Salvage

The seas had been rough that morning, the storm was definitely coming towards the wreck site, and diving in such currents had taken it out of Hector, Caspian and Jack. They’d had to put extra chains and lines on the work barge when they towed her in, a wave or two breaking over the wheelhouse of the Z-Tech Tug, but such always lit a fire within Hector and put a smile on his face. The Pearl was as secured as they could make her, the only thing they could do now as they headed into Nassau Harbor was cross their fingers and pray that Calypso would be kind.

Hector stood in the galley now, showered and in his favorite Clapton concert T-shirt and baggy cargo shorts, a cup of cold coffee in his hand, he was tired, but felt the satisfaction that always came at the end of a hard day’s work. The only thing dampening his spirits was the blasted microwave, with all its many buttons, each one making a promise of “cook” or “time cook” or “defrost” or “frozen vegetable” or “pizza”…why could one not simply say “heat up the coffee left from this morning?”

“Lizabeth!” He called to her where she was in the living room, remembering too late that she was balancing on a ladder, struggling to hang a wreath nice and centered over the gas log fireplace. Her tone of voice spoke of her annoyance at being bothered instead of assisted.

“I’m a little busy at the moment!”

Well, he’d bothered her; he might as well get his answer now and not make it for nothing. “How do I make this contraption give me hot coffee?”

Elizabeth ground out a frustrated groan. “Honestly Hector, why is it that you could work the digital controls of the Manitowoc 4000-W blindfolded, and yet the microwave continues to elude you?”

“Why can’t yeh just answer me question?”

Elizabeth exhaled sharply, and though Hector couldn’t see her, he knew her hands were on her hips and she was scowling into the kitchen at him. “Do you see the handle on the door?”

“Aye.”

“First, wrap your fingers around that and pull!”

“I know how to open the bloody damned thing! Tell me what the magic code of buttons is to get it to serve a purpose!” Hector bellowed, but just then a new voice was heard as someone rounded the corner into the kitchen.

“I’ll show him, mom.” Quinsy half laughed. “I’ve been meaning to have a chat with daddy anyway.” She added, and gave her mother a nod that made Elizabeth smile. She only hoped her father would be smiling after she talked to him.

“Oh, don’t yeh be raining down on me about this contemptible appliance too.” Hector warned as Quinsy slipped the mug of coffee from his and hand put in the microwave, effortlessly hitting one button, turning the center dial and then pushing it in and hitting start.

She smiled. “Why don’t you just make fresh coffee, dad? It takes less than ten minutes.”

Hector looked over at the coffee maker with all its many buttons. “Because like yer mother, that machine is incapable of giving yeh straightforward instructions as well.”

“You keep talking and I will give you something straight and forward!” Threatened Elizabeth, but it only made Hector chuckle and Quinsy rolled her eyes.

The bell went off and Quinn retrieved her father’s coffee, taking a seat at the kitchen table, Hector doing the same as she handed him his mug. “How’s the arm?”

“Better than before, dare I say.”

“Hmm, must be that Bowflex!” Quinsy smirked; her father just shook his head at her. “Anyway, I was hoping I could talk to you, daddy.”

“You know you can always talk to me, Treasure.” Hector smiled, reaching across and taking his daughter’s hand. “Have had some of the best conversations ever with me daughter, and on any given day, there’s no one I’d rather talk to more.”

“Thank you, daddy.” Quinsy smiled, no matter how old she got, her father was always able to make her feel like his little girl, in the most wonderful of ways. Oh, but this was not going to be easy…he wouldn’t take it well, would be heartbroken! “But, I just hope that I never say anything that upsets you, or hurts you, and if I ever do, please know that I didn’t intend to, because I love you, daddy, and I always will, so please remember that, okay?”

“I’d never forget that, me treasure!” Hector smiled. “Knew from the moment yer mother put yeh in me arms that we’d always love each other!” He paused, still smiling, and Quinn tried to speak, but Hector was now lost in the pleasantness of the past. “Wanted to name yeh ‘Treasure,’ yeh know. It was her that wouldn’t let me.” He said and indicated Elizabeth with a tilt of his head.

“Sounds like a horse’s name!” Came Elizabeth’s response. “And you were so accustomed to us having sons, that when I put her in your arms and told you we had a daughter, you looked at me and said, ‘a what?’” She added with a fond laugh.

Quinsy laughed though she’d meant to remain serious, but maybe her father was done with the reminiscing now? She hoped he was, it sure didn’t make this talk very easy to have, and was now making her begin to feel like a bad daughter for falling in love and getting engaged. “I know, daddy, you’ve told me several times,” she smiled. “And I’ve something to tell you—“

But Hector still wore that nostalgic smile. “Knew the world would be a tougher place for yeh than it is for yer brothers,” he said. “Even now in this day and age it is, and that’s why I was so grateful yeh’d have yer mother’s example to follow.” He set his mug down and reached out to take Quinsy’s other hand. “And you’ve grown into a strong, capable, intelligent, beautiful woman, Quinn, and I’m lucky to have yeh in me life. Don’t rightly know how yeh turned out as good as yeh are with me as yer father, but I’ve known one thing ever since the very first time our eyes met; I’m never going to let yeh down, and I’m never letting anyone hurt yeh, and I’ll be damned before I’d let yeh go through life not knowing how to take charge of it all, because yer me girl, me daughter, and the only one I’ve got.”

The tiniest sound of a splatter on the glass table top startled Quinsy and she realized she was crying. Without thinking she got up from her chair and went over to hug her father, the tears of course increasing when he hugged her back, kissing the top of her head. Oh this was wonderful, and yet, so awful. She couldn’t tell him, she just couldn’t. Not now. He was definitely not ready for her to be married, maybe she could push back the date she’d set, for a year, maybe two? Her father pulled her tighter and whispered again how precious she was. Maybe push that date back ten years?

“Didn’t mean to make yeh cry, girl.” He said, letting go of her and plucking a napkin from the holder and handing it to her. “Go on, yeh’d something yeh wanted to tell me?”

Yes, she had, once, but no longer. Quinsy stopped dabbing at her eyes and threw her arms around his neck and hugged him again. “I love you, daddy! I really really do!”

“Was that it?” Hector teased, hugging her again so much that he lifted her off the ground this time.

“Well, no.” Quinsy stammered as he set her down again, trying to come up with something, anything now. “My friend Lonna,” she began, had hoped to now be telling her parents of the wedding plans, how Lonna would be the Maid of Honor, but now was not the time. “My friend Lonna from school is coming to visit again in a few weeks, I just wanted to tell you.”

“Lonna…” Hector tried to put a face with the name, but he was distracted by how strange this all was. He knew Quinsy had changed her course; this was not whatever it was she’d meant to tell him. “Lonna? Pretty girl, golden hair? Plays the viola?”

Quinsy smiled as she wiped at her eyes. “Yes, see? You remember her because she thinks you’re hot!” She laughed, calming down now. “That’s all I heard out of her when she was here last time: ‘Your dad is so awesomely hot! He just knows how to do everything, and he’s a musician, too! Your step mom is soooo lucky! He is soooo hot! Your step mom is cool, and I love her, but if your dad and her ever split up, you will tell me, right?’”

Hector couldn’t help chuckling and he shrugged humbly, but his smile was none such. “Well, we’ll take her out to Stuart’s Cove, go diving, and I’ll SCUBA certify her this time out. Sound good?”

Quinsy laughed, remembering the googly eyed looks on Lonna’s face that had been produced by seeing the Dive Master in his skin tight wetsuit before he bought a Bowflex. “I don’t think she’d complain.”

Quinsy was actually impressed that her friend had managed to remain conscious that day at all, that evening had rounded out with the girls being daring enough to get on stage at Tia’s; Quinsy with her flute, Lonna with her viola, playing their well practiced Beethoven to the somewhat shocked room. And then they were shocked by the addition of an acoustic guitar, and turned to see none other than Quinsy’s father, expertly converting notes into chords, and making their duet into a trio. Quinsy saw Lonna swoon, actually swoon, and she burst out laughing.

His daughter was smiling and laughing once more, but Hector was not convinced. “Quinn, are yeh sure that’s what yeh wanted me to know?”

She sighed and nervously pushed her dark blond hair behind her ear. “Yes,” she said, looking away for a moment. “At least, for now, okay?”

That only made him more concerned. “Quinsy, is something wrong?”

“No!” She gasped, afraid now that she’d left that impression, and could hear her mother hurrying into the kitchen as well. “It’s nothing bad, daddy. I’m okay. We’re all going to be okay.”

“She’s right, Hector,” assured Elizabeth, slipping her arm around his waist and trying to sound calmer than she was. “Just don’t worry about it right now. Quinsy, why don’t you go see if Cass or Jack could help you find the boxes or ornaments in the hold?”

“Good idea, mom!” Quinsy answered, then stood up on her tip toes to kiss her father’s cheek. “Really, daddy, it’s nothing bad. And remember, I love you!” And at that, she was off.

Now Hector looked down at his wife who was obviously in on whatever it was. “Something’s wrong!”

“No!” Insisted Elizabeth through a genuine smile. “It isn’t, something’s right, she just wants to surprise you, and now isn’t the time.”

“Then why does it feel like something’s wrong?”

There wasn’t going to be any convincing him, Elizabeth could tell. Perhaps he could be distracted though. “You know,” she smiled up at him, giving him a peck on the lips that slowly turned into something more deliberate and deeper. “Quinsy’s friend is right, you are pretty hot!”

“Elizabeth, I’m not Jack. Don’t think yeh’ll be kissing me and have me forget me surroundings and what’s occurring.” Hector stepped out of her grasp and went to see if Quinn was still in the living room, but of course she wasn’t. “Something’s the matter, and with me daughter! And I’m not going to forget about it until someone tells me or someone’s dead because of it!”

“Oh, Hector, please, don’t do this!” Elizabeth sighed. “Trust me, Quinsy is fine, no one is bothering her or hurting her, it’s nothing like that.”

“Why won’t she tell me then?”

“Because,” this was not the wisest thing to say, but it was the truth. “She’s protecting you, Hector. After all that heartfelt talk you poured out to her, she has to.”

That was not what he’d expected to hear, and for a moment Hector felt his heart flash ice cold. “Quinsy has a problem with me?” He asked with immeasurable defeat in his voice.

Elizabeth felt tears in her eyes, she knew what his daughter meant to him, and she couldn’t bear the thought that Hector might believe Quinsy was acting so strangely because she was not happy with him. “No,” quickly Elizabeth went to his side and hugged him. “She loves you, Hector. And she’d be very upset if she’d heard you just say that too, so please stop thinking that.”

His frustration, worry and concerns had finally built into a roar. “What the hell is it then?”

Elizabeth wiped at a few tears that had formed but didn’t fall, then lay her head against his chest, taking a moment to snuggle close to him before proceeding, so grateful when Hector put his arms around her and kissed her forehead. She smiled and looked up at him. “I need you to settle down, can you do that?”

“But—“

“No! No ‘buts,’ this isn’t a bad thing and there is nothing wrong, just promise me you’ll relax and be patient.”

Hector sighed. “Fine.” Then he huffed, voice drawing a bit wrathful again. “But someone had better be giving me some bloody news shortly!”

“Fine,” agreed Elizabeth, smoothing his hair and trying to soothe him once more. “But Quinsy wants to be who gives it to you, it’s her news, and you can’t rush her to tell you, and you will not sulk and scheme around this ship until she does. Will you acquiesce, Captain?”

Hector still growled, but sighed again and let the tenseness drop from his muscles. “Don’t appear I’ve too much other choice.”

“No, you don’t actually.” Elizabeth hid her smile, and raised herself up to kiss him again. “I really really love you too, by the way.”

“A fine thing, being as how I’m stuck with yeh forever.” Answered Hector dryly, but leaned down and kissed her again as she laughed, letting his hands drop lower than her waist, teasing her lips to part with the tip of his tongue, but just when Elizabeth did open her mouth, he pulled away, turned around and began to walk off.

“Where are you going?” Elizabeth sighed, expecting another tirade might start.

Hector smiled, turning to head up the corridor. “Yeh did say I was ‘hot,’ didn’t yeh?” He smirked with raised eyebrows, and then disappeared into their room, waiting for her to follow.