She had cabin fever locked up in that room for what she felt was weeks. She devised a plan that she would close the bathroom door and hide beside the armoire, when that stout man came in to give her, her meal, he would think that she was having a bath, then she would run out the open door. After that her plan fell apart. She was after all on a ship. How far could she go? From one end of the ship to the other? What was the difference if she was inside that room or outside that room? She knew that she was surrounded by sea.
She would need a new plan to figure out what was going on.
Then as she was orchestrating a plan in her mind, the ship slowly stopped moving forward and finally came to rest. She ran to the porthole, then slamming her fist against the wall in frustration, as she was on the wrong side of the ship to see anything. Again all she could see was water.
Another hour passed and she once again heard the door being unlocked. That stout man came in and with a very heavy Cuban accent said in English, "Señora, por favor, please I tie ya a hand and blin folde ya again."
Was that a question or a command or a suggestion?
Hannah looked confused and a bit scared. The man was being really very nice and gentle and kind to her. She gathered that he wanted to blindfold her and tie her hands to be transported somewhere.
"Where are you taking me? What do you want?"
"No anglish Señora, .......por favor." Shrugging his shoulders. Clearly that was all the English that he knew. And probably practiced that one statement with someone.
She did not know what else to do but submit. What could she do? Run? Fight him? He was short and stout but clearly very strong.
As he was pleading with her to cooperate, she sighed and flopped down on the bed in a seated position and let him do what he had to do.
He tied her hands behind her back first, then the blind fold.
"Where are you tak............" On went the piece of clothing in her mouth so that she couldn't scream out.
She was being transported somewhere on dry land. A short while later she ended up in an office that was old and smelled of mould. It was as if the building was sweating. There was an old steel desk, an old leather chair behind it. A steel straight back chair that they sat her in was in front of the old desk. The sun streamed through the cracks in the wooden boards that made the walls of this building. She could see the dust in the rays of the sun. As if there was smoke in the room. She was in there alone for the longest while. They had removed the blind fold and the gag. Which told her that even if she screamed there was no one near that could hear her. Behind the desk there was a wall of wood panelling. There was light coming through the wood where the seams had separated with the humidity. She could see the forms of a couple of people walking behind what would appear to be a false wall. Perhaps a corridor of sorts. What did she know? Nothing.
Questions flooded her mind. What was she doing here? Who were these people? What did they want with her? Perhaps money. How did she get herself into this predicament? How was she going to get out of this? Were they going to do harm to her or worse kill her? She was too alert and vigilant to even be scared. One's survival mode kicks in and one can think of nothing else but to get out of a situation unscathed if possible.
A man walked into the room through a doorway that was in that false wall behind what appeared to be his desk. He looked menacing. He was smoking a big cigar and smoke billowed from his nose and mouth. Hannah found it repulsive.
The smoke was flowing through the rays of the sun along with the dust, making for interesting patterns in the air. Hannah was watching them for a while trying to calm herself. She knew enough to know that she was in another country. A poor country. Men in third world countries always do the same things to make themselves seem important. Possibly more important than they truly are.
