. I hear a lot of things. Most of them are just useless information but sometimes something crosses my desk that means something. I'll let you know if anything comes up."

"Thanks." I got the grill out and put it in place and hooked up the propane. I would start it when Emily got back. From the top of the hill above the dock, I heard my name being called. It was Emily of course calling for me and Tom to help them carry things down to the boat. Carla excused herself to the bathroom and Tom and I made our way up to where Emily was waiting with a stack of boxes.

"Good grief, Emily; did you move out?"

"No, I just brought a few more clothes. These are the equipment I need for my class."

"Where are we going to put them?"

"Don't worry, lover. They can stay in the cockpit until I get them installed. We can trash the boxes before we leave. They won't take up too much room." We each carried two boxes down to the boat while Ray brought up the last two after he parked his truck.

When everything was on the deck, I asked, "What is all of this stuff?"

"A GPS, radar, sonar, and a laptop and plotter and some hand tools. Don't worry, I have you covered."

"You have me overwhelmed and that doesn't include the equipment."

"Keep thinking that lover. After we are married, I'll let it all hang out for you."

"You mean there is more?"

Carla returned and said, "Sure. We always keep a few surprises for our men. One of these days, I might run out of surprises to spring on Tom. By the way, Stuart, the inside of the cabin looks great. Maybe after you two get back I can get my lazy ass husband to borrow it and take me for a romantic sail up river. Come on Em, I'll help you with dinner. I think the sailor boys need some bonding time."

I offered and Ray and Tom accepted a glass of Scotch. We sat in the back of the cockpit and talked quietly. Ray began, "Don't get too bent about Emily and some of the things she says. She has been around us a long time and we are pretty open. Look at what she does and not what she says."

"I think I figured that out. I guess that my biggest problems about her have to do with our age difference and that I don't know what I am going to run into for a while."

Tom replied, "Emily has never shown much interest in guys her age. The few guys that I know she has dated at least the past couple of years have been older than she is. I think that she feeds off of their experience more than anything. As for what is coming up, facing it alone is just as hard on you as facing it with your back covered. As Carla said, she has been around us for a lot of things. We stay in shape and keep a lot of our skills sharp. She can hold her own if you are there to tell her what to do. She just hasn't had those leadership experiences that we had in the service."

"I'll remember that."

Ray added, "As for her school, I would like to see her finish college. She has an academic scholarship right now that pays the tuition and books. After that, I think she will want to go to graduate school especially if she continues her interest in Cartography. There isn't a school around here that she can get what she needs. She might have to go to the west coast for that or up in the northeast."

"I don't have a problem with any of that. I guess I would like the northwest better but that is because I don't know much about the northeast. I haven't been there."

Ray then asked quietly, "Stuart, I was on my way to look you up last week when I heard that you were missing; so I came back. I'm doing some research on the SEALs for the Navy and found some things that seem to be missing about your last mission. Can I ask you a couple of questions?"

I looked hard at him for a moment and could tell that he was serious and not just asking idle questions. I also found myself at a crossroads. Do I trust the man who is going to be my father-in-law or do I continue to hide behind my insecurities. On the whole, I felt very comfortable with all three of these people. The issue wasn't them; it was me and I knew it.

"Ray, there is a lot about the mission that I don't know. Even after the official inquiry and the roasting we took, I still don't understand a lot of things. I guess that I don't mind talking to you personally about it. The main thing is that the Navy got the official report that they wanted. Twelve of us got shafted and nothing that I can say is going to change anything. I guess that I'm not willing to officially rock the boat."

"I think that both Tom and I understand what you are feeling. We all have a few bad missions behind us that we would like to forget about. I'm not about making waves either; but believe it or not, there are people in the Navy who do care about the true story. They understand that you can't learn from official stories. They need to hear the reality even if it isn't pretty and clean."

I took a deep breath and let it out. "What do you want to know?"

"For now, I just want a little background. I have talked to several of the other members of your team and they all said that you knew more than anyone else alive. You were the senior enlisted man on the team that day, right?"

"Yes. The CO came to us from another team six months before the mission and he seemed to be pretty sharp. I liked him and we worked well together."

"You weren't with the team when the fireworks started, were you?"

"No, the CO wanted me on a hilltop nearby with the sniper rifle. I was about a hundred yards away from everyone else and about seventy five feet above them."

"Was the sniper rifle standard issue?"

"Basically yes. It was a fifty caliber, clip fed with five rounds active. The main difference was that someone came up with a light weight vide scope to mount under the barrel. Its field of view was wider than the firing scope but when the weapon was hot, it was recording what was going on at the aiming point."