The Exchange

Monday

8.55 a.m.

The next morning the sky promised nothing good for the rest of day, confirming the Captain's weather forecasts of the night before. The ship was five seas miles away from the island of Ouessant, in French territorial waters, moving at a reduced speed of ten knots due to rough waves. Icy cold wind blasts had been blowing the whole night and the water surface was so disturbed that the expensive stabilizers of the liner hadn't help so much to reduce the turbulence created by the motions in waves, causing those with a weak stomach to spend a difficult night. The wind hadn't swept away the clouds, which were low and gathered one close to the other to form a thick fog and didn't leave room for anything else in the sky, hiding the traces of those other black and stormy clouds awaiting the Araldic ahead along the route.

At five to nine, First Officer Gordon Travis, a tall and lanky young man with red hair and freckles on his face, biting down on his lips as he did when he was particularly bored, thought that the last thing he wanted to do that morning was to loose time with some rich and easily annoyable people with an upside-down stomach. But he hid his mood as he was used to and his face was no different than the usual merchant navy officer serving on a luxury cruise liner. Smiling and accommodating.

The safety drill was about to start in five minutes and the only people arrived at the deck were the two Hollywood actors, with a cranky air on their faces, typical of someone who, at that hour, is in the habit of doing nothing more than resting on a comfortable bed. Travis told them politely to wear the life jacket, while the waited for the rest of the passengers to arrive.

'Great' he thought while another passenger was entering the deck 'this one doesn't look so good, last thing I need is getting puked on.'

"Please sir, this way. Don't be worried, it won't take long," he said to the man, keeping his voice quite low. Mr. James Cavendish flashed a formal smile at him and looked at the floor immediately after.

At two to nine, Travis counted the number of people present. 'Damn it, still one missing' he thought, trying to hide his impatience under his neutral face. Beside him was Petty Officer Gerrard with a cell phone in his hands, still striving to find the proper words to answer his girlfriend's text message of the night before. As soon as he heard Captain Francks's steps and distinguishable cough, Gerrard quickly slipped his phone into his pocket.

Francks greeted the passengers and said a few words about the weather, then parted from the group and approached his First Officer.

"All passengers present, Travis?"

Travis had no time to answer.

"I'm afraid someone's missing," uttered a voice behind Francks, Chapel's voice, who had just arrived at the deck. He walked and stopped a few inches away from the Captain's nose.

"What are you up to here, Colin? Shouldn't you be off duty this morning?"

"Mrs. Chatrier," Chapel said without even paying attention to the question.

"It's Mrs. Chatrier missing? Travis, go to Mrs. Chatrier's cabin and ask her to join us," said Francks in a tone that made that ask sound more like order and revealed how disappointed he was by that delay.

"So what, Captain, are we going to start or not?" said Luke Sheldon with an edge of indolence in his voice. "The old granny is stubborn, I bet she won't come at all."

"Quite offensive this Mrs. Chatrier," Riveira said with his white teeth and shiny hair. "We can't wait any longer and see if she's kind enough to come."

Kobaiashi too expressed his dissatisfaction. "Yes, Captain, I myself have particularly important things to do urgently and I'm sorry but I can't lose any more time."