Beneath The Surface 22

After Marrissa’s response Robert gave us a twenty minute break. Just as we were leaving the cabin the phone rang.
‘Hello. There is no body here,’ I answered.
‘Very funny,’ he said. ‘Either one of you can have another twenty minute break and then swap. It’s not too busy and you both worked hard today.’
‘We have twenty more minutes… Although one must go up and then we swap,’ I said quickly.
She understood and shook her head.
‘I have a really good idea you go and I stay here!’ I said cheekily.
‘No I better, you go…’ she said back.
We had sussed each other out and in Marrissa’s mind I still owed her for the top bunk.
When I returned to the gallery I glanced out of the window, the rain had returned. Unfortunately Robert had plans for us to make a final lap of the decks.
Whilst standing in the gallery I wrote my diary and glanced out of the window. The rain had calmed and at that precise moment Robert emerged from the darkroom with a camera. It was clearly understood what I had to do.
When I arrived on deck it hadn’t stopped raining, a few moment later Marrissa arrived.
‘Why we photograph again?’ she asked.
I shrugged.
‘He say we stay up here until leave Panama,’ she said.
Two hours outside in the rain photographing empty decks resulted in a total of fifteen pictures.
On our return I saw our takings: six hundred dollars. For all those hours of hard work I had earned a total of twenty dollars - just over one dollar per hour! Brilliant. Where was the motivation in that?
The problem with cruise ship photography is that it is commission based. That was your motivation to hassle the passengers for a photograph. In normal life people booked me and paid a handsome fee for bespoke portraiture. It was odd to say the least to actively force people to be photographed. Madness.

That evening Jose seemed more relaxed. Robert had gone for a break and Marrissa was re-arranging all the photos. Jose and I watched some of the old women dancing with the gentleman hosts.
‘They’re all at it,’ he said. ‘Dirty old buggers,’ he said in his unique accent.
‘What are they at?’ I asked.
‘Sex Felicity - sex! Some of them have offered to pay me for sex too,’ he said matter of factly.
Thank goodness I was not drinking at the time otherwise liquid would have shot out of my nose.
‘What?’
‘It has happened quite a few times, some have slipped me notes and whispered that I could make a good tip,’ he said.
‘You’re joking?’
‘No Felicity, it’s not worth joking about. They ask me to come to the room. Some even know that me and Alida are together and they still ask,’ he said.
He was so honest and matter of fact about it. I understood the old dears would notice an attractive and charming Columbian, but to ask him outright for sex. I couldn’t get over it. Where’s the theatre? You want have sex? I’ll tip you!
‘One even asked me how much I made per month, I told her and she said I could pay you enough to cover your whole contract,’ he said.
‘What she offered you a hundred dollars?’ I said with a smirk.
Jose gave me a jestful shove.
‘Have you ever considered it?’ I asked.
Jose shook his head, ‘it would be like sleeping with the batman’s joker in female form and do I want nightmares for the rest of my life?’
‘I guess not,’ I replied. ‘You could always use a paper bag with eye holes,’ I said.
‘More like a plastic bag with no holes,’ he replied.
‘Jose!’
‘You know what the waiters get propositioned all the time,’ he said.
‘Do they… You know?’
He shrugged, ‘Who knows? I don’t pay attention to such things. You do know that if you are invited to a cabin and are found inside you can be fired?’
Admittedly that was in the Sparkle essentials training. What they had failed to say was, ‘do not shag guests - even if they offer to pay you!’

That afternoon I ran into Colin in the atrium, I had met him the morning I was practicing chi gung. He too was practising Tai Chi. He was a dark haired man in his sixties. He had a wonderfully calm but professional atmosphere.
‘Hey,’ he said.
‘Good afternoon,’ I replied.
‘Ah you don’t have to be formal with me,’ he said.
‘Colin I have to formal with all the guests, remember I serve you,’ I said.
He nodded, ‘I haven’t seen you out on deck practising,’ he said.
‘Oh I have been working, plus I practice in the crew area whenever I can,’ I couldn’t tell him I wasn’t allowed.
‘Well I was going to suggest we practice together but I guess it isn’t possible,’ he said. ‘Anyway I have to admit that I am perplexed.’
‘About what?’ I asked.
‘Well what makes Felicity - Felicity?’ he asked.
‘Well I guess I am a professional photographer who practices yoga, chi kung and meditation. That is the way I release my stress and remain calm.’
‘But why are you here? It doesn’t add up,’ he said honestly.
‘I wanted to spend the English winter travelling and this opportunity came up,’ I replied.
‘I think there is more to it than that, something about you is mysterious. I have an intuition about it but I can not work it out and it is bothering me,’ he said looking flummoxed.
He was right, but I was hardly going to say I’d had a hard time splitting up with my boyfriend and that the Foreign Legion had been equally as tempting.
‘So Colin what makes Colin colin?’ I asked - the perfect distraction.
He smiled, ‘played at my own game.’
‘Colin is a retired business man who now likes to luxuriate, play golf and practice Tai Chi. He has worked hard all his life to enjoy the finer things, now that the finer things are affordable!’
‘And?’
‘And that is all. Simple, straight down the line and not mysterious at all. By the way there is something going on with you. You are not all you seem are you? A person doesn’t get to sixty and have no sense for people,’ he said with a wink.
His wife emerged from the boutique with numerous bags, ‘honey this is Felicity, the photographer who does the chi kung.’
‘Oh Colin has been talking about you,’ she said.
‘Did you buy anything nice?’
‘Two scarves, a couple of polo shirts and a sweater,’ she said looking ‘shopping’ pleased.
Colin glanced at his wife, as if asking permission. ‘Erm Felicity is there anyway you could join us for dinner?’
I shook my head sadly, ‘unfortunately there is a division between staff and guests. So as much as I would love to I am not allowed.’
Colin frowned, ‘how about asking the hotel manager?’
‘I think it’s possible, but first we would have to ask my manager,’ I replied.
Colin studied me, ‘I guess that would be where the difficulty lies. Hmm. Would you like to have dinner with us?’
‘Honestly, in ‘real life’ I would love to; but since I am staff I have to behave as staff,’ I answered.
A curious smile graced his face, , ‘I think something is beginning to add up now.’
‘Honey we have to get ready for dinner,’ said his wife.
‘It was lovely chatting with you Colin and lovely to meet …’
‘Elayne,’ he said.
With that the pair held hands and walked in the direction of the lift. In a daze I wandered back to the gallery. It was so humiliating to not be ‘allowed’ to dine with guests. Can you imagine saying that in real life? Sorry I am not allowed to have dinner with you? I am not allowed…
The rest of the evening was spent in a quiet gallery. I jotted down notes to transfer to my laptop in my cabin. Once in the cabin Marrissa climbed up to her bunk and fell asleep instantly. I quietly typed up the last part of the diary to the rhythm of Marrissa’s snores. I laid in the dark, with my curtains closed. I laid thinking about the diary; I wondered how glamorous ship life now appeared through the writings. I read back over some of the writings. It already sounded horrific, still I intended to stick to the plan and reveal the whole truth. Marrissa just farted and rolled over- I guess there had to be boundaries on the truth.
During the last hour I attempted to adjust my mind set using affirmation. I searched for positives and realised there had been some good moments. The guests were great; some had even asked for my business card. I had no problem with giving them it. Essentially I was freelance- so why not? Plus I had no allegiance to a company that lied; strangely their lies had set me free. Thoughts of the other ship sailed into my mind. Could it be worse than the symmetry? Actually it didn’t matter - if it was my last contract maybe it was a chance to push myself to the limit. How much could I take?