Where's Buster - Redux

*****

For his part, David was having a rather good day. In seven months he had made himself an expert in captaining the thirty-eight-foot Sea Ray that NOAA used to shuttle divers the five miles out to the Habitat on Conch Reef. The Sea Ray had two 306-hp 6LP-STP Yanmar diesel V-drive inboards that could whisk David, a teacher and eight students out to the reef in less than twenty minutes.

David had met the class and their instructor at 10:00 that morning. The kids were from a high school ecology club. They had come all the way down from Ransome Everglades School in Miami. NOAA is federally funded. So, it understands the PR value of those kind of expeditions, especially for students at elite private schools.

The teacher was an attractive forty-something who filled out her wetsuit in voluptuous ways. David loaded the dive gear into the lockers of the boat. Then he ran through a little orientation about the reef. The instruction was conducted down below in the luxurious cabin, which was set up as a classroom.

Once David had gone over the rules of the road and his learning objectives, he fired up the diesels and burbled his way slowly east under the Snake Creek drawbridge and out onto the open ocean headed northeast.

When he was clear of the shore, David firewalled the throttle. The deep V hull cut through the waves with a loud smacking sound. Spray flew as David pushed the engines up to 3000 RPM. He thought to himself, "I've come a long way in a short time." Meanwhile the teacher, who was lounging in the stern-well, was thinking, "What a fine-looking hunk of man. I wonder if he's married?"

Once they'd reached the Habitat, David idled up to its Life Support Buoy, which everybody at NOAA calls the LSB. The LSB isn't a mere channel maker with a seagull sitting on it. It's an integral part of the whole Aquarius system.

The LSB serves the same purpose as an old-fashioned diving support vessel. However it's permanently anchored on station above the Habitat, rather than deployed from shore for a mission. As a result, Aquarius missions are much easier to stage and maintain.

The LSB is a thirty-foot floating steel platform with fully automated underwater functionality. It has all the vital generators, compressors, and communication equipment needed to support life underwater. These systems are all linked to the Habitat below by an umbilical that conveys power, oxygen, and compressed air to the aquanauts. Needless to say, it would be impossible to live at that depth without the LSB's services.

David moored the Sea Ray to the LSB's fore and aft davits and led the dive down to the Habitat. The Habitat itself, is a school bus sized capsule sitting on a hundred-and-sixteen-ton baseplate anchored to the ocean floor.

David had arranged for Ava to conduct the actual tour since she was the scientist. Her arrival was all part of the show. Consequently, she made a dramatic appearance, in a spectacular cloud of bubbles -- out of the Habitat's wet-porch. Ava wasn't wearing a wetsuit, just a mask, weights, and fins and a single tank. With her long waist, lithe body, flowing hair, and modest bikini she looked like a sea goddess.

The group finned off through a panoply of brightly colored fish. David escorted the teacher while Ava showed the kids the reef. Ava used a whiteboard to write comments and a halogen light to point out details. David marveled at how capable his friend was. She stayed with the class to answer questions when the dive was over.

They all surfaced and tossed their gear onto the Sea Ray's overhanging swim porch. After they'd pulled themselves up the ladder and onto the boat, the teacher looked at David and Ava working closely together and thought, "That one's taken for sure."

*****

By midafternoon, Olivia had given up waiting and walked back to her room at the Hyatt. Buster stayed with the boat. He was David's dog and dogs are loyal. Olivia had spent seven lonely months wondering what had happened to her husband. She had always been the only woman in his life -- in truth, his only friend. He had told her that over-and-over. So, what had changed?

Olivia admitted that she might have been a little bit selfish by insisting on her weekend out of time. But David had always given her what she wanted. Furthermore, David had been selfish too. He'd spent their baby fund on a boat. Even worse, he had left her by herself without any idea where he'd gone.

Olivia had missed David. But she was a beautiful woman. She knew she would find him and was confident that she could win him back. Luckily, GE legal had its own investigative resources and to his credit, David hadn't even tried to hide. But it had still taken a half-year to track him down in Key West.

Doug'd learned through the GE grapevine that Olivia was on her own. That was terrific news for him. Olivia had gotten to Doug in a way that none of his earlier conquests had. Most women enjoyed sex. But Olivia was consumed by it. He would constantly replay the moans, cries, and the sweaty feel of her writhing body as she came over-and-over underneath him.

Doug had recovered from his beating. So, he invited Olivia to the City for a repeat of their weekend together. Olivia had been tempted, and her resolve started to melt as the months wore on. But she knew that it would be a long and slippery slope if she succumbed to Doug's cajolery again.

Olivia took a little nap and then walked back to the Marina. Buster was still the boat's only occupant. It was well past dinner time. So, she decided to eat. As Olivia strolled back toward the center of old town, she noted that Sloppy Joe's was rocking. The doors were back, and the interior was open to the street. There was a guy with a guitar singing Jimmy Buffet songs, and everybody was having a good old time.

Olivia didn't want to be surrounded by happy people and she was nervous about her upcoming confrontation with David. There was another bar further down, past the intersection of Greene and Duval. It had a sign with a big fish on top that said, "Captain Tony's." Olivia was sure that little place would be quieter. So, she walked the half block down to it.

The doors were open there too, making the sidewalk part of the room. There were people inside enjoying the early evening. It resembled the after-work crowd from back home. The rafters were festooned with dollar bills, postcards and even odder, bras!! But that wasn't the thing that caught Olivia's eye. It was the sight of her husband sitting at the bar in cheerful conversation with a stunning woman!!

Olivia had to take a second to process what she saw. It was astonishing, really. She knew it was David. But he was so different. Her boring old husband looked like a beach boy now, or maybe a pirate, tall, tan, and vigorous.

David was much leaner than Olivia remembered, bronzed from the sun and his hair had bleached to almost white. The woman with him was maybe five-seven, lithe and athletic, with a gorgeous oval face and a waterfall of long smooth dark hair. She had the same deep-water tan that David had.

They were engrossed in conversation, clearly into each other. That sight buried Olivia under an avalanche of anguish. She just stood there with her mouth hanging open staring at them. How could things have changed so much in a mere seven months?

The woman glanced in Olivia's direction and noticed the expression on her face. She said something to David, and he turned to look at her. Olivia's flight-or-fight reflex kicked in. But David had already jumped off the stool and was running toward her.

He grinned and said seemingly delighted, "Olivia, I'm so glad to see you!" That was promising. Except he added, "I assume that you're here to settle the divorce." Her heart sank.

David didn't notice Olivia's reaction. Instead he said, "Come here, there's somebody I want you to meet." Olivia's heart sank even farther. Her naive husband might have missed it. But that new woman had staked him out and she was not happy to see a rival appear.

Men just don't understand how women are cats. Their confrontations might be slyer and more complex. But females offset whatever they lack in brute strength, with sheer ferocity. And the new woman was flexing her claws in preparation for making the fur fly.

She gave Olivia a speculative glance as David said happily, "Ava, this is Olivia, my wife."

Ava smiled murder at Olivia and said, "It's a pleasure to meet you. I've heard a lot about you from David." Ava's tone told Olivia that she was giving her about ten seconds to vacate the premises.

Olivia returned a cordial smile that said, "RIGHT BACK AT YOU SWEETHEART!"

David was babbling, "How have you been Olivia? How'd you find me?"

Both women looked at David like they wished that he would just shut-the-fuck-up so they could get down to the hair pulling and rolling around on the floor part.

Cluelessly, Dave continued with, "We need to catch up!! Why don't we take this back to the boat? We have a lot to talk about."

Olivia was still getting over the fact that her hopes and dreams had vanished in a few fateful seconds. She was honest enough to think, "I wonder if that was how David felt when I told him about Doug?"

But Olivia was a lawyer, used to keeping her cool in court. So, she had sufficient canniness to smile brilliantly and say, "That sounds like a great idea. Where's your boat." Olivia didn't think that Buster would rat her out because she wasn't aware that Buster could do that, which goes to show you what Olivia knew about dogs.

Ava said with venom dripping off her fangs, "I think I'll take a pass." Then she added with pointed emphasis, "You two probably have a lot to work out regarding your divorce."

David said happily, "No worries."

Now BOTH women wanted to kill him; Olivia for just assuming that their divorce was a faite-accompli and Ava for him being so blithely clueless.

Still, it was hard to blame David. He'd loved Olivia for most of his adult life. The fact that he was happy to see her didn't imply anything other than the fact that he was a nice guy. It didn't mean that he expected them to get back together. In his mind, that ship had sailed the minute he and Buster had cast off from the Albany Marina dock. He just didn't see why he should act like an asshole about it.

David and Olivia had led a happy and fulfilling life prior to their separation, and they'd shared a lot of good times. That is, before she went off the rails. The pain of Olivia's betrayal had been tempered by the months that they'd been apart. So why not be cordial?

Ava was disgusted with David's ingenuousness. She turned and stalked toward the Custom House dock, where she berthed the Zodiac RIB that she used to commute to Sunset Key. As she walked, she called back angrily, "We've got an event tomorrow. Be there early so we can prepare."

David thought, "What's wrong with her?!!" Olivia already knew.

Buster had his face buried in his food bowl when David and Olivia arrived at the boat. So, he didn't give up Olivia's secret. David proudly showed her around. He said, "Can I get you a glass of Merlot? We can sit and talk here in the cabin."

Olivia sat. The Marina was brightly lit. There was cheerful Latin music emanating from a few of the other boats and she could hear the excited sounds of the tourists wandering old town in the balmy tropical evening.

She contrasted the idyllic setting with their cold home in upstate New York, and it depressed her. David would never want to leave this place. But she had to try. Her opening gambit was, "I see you have a new job. What do you do down here?"

David said with pride, "I'm an Education Specialist with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, at the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary. I work in reef ecology with Ava Martinez. She's the actual marine biologist."

He added enthusiastically, "I'm at the Sanctuary Building over on the west side of the island. Ava works out of Aquarius Support Base on Islamorada. She's a full-fledged aquanaut, you know. She's done whole weeklong research missions isolated in the Aquarius Habitat, which is sixty-two feet underwater."

Olivia thought, "Okay, so the bitch is Wonder Woman!!" Her husband's fulsome praise was picking at her last nerve.

The two of them were sitting on opposite sides of the banquette, facing each other at the galley table. Olivia forced herself to be calm as she said, "I came to talk about us getting back together. We had a wonderful marriage, and we can still have that. I know that what I did was hurtful and I'm sorry. It's just that I never anticipated that my actions would cause this."

David's expression darkened. This wasn't what he'd expected from her. He said, "You were the only person I'd ever even been close to -- my only friend. I didn't regret that my world was limited to you. Since you were all I ever wanted. I just can't understand why you needed to expand yours."

Olivia said guardedly, "It was simple curiosity. I wanted to find out what another man was like. I knew that I was only giving him my body, not my heart. You had nothing to fear in terms of my love. I just assumed that I would return on Sunday and we'd pick up right where we left off."

For the first time David seemed upset. He said, "That's nonsense Olivia, sex is one thing; marital fidelity is something else entirely. Everybody likes sex. That's the reason why it's so easy to justify. But when you clicked on, "I accept," at the bottom of our lifetime EULA you pledged absolute loyalty.

He added, "Sex is the ultimate physical connection. You are literally joined with another human being. The commitment to reserve your intimacy solely for your spouse is the glue that binds two people together. Hence, introducing a third party into the marriage is faithless by definition."

Olivia was astonished. She'd just assumed that all she would have to do was admit her transgression, apologize, and David would jump at the chance to get back together. But David had really thought this through. Now she realized that it was going to take a bit more persuasion.

David was still talking. He said, "Realistically, the pledge to limit your sexual favors DOES fly in the face of human nature. It's why the promise of fidelity is a test. Strong people can pass it. Weak people can't." He paused and added, "So, your weekend might have meant nothing to you. But as far as I was concerned, even thinking about it was a betrayal and acting on it was outright treachery."

Olivia began to blubber, "It was only the one time. I've been faithful to you ever since, even after you ghosted me. Aren't people entitled to one stupid mistake?"

Olivia's unexpected arrival had ripped off the scab. David said, "Look Olivia - A man's self-respect is founded on the belief that his mate CHOOSES to devote her intimacy only to him - and him alone. It's fundamental to our self-concept. That's the reason why cheating is so atavistically threatening to men."

David's voice got harsher, "My initial reaction was rage and self-pity. I suppose that's natural. Even though I knew that I was the only person who was actually feeling sorry for myself. Then I grew up a bit, did a lot of thinking - made some choices."

David continued unemotionally, "Prior to your seduction..." Olivia began to protest but he bulldozed past her, "And it was indeed a seduction... I'd subjugated my dreams to your aspirations. When I saw what that got me, I decided to take ownership of my life."

Then he paused and added meaningfully, "So, my first step was to move on from you."

Olivia was stunned. David had questioned his love for her in the note he'd left. Maybe he actually meant it. He concluded with, "The key to my rescue plan was this new job. The other part involved this boat. It's beautiful here and I'm happy. I'll never leave."

He added sincerely, "So, you are wasting your time if you think I would be willing to reconcile. It cost me a lot of sleepless nights. But I've moved on from you. Our marriage is over. All that's required is the legal handwaving. Since that's your bailiwick I assume you can handle it for us."

Olivia finally understood how gravely David viewed her transgression. But one battle does not make a war. She was a lawyer. She was the one who helped people see things her way. Her tears were real. But she put a little extra energy into them just to make her point.

She said, "I can't accept that it's over David. I'll do whatever it takes to restore your faith in me. Just give me a chance. If you won't come home, at least let me stay here to try to convince you."

David said, "There's no room for you on this boat. But I suppose I can't stop you from staying in Key West."

Olivia smiled to herself. She had planned that all along. She had taken a leave of absence from GE for the duration. The Hyatt would be expensive. But she thought that two weeks would be sufficient and Key West WAS paradise.

Olivia stood to leave. David stood with her. She stepped into him and put her arms around his neck. She purred seductively, "Maybe we could have a little nightcap. It's been seven months since either of us has had sex."

David looked at her unbelieving and said, "Are you telling me that you haven't been with anybody since I left? What about Doug?"

Olivia was waiting for David to walk into THAT beartrap. She said, "I promised that I would be faithful to you after that one weekend and I've kept my promise."

David looked non-plussed. Olivia added mischievously, "Have you been faithful to me?" That was no gamble. Olivia could guess the answer. David was too much of a Boy Scout to step over the line, even with a woman as attractive as the new one.

He blushed and said, "Of course I have!! The job is the only thing I've thought about since I've been down here. Ava is a colleague and friend. I work with her. I would never think of crossing the line with somebody who I'd be forced to see every day."

Olivia impulsively reached up and grabbed the back of David's head. She planted an open mouth kiss on him. They kissed with the same familiar passion. Then David broke it. He stepped back with a, "Get thee behind me Satan" look on his face and spluttered. "That isn't a very good idea."

Olivia said flirtatiously, "Why not? We're married."

David said firmly, "You know as well as I do that sex would complicate our process of separating. Maybe that's why you're doing it. I don't know. What I DO know is that we are finished as husband and wife. I will never be able to get past the cold-blooded way you willfully walked out the door to fuck another man."

Olivia said heatedly, "That's just your male ego talking David. I shared myself with one other man just once. He was no better or worse than you are, and I chose to return to you."

David said calmly, "I know SOME men get a perverted thrill out of being humiliated. But in my mind a wife's desire to share herself is a narcissistic form of sadism and a husband's willingness to allow it is the textbook definition of obsessive masochism."

He added harshly, "It's a fetish. And since I'm not the Marquis De Sade, a woman who expects me to sanction her sharing herself is unworthy of my respect, or my love."

That hit Olivia hard. She had simply assumed that David would forgive her. Naturally, she expected to make a few contrite assurances. But she could see no valid reason why David would reject her. They had been together a long time. Now, he had just given her a doozy and she had to regroup.

So instead of pressing the issue of sex, she said, "I'm sorry you see it that way. Nevertheless, I am going to win back your love and respect. We can be happy together again, you'll see."

*****

The following day was the annual Reef Conservation bash in the Eco-Discovery Center. David was tied up conducting the instructional tours, while Ava served as the aquanaut representative at the Aquarius Habitat mockup.