Curiosity
“The ship is nice, huh?”, Fabrizio said, not talking to anyone in particular. He knew that Vi could be in her own world when she’s sketching, so he didn’t expect an answer from her.
“Yeah, it’s an Irish ship”, a man standing close to them answered.
“Is English, no?”, Fabrizio asked.
“No, it was built in Ireland”, the man, who was obviously Irish as well, stated. “15.000 Irishmen built this ship. Solid as a rock. Big Irish hands.”
Vi looked up from her sketch for a moment to glance at the perfectly groomed dogs, who were walked by a man in a servants’ suit.
“That’s typical”, the Irishman said. “First-class dogs come down here to take a shite.”
“Uh, it lets us know where we rank in the scheme of things”, Vi answered and surveyed the man in front of her. He was tall, wearing a hat and simple linen and woollen clothes.
“Like we could forget”, he smiled in return. “I’m Tommy Ryan.”
Vi stood up to shake his hand. “Vi Dawson, that’s Fabrizio.”
“Do you make any money with your drawings?”, Tommy asked, but Vi didn’t hear him anymore. Something – or better, someone – caught her eye.
A beautiful woman in a ridiculous green dress leaned on the railing of the upper level, the setting sun making her pale skin look golden and her dark blue hair shimmer as if it was liquid metal. Of course, Tommy and Fabrizio caught Vi looking.
“Oh, forget it, lass. You’d as like have angels flying out of your arse as get next to the likes of her”, Tommy joked. But Vi ignored him. She continued staring at the woman, who must’ve been the most beautiful person Vi’s ever seen in her entire life.
That’s when the woman caught her looking. They held eye contact for a brief second, before the seemingly very rich lady looked away again, only to peer over to Vi once more.
Vi kept on watching as a man walked up to the lady and told her something she was not happy about, for she left the deck immediately without waiting for the man to follow. Was he her husband? Fiancée? Brother? Vi didn’t know. Rich people were a mystery to her. But she was curious. She wanted to know.
*
Another useless gathering, more mindless chatter, and the same pretentious people as always. Would anyone notice if Cait just left? Not just the table, what if she really left? Would they come looking for her? Persuade her to stay? What would their arguments be? Would anyone care?
Somehow, she didn’t exactly know how, she made it through dinner. The past minutes already felt like a memory from another life, faded and connected with no emotion but one. Emptiness.
“Excuse me”, Cait said and left the dining room. She barely made it outside before she felt hot tears running down her cheeks. She needed to get out of here, immediately. And never return.
More and more tears where coming, and her silent breaths turned into heavy sobs. She started running. Past shocked passers-by, down to the lower deck levels to the back of the ship. It was as if she could hear the voices of the people she passed in the back of her head. What is up with her? Has no one taught her to behave? Who allowed her to be outside alone? Where is her husband?
Cait reached the back of the ship and stared into the blackness of the night. The wind was cold and she was shivering, but she didn’t care anymore. She wouldn’t have to care anymore. Cait stepped closer to the railing and carefully climbed on its other side, so that the sea was directly below her.
All she would’ve to do is let go. That’s what she wanted. That’s what she needed. To let go. Her only way out. Let go.
“Don’t do it.” The voice startled Cait and she turned around, half expecting Cal even though the voice was female. Would he lure her back or push her?
“Stay back.” Cait tried to sound confident, but her voice was quiet and shaking. “Don’t come any closer.”
“Come on”, the woman behind Cait said. “Just give me your hand, I’ll pull you back over.”
The woman was tall and definitely looked strong enough to pull Cait back over the railing, her short pink hair waving in the wind as she stepped closer. Cait recognized her. She was the one who stared at her the other day.
“No! Stay where you are”, Cait commanded. “I mean it. I’ll let go.” She looked at the water again, then back at the woman, who gestured she just wanted to throw her cigarette over board. Cait let her.
“No, you won’t”, the woman said.
“What do you mean, no I won’t?” Who did this woman think she is? And who did she think Cait is? Just another rich girl, taking commands from strangers?
“Don’t presume to tell me what I will and will not do. You don’t know me.”
“Well, you would’ve done it already”, the woman answered, unimpressed and rather calm, considering that Cait was about to commit suicide.
“You’re distracting me. Go away”, Cait answered and turned back to the ocean below her.
“I can’t. I’m involved now. You let go, and I’m gonna have to jump in there after you.”
Cait watched as the woman took off her jacket and her shoes.
“Don’t be absurd. You’ll be killed.”
“I’m a good swimmer.”
“The fall alone would kill you.”
“It would hurt”, the woman answered with a calm voice. “I will not say it wouldn’t. I’m a lot more concerned about that water being so cold.”
Cait considered for a moment. She wouldn’t want to suffer. She just wants all of this to be over, as fast as possible.
“How cold?”
“Freezing. Maybe a couple degrees over. You ever been to Wisconsin?”
Cait didn’t immediately answer. What did that question have to do with the situation?
“What?”, she asked.
“Well, they have some of the coldest winters around. I grew up there, near Chippewa Falls. I remember when I was a kid, me and my father, we went ice fishing out on lake Wissota.” The woman turned to Cait. “Ice fishing is, you know, where you –“
“I know what ice fishing is”, Cait interrupted her angrily.
“Sorry”, the woman said. “You just seem like, you know, kind of an indoor girl. Anyway, I, uh…fell through some thin ice, and I’m telling you. Water that cold, like right down there, it hits you like a thousand knives stabbing you all over your body. You can’t breathe, you can’t think…at least not about anything but the pain. Which is why I’m not looking forward to jumping in there after you. Like I said”, she took off another vest, “I don’t have a choice.”
Cait stared at her, not complaining as she stepped closer.
“I guess I’m kinda hoping you’ll come back over the rail and get me off the hook here.”
“You’re crazy”, Cait exclaims and turns to the black sea again, her body still shivering.
“That’s what everybody says, but…with all due respect, miss, I’m not the one hanging off the back of a ship here.” She stepped closer again. “Come on, take my hand. You don’t wanna do this.”
The woman reached out with her hand, and slowly, Cait took it. She didn’t know what made her do it, but she felt something.
The woman gripped Cait’s hand and held it as she slowly turned around to face the ship again.
“I’m Vi Dawson”, the woman introduced herself and smiled friendly. Her blue eyes were soft and warm, and made Cait feel somehow comfortable.
“Caitlyn DeWitt Bukater”, Cait introduced herself as well.
“I’m gonna have to get you to write that one down”, Vi joked. And Cait actually chuckled.
“Come on.” Cait put one foot of the lowest bar of the railing, ready to climb back over, but then she suddenly slipped. Her body dropped down and suddenly Cait wasn’t ready to die anymore.
Luckily, Vi’s hands were still holding her own, and she slowly managed to pull Cait back up. Just before Cait could grip the cold white metal, her hand slipped and she was hanging off the back of the ship again. She was screaming, hoping for someone to pull her up in case Vi couldn’t hold her any longer.
“Listen, listen to me!”, Vi shouted over Cait’s own screams, and she stopped. “I’ve got you. I won’t let go. Now pull yourself up, come on!”
And Cait did. She managed to get hold of the metal bar and pulled herself up, helping Vi a bit.
“That’s right, you can do it”, Vi said between grunts. Then she grabbed Cait’s waist, pulled her over on the safe deck and both collapsed on the floor, breathing heavily. Almost as soon as Cait hit the floor, three men came running up to them.
“What’s this?”, the first one asked. Cait watched as his gaze moved from herself to Vi, then to her jacket and back to Cait. He seemed to connect dots in his head, the problem was, they were the wrong dots.
“You stay back! And don’t move an inch!”, the man yelled. Sighing, Vi stood up and put her hands in her pockets.
“Quickly, fetch the master-at-arms!”
It only was a matter of minutes, and the scene was filled with men. The ships master-at-arms, the men who found Cait and Vi, and Cal together with his group of brandy drinking men. Cait was offered a blanket, and as she sat down on a bench, someone handed her a glass of brandy. She refused.
From the corner of her eye, Cait watched as Cal started to scold Vi.
“This is completely unacceptable! What made you think you can put your hands on my fiancée, you…” Cal was clearly looking for a word, but he didn’t find it. Cait understood anyways.
Vi’s eyes jumped to Cait and met hers for a brief second before Cal started shouting again. “Look at me, you filth! What did you think you were doing?”
Cait had enough.
“Cal, stop!”
She stood up and placed herself between her fiancée and her lifesaver.
“It was an accident”, she started to explain, hoping Vi would play along. “Stupid, really. I was leaning over, and I slipped. I was leaning far over to see the uh…”
Cait acted as if she was searching for a word, like a stupid little rich girl who has no idea of the world would.
“Propellers?”, Cal suggested.
“Yes, the propellers, and I slipped. And I would have gone overboard, but Ms. Dawson here saved me and almost went over herself.”
“You wanted…”, Cal started, then turned around to face his friends. “She wanted to see the propellers. Like I said, women and machinery do not mix.”
“Was that the way of it?”, the master-at-arms asked Vi, who looked at Cait then at Cal. “Yeah, yeah, that was pretty much it.”
“Well, the lady’s a hero then. Good for you, lass. Well done”, the man who offered Cait the brandy and whose name she forgot interfered. “So it’s all well, and, uh, back to our brandy then, eh?”
“You must be freezing, let’s get you inside”, Cal said as he turned to Cait and rubbed his hand over her back. Immediately, Cait wished she’d gone over the railing again.
“Perhaps a little something for the girl?”, the man suggested.
“Of course”, Cal said, not hiding his annoyance. “Mr. Lovejoy, I think a twenty should do it.”
Cait chuckled. “Is that the going rate for saving the woman you love?”
She could see in Cal’s face how angry the situation is making him. “Caitlyn is displeased. What to do? I know.”
Cal walked over to Vi and casually invited her to dinner the following night. And to Cait’s surprise, she agreed. Why exactly? Cait didn’t know. That woman was a mystery to her. But she was curious. She wanted to know.