Remember Remember (20 page)

“What type of lager is this?” she queried.

“It’s Carlsberg, any bar anywhere it always tastes the same,” he replied.

“It’s OK, nice and cool, just right.”

“Yeah,” he responded and changed the subject, “what do you think of our ship then?”

“It looks fantastic, it’s huge, how do they get it to turn around?”

He laughed at her innocent enquiry. “It doesn’t turn round, it backs out. It has bow and side thrusters so it only needs one small tug to help it and that’s only for show. So when it’s ready to go it’ll back out of here to the right then steam out of Venice to the left.”

She took another gulp of lager and enquired, “Tell me again where we go to.”

“Christ, I’ve told you twice already.”

“Yeah but I didn’t believe it then, and still don’t, I worry I’ll wake up and find it’s all a dream.”

“It’s no dream,” he replied, pointing to the ship, “that’s what you’re getting on in about one hour and this is where it’s sailing to.” He produced from his bum bag a travel envelope and passed the itinerary to her. “Tonight we’ll be in Bari, that’s on the heel of Italy. Then tomorrow we call at Katakolon in Greece. The next day we call at two islands, Santorini and Mykonos then on day four we sail into Rhodes and spend the day there. Then we go to Dubrovnik in Croatia after a day at sea and then back to Venice. Sounds marvellous, doesn’t it?”

“Wow, I’ll visit more countries in one week than I’ve been to in all my life.”

“And you’ll do it in luxury in a balcony cabin on the Tosca deck, that’s just three below the funnel.”

“Can we see our cabin from here?”

“Well, we have the cabin number but I don’t know which side of the ship it’s on. It’ll be somewhere near the back about three quarters of the way along the ship,” he declared.

Embarkation was a bore, standing, queuing, showing tickets and then finally onto the quayside, but even then there was more queuing as tight security meant all passes and hand baggage had to be inspected and screened. The entrance to the ship on deck 3 was uninteresting but they were soon 6 decks higher on the Tosca deck and following the numerous signs to their cabin.

She whistled as she entered and looked around. “Twin beds, I see you kept your promise.” He smiled, “Always the gentleman Jacky, but maybe if you ask nicely we can push them together.”

“Cheeky sod,” she called as she inspected the toilet and shower then pushed past him to open the patio door onto their balcony, “wow just look at the view, we must be 100 feet above the dock.”

“We are 9 stories high and 6 or 7 above the dock, so yes, it’s a long way down there,” he responded.

He perused the daily events sheet left on the bed and shouted to her on the balcony, “Let’s get some lunch on the promenade deck, they serve it until 5 pm and it’s all free from now on. But don’t you be filling up on the pastries, dear we don’t want your little arse bursting out of its pants do we?”

“Fuck off,” she snapped but smiled.

“He took her by the shoulders. “Jacky, please no effing and jeffing here, we’re among a different class.”

“Well you’d better stop talking about my arse then, hadn’t you?”

“Touché, now let’s eat,” he whispered.

They sat at the rear of the open air Promenade deck which would give them a superb view of Venice as the ship sailed past the city and out to sea. He ate fresh bread and fish washed down with Carlsberg. Jacky ate everything, starters cold, starters hot, fish, cold meats, roast of the day and sweets.

“It never stops coming love, you only have to wait another hour for them to serve high tea, then after that there’s the buffet dinner and a formal sit down dinner at seven. Followed of course by late night supper on the Lido deck and there’s always the twenty four hour pizzeria if you want any further snacks,” he grinned.

“OK, but just remember, this is my first experience of your different class and where I come from you always ate as much as you could, because dinner and high tea as you call it might never happen.”

“Yeah, you enjoy,” he said raising his hands and continued, “listen, can you hear that rumble, we’ve set sail. Let’s get some refills, sit here and watch the magnificence of Venice float by.”

Venice really is a stunning city and observed from 10 stories high gives an incredible vista of churches, mansions, palaces, hotels, squares, monuments, people and hundreds upon hundreds of small boats.

“What do all the small boats do?” she enquired.

“They taxi people and products, Venice is built on water therefore virtually everything has to be shipped in. So, if you want clean sheets on your hotel beds, they have to be shipped out to be cleaned and laundered and shipped back the next day to be used by the hotel. The same goes for beer, pickles, bread, anything. The canals are like our roads and rail, that’s why they are so busy, that’s why there are hundreds of boats out there.”

The Costa Victoria now sailed past St Mark’s Square and the Doge’s palace could be clearly seen. To its right on the port side appeared a magnificent church with a gold and red facia. There followed kilometre after kilometre of perhaps the most beautiful city in the world which left them speechless, but now the ship found its way into the Mediterranean proper and set sail for Bari on the heel of Italy.

“I’m going back to the cabin for a sleep love.”

“I’m going to explore first,” she exclaimed.

“Have you got your key card?”

“Yes, it’s here,” she said, waving it at him.

“Then as long as you remember the cabin number and the deck you’re OK.

“I’ll find it and I won’t disturb you, even if you want me to,” she smiled.

“OK, see you soon, have fun. Oh, by the way, the ship arrives in Bari at six pm and leaves again at ten so if you like we could go ashore at about six thirty and have a wander about before dinner.”

“That’ll be nice, see you soon.”

He watched her walk away and thought, “Nice girl, good legs, shame she’s more interested in the fucking ship than you Alan, but it may change.” He took the bed nearest the balcony having stripped to his underpants and fell asleep. The door of 1020 opened about one hour later and Jacky silently closed it behind her before lying on the second single bed. They were both awakened by a general alarm followed by a PA announcement commanding that all passengers attend a safety drill and debrief on the Promenade and Tosca deck. Shortly after this, the ship anchored at Bari and they found themselves back on dry land at 6.35 pm.

Bari is not the most spectacular of places being a very busy new town built on what seems like the American system of roads running parallel to the sea and being crisscrossed by others running East to West. The older part of Bari still retains some of the castle and its walls and this is where they found themselves a small bar; down a narrow street with houses on one side and the inner castle wall on the other.

“Why does the ship stop here?”

“I’ve no idea, perhaps the captain has a woman who lives above this bar,” he mused.

“No, I was trying to be serious,” she scolded.

“I genuinely don’t know, perhaps it’s to help the economy. Two thousand plus people coming into town must spend quite a tidy sum. It’s also a large city and therefore has the right shops if you like that designer label sort of thing,” he replied. Two pints of Lowenbrau later they set off to walk back to the ship and found themselves deeper into the old town’s quiet narrow streets.

“I don’t like this love, I think we’re lost and certainly not in the most salubrious part of town.” They passed men lounging on street corners and youths who eyed them suspiciously. Around another corner about 30 yards ahead two men stood in the street blocking their way. She took hold of Alan’s arm. He turned his head and noticed a group behind them.

“Jacky you must do exactly what I say now, don’t ask questions just do what I say. This may be OK, it may be innocent but it may not.” As he spoke they kept walking toward the two men blocking their path. “We can’t go back, there’s more behind us, we’ll have to go through these two, let go now and stay about 10 feet behind me.”

“What, why the hell…?”

“Do as I say, I can’t work with you hanging on my arm, stay ten feet behind me and run when I shout run; now let go.”

She fell back and Alan assessed the situation. The street was twelve feet wide, no wider, therefore he knew he must be fast and reiterated the words “SEE, speed, efficiency, effectiveness. Only seconds to go now,” he thought as he approached the two men.

“Excuse me gentlemen, we’d like to pass.”

”Sure you can but we need your wallet.”

Alan was now just six feet from the men and knew his instincts had been correct. He sensed Jacky behind him with the other group further back, this really would have to be fast. He stepped sideways and forward, knowing that when being attacked by more than one person you always had to move in order that only one of the attackers was ever in front of you with the other attackers behind the first.

His feet firmly on the ground, knees slightly bent, one leg forward, he let out a mighty scream and hit the first man in the chest with both palms of his hands in a slightly upward motion. The man’s feet temporarily left the ground and his whole body was propelled backward about eight feet where he came to rest, landing heavily on his backside. One second later he had spun to the second guy – SPIN second position if necessary, but he didn’t need to think it, he was now on autopilot. He dipped his hip, gathered the man’s lapel and arm and tried to throw him but the assailant’s bulk was so great he didn’t quite make it. He knew he only had seconds now or he would fail.

Jacky was screaming and he could hear the others running towards him. The assailant grabbed Alan’s shirt and laughed but Alan placed his hands on the assailants hands, dipped his head slightly to avoid facial attack, balanced his weight and kicked as hard as he could with his right foot into the assailants shin bone. The noise of the cracking bone could be heard above the scream and as the assailant fell to the ground Alan’s right knee caught him under the chin sending him back unconscious onto the ground.

“Run Jacky, run.”

They both shot past the unconscious man and avoided the first assailant who was trying to get to his feet.

“Thank god you aren’t wearing high heels,” he gasped as they found themselves back in a tourist district on the outer side of the castle walls. “Let’s keep walking now and not stop until we reach the ship, you never know if they may come looking for revenge,” he declared breathlessly.

She jogged alongside him and gasped, “We could go to the police and complain because those bastards might have killed us.”

“Well they didn’t and at least one of them has a broken leg whereas we have no injuries, so we might be seen as the bad guys. No, I think we’ll skip PC Plod and head back for dinner.”

They walked up the gangway and past Security, having shown their picture I.D. and cabin key; they then entered deck three and finally the lift up to their cabin deck. “I need a shower now, a good long soak, I’m not as fit as I used to be,” he groaned.

Fifty minutes later they were drinking in the Sports bar, she looking elegant in simple white blouse and pin striped skirt with matching top. Gold earrings, a good necklace and matching bracelet enhanced her slim figure. “Stunning love, you look bloody marvellous, I’m glad to see all that money I gave you didn’t go to waste.”

“Why thank you Masser Alan,” she replied as she bowed, dipped her head and flashed her eyes.

He shook his head, “Sit down and tell me what you’d like to drink slave woman.” She sat close next to him and put her hand on his arm. “G & T I think, oh and thanks for the compliment, it was nice.” She picked at a piece of lemon with the cocktail stick and ate the fruit from inside the peel then said, “What kind of guy are you Alan?”

“Mr Average, just boring Mr Average.”

“You weren’t average back there, those two guys never had a chance. Most people would have just handed over their money and hoped to walk away,” she declared.

“That’s what I should have done, that’s the sensible thing to do. I can always get more money, but stupid me, had to prove a point and nearly get us both killed. Sitting in this bar now, surrounded by these well dressed people makes me think that what I did was pretty stupid.”

“Not from where I’m sitting, it seems to me you knew exactly what you were doing. If not why tell me to let go of your arm.” She looked at the ceiling pushing out her lower lip and nodded her head, “And what was it you said, I can’t work with you so close. Work Alan, work,” she emphasised, “that was the word. It seems to me that you knew exactly what you were doing and that you’ve done it all before.”

“I have a past, it’s not good to look back, but I have a past which mainly involved sorting out little problems for Her Majesty’s government.”

“Problems that might involve killing the odd person I suppose?”

“Don’t go there love, it’s all in the past.”

“You seemed pretty able a few hours ago.”

“Some things are instinctive, if not a little stupid.”

“That’s the kind of instinctive stupidity that could have killed a guy in Turkey.”

“What are you, some kind of bloody detective, the Miss Marple of Costa Victoria,” he snarled , “I used to be a soldier, I know how to use myself, and I also know what’s right and wrong.”