The perfume of love (rain-bi)

chapter 34

Jenna had never warmed to Terry Anson, and shortly before dinner that evening, her attitudeto him crystallised into active hostility.

He strolled over to where she was sitting with her sister, and said,

"have you seen the new stewardess? She's a good looking piece. I wonder which of the stewards will have her for his Christmas present. My bet's on youngji." he gave an unpleasant laugh.

"just because you regard all women as sex objects, it doesn't follow that the stewards do" she said coldly.

"if I had to be marooned with anyone, I'd feel alot safer with youngji or David or josaia than I would with you."

As she stood up and walked away, she heard him say angrily, "stuck up little bitch! I don't know why you bother with her, hana."

Soon after supper jenna went to her cabin. With Christmas now only two days away and everyone else in high spirits, it was hard to join in the merriment when her own heart was aching with a love which would never be returned.

She had been in her cabin no more than five or ten minutes when, without knocking, hana burst in.

"what the hell do you mean by being so bloody insulting to Terry before dinner?" she demanded, after slamming the door.

"it was he who was insulting to Eleni" said jenna coldly.

"he was only joking."

"then it was in very bad taste, and it's just as well jihoon didn't hear him. He would have told Terry off much more strongly than I did."
Hana's black eyes glittered with irritation.

"you've no right to tell him off at all. Who do you think you are? You seem to forget your position. You're damned lucky to be here. I don't expect you to repay me by being rude to my friends!"

"I'm very much aware of my position. Hana. I shouldn't have come, and the sooner I go the better. I'll see about it tomorrow."

Her sister glowered for some seconds. Then she said, "Don't be silly. I don't mean that. Anyway, you've nowhere to go."

"I have. I can go back to Korea."

"Why do you want to go back to that awful climate?(AN: it's the most beautiful climate who doesn't want to go there it's the most beautiful country I've ever see... Xp sorry thats my opinion about this sentence...) I'm never going to if I can help it. Korea is old and played out. America and maybe Australia is where the action is now."

"perhaps.... I don't know" shrugged jenna.

"but I do have some contacts in Korea and I think I can get a place at university, which I shouldn't be able to in America or Australia."
Hana, her outburst over, was beginning to show the boredom which was always her reaction when jenna spoke of resuming her studies.

"joon will be wondering where I am. Aren't you coming on deck again?" she asked.

"No, I think I'll stay here and read."

"Oh, well, suit yourself. Good night."

After she had gone jenna decided that instead of reading she would go to the linen store and do some more dressmaking. If her time on board was neatly at an end, she must try to make up the fabrics more quickly than she had intended.

Machining the seems she had basted earlier allowed her to think what to do. It would look strange if she left the yacht before Christmas. She would have to remain until the festivities were over and leave at the end of the Christmas cruise through the Yasawa group of islands.

Many of the passengers would be going home then and her departure would cause no comment.

She had taken her foot off the pedal and was hand-finishing the lines of machined stitches when she heard voices in the corridor. The door was closed, but there was a louvred panel inset in the bottom part of it which admitted sounds from outside.

With the sudden tensing which the sound of his voice always caused, she heard jihoon say, "I wish you could have one of the passenger cabins. Compaired with some ships, the accommodation for deck crew and cabin staff isn't at all bad. But it's not what you're used to, Eleni."

"I don't mind. I'd sleep in a chain locker if necessary."

There was a soft musical laugh.

"I was beginning to despair of us ever being together. My parents are still hoping against hope that propinquity will open my eyes to all kinds of incompatibilities I hadn't noticed before. But they've reached the stage of accepting that I'm never going to marry any of their choices for me, so it's this or no marriage at all."

"for you not to marry would be..." jihoon's voice, close now, broke off.

"someone's left the light on in there... Unless Shaney's still working. She ought to be off duty now."

The door of the linen store opened.

"Oh, it's you, Jenna." he pushed the door wider open.

"have you met our new stewardess? This is Eleni Tavaga, who's going to be helping Mrs lee until we reach Sydney."
Jenna put aside her sewing and stood up and held out her hand.

"How do you do?I'm Kim Jenna."

At close quarters the Fijian girl was even more lovely than she had looked at a distance. Her head was poised on a long neck and she had very large dark brown eyes framed by curling black lashes. But it wasn't perfection of feature alone which made her a beauty, but the sweetness of her expression.
Jenna could well understand why jihoon had fallen in love with her and been prepared to wait years for her parents' opposition to weaken.

He said, "you look very busy. What are you making?"

"I'm trying to copy some clothes which I saw in Maui, but I'm not a very expert dressmaker. Are you a needlewoman, Miss Tavaga?"

"yes, I like sewing very much."

"Eleni is clever with her hands. She's a talented painter" said jihoon.

"No, not talented, but I enjoy it" said Eleni.

"I once tried my hand at sculpture. Jihoon was on leave in Sydney and I persuaded him to sit for me. The result was terrible! I made you like a monster from another planet, didn't I?" she said, laughing.

"it wasn't flattering" he agreed.

The smile which lit his brown eyes made it very clear to jenna how their love affair must have begun. This lovely girl, far from home and probably missing her family and friends, would have exercised all jihoon's best instincts.