Smooth Sailing (30 page)

“It’s okay.” She petted her cheek, trying to maintain eye contact. “I won’t have to work nearly as hard as I have been. And there are dozens of places to see that would keep you busy all day.”

Her answer was obvious before she said a word. Kaatje often didn’t say everything that was on her mind, but sometimes her expression did. “No. I can’t stay here for three months. Besides going broke, I need my quiet time. The ocean nurtures me.” She looked into Laurie’s eyes as if begging for understanding. “That’s who I am. Amsterdam wires me up, St. Maarten calms me down. Osaka has wired me up pretty fast, but not in a good way. I don’t have friends or family or any of the homey things that sustain me.”

“Could you stay just for a while?” If there was a chance, she’d gladly beg.

Kaatje took her hand and gazed into her eyes for a few minutes. There was no way this was going to be a good talk. Kaatje looked like she was going to lower the boom, and no one could have blamed her.

Laurie started shaking like a dry leaf in a strong wind. Kaatje’s voice was soft, but determined. “I’ll go back to work. I’d much rather be with you, but I’d go crazy being alone in a country where I don’t know anyone and can’t speak the language.”

“Cherry blossoms?” That was not the home run she was trying to think of, but it was all that came to mind. “Osaka’s kinda like Amsterdam. There are rivers everywhere, and when the cherry blossoms bloom there would be amazing pictures you could take.”

Kaatje looked like she was trying to figure out a way to say “yes.” Her eyes twitched just a millimeter from left to right. “Don’t they bloom in the spring?”

“Isn’t it spring?”

“No, Moppie. It’s June.”

“Right, I knew that. I know! Someone was talking about the Tenjin Matsuri Festival. It’s a very big deal. I’m not sure what it is, but they said they have great fireworks. It sounded like it’d be great to shoot.”

Kaatje looked contemplative. “If it’s in a couple of weeks, I should be able to stay busy. But that’s about my limit.”

“But what about the future? What will happen when I’m free?”

“Then we have to make some decisions.” That was not a news flash, but Kaatje didn’t add a word. It was like she was tossing a grenade at Laurie.

“Did you like LA at all?”

“I could live there. I went down to Huntington Beach and got to surf waves that were better than any I’d ever ridden. And if I could run my business out of Marina del Rey, I’d be content to just see you at night. You’re worth an awful lot of sacrifice, Laurie.” She held her by the shoulders. “I hope you know that.”

“But,” she said, her lip quivering.

“But I did a lot of research when I was there, and it looks like it would be impossible for me to get permission to live and work in America. Unless I read things incorrectly, the only way we can be together is if you move to Holland or St. Maarten.”

Stunning. She was willing to give up what she loved and live in Holland full time. Who wouldn’t love this woman? Kaatje fixed her with those beautiful blue eyes. She desperately wanted to say she’d throw everything away to go sail on Kaatje’s boat. But that wasn’t true. It might be true next week, or next month, but making a decision like that right now was beyond impossible. For Kaatje to even ask that meant she still didn’t understand the true meaning of exhausted. “I want to say I’ll drop everything and go. But I need a few months to decompress and think. I’m not sure what day it is, other than open plus five.” She slapped the side of her head with her open hand. “Who talks like that?”

“You do.” Kaatje kissed the top of her head. “You’ve been thoroughly indoctrinated.”

“That’s for sure. I can’t make any decisions until I’ve gotten some sleep. I honestly don’t feel like myself any more, Kaatje. Do you understand?”

“I do. You’ve been sleep deprived for months. That screws you up.”

“It does. I’m screwed up. But once I rest, we can figure this out. There’s a way through this that will make us both happy.”

Looking heartsick, Kaatje leveled her gaze and said, “What if we can’t?”

“We will. I just opened a multi-billion dollar theme park on a different continent. Practically by myself. We can figure this out too.” Her exhaustion might have made her promise or say anything.

Kaatje took her hand and led her to the bed. After undressing, she held her close under the fluffy duvet. “Let’s sleep a little right now. Just close your eyes and listen to my heart beat.”

Laurie heard three beats. Then nothing.

LATER THAT EVENING they had a fantastic dinner and managed to find a sake they both enjoyed. They were sitting there, digesting their meal when Laurie asked, “How would you like to go to work with me tomorrow?”

“How do I do that?”

“If you want to, I’d like to have you with me for a day. I could show you the park close-up. I think you’d enjoy it.”

Kaatje smiled warmly, showing her teeth. “I’d love to be with you for a whole day. Won’t your bosses think it’s a little funny?”

“They all went back to LA today. I’m in charge until I pack up and head home.” She picked up both arms and held them over her head for a moment. “I’m king of the forest. Bears live in the forest, right?”

*

The alarm buzzed loudly, waking them at six. Laurie lay there for a moment, trying to get her bearings. It was Monday, and Kaatje was coming to work with her. With a surprising amount of energy, she leaned over and kissed Kaatje’s still face. “Wake up, sleepyhead.”

Kaatje let out a grunt of acknowledgment and Laurie went to start the shower. When she was blow drying her hair, Kaatje stumbled into the bathroom and wrapped her arms around Laurie’s bare body. Laurie stroked her back and kissed her sleepy face. “Too tired? You can come over later if you want.”

“No, I can do it. It just seems really, really early.” She went into the shower and stood there with the hot water hitting her right in her upturned face.

*

Kaatje wasn’t as fast as she should have been and they got to the park later than Laurie planned. Laurie flashed her pass, then spent some time getting Kaatje set up with an all-access visitor’s pass. It was almost seven, but there was no way she was going to be late. Especially when she was bringing her girlfriend. As they walked down the deserted main street, she started to pick up the pace and by the time they reached the Bee Hive, they were practically at a jog. Laurie took a quick look at her watch as they walked into the conference room. Seven on the dot.

Five people had obviously just arrived. They were all opening up their laptops and had been chatting companionably. But all conversation stopped when Laurie entered. It wasn’t a sense of power that filled her when that happened. It was a sign of respect, and she liked that more than she would have admitted. “Good morning, everyone. This is my…” She didn’t know how to introduce Kaatje. There were many terms, but none of them were perfect. Especially for her staff. She took the easy way out and ignored using a title. “This is Kaatje Hoogeboom. She’s going to shadow us today. Kaatje, this is Hiroshi Oh, the manager of the park, Toshi Yakamoto, his assistant, Tim Holmes, head ride engineer, Reiko Ishii, head of food and beverage, Seiji Okada, head of security, Kunio Miura, head of maintenance, and Eichi Maeda, head of entertainment.” The door opened and two Americans entered, both looking nervous. “Glad you could join us,” Laurie said, with a smile that bordered on sarcastic.

“No excuses,” the man said, holding up a hand as he scampered to put his laptop on the table and power it up.

“This is the late Aaron Rosenberg and Andrea Fields. Aaron’s my lieutenant and Andrea is Aaron’s lieutenant.” She put her hand on Kaatje’s shoulder. “You both met Kaatje in LA. She’s going to shadow us today. Everybody ready?”

Everyone made some sort of affirmative response and Laurie launched into her agenda. She went to a huge white board with writing covering two thirds of it and put a marker on the blank section. “Let’s make our list of action items. I assume everyone agrees that the queues at security are much too long. We’ve got to reduce that waiting time today.” Her eyes scanned every person. “No excuses.”

She wrote “security line” on the board and put a big number one next to it. Going down the list, she moved through the items already on the board, erasing some and transferring the others onto the new list—with different numbers next to them.

When the list was finished she looked out at the group and said, “If your initials are next to an item, I’ll want a status report when I get to the attraction. I want that from you, not a subordinate.” She lowered her voice to make sure everyone was paying attention. “I will not accept any excuses for not knowing the status.” Every head nodded, including Kaatje’s, which almost made Laurie spit.

It was quarter of eight when someone knocked and entered. A young Japanese woman pushed a cart into the room. “Michiko, good to see you. Okay. Let’s get some food and get going.” Everyone went to the cart and started to pour coffee or tea into paper cups. Laurie scanned the repast, looking past the miso soup and pickles and grabbing a bagel.

After everyone had something Laurie said, “Michiko, will you copy everything from the whiteboards onto your tablet? Then we’ll get rolling. We’re going to go through the park, starting at the hotel.” Turning to address the group, she added, “I assume you’ll all be ready to meet when we get to your area. Don’t keep us waiting, okay? We’ve got a lot of ground to cover.” She pointed a finger at Aaron. “Stick with me today. Andrea, you follow Hiroshi. Everybody clear?”

Seven heads nodded. “Okay. We’re off!”

*

They went outside and got into a four-seat golf cart. “Will you drive?” Laurie asked Aaron. He and Michiko got in the front, and Laurie and Kaatje hopped into the back. “Head to the main hotel. They got a few complaints about hot water.”

“You’re like the king,” Kaatje whispered into Laurie’s ear when the electric cart took off.

“I
am
the king. Until we turn this place over to Hiroshi, I’m in charge.”

“I don’t think anyone doubts that.” Kaatje’s grin was playful, and Laurie got a distinct thrill from seeing her job through Kaatje’s eyes.

As they arrived at the hotel, Laurie jumped out while the cart was still moving. The lobby was filled with guests, most of them hovering around the concierge desks. Laurie stopped for a second, saying to Michiko, “Make a note to have someone clock how long it takes to speak to a concierge. Fifteen minutes is the max we should ever allow.”

“Right,” she said, tapping the note onto her tablet computer.

They found the head of the hotel, the chief engineer, and the chief plumber waiting for them. Only the hotel manager spoke enough English to conduct complex business, but all were able to speak well enough to be understood. After a few minutes of introductions and bows, they all trooped down to the boiler room. “Ever been in a plant this complex?” Laurie asked Kaatje.

“Not hardly.” She stood there for a moment, her eyes scanning across the myriad of pipes, gauges and tanks. “And I’ve been on a Dutch naval ship.”

“Ask them if they’re sure there’s enough hot water,” Laurie told Michiko.

Michiko and the staff spoke back and forth for a minute, then she reported they had the biggest hot water boiler of any of the hotels. They were certain there was enough for a sellout, with ten percent excess just in case.

“Aaron? Ideas?”

“Temperature in the tanks?”

Again Michiko asked and listened to a long explanation. Walking away from the group. Laurie took out her phone, made a call, and paced up and down a catwalk as she talked. Michiko spoke loudly, “Temperature is at the maximum allowed per regulation.”

Snapping her cell phone closed, Laurie walked back to the group. “Let’s go to a room.”

They went in a service elevator to an empty room. The whole crowd entered a bathroom and Laurie turned on the tap. In just seconds, it warmed up to its max. “Not hot enough,” she said. “Make it hotter.”

The plumber removed the shiny chrome trim from the wall and adjusted the mixer on the valve by moving it up just a millimeter at a time. When Laurie was satisfied she said, “Why wasn’t it at this temperature to start with?”

The hotel manager said, “We have to make sure no one can scald themselves. I think the way we had it was correct.”

“Not for me. Maybe it’s a cultural issue. Michiko, ask the engineer if this temperature is safe. If he’s one hundred percent sure it is, we’ll make the change.”

While Michiko relayed the message, Laurie asked Aaron, “How would you implement the change?”

His eyes narrowed as he thought. “How many maintenance workers do we have?”

The manager started to answer just as Michiko’s walkie-talkie went off. She stepped out of the bathroom, speaking in Japanese, leaving the hotel manager to answer. “We have six on duty during the daylight,” he said in his precise English.

The engineer spoke and Michiko ducked back in to translate. “He says it’s safe, but only just.”

“How many complaints were reported?” Aaron asked.

“Ten,” Michiko replied.

“It looks like it will take at least twenty minutes to change each control valve. To do three hundred rooms will take…a hundred hours. That’s a big investment of man-hours. I’d change them as complaints came in, then start changing them as each room opens up. I’d keep one worker doing it full time, and have the others do rooms as they have time. No overtime for this. I don’t think it’s serious enough.”