Angeline's Way Read online

  Turning around, and nearly jumping out of her skin, there was Mike Morgan standing behind Angeline.

  "Hi, uh, Mike?"

  "Yes. Mike Morgan. From the Excelsior Vineyards in the valley over from you. What are you doing in Italy?"

  "Forced vacation," she said flatly. Showing her IPad she added, "but still connected!"

  "Ah, yes. On call from the Mother Ship. Those things might as well be grafted onto us the way things are these days. For me, I am here for some serious time out. The Yard is in good hands with my people. I needed some time to myself with the crap going on. Are you on the cruise ship leaving tonight?"

  "Uh, yes. All the way around Italy. It's a bucket list thing I have wanted to do forever. And it was priced right."

  "So you are alone on the trip? Or you have a cabana boy stashed away in your luggage?"

  "I'm alone. Moniqa, my assistant, couldn't make it with family obligations. Her parents are holding a rally next week and it conflicted with the trip. So she has to coordinate that along with a couple projects with the Vineyard," she said. "Otherwise she would be here whooping it up in Italy with me."

  "Well, I hope to see you onboard and have a couple drinks then," Mike said.

  The chitchat between them was limited. It's hard not to talk business when the person in front of you is a Graper like yourself. Angeline said goodbye to Mike. She did have thoughts of romance with him. What was it about him made him attractive to her?

  Then Moniqa's voice filled her mind. "When he was 18, how old were you? Jailbait?"

  Of course, the voice didn't have a face to it. So Angeline could not tell if she said it with a straight face or laughing her head off.

  Sea Day on the Adriatic

  Angeline settled into the stateroom after the drills. For such a nice casino, it already stank of the cigarette smoke on the fresh upholstery. Her sinuses were going into sick mode and now she had to get the antihistamines out of her suitcase pronto. The room itself was comfortable and large. She had her Wi-Fi, a small patio to walk out onto, and a soft bed to sleep on. She then noticed the connecting door and went into a fit of rage.

  Oh God! No! she fumed. God I'm going to suffer with frat boys at all hours of the night. Angeline took the cushions off the couch and stuffed them against the door vertically to muffle any noise. She scanned her cabin for the plugs to recharge her phone and tablet. After freshening up, she walked up to the Lido Deck to check out the food services. Pizza. Cake. Pie. Hamburgers. Fruits.

  No wonder people gain 10 pounds on cruises.

  She walked along the upper deck for the view of Trieste. The lighthouse she visited was abandoned for the city center as residents lined up to view the liner off on its voyage. The party on the lower Lido by the pool was in full swing. Cruise Director Damon was showing the participants how to dance to the music and the raucous roar of the crowd was deafening. And there HE was!

  Mike Morgan was dancing up a storm with a group of women. Angeline snapped a close up picture of him shirtless and swim trunk clad while moving to the music. Pulling it up, she looked closer at it and face-palmed herself.

  OMG. He doesn't have a tan line below the waist band.

  Angeline moved quickly across the deck and down the stairs before the ship photographer could ask her for a photograph. She had to find a private place and be sick. Between her sinuses acting up ad wanting to vomit, she stopped on a deck that was dark and foreboding. She realized that she was on the crews deck that was not yet blocked off. Angeline walked quickly so as not to be noticed and stepped onto the wing.

  She looked out across the pier at the city one more time. Her stomach settled, her head on straight and not wanting to puke Angeline clung to the railing as the cruise ship left port.

  Crying softly, she pleaded, "Please, God. Don't make me fall for Mike Morgan."

  The first night sleeping in her cabin was on the border of maddening. Dinner went well in meeting fellow cruisers. The small talk of where you from, work, and what food you going to try as well as Is this your first cruise? was not as painful as Angeline had feared. The white lie of saying I work at a small winery was enough for her to laugh off further inquiries of work to her fellow diners.

  She loved the comedy club acts that performed and the drinks that were served with real liquor. The drinks served on the other decks had little or no alcohol despite what the bartender said. She went up to Lido for the poolside movie under the stars and snuggled in a blanket on the chairs. But as she was to settling into her bed, it started.

  BOOM! SLAM! BAM!

  Angeline gritted her teeth hoping it would stop The door slamming and laughing emanated through the cushion covered door. She nearly threw a shoe at the wall but did not want to be responsible for breaking the new TV. She turned it on for the white noise and she finally fell asleep.

  Dubrovnik, Croatia

  The first stop on the cruise was the Croatian city of Dubrovnik. Angeline had hoped to kayak around the city but at the last minute the cruise line cancelled that activity. Instead, she had to endure her first bus ride with a seatmate to a farmhouse lunch. The idea of another person on the bus next to her was nerve racking with the idea of what type of person would sit next to her. Clingy or temperamental? Quiet or talkative?

  Angeline did have the sense to sip a shot of vodka to calm her nerves. The country looked wild and untamed. Bits of the Bay Area seeped in between the countryside and urban competition. For such a young country with a long history, it was exciting to see it in person. She had used the city as an example of the marathon races that happen and the tourism it brings to the area. It might not have been an ideal use of the city but it had worked.

  "Hello, Seatmate!" a female voice exclaimed to her with a big smile. The girl had the country-style blond pigtails and blue eyes that made any guy want down her panties. Her tanned brown skin with a few freckles had Angeline wonder if she had ever been out of Mayberry. The tattoo sleeve markings up and down her right arm disabused that idea.

  "Uh, hi," was all Angeline could get out of her mouth. She shook the girl's hand and said, "Angeline."

  "Jeanine Wilder. From Arizona," she said again with the big smile.

  "California."

  As Angeline though of the next line Jeanine was going to say about being neighbors, Jeanine spoke, "Feel sorry for you guys out there with it being so expensive. NOT!"

  Oh, God! Please help me to not murder this woman.

  "So," she said with a serious tone, "you want to kill me?"

  "Of course not. Why would I think such a thing?"

  " You are not a good liar so I think I can trust you. Too many creepy people in this world that I have to act stupid to gauge their stupidity. Once I get the look the I know they are okay."

  " You are a world traveler then?"

  " I get around. I have a nice business that I can take off at a time, if I want to do that. Like I said, trust is what I want in the people I am around."

  " Yeah, it is kind of hard these days. Some of the distributors I've had seem to be okay. But the minute you turn around, excuses upon excuses as to why something was not done. Some were valid but don't lie to me."

  The conversation between the two women went on for the bus ride to the farmhouse where a meal and entertainment was awaiting the tour group. Jeanine was from Tucson-area and owned a rock climbing business with her partner. Though she loved the outdoors, being on the clock days at a time wore her down. Angeline talked a bit about the vineyard and the struggles.

  They arrived at the farm thirty minutes later. Along the way, the bus stopped for the sights along the coast. They viewed the castle which was the setting for The Game of Thrones for a season. The wildlife that darted across the road. The sky was nice and blue while the mountains were lush green. Jeanine and Angeline walked over to a donkey that was penned in on a hill. They both took selfies with it behind them as the bus honked the horn to get them on it.

  The time went by with a brief tour of the farm and the inst
ruments they used. Each person guessed at what a different farm implement did. Then musicians came out and played on their guitars folk songs. The food was so pure and the wine flowed as the group ate and drank to contentment. Angeline was tempted to ask where the wine came from but decided not spoil the tour right that moment.

  God that wine was so pleasant to the taste buds. Need to drink more! Angeline smiled as the warm taste made its way down her throat.

  #

  Angeline woke up in her underwear in her cabin. The last thing she remembered was Jeanine helping her open the door. After that a total blank. Her mind raced to think what happened next as her body caught up with her senses. She hopped out of the bed and put on a robe with the fog rolling through her mind.

  Her clothes and purse were in a pile on the couch. The couch pillows were on the floor as were her ship ID card and some other things too. She opened the purse to see that the money was gone along with jewelry she purchased in Trieste. Her iPad was in the pile clothes as if it was not worth the taking. The safe was closed as she punched in her number. Nothing in there was taken.

  So much for trusting people.

  Athens, Greece

  After reporting the incident to Security, along with the picture of Jeanine, Angeline tried to get back to enjoying the cruise. She knew she probably wouldn't get the money or the jewelry returned. She did feel angry at herself for getting drunk in a foreign country and then be taken advantage of by a fellow "passenger". For a few hours she looked at every woman who came in the bar with suspicion as if Jeanine would show her face in public.

  Her email pinged from the Security office saying that the woman known as "Jeanine" was not on the ship. Her ID card said that she left the ship an hour before the final call and was not clocked back in by the portal security. The local authorities were notified but beyond that they could do nothing more for her. Since they could not upgrade her room, the email stated they would comp her for most amenities as a gesture.

  Angeline did not sleep much with her tour of the Corinthian Canal and Acropolis the next day. Excuses ran through her head as to why not to go but staying on board did not feel right. Room service had her continental breakfast at her door and she ate what she felt like at the moment. She put on her drawstring bag that included her sunblock, iPad, and other things she might need for the day and left for the tour.

  She feigned sleeping on the bus ride to the Acropolis. The guy next to her was trying to look interested in finding out who his seatmate was for the trip. Paul figured that she was tired from the same all-nighter he pulled in the casino. Not that he was a gambler but liked a bit of excitement for such an expensive cruise.

  The woman next to him "slept" for the full zigzag route to the famous monument. He was intrigued by her facial expressions and seeing her eyes as they fluttered for brief instances. Her shortened hair. Her tanned skin that looked soft enough for a pillow. The little movements of her lips pursing as though they were kissing another human.

  Paul kept smiling at himself with his observations. He wasn't a slouch. The best he could do was walk on to the football team but never made it off the bench for being a shade under six foot. His education degree didn't get him the dream teaching job he wanted either. Instead, he turned it around with the local technology company in Florida plagued with personnel and customer retention. Slowly the company turned a profit and he moved up the ranks with his ingenuity.

  The bag she was holding on her lap fell onto the floor with a crack. He reached for it as Angeline did at the same time. She then slapped his hand.

  "Layoff my stuff," she snapped.

  "I was going to pick your bag up when it fell. Nothing more," Paul said innocently.

  "Well, I've had a enough crap with people picking up my stuff."

  "Fine. Have it your way. Sheesh."

  Along with the thousands making the pilgrimage to see it, the group made its way down the block to the Acropolis. Angeline was slowly making her way out of the drudgery of the events of yesterday. She snapped like an old woman at a hot guy and her conscience started to bug her. She smiled at seeing at the three dogs lying on the warm marble sunning themselves. The groves of olive trees surrounding the ticket building above were giving her the Old World charm.

  As they passed the entrance to walk up to the ancient building, Angeline walked to the side of the path where she saw Paul standing. He was staring at the arena below and marveling at its structure. She came near to him and stretched out her hand in a peace offering.

  "I'm sorry for being a bitch on the bus. Angeline."

  "Paul. Paul Boyear. You into Greek culture?" He took her hand and kissed the top. She blushed as that was rarely done with some of the guys she had dated.

  Gentleman maybe, she thought.

  "Not really. Only the Bacchus side of it. I work for a small vineyard in California. My job is to explore new wineries or tasty grapes around the world," she said lying through her teeth.

  "Sort of a Costco talent scout thing then? But for grapes," he replied.

  "Yeah, sort of. Not that big though. Listen, I do not like to talk about business when I am having fun. Can we drop talking shop?"

  "How do you know if I am not a millionaire and secretly on a mission to wed the most beautiful wine scout in the world?"

  She smiled at his little pick up line. As they walked up the marble stairs to the top of the mount, Angeline slipped. She was distracted by his charming green eyes and muscular feel in his arms. Her hands frantically grabbed for the rail as Angeline slipped on the smooth stones. It was too late. The cut was not deep to be bleeding hard but enough for a red smile.

  "Do you have any lotion in that bag of yours?" Angeline unwrapped her bag from around her and handed it to Paul. People were still streaming by them as this medical emergency went on. He squirted some of his water onto the wound, dried it with a cloth, and wiped the lotion on her leg.

  " I don't have a band aid on me. Before we get back to the bus we can walk over to the little store and get a box. For now it will hold."

  "Thank you very much."

  "Good thing you wore your flats. Could've been worse."

  They walked with the group on the path towards the Greek monument. The breeze had the Greek flag over the cliff whipping in the wind. The hot sun was drying the stones from the previous night's rainfall. From the flat top of the mount, both were enthralled with view of the red and white rooftops of Athens.

  Korinthos, Greece

  The bus ride to the Corinth Canal was a less icy drive. Angeline explained her situation in Croatia and how it left her feeling while Paul listened. Fellow passengers were telling second hand stories of what they had read or friends experiences on similar tours. Sympathy came to Angeline as the tale of her woes circulated.

  Due to the transportation strikes that had become common in Greece, there were no trains hustling down the tracks. No state buses on the highway either. Downtown Athens was a mess with trying to leave the capital by freeway. The sights along the Greek coast were magnificent with the white sands and blue Mediterranean water. For Angeline, they were blocked out thinking of Paul as he described his employment with the tech company.

  Very intelligent. Hard worker in a rising company. Would he even want to come to California for me?

  The questions were again blocked out the time it took from Athens to the Korinthos on the Peloponnese. She did add to the conversation here and there but her mind was all over the place with him. The conversation of life continued at the little restaurant stop before going down the Canal.

  "So what is the big deal about the Canal?" she asked as the Greek salad was passed around the table.

  "Well," Paul started, "it took a couple thousand years to build beginning with Emperor Nero. Technology was not there to complete it at the time but was finished a hundred and twenty years ago."

  She allowed herself a small portion of the wine that was on the table. She was disappointed there was no label. I have to find out who makes
this!

  After the lunch, the group crossed the bridge to the dock on other side of the canal. There they were to board the small touring craft. Angeline and Paul were hand in hand as they stepped aboard and handed small slips of paper for the drinks on the boat. They sat on the benches on the second tier and marveled at the journey ahead of them.

  The boat pulled out of the dock, turned the stern out facing the open water, and proceeded towards the bridge they had crossed.

  "Now watch this!" Paul said with a exciting grin on his face. They watched the bridge slowly sink into the Canal for the them to cross into the waterway. Ten minutes later after they passed over it, the bridge slowly arose from the watery deep and the vehicles that were waiting drove across.

  "Wow! That was so cool," she said.

  "It happens at both ends of the Canal. It's fun to look above us with the bridges that cross over. The scrapes of the machinery on the walls are interesting too."

  " I love how blue the water is. The wake leaves me breathless how the color is so pure," she said clumsily.

  "It is amazing. Better than googling it. I'm surprised no one bothers to study its effects of the change over the years," he said.

  Sea Day

  Angeline woke up the next morning with the sun shining from the patio door. Her leg throbbed as she slept overnight in her cabin. She quickly checked her emails from Gabriel and Moniqa. More worried about "King" Gabriel, his were a priority to her. He must have thought she was homesick with his background of the vineyard and fields around St. Helena.

  At least he is serious about the vineyard, she thought.

  The deals she was working on were humming along perfectly. The family knew keeping the business in the family was hard work. The wine country tours and the BNB helped keep it that way. Her idea of sponsoring running and biking events was coming to fruition, according to Gabriel.

  Then she skimmed down to Moniqa's email. Angeline knew it was going to be bad when she saw the email entitled "WHO'S THE HOT BOD!" in capital letters. She looked at her email and noticed an attachment on her side of it. Somehow she must have sent the picture of Paul's shirtless body against the walls of the Canal to her.