Honeymoon Horror

“You stupid bitch!”

I hear the slap across my face even before I feel the horrid sting of his touch. He turned and stormed out of the penthouse as I ran up the stairs to the loft. Curling up in a small, tight ball on the bed I feel the hot tears trying to drown me. I gasp for breath between my cries so hard that my ab muscles begin to cramp. Breathing is even more difficult as I try to stifle the movements.

Deep breath in, 2, 3, 4, Hold, 2, 3, 4, Release, 2, 3, 4…

I repeat my breathing exercises until my muscles relax and I calm down. I felt as small as that speck of dust floating by the floor to ceiling windows of our suite aboard the cruise ship. I should not be feeling this way on my honeymoon of all trips!

I wish I had someone to talk to on board. This was supposed to be our perfect destination wedding. The captain just married us yesterday in front of his friends and a couple of his family members but nobody I was close to was there. I’m not even sure if anyone would have come. I haven’t seen my friends in what seems like years since we always go out with his friends. I’m pretty sure my family wouldn’t want to have brunch at The Four Seasons with his family on Sundays or even be able to afford it so I haven’t really seen them either. We always did what he wanted to do for the holidays. Sometimes we would visit his parents or sometimes we would go on another ski vacation to the Alps.

I finally sit up and try to pull myself together. Walking into the bathroom, I completely redo my mascara and touch up the foundation around my eyes. Maybe a nice walk around the promenade would do me good. Fresh air always helps me in situations like these. Although I am stuck on this ship tonight, I can go into the port when we dock in Grand Cayman tomorrow.

As I get ready for dinner, he still has not returned. I shower and blow-dry my hair. As I place my 5 karat ring back on my finger, I hear the cabin door open downstairs. Slipping into my robe, I pad down the stairs to the entryway. It was just the butler checking to see if I needed anything before dinner. Well, my husband showing up would be nice. I send him away with a tip in hopes of the next person crossing the threshold would be my man. Gliding into my slinky black dress, I pour myself a glass of Merlot and wait in the living room, staring out at the ocean. The endless blue of the water met the wavering pinkish-yellow horizon and I know it is almost our time to be seated for dinner.

Walking to the main dining area, I glance around to see if there was a familiar face. Guess it will just be me tonight. I sit alone at a table set for two. I can barely taste the three courses of the meal. It all just seems so dry in my throat. I try washing the food down with an endless supply of wine but nothing is doing the trick.

I decide just to go back to the room. Wiping the makeup from my face I look at myself in the mirror. I see a lonely girl staring back at me. I try to smile but can only manage a little grimace as I turn to tuck myself into the empty bed in the darkened room. Curling up on my side of the bed I drift off into unconsciousness hoping that there will be someone to greet me in the morning.

The sun shines through a crack in the drapes. I open my eyes and hear someone rustling around downstairs. I think I hear him breathing as he is shifting through papers. As I turn the corner into the office, I see him with a look of annoyance on his face.

“Where is my portfolio? You know… the black notebook thing?”

I haven’t seen anything like that so I just shrug.

“What good are you anyway?”

He turns and continues looking. He brushes by me and heads upstairs to look through his luggage. Finally he finds what he is looking for and tells me to be ready in 10 minutes to go into town.

Quickly, I threw on a sundress and grab a pair of sunglasses. I had no time for makeup so I just put my hair up into a bun and grab my purse. His long legs stride down the hallway as I struggle to keep up. I’m almost at a jog by the time we exit the ship and walk down the gangway to the shore. I watch his movements in front of me. How is the fluidity in his walk so similar to the way he is perceived in life?

Making his way through the small streets I finally catch up with him outside of a bank. He tells me to wait here and don’t move. Seeing a bench across the street, I sit down. The hot sun is already blazing and I can feel my skin redden. I really wish I had time to put on sunscreen this morning. I’m going to be as red as a lobster tonight. I saw a little café with umbrellas just down the street but I knew if I moved there, he would be upset with me.

As I felt the first sun blister start to appear on my bare shoulder, he finally came out. Without saying a word, he headed back to the ship. I think he just wanted to go back to the casino or maybe the cigar bar. I we walked into the main lobby, he saw one of his friends. He then pushed all of the paperwork he was holding into my arms.

“Take this back to the room and put it in the safe.” He said turning to join his friend.

The two of them walked away as I just stood there looking after them. With a deep breath, I turned the opposite way and headed back to the suite. I wanted to quickly get ready and go back out to the town. That café looked really inviting and the ocean view from the patio could be like a little refuge for me.

As I put on aloe and sunscreen, I grabbed a hat and my beach bag to go back out and explore. Almost forgetting to put his papers back in the safe, I walked back upstairs. He must have already used it because it was locked and I didn’t know the combination to open it back up. Not wanting to just leave his things on the bed, I stuffed them in my bag and went back to shore.

I made my way back to the little café and sat under a pink umbrella looking out to the ocean. I ordered a white wine spritzer and a small bowl of raspberry gelato. As I sipped my drink, I curiously pulled out the papers that were so important to him. Flipping through the pages and booklets, it looked as if there was a bank account that he managed. There was a bit of his handwriting on the top of some of the pages, just numbers and random words.

It was almost time to head back to the ship so I paid my bill and stood to leave. Tears welled up in the corner of my eyes. I did not want to go back to the ship. I did not want to go back to my husband. I did not want to go back to that life. I didn’t care if I had to clean toilets for the rest of my life but I was not getting back on that ship.

Walking past the bank, I decided to take a chance. I walked into the cool, marble lobby and was greeted by a teller.

“Hello. I would like to make a withdrawal please.”

“May I have your account number?”

I handed her the papers and she scanned through them. “Mam, do you have identification?” she asked.

I slid my passport across the desk, thankful that I did a name change before we left on our trip so our last names matched. In return, she slid my papers back to me.

“How much would you like to withdraw?”

“All of it.”

“I just need the password.”

I didn’t know I needed a password! I flipped through the papers and saw a word written at the top of one of the account pages.

“Swordfish,” I said trying to act confident.

“Yes mam.”

She clicked a few more buttons on her computer terminal and went into the back room. After what seemed like a lifetime, she returned with her manager carrying a duffel bag.

“Are you going to need security?” she asked.

“No, I’ll be fine thank you.”

I grabbed the bag and walked out of the building. Heading back to the port, I heard the ship’s horn blast and the motors roar to life. The gangway had already been brought back on board and the dockworkers were untying the lines. I watched as the ship pulled away from the dock and headed back out to sea. I watched as the ship reached the horizon and called out to it, waving my hand.

“Fair winds and following seas, Bitch!”