Seaworthy

On Board- a New Home

The sub was silent as the three passengers looked out the window in awe.
   "We get to live... here?!" Opal asked as her son kicked and giggled in her arms. He was obviously excited too. There was a huge underwater portable science lab in front of them. It was three stories high, about five rooms across, and two rooms wide with one room off of each side of the building connected by a narrow tunnel. Benjamin drove the sub in a small door at the base of the lab and through a tunnel up into a small bay of water. Benjamin helped Opal climb out of the sub and he carried her luggage up the ladder to the main headquarters where four other scientists were sitting on a sectional couch. The only other girl of the group stood up and greeted them. She had her bright red hair pulled back in a ponytail with a few wisps of hair framing her pale, freckled face.
     "Hey, you guys must be Opal and Davie, bless your hearts. I'm Brady Grace. I'll be working in the launch bay. What about you?" Brady Grace's welcoming, southern accent made Opal feel comforted.
     "I'm a marine biologist and a technology specialist. My name is Opal. Who's everyone else?" Opal inquired.
The tall British man in the captain's hat stood up and said, "I'm Captain Jay Martin." Opal noticed how his honey colored eyes reflected the colors of their surroundings. He gestured towards a young, nervous man next to him.
     "This is Antonio Gonzales. He is a doctor and a veterinarian." Antonio waved.
Captain Jay began to gesture at another young man, but the man cut him off.
     "ARGG I'M MATTHEW I'M A PIRATE! And I'm 26 years old. How old are you?" Before Opal had the chance to respond, an older man in a wheelchair wheeled up to them and looked at Matthew in distaste.
     "Matthew," the man chastized, "you never ask a woman how old she is." He turned to the group. "I'm Professor Steven Biadisz. Well it seems like everyone has finished getting aquainted, now I will explain what you're all doing here."
Opal sat down on the edge of the couch and Benjamin sat next to her.
     "President Rogers contacted me about three months ago and gave me the task of exploring parts of the ocean that man has never seen before. He told me to assemble a small team of professionals who are the best in their field to accompany me. We are also supposed to take care of and document all animals we find along the way who are hurt or sick. You probably all know each other's jobs by now, just hang with me as I recap. Captain Jay of England, will be steering this ship, Antonio from Nicaragua will be our doctor/veterinarian, and from Southern Georgia, Brady Grace is our mechanic. Ms. Opal is one of our marine biologists and our resident technology whiz. She was working in her home country of South Africa when I called her here. And my name is Professor Steven Biadiaz, pronounced "be-ah-dish". I'm a marine biologist who will also be documenting our journey in a collection of science journals, and I'm from Australia. Benjamin is the other marine biologist from Scotland and he will be helping me with the journaling process. Honestly, my son Matthew is tagging along to learn things about each field in hopes of one day becoming a marine biologist. We also have two cooks, Clarisse and Michael, and two maids, Jasmine and Lorelai. Opal, you will be glad to know that Lorelai has a daughter around Davie's age, her name is Aurora and she's three years old." He took a moment to pause, then clapped loudly, causing several members to jump. He resumed speaking. "Now, I know everyone is eager to go get settled in, and there are maps of the ship on the table behind you. Any bags you sent ahead are already in your rooms. Go unpack, relax, hang in the game room. We don't leave the port until morning." Professor Biadisz wheeled over to an elevator at the edge of the room, pushed the button, and got in. Benjamin grabbed Opal's bag in one hand and another duffel (she assumed it was his) and headed towards the stairs. When he realized that she wasn't following him, he turned around.
     "Come on, slowpoke!" He called in a joking manner.
Opal smiled and sprinted toward him. They had ventured down the hall past about four white doors, all labeled in large white letters, when they stopped in front of a blue door. Opal shifted her son nervously between her arms. Benjamin pulled a small, silver key out of his back pocket and unlocked the door.
     "This is my room, I just needed to drop off my duffel bag." He set his bag on the floor of his suite and turned around to catch Opal gaping at his luggage. Benjamin could see why she was interested, his room had dozens of different-sized trunks and overnight bags filled with his lab equipment. And his shoes. Dozens and dozens of shoes. They were falling out of overstuffed trunks and piled on the floor, spilling out of backpacks and tumbling off the bed. Men's, women's and children's shoes... even baby shoes! There were new shoes, worn shoes, shoes that were falling apart. Some were in pairs, some were not. A few styles occurred in a trio! Benjamin laughed nervously as he shooed Opal out of the room and walked to the door simultaneously. Opal smiled and Davie giggled and cooed, mixing random words in between. He made some noises and yelled, "Apple!" Then he gave Ben a thumbs up motion before sticking his hand in his mouth. That distracted Opal long enough to trick Ben into thinking he'd gotten out of the confrontation talk. He really didn't want to hear it again. His mother and sister had approached him together, claiming he had a problem. Then his brother-in-law came to him. Next, his niece. And, most recently, a therapist had come to him. He was hoping that with some fast-talking he could get all these people off his back until he was ready to tell everyone his plan.
He whisked Opal to her room next door and didn't say anything when she confronted him. He knew that they would understand one day, when he was ready. Until then, he told himself, I'll just have to smile and nod at their words. 

     Opal couldn't help but imagine her future as she set Davie down on a blanket and began unpacking. She fantasized about the adventures she would go on, the people she'd meet, and the animals she would discover. She almost forgot about what she'd seen in Benjamin's room, and she thought more about his messy, curly, black hair and ice blue eyes. She unpacked most of her things, then she stepped back to take in her living quarters. Her room was relatively small, but it was plenty big enough for her and her son. There was a small bathroom off of the foyer, which opened up into a small kitchenette with a quaint table set including two chairs and a highchair. Next to the kitchenette was a loveseat facing a small flat-screen TV, and around the corner from this area was a small bedroom with a queen-sized bed next to a small blue crib. There were two built-in bookshelves on either side of the door to a walk-in closet. Opal admired her room with a smile on her face. It was certainly better than any home she'd ever lived in. Opal whispered to herself, "Welcome to the best three years of your life."

Buckle up, it's time for a wild ride.

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     Sorry guys, I had to get a lot of info out on that chapter, so it was pretty slow. I promise it will get much more exciting in the following chapters. I know some of you will quit reading at some point, but for those of you who continue reading, THANK YOU!! I promise you won't regret it!