The water in Majorca

Chapter 9

 The next morning was nothing like the one before, and Charity said a silent thank you to the universe for helping her get through what was turning into a nightmare.
She and Vanessa had made the most of her empty hotel room and had stayed up for hours, kissing, touching and talking.
Tracy had texted Vanessa to ask where they were and how long they were going to be at around 1am. Moses and Johnny had fallen asleep with blue slush puppy lips an hour before then and the older kids were starting to yawn.
Vanessa groaned when reading the message, knowing it meant she had to peel herself away from Charity and get dressed. She replied with a total lie a moment later, stating that the two of them had gotten caught up in time amongst music and booze at a bar near the beach but that they were on their way back.
"Can't we just lock them out and send them to spend the night on the third floor?" Charity asked, only half expecting Vanessa to say no.
Vanessa's laughter came as a warm tickle of breath as she propped herself up onto her elbows and planted a gentle kiss on Charity's lips. "I wish" She whispered, kissing her again.

Charity sat on the bed thinking about it and absentmindedly ran her fingers over her lips.
The ghost of a smile lingered on her face as Noah and Sarah emerged from the bedroom and bathroom, equally. Every one of them were up and dressed and ready to meet Vanessa, Tracy and Johnny for breakfast, as if the blip midweek had never happened.
Moses had been asking to 'ride a boat' since spotting one at the beach and with the end of the holiday fast approaching, and with the way she had treated the children over the last two days still on her mind, Charity felt it was only fair that she forked out the money to treat them to a trip across the ocean.
The two families met in the lobby, as was their usual tradition and speedily ate breakfast and headed to the beach ready to catch the 9am glass bottom boat.
"Will there be millions and billions of fish?" Moses asked, tugging at the sleeve of Charity's shirt.
"Maybe! We'll have to keep our eyes peeled for them" Vanessa replied before Charity had the chance. She was trying to screenshot the boarding passes that had been sent to her email, to ensure all seven of them would be able to board without hassle.
"I've never been on a boat before" Tracy offered, starting to become just as excited as the kids.
"Well, we're due a bit of wind today so best hope that extra round of toast doesn't go against you" Charity teased, blowing out her cheeks to imitate nausea.
"I'll be fine, I have a strong stomach. Besides, I doubt it'll feel much different from being in a paralytic state, I've been past the point of being drunk many times and I'm hardly ever sick".
Charity raised her eyebrows and smiled tightly, knowing Tracy was in for a shock. But she decided not to wind her up any more, besides there wasn't enough time to bicker.

Down at the pier, Charity and the others joined the queue that had started to form. In the distance, the boat was appearing as a small dark blob as it slowly made its way across the water.
"Can we sit on the top deck?" Sarah asked, thinking mostly of the tan she could catch in the sea breeze as she gestured to herself and Noah.
"You can sit anywhere you want" Charity replied, all smiles and positivity as a way of further apology for the pressure she'd put on her granddaughter.
"Just make sure you put cream on" Vanessa pointed out, "You don't want to burn, especially your shoulders and the back of your ears".
The captain of the small boat greeted the passengers with a sound of the horn as it moored in.
The second in command jumped down from the deck, pulled out the fold away steps and tied a thick knotted rope around a post to hold the boat in place.
"Welcome to the Moonfish" He grinned, tipping his cap to the ladies. He was a good looking young guy, fresh faced and bright eyed. Tracy was instantly smitten.
Another boat hand joined them on the dock and began checking tickets and welcoming the passengers on board. Moses and Johnny squealed excitedly as they watched the waves lash against the front of the boat as the engine whirred and caused a vibration to shiver through their feet.
"I want to be a boat driver when I'm older" Moses announced,
"Me too," Johnny chimed in as the two of them jumped excitedly as their tickets were scanned.
Once a green light flashed to signal the exchange of the tickets, the two families were permitted aboard and started climbing the few steps onto the first floor.
The boat rocked under feet as they clumsily made their way to a couple of rows of seats.
Sarah and Noah headed to the very back of the boat and sat with the wind blowing their hair.
Charity pointed out a couple of seats towards the front, where an open view of the entire ocean was theirs to gawp at.
"I can see a fish already" Moses insisted, though truthfully he could not.
Johnny jumped up to look overboard, giving Vanessa a fright as she reached out to grab his arm to stop him from climbing the railing.
"Woah, woah, woah. You have to be really careful" Vanessa scolded, clutching the wrists of both boys and dragging their little butts back into their seats.
"No standing up, you can see through the bars. We don't want you falling overboard" She added, bringing both her worry and volume down a notch as her heart settled again now that they were safely seated once more.
"Man overboard," Moses yelled, giggling.
All three boat hands sprung to action, looking their way in a panic.
"No, no stop it" Vanessa warned as Charity assured them that there was no emergency and everybody was fine.
"Right, if you two don't behave you're getting straight back off this boat and we'll all go without you and you'll have to wait on the dock for us to come back" Charity hissed.
"No," Both boys cried, dragging the word out as they worried the threat was real.
"Behave then" She added, pointing the finger at them both.