Forbidden Love

Chase Marley couldn’t believe he’d finally had a chance to be a part of a dive of a lifetime. As a young man growing up with wealthy parents in Florida, he had fallen in love with scuba diving as a teenager. His parents had allowed him to get his scuba license while he was in high school. Since then he’d completed over two hundred dives which was pretty impressive for being just twenty-five years old. After high school he’d forgone college and with a loan from his father started an underwater boat cleaning business called Clean Dive. The business built up a relatively long list of steady clients very quickly. Chase had been proud to pay his father back the money he’d borrowed within three years of starting the business. The success of his business allowed him to explore his true passion in life, scuba diving.

The life changing moment for Chase was when a couple of diving friends of his invited him on a wreck dive to see the USS Spiegel Grove in the Florida Keys. After that dive, Chase became a man obsessed. He started learning everything he could about various wreck dive locations and he had dived more than a few of the most fascinating ones. By the time he was twenty two years old with a successful business he had developed an interest in one of the most famous wrecks of all, the RMS Titanic. Chase read everything he could read in reference to the Titanic and for some reason something inside him told him there was a story not being told and he was determined to find it. Finally a dive company was offering a chance to dive the Titanic wreck for a high price but Chase would’ve paid twice the sixty thousand dollar price tag to dive the wreck he’d been studying for three years.

He would never forget the twelve hours he spent diving to the Titanic, exploring the wreckage and returning with a secret he hadn’t shared with anyone. Chase was in awe of the things he saw while exploring the ship but as he slyly slid away from his assigned guide he found a case made of waterproof material about the size of a small book buried under some debris he was able to loosen with a good amount of physical force. As soon as he had the case in his hands he felt a weird energy flow from the case to his fingertips and he knew he had something special. As quickly as he could he placed the case in the underwater camera bag connected to his waist just before his underwater guide located him and warned him against wandering off. The guide escorted him through the rest of the dive and Chase took some pictures and was amazed by the size of the ship and all the remains of the once great ship.

After the dive, Chase went back to the hotel and did everything he could to preserve the case until he could get it home. It was three days before Chase was home and caught up with the things he had to take care of for his business and had the free time to examine the case. With shaking hands he grabbed the case gently and tried to unlock its secrets by unzipping the rusted case. He reached his hand in and felt more waterproof material wrapped around something he couldn’t see. Gently he worked the material out of the bag surprised to find it was mostly dry with a small amount of dampness. Chase found what looked like very old paper folded like a letter. Very carefully Chase unfolded the paper and it wasn’t long before he saw large, bold writing verifying that in fact he was holding in his hand a letter written by an occupant of the Titanic. Heart racing, he continued to unfold the pages and counted twelve pages of words written by one Michel Navratil Sr.

Chase’s heart thudded in his chest when he read the name of the author. According to his previous research Mr. Navratil had perished when the Titanic went down but his sons Michel Jr. and Edmond had made it to one of the life rafts and survived the disaster. As far as he knew the only information provided about Mr. Navratil was that he had taken his boys away from their mother with intentions of starting a new life in America. Chase was actually looking at the last communication of a man who died over a century ago. Chase grabbed the pages and settled comfortably in his recliner as he read the letter from Michel.

To Whom Shall Find This Letter

My name is Michel Navratil Sr. and I am a thirty-two year old divorced man who was traveling to America to raise my two sons Michel Jr. and Edmond. I was hoping to start a new life with my sons away from their conniving mother who convinced the court to grant her custody of our boys even though she is the one who had an affair. I digress, I do not want to waste time speaking of my ex when I don't know how long I have before all is lost. I am grateful that my sons have made it to a life raft and will be saved to ensure the Navratil name survives. The hardest thing I ever had to do was put them on that raft knowing I would not get the chance to watch them grow up. Now that you know about me and my sons let me tell you about how my life was turned around in just four days aboard this magnificent ship.

When I checked into my room with my two rambunctious little boys I was actually a nervous wreck. I was supposed to be turning my boys back over to their mother when I snuck out of France and made it to England to purchase our tickets to America on the Titanic. I used aliases because I was afraid the authorities were looking for me. For the first day I tried to stay in our room all day because I was afraid. However with two small children I had to leave the room several times to get food to bring back to the children. The second time I left the room my curious little boys, who were tired of being cooped up, decided to go exploring. Now the next part of the story I’m relaying from my companion who I will explain later in the letter.

The boys who are four and two years old were holding hands walking down one of the long passageways taking everything in with the awe of young children. They weren’t paying attention where they were going and Edmond, the youngest, stepped right in the path of an engine room worker who was rushing to his sleeping quarters after a long shift. The child cried as the engine worker tripped over him causing them both to fall to the floor in a heap.

“I am so sorry,” the worker said softly, coming to his feet. He helped the child to his feet and patted his shoulder softly to try and comfort him. The worker looked around for outraged parents because he was black, he was leery of touching white children.

“Where are you parents,” the worker asked the older child staring up at him fearlessly?

“Our Dad went for food so we went for a walk,” Michel Jr. said defiantly. The worker couldn’t help but laugh at the boldness of the little boy.

“I’m sure your Dad didn’t approve of this little walk as this is a big ship and it is easy for small children such as you to get lost,” he said with a smile.

“We don’t wanna stay in the room, we wanna see the big boat,” Michel Jr. said, grabbing his brother's hand and pulling him close in a protective move.

“I understand. What if I walk you back to your room until your dad comes back and then if your dad agrees I’ll give you three a tour of the ship because I work here and I know where all the fun stuff is,” the engine worker asked in a whisper? Michel Jr. stared at the stranger thinking hard for a minute or so before he nodded and led the stranger back to their room.

Malinda knew she was taking a big risk by following these boys to their room and waiting for their father but she couldn’t in good conscience leave them wandering around the ship on their own. First of all she had to be very careful not to be discovered as a woman. It had taken some fast talking to allow them to let her be the only black crew member on the ship. They warned her to stay out of sight as much as possible to ensure the passengers weren’t frightened.

Michel Jr. led Malinda to their room and they entered and closed the door. The cabin was much bigger than the cabin she was staying in but still relatively small. The boys sat on the bed they slept in as Malinda just stood in the corner fearing the reaction of the father upon his return.

“Why is your skin dark,” Michel Jr. asked curiously as he had never seen a black person before?

“I guess because I was born that way,” Malinda said, shrugging her shoulders not knowing how to explain race to such a young child. Michel Jr. seemed to accept her explanation as he turned to check on his brother.

“Ok boys I have fruit, sandwiches and chicken for us to eat,” I said as I walked in the door. The first thing I noticed was a young black gentleman standing in the corner.

“What have you done to my children,” I yelled as I dropped the tray on the bed and quickly stood between my children and the intruder! Malinda threw her hands up and backed up against the wall.

“I’m so sorry sir. I promise you I didn’t hurt them. They were walking down the passageway all by themselves when I ran into them and I didn’t want them to get lost wandering around without a parent. I convinced them to let me bring them back to their room until you returned so they would be safe,” she said cowering with her head low.

Something about this gentleman made me suspicious. I turned to Michel Jr.

“Dad, he helped us when Edmond fell down,” Michel Jr. said. “He also said he would give us a tour when you got here if we came back to the room,” Michel Jr. turned to look at Malinda expectantly.

“I am one of the enginemen on the ship so I know the layout and can give you a tour before I go to my quarters,” Malinda offered shyly. I looked at my children who appeared to be curious of the stranger as well but they were not afraid.

“We will eat first and then go on the tour,” I said as I started handing out food to the boys and I handed a sandwich to the young man. Malinda was surprised as most white people avoided black people and preferred not to interact with them.

“Thank you for keeping my children safe while I was gone.” I said as I sat on the bed with my kids and began to eat. “Please sit,” I gestured while pointing at the bed I slept on.

“Thank you but I just got off shift in the engine room so I’m not that clean and I don’t want to soil your bed,” Malinda said. I thought it was an odd worry for a man.

“What is your name,” I asked wondering why something about this person didn’t feel right?

“Matt,” Malinda said easily, as that was the name she had been using with the crew.

“Well Matt, I am Michel, and this young gentleman here,” I said motioning at my oldest boy, “is Michel Jr. Edmond is my youngest son,” I introduced. The young man smiled at my boys and I felt something shift in me and it was uncomfortable because I knew I didn’t have an unnatural attraction to men. We sat in silence and ate our fill before I spoke again.

“Let’s take this tour we were promised so Matt can get some rest before his next shift,” I said realizing we were taking up his off time. I gathered the boys together as we followed Matt around the ship for over an hour as he showed us several areas of the ship including the dining rooms, the swimming pool, the lounge, and the gymnasium. Of course people were looking at us strangely as we were being shown around by the black crew member but my father had a black best friend when I was growing up. He said the man saved his life but he never told us how. His friend was African and one of the nicest people I’ve ever met so I didn’t feel the same way about black people as most other people did.

After walking the ship for an hour the boys started dragging their feet so I picked up Edmond and Matt took us back to our room. Once we entered the room, I sat Edmond on his feet. The engineman tried to stop at the door but Michel Jr. surprisingly grabbed his hand and pulled him in the room catching him off guard and he fell forward right into my arms.

As soon as her body was up against mine I knew she was a woman. She gasped and I took a step back.

“You’re a woman,” I shouted! She quickly shut the door behind her.

“Please don’t tell anyone,” she begged. “If they find out you know what they will do to me,” she cried.

“Don’t make her cry daddy,” Michel Jr. said angrily as he walked over and hugged Malinda. I was shocked because Michel Jr. was generally shy around people he didn’t know.

“Your secret is safe with us,” I said, wanting her to calm down. “What is your real name and why are you disguising yourself as a man?”

“My name is Malinda but I’ve been going by Matt with the crew,” she said, hoping Michel understood her dilemma. “I want to go to America to find my sister who ran there to start a new life. My friend Gabriel was hired to be an engineman here but he got very sick and helped me take his place by writing a letter for me. My father knows everything about boat engines and he taught me because he had no sons,” Malinda said with fondness in her eyes.

“Well that is quite a story. I think this impromptu meeting might be beneficial for both of us,” I said as a thought came to me.

“What do you mean,” Malinda asked warily, not liking where this conversation was going?

“Nothing like you’re thinking,” I said, seeing by her expression exactly what she thought. “I’m thinking it has to be hard being a man all day. What if you spend a couple of hours watching the boys on your off time so I can explore some of the ship without the kids and while you’re safe in my room you can dress in your normal clothes and be yourself for a few hours,” I asked?

Malinda was shocked by my proposition. She couldn’t believe I would allow her to watch my kids and I wasn’t expecting anything in return.

“You’re sure you don’t want anything else from me,” she asked, watching me closely?

“I don’t force women to spend time with me. It is much more pleasurable for both parties if she wants to be with me as much as I want to be with her,” he said with a smirk. Malinda looked down at the little adorable boy hugging her and she knew she would say yes.

“Ok I would love to watch the kids for you but you have to promise to come back on time so I can get proper sleep before my watch,” she said seriously.

“Yes ma’am. I promise I will return at the agreed upon time,” I said, extending my hand for her to shake. She timidly took the hand I offered and again I felt a stirring inside me that I hadn’t felt before. Malinda says she felt the same stirrings in her spirit when we touched but she didn’t know what that meant.

The next morning Malinda showed up to watch my children after her shift as agreed upon. I took the boys to get breakfast while she changed into a nice dress that allowed her to be comfortable in her own skin in my room. When we returned to the room we ate a lovely breakfast together and Malinda told us about her life and the things she experienced growing up in England. I told her about living in Hungary and my dad’s best friend Kofu, the African man who I called uncle. I enjoyed getting to know more about Malinda. Eventually she ran me out of the room to go wander the ship without my children. I ended up in the lounge playing poker as Kofu had taught me as teen. Poker was not about card skill but more about observing people and determining their tells. After a few rounds of learning the tells of the people at the table, I won several hands. I knew better than to push my luck so I left the table after increasing my trip wealth by double.

I decided to visit the small shop aboard the ship that sold a variety of items. I purchased a toy car for Edmnond, a puzzle for Michel Jr. and I found myself purchasing a pair of earrings for Malinda. Malinda was surprised when I returned to the room an hour before required and with a gift for her as well as the boys. We spent more time talking and getting to know each other when she asked about the boys’ mother. I was ashamed of how I failed at business and marriage so I failed to answer the question resulting in Malinda being embarrassed for overstepping and wanting to flee. I took the boys for a quick walk to the pool so she could change back to her engine men clothes prior to returning to her quarters to get rest. When we came back to the room I was able to get Malinda to stay long enough to confide in her about my failed tailor business and broken marriage. I explained how my wife sought comfort in another man when my business failed instead of staying by my side. She encouraged me that I learned lessons from the failed business that would ensure my next business venture would be successful. She also stated my wife’s behavior was a reflection of her bad character rather than my failure to hold our marriage together.

I knew after that conversation I had feelings for Malinda that I had never felt for another woman including my wife. I wanted to know more about her so I invited her to come eat dinner with me and the boys before she reported to her nightshift and she agreed. She left our room shortly after to get some rest and the boys and I went to the pool to burn some energy. While we were at the pool we met the Allison family who had a three year old daughter named Helen and an eleven month son named Trevor. The kids enjoyed playing together and the Allisons offered to have the boys come to their room for a playdate so I could get some time to explore the ship without them which I gratefully accepted. After showers and lunch the boys took a well needed nap and then awoke well rested before Malinda came back to visit as promised.

Malinda as usual spent time playing with the boys while I went to gather dinner. I returned after a short while with small plates for the boys and elegant dinner plates for Malinda and I. She was surprised by the steak I presented to her as she’d never tasted anything so extravagant. We ate together and chatted on my bed while the boys ate and played on their bed. After dinner I couldn’t help but to place a gentle kiss upon Malinda’s lips as I wiped mashed potatoes from her mouth. We kissed several times before she let me know she was saving herself for marriage and she didn’t think people in America would take too kindly to our relationship and would make trouble for me. I understood her concerns but I fell for her quickly because of her kind spirit and love for my boys.

For two days we lived in a small bubble in my room getting to know each other and falling in love. On the third evening, the Allison’s had Michel Jr. and Edmond over for a playdate and Malinda and I got to spend time alone together in my room. Without the boys there to temper us we ended up making love and because Malinda was innocent, I knew that I would do right by her and marry her if possible when we arrived in America even if it made life more difficult as it would be worth it to call her my own.

Unfortunately everything changed on our fourth day of sailing as our little family was relaxing in our room listening to Malinda read us one of her favorite books and there was a loud crash and the sound of metal breaking and chaos ensued aboard the ship. Malinda stayed in the room to calm the boys who were scared and crying while I went to investigate what happened. As I made it to the top deck where passengers were panicking and the crew was running around in a panic. I was able to stop one of the crew members and he explained to me that we had hit a large iceberg causing severe damage to the ship and there was a possibility the ship could sink. I frantically made my way back to my room where I found my boys snuggled against Malinda while she sang softly to them.

She laid them down gently on the bed before she came to me and I explained the situation to her. As we stared into each other's eyes we both realized it would not be possible for all of us to make it off the ship.

“You and the boys have to get on a life raft,” I said brokenly.

“I was hired as a man for this job, they will not let me on the raft and I’m not leaving without you,” Malinda said. After a pointless argument she helped me dress the boys warmly and she kissed and hugged them goodbye as I left to take them to the top deck with a promise to return to her.

I handed my crying children over to a young woman on a life raft and watched them be lowered into the water with a prayer that they would be safe. As quickly as I could I made it back to my room to find Matilda curled up in our bed crying. I held her expressing my love and ensuring her we were going into eternity together. She then saw my paper and waterproof material on the desk in the room and asked me to pen this letter to capture our love for eternity.

I write this letter knowing that our lives are coming to an end but eternally grateful that we found each other and had four days to love each other as a family. For the person who finds this letter I hope that you share our story to encourage people to understand love is a precious gift and no matter what obstacles attempt to impede true love it is worth overcoming to find peace, comfort and encouragement in the person who loves you unconditionally.

Sincerely,

Michel Navratil at the side of Malinda Borden

Chase found himself emotionally drained with tears pouring from his eyes as he read the last thoughts of Michel. He wept for the two lovers until he had no more tears to shed. As his emotions were finally stabilizing, pictures from his past began to flash in his mind. Pictures of his young freshman self being a little nerdy and obsessed with scuba diving. Most of the kids in his high school ignored him and some of the jocks picked on him. On one of the occasions when a popular boy on the football team knocked his books out of his hand, as he was bending down to pick them up a young, beautiful dark skinned girl knelt down to assist him. They ended up walking to their next class together which they shared.

She introduced herself as Jasmine Whitaker and she ended up being in several of his classes. Jasmine was very smart and driven to be successful so she made straight A’s and was very good at all subjects. While Chase was pretty smart most of his attention was focused on scuba diving. Without the focus to actually study for topics like science and math, Chase’s grades started sliding which upset his parents and so he asked Jasmine to tutor him and they became best friends. By the end of their freshman year Chase got the courage to ask Jasmine out and they began dating. Chase’s parents were not happy with Chase’s decision to date Jasmine because their affluent friends made comments to them about their son dating beneath his status. Chase's parents discouraged the relationship but they did not forbid it, figuring it would fizzle out in a short period of time due to their different backgrounds.

Chase's parents were wrong and the two ended up staying together throughout their four year high school career. Jasmine ended up being the class valedictorian while Chase was making plans to be an entrepreneur and open his own boat cleaning business. The problem was Chase couldn’t get any bank to give him a loan because of his lack of credit and youth. Frustrated Chase confided in his father in a moment of weakness and his father offered him a solution. He would offer Chase the money to start his business with a contract for Chase to make payments on the loan until it was paid in full if Chase ended his relationship with Jasmine and found a more appropriate partner.

Chase had been devastated by his father’s conditions because he really loved Jasmine but he also wanted to be able to provide a good life for her even though she was assured success as she was awarded over $500,000 in scholarships to attend college and she had been accepted to all of her choices including two Ivy League institutions. Chase wrestled with the offer for three days before he decided to take the offer and break up with Jasmine with the intentions of making his business a success and returning to ask her to marry him.

Chase didn’t expect Jasmine’s complete heartbreak when he broke up with her right before she left for college telling her he didn’t want to limit her options while she was meeting people who were more like her. He would never forget the stricken look on her face as she cried and went back into her home.

Three years after starting his business and returning the money to his father, Chase thought about tracking down Jasmine to see if she still loved him like he loved her. By then he was too afraid he would find that she had moved on and would not forgive him when he disclosed the real reason for their breakup. In the end he was too afraid to look for her so he just carried on with his life. If he was honest he hadn’t dated anyone since Jasmine and when he thought about a family he could only see her.

Now it had been seven years and he’d actually heard from an old high school friend last year that Jasmine had returned to the area and was working at a popular law firm in the area. Chase found himself looking her up on social media where he found her profile and it stated she was single. The picture on her profile showed she hadn’t changed much and was as beautiful as ever.

Chase pondered on Michel’s letter for three days before he decided it was meant for him to find Michel’s letter to encourage him to find Jasmine. With a little bit of research he was able to find Jasmine’s address. Two days later he found himself standing outside her door with roses in his hand trying to get the courage to ring her doorbell. He thought about walking away as he turned to walk away. He looked across the street and he saw a couple standing together holding hands. The man was white and the woman was black and it took him a minute to realize the clothes they were wearing were not from this time. That’s when it hits him he’s looking at Michel and Malinda. As soon as their names come to his mind, they smile and wave at him and he can’t help but smile back. Michel points to the door behind him and Chase is hit with a bolt of courage. He waves at the couple, turns around, takes a deep breath and rings the doorbell hoping Jasmine will give him another chance at earning her love.