Captain Harrison's Last Voyage

Captain Harrison's Last Voyage
By Veronica Anne Lee

Introduction:

Many have seen Captain Harrison as the man who did what Linarcos demanded for his own reputation of his career. Captain Harrison in my opinion is the inspiration of Captain Smith of the RMS Titanic. Both captains died on their ships leaving their families behind. Both captains were forced to go full speed ahead. So in this case it's only a fitting reputation to write a story about Captain Harrison. Much of the story as you will see is strictly inspired by Captain Smith's life and family, though there will be a difference in the story.

I hope you will like this story as much as I have enjoyed writing this.

Veronica Anne Lee
Wednesday, May 17th, 2006

Captain Harrison's Last Voyage
By Veronica Anne Lee

It was early in the morning on December 18th 1972. Waking up in his row home in the Upper East Side was Captain James Henry Harrison, the captain of the Greek Majestic Line SS Poseidon. "James is that you? Are you up?" asked his wife Lillian from the bedroom. "Yes dear it is" said James as he was putting on his uniform. Just then his twelve year old daughter Jane came out of her bedroom tiredly in her white nightgown as her father went milling about getting his stuff together. "Dad, why are you up so early?" she asked. "Many things to do on this last voyage my dear" said James. "You won't be away that long will you?" asked Jane. "It all depends on the weather. Weather reports predict storms ahead in the mid-atlantic" said James. "Dad must you go on this trip?" asked Jane. "Jane, we've been through this several times. This is my last voyage and then I can retire and be with Lillian and you all I want" said James. "But Dad...." said Jane. "No buts, just be a good girl okay?" said James. Jane sighed as she went downstairs to eat breakfast.

Putting on his overcoat, James saw Lillian comming out from the bedroom. "Looking handsome as usual" she said to him as he gave her a morning kiss. "Thank God this is her last voyage, as well as mine" said James. "What will happen to the Atlantis and Veruna?" asked Lillian. "Well Cyril told me that Veruna will be scrapped but not the Atlantis" said James. "Well that's good" said Lillian as the two of them walked down the staircase to to kitchen. Downstairs in the kitchen Jane was eating her cereal. "It shouldn't be that long of a voyage. This trip is very important, that's all I have to say" said James. "Just promise me you'll be safe" said Lillian. "There isn't any promises. Not how old and rusty that ship of mine is" said James. Lillian hugged James. Jane sifted through her cereal obviously not liking what her father was doing to her stepmother. James saw her agitated look on his daughter's face. "Jane, come here" said James. Jane got up and went towards her father. "You need to stop acting this way. I hope you will start loving Lillian more. She's not only my wife, she's your stepmother" said James. "But Dad......" said Jane. "Just please my dear Jane? You used to be a whole lot better before I married Lillian" said James. "I'll try" said Jane sullenly. "It's not 'I'll try' it's 'I'll do'"said James hugging her. "Dad, please don't go" said Jane with tears in her eyes. "I have to. You though need to hang in there and be there for Lillian. This trip maybe very unpredictable and I don't know when I'll be getting home. Just remember I have not forgotten you never since Lillian, and remember that I will always love you Jane. Nothing can replace that" said James. "I love you too Dad" said Jane wiping her tears off her eyes.

Then the taxi pulled up and honked its horn. Lillian and Jane followed James out of the house. "Jane! In your nightgown!" exclaimed Lillian. Jane ignored her stepmother and ran to hug her father. "I love you Dad" said Jane. "I love you too. Now get back into the house before you catch cold" said James. Jane kissed her father on the check and went towards the door where she stood watching her father. "Do be careful James. Come home safe okay" said Lillian. "I'll do what I can Lillian" said James as he kissed her. James went into the taxi with his briefcase. He waved to his wife and daughter as the taxi pulled away. "I hope those two can get along for once" thought James as the taxi drove down towards the piers by 12th Avenue.

The Greek Majestic Pier was empty when the taxi pulled over. There stood the SS Poseidon. Tall and still majestic though rusting. Her three red funnels stood grand and tall and her hull painted in white and black. "Here I am my girl. Let's get you home safely" he said aloud to the ship. He went up the gangway and into the ship where crew members were milling about preparing the ship for departure. He went up the Royal Grand Staircase out onto the boat deck and up to the bridge. There were the officers one the bridge who spent the past three nights in port. Amoung the men on the bridge was Aristotle Linarcos who came straight from Athens. "Oh great! Another Linarcos! Demanding as ever!" thought James. "Welcome aboard Mr. Linarcos. I'm sure we'll have a fine voyage on this last trip" said James politely. "I'm sure we will Captain. Let me please remind you that we need to get into Athens ontime and on schedule" said Mr. Linarcos. "This can't be guarenteed Mr. Linarcos, but we will try our best" said James. "Say, why is this man aboard Captain? He has a wife waiting for him at home" said Junior Officer Ron Tinkham. "Well so do I. What difference does that matter? He's here to make sure the ship arrives safe" said James giving Mr. Linarcos an angry look.

"I better do my rounds. I'll be back later on to report" said Mr. Linarcos. Mr. Linarcos walked off the bridge. "Why do we need to deal with this guy?" asked Senior Officer Charles Larson. "It's not my orders, it's Cyril's. The company was in much better hands when Nicos Sr. was in charge" said James. "Here's the passenger list from McFarland" said Officer John Adams. "Full capacity on our last voyage. That's good profit wise" said James. He then looked at the list of passengers "Hmm........we have a variety now don't we? We have the Indian Ambassador, a undercover cop and his hooker, two kids travelling alone, and a reverend escaping his pulpit for some time alone. This is going to be interesting" said James handing the clipboard back to Officer Larson.

The ship fog horn blared at noon. The ship was slowly pulled out of her pier by the Greek Majestic Line's tugboat Coral Blue, and into the harbor. Many well wishers were there to wave the ship off to her unknown destiny. Cameras and reporters were there taking pictures of her. Not many would know that this would not only be the last time they would see her, but that many of her passengers would never be seen again. As the ship drew further and further into the Atlantic, pass the Sandy Hook Lighthouse, many of the well wishers departed. Many of the relatives of the passengers had the confidence that they would see their loved ones again. Afterall it was a ship. there had been very few disasters since the Claridon in 1960, and the Poseidon despite her faults, was well equipped with the mandated lifeboats and had the finest top knotch radar and radio. So there Poseidon went on her way across the Atlantic to what would be her very last voyage.

As the site of the New World faded away, James was in the chart room looking at the weather reports for the Atlantic Crossing. "How are we gonna get past these storms?" he asked his chief officer Kevin Fredrick. "Sir, by what Cape Race relayed from Kinsale, it'd be best we go around the Isles and sail downward to Southampton" said Kevin. "Do you know that's gonna be two days out of our way?! Cyril is impatient as it is when it comes to getting this rustbucket into port" said James. "It's the best route sir. The ship is unstable as she is" said Kevin. "It's gonna take us two days off schedule" said James. "So is going through the storms. Joe is down there right now fixing the stabilizers" said Kevin. "Are you suggesting we go around the Isles?" asked James. "Yes sir I am" replied Kevin. "Okay then, we'll do that then" said James. James was getting frustrated at what was being told, so to relieve his mind he went down to the First Class Library on the Promenade Deck two decks below. There in the library he read a Charles Dickens book. Dickens was his favorite author. Besides his passion for the maritime, he loved reading books. Reading books relieved his stress. Many passengers would see him in the library twice daily, and the stewards kindly would remind the passengers not to disturb the captain. As being the captain, James was allowed flexibility so he could have sometime off during his shifts. When the ship would enter a port would be when he was required to be on the bridge, or when a serious situation would occur.

After reading in the library, James went back up to the bridge to resume his duties. The day ended in the same routine. Dinner was a mere social occasion for James. While most captains despised being near their passengers, James loved it. He loved keeping his passenger informed and he loved telling them seaworthy stories during dinner. It was his only time when he spent time with his passengers. After dinner was one more visit to the bridge for an update on the weather conditions, which seemed to be smooth sailing until the ship would enter the European continent. Then it was off to bed. He knew he had nothing to worry about as his night officers were on four hour watches as were the lookouts in the crow's nest. Not only that, if a situation would arise, James would be called from bridge from either his bedroom or his captain's table in the Dining Saloon. So off to bed he went. Before turning out his light, James looked at the picture of Lillian and Jane. He was wondering what Jane was doing and if she tried reconciling with Lillian. "If only those two would get along" he thought as he turned out the light.

The next day the first full day at sea. While on the bridge, the ship went into a swell and listed a bit. Flung into the bridge came a ten year old boy. "What in the heck are you doing here?" asked James. "Mr. Linarcos has allowed me to visit the bridge! I'm Robin Shelby sir" piped up Robin in a salute. James looked at Mr. Linarcos who smiled at the boy. "Have you gone too sentimental Linarcos? You know this kid can't tour the ship!" said James. "I have higher authority then you do. This kid can visit here all he wants. Now if you excuse me Captain, I'm gonna show this boy around" said Mr. Linarcos. "You mean it sir?" asked Robin. "I sure do. Where would you like to go first?" asked Mr. Linarcos. "The Engine Room! I want to see the engine room sir!" piped up Robin. "Then the Engine Room it is!" said Mr. Linarcos as he ushered Robin out of the bridge. "That guy is insane" said Officer Tinkham as Linarcos left the bridge. "I can't believe we got to deal with this guy!" exclaimed Officer Kevin Fredrick who was manning the wheel. The two officers looked at James expecting a reply. "As much as we all can't stand him, we have to simply do our jobs as hard as it could be right now" said James.

The day progressed as usual with occasionally swells and lists. Already those passengers in the three class liner suffered occasionally from seasickness especially those in tourist class who's cabins were further towards the bow. "Passengers are already complaining in Tourist Class. Doctor Carvello already has had half his distribution of supositories given out to the passengers" said Purser McFarland while visiting the bridge that afternoon. "I thought we were fully loaded medicine wise. Guess it'll have to wait until we reach Southampton" said James sighing. James then called Chief Engineer Joe on the phone "Chief here" said the engineer. "Still working on those stabilizers?" asked James. "Cryin' out loud! Yes! Yes I am working on it, but the pumps are near failure! I may need to fix it before we reach Southampton" said Joe. "I don't care a darn about those pumps right now. Just keep fixing those stabilizers okay?" said James. "You can blame that bastard Cyril Linarcos for it. Cheap ship that can't get fixed on her last voyage" said Joe. The phone clicked. James hung the phone up. "This is gonna be one heck of a voyage" said James sighing. "You're telling me" said Purser McFarland.

The two men walked off the bridge and onto the deck where the sky was a deep blue with bright puffy clouds with a slight breeze. "If she rolls and swells this deep, I wouldn't be surprised if most of the passengers end up filing complaints with the company already. Just try to keep them occupied okay? We want this voyage to end in grand style" said James. "It's gonna be hard, but I'll try" said Purser McFarland as he went down the stairs to the Sports Deck. Already thinking about the voyage, James sensed something was not right about this last voyage. He felt very uneasy about it. Was it because Cyril had been rushing his old ships to the scrapyards? True there was two crates of cargo in the cargo hold that the Russians claimed they needed. Two days before departure, James got a call from Cyril at the New York office. "Did you get my telegram?" asked Cyril coldly. "Yes sir I did" replied James. "Good then you know I need you to get that ship back ontime to Athens. If you don't, you won't get your bonus James. This cargo is in the hands of my brother. He knows nothing about it and I don't want him to know. Is that understood?" asked Cyril coldly. "Yes sir" replied James. "Good. I hope to see you in Athens on December 28th" said Cyril as he hung up the phone. "Bastard!" thought James as he hung up the phone.

James decided to take a tour of the ship as he always did. Instead of taking the daily tour of the ship with a bunch of officers, James did it alone. It gave him time to think as well. As he walked down the deck to the Sun Deck where the lifeboats stood, he saw a man sitting there on a deck chair reading a book about medicine. Just then an elderly couple came up to him. "Well hello there Mr. Martin! You doing better today after that fall on the dock yesterday?" asked the woman. "There she goes again. That's my Belle! Always worried about everyone else" said the man. "That's okay Mrs. Rosen. I'm alright. I'm sure though you won't be seeing me tripping over no more!" said Mr. Martin smiling at the elderly couple. "Well we hope to see you at the first dinner seating" said the man. "Oh you will Mr. Rosen" said Mr. Martin. "Shall we take a walk around the deck Belle?" asked Manny. "That would be my pleasure Manny!" said Belle smiling. The two walked off along the deck.

Further aft, was another passenger, a teenage girl reading a teen magazine. Just then a guy came up to her. "May I sit with you?" he asked politely. "I don't see why not" said the girl who continued to read her magazine. "I'm Terry, your dinner mate from last night. It's good to see you again Susan" he said. "Oh yes. How are you?" she said looking up smiling. "I was hoping we could walk about on deck" said Terry. "No thanks. Besides Robin is comming back from touring the ship soon" said Susan. "I truly do like you Susan. I hope you know that" said Terry. Susan smiled shyly. "Why thank you Terry" she said. "How about we walk later on tonight?" asked Terry. "Well after dinner, certainly" said Susan. "Good, I'll see you after dinner" said Terry as he walked off. "God only knows if Jane would do that" thought James as he continued to do his tour.

He then went down to the Grand Staircase where he saw that the band "Sunray" was taking their equipment down to the Dining Saloon. "Wasn't that nice that Mr. Linarcos gave us a free trip passage to Rome?" asked Nonnie. "That certainly is. We can use the leftover money for our return trip home" said Teddy. "Excuse me young man, who'd you say paid for your trip?" asked James. The band paused in shock when they saw the captain."Oh that kind gentlemen Mr. Linarcos" said Teddy. "He's very nice" added Nonnie smilingly. "Without him we could of never made it to Rome" said Teddy. "Okay" was all James could say. As James left to go to the dispensory, he heard Teddy say "Must you say things like that out loud? The captain could of thrown us off at the next port" said Teddy. "I'm sure the Captain doesn't mind" said Nonnie. "Well I do!" said Teddy sighing.

James looked through the dispensory closet. McFarland was right about the supositories. If the ship keeps cutting through the sea as she was, there was going to be more trouble then there was right now. As he left the despensory closet, he overheard a father and daughter argueing outside in the hallway. "Theresa, I don't want you hanging about with Larry tonight" said the man. "But Dad........I'm a grown woman. I'm 26 and you still are telling me what to do!" she screamed. "I just don't want you to get hurt" said her father. "I'll do what I want okay?" said Theresa storming away from her father. James caught a glance of a tired looking man. "She's a Daddy's girl right? Don't feel bad. I have a twelve year old daughter who's just as rebellious" said James. "Just be glad you're not on here convincing you're daughter not to marry the wrong man" said the man. "You'll be just fine. Usually the guy you think is wrong for your daughter ends up to be the right one" said James patting the man on his shoulders then walking away.

James was now feeling more troubled. This voyage so far had not been that bad, but with medical supplies running low, there were going to be plenty of irritable passengers. James sighed. He still had to tour more of the ship. He then went towards the crew stairway door and went through the steward's passageway where he ran into Acres. "Hello sir! Good day isn't it?" asked Acres. "Trying to be. You all doing fine over there in those gallies?" asked James. "Oh yes sir. We have all we need thus far" said Acres. "Good, if you need anything, it'll have to wait until Southampton. We're gonna round about the Isles this time, so it'll take longer. There some storms that we're gonna encounter enroute to home port" said James. "I get to see my homeland once again!" said Acres smiling. "I knew you'd be happy. In the twelve years I've known you Acres, you were never homesick" said James. "Well I can't entirely agree sir. Maybe the first year sir, but as I see it, I do what I need to do for my wife and children" said Acres. "Good man" said James as he walked through the crew passageways.

After taking the tour of the ship he went up to the bridge to resume his normal duties. The Atlantic Crossing went smoothly until the ship headed toward the British Isles. James remained on the bridge the entire time while rounding the Isles. The sea became very rough and the route suggested from Officer Kevin prooved worthless because now the route that was suggested forced the ship to be a day behind schedule. When the ship docked in Southampton on Christmas Eve, in the pouring rain, most of the embarking passengers were miserable. Those who got off at Southampton were glad to get off the ship, and many of the passengers at Southampton who saw the miserable embarking passengers sensed that it was gonna be a rough voyage ahead. James putted on his raincoat and went out on the deck. Robin Shelby then came running in from the rain. "Can't you see we're at port? Can't your visit wait after we leave Southampton?" asked James. "No sir. Mr. Linarcos said I could come up anytime, so I thought you'd allow me to come up too" said Robin happily. "Not right now, after we leave Cherbourg you can come to visit okay? Tinkham send him back to his cabin" ordered James. "Aye sir" replied Officer Tinkham. James looked piered out at the port of Southampton. He then heard a happy scream. "Acres dear!" screamed the woman. "Julia!" came a voice James knew. It was Acres. "I'll allow him to slip this time" thought James smiling as he peered down and saw Acres hug and kiss his wife and children.

"Dreary England. Thank God I won't see her again" thought James. Many passengers were comming on and James knew departure time was close and near. At noon we'll depart. Meanwhile, get someone down there to get Acres back on the ship" said James to Officer Larson. "Aye sir" replied Officer Larson. The rain did not let up after departure as a result, the ship was two hours late making it into Cherbourg. "Is it ever gonna clear up?" thought James as he glanced at Mr. Linarcos who was on the bridge with him. "How's the weather conditions so far?" asked James to Officer Kevin. "Weather conditions should be smooth until after we depart Lisbon. "That should be good news for the passengers" said James. "Yes but we're still three days behind schedule Captain" said Mr. Linarcos. "You think I don't know that?!" snapped James. "We need to get this ship into port" said Mr. Linarcos. "Mr. Linarcos, we are doing the best we can, but I can't risk losing this ship on her very last voyage, and you being impatient is not at all helping" said James. "You must understand the importance of getting this ship to port, not is it only costing me but costing the company as well" said Mr. Linarcos. "I do understand the importance. I also understand the importance to you that you have an expectant wife at home. If you want to blame someone or something, blame the weather conditions. The safety of my passengers is always top priority before speed" said James. "I will speak to you later about this" said Mr. Linarcos walking away. James sighed. "When is this trip going to end, half the passengers all already complaining" he thought.

And indeed it was true. Many passengers did not think that this last voyage would be that rough in the seas. Many were seasick especially those enroute from New York to Athens. Sure the doctor got more medical supplies when the ship docked Southampton but would it last? Down in the Engine Room, the stabilizers still weren't fixed. Nothing seemed to be going right during this last voyage. Then as the ship got into the port of Lisbon, the ship's pump broke down and needed to get repaired. Indeed during the voyage, Joe had his hands full with the problems of the engine room. He was in the Engine Room more then any of his officers trying to fix the problem as fast as he could. When the ship docked in Lisbon, Harrison again went down to the Engine Room, this time with Linarcos behind him. "Joe" he said. "I've been doing my best sir. What more do you want me to do? Kiss up to that man?!" asked Joe angerily looking at Mr. Linarcos. "I can't get this fixed okay! We're all doing the best we can. We've been doing twelve hour shifts getting the problems in this Engine Room fixed so he can get his ship in ontime " said Joe. "I'm sure you are. Just get this done or you'll find out that this is the last job you'll ever have" said Mr. Linarcos. "But---" said Joe. "Just do it. We're relying on you" said James as he walked away. As the two of them went back to the bridge James asked "Have you heard from you're wife?" "The last I heard that baby of ours was kicking her very hard. She might end up having a very hard time having our little one, and I don't want that to happen" said Mr. Linarcos who held in his tears. "Oh I'm sure she'll do fine. It's always hard the first time around. I wasn't there when my Jane was born, but my wife made out pretty okay" said James. Linarcos gave him an angry look.

The weather continued to improve until heading towards Gibraltor. There the storms started up again. "These storms always keep following us" said James to Officer Tinkham. "Yes highly unusual for this time of year sir" said Officer Tinkham. As the ship neared Gibraltor "How much cargo do we have?" asked James to Mr. Linarcos. "We have enough cargo to take her to Athens captain" said Mr. Linarcos. "In this type of scenario? Come on! You've seen her in this weather. We need more bunkers, if you want your ship to get home" said James. "Trust me Captain, we have enough" said Mr. Linarcos. "Are you saying that because you're in a hurry?" asked James. "I'm saying this because I'm not only the company's new representative, I am the company" said Mr. Linarcos seriously. "I'm saying we need more bunkers!" said James. "And I'm saying we don't need them, now let's get the ship moored in and ready to disembark passengers" said Mr. Linarcos angerily. "You'll regret this" said James angerily. Both men stared at each other angerily while the officers on the bridge stared at the two angry men in shock.

The ship was then moored into Gibraltor, the rain pouring down hard. Again another group of disgruntled passengers disembarked from the ship. Some were beginning to realize who was behind this all. Some saw the tension between Mr. Linarcos and Captain Harrison. Many were glad to get off the wretched ship. James looked at the coast of Gibraltor. The trip turned out to be unbearable and he knew now he would not get his bonus, and there could be trouble brewing with the secret cargo aboard. "Captain, you're daughter is radioing you" said Officer Larson. "Thank you" said James as he walked to the radio room "This is Dad here, go ahead" said James. "Hi Dad" came Jane on the radio. He heard her pop her bubble gum over the radio speaker. "How's my princess?" he asked. "Dad, I'm not your princess" she said in an annoyed voice. "Yes you are. How was Christmas?" asked James. "It was good" said Jane in sullen tone. "Good? Jane......." said James. "Well it was!" his daughter protested. "You treating Lillian good?" asked James. "Yes Dad I am" replied his daughter. "Good, can I speak to her?" asked James. "Sure Dad. I hope to see you when you get home" said Jane. "You will" said James. "I love you Daddy!" said Jane. "Love you too. Now get Lillian to the radio" said James. "I will Dad" said Jane.

"James?" asked Lillian over the radio. "Here I am darling. You doing well?" asked James. "Just being impatient with you James" said Lillian. "It's been the weather causing the delay, not to mention other factors" said James thinking of Linarcos. "It was a lovely Christmas. I dunno why Jane didn't enjoy it" said Lillian. "That's Jane for sure, when she goes back to school for the semester she'll be back to the same old rountine" said James. "When do you think you'll get to port?" asked Lillian. "We're trying as fast as we can. Unfortunately I won't get my bonus, but once she gets into port, we can start our lives together as a family, the three of us. I'll wire you both money to meet me in Athens" said James. "Really? Thanks darling. Jane will be very excited to hear about that!" exclaimed Lillian. "Good. Well I better get to work. I will wire you the money. Love you both. Over and out" said James. He got up and told the operator. "Go and contact the home office and tell them to wire my wife two hundred dollars" said James. "Aye sir" replied the operator. James smiled. It was the least he could do for Lillian and Jane.

James left and went back to the bridge where he saw Mr. Linarcos looking quite content. "I'm sure you're well satisfied now since we didn't bring aboard anymore bunkers" said James. "It's still not compensating for time lost" said Mr. Linarcos. "Gangway doors closed?" asked James to Officer Kevin. "Yes sir they are" said James. "Okay ready to disembark" said James. The ship was moored out of Gibraltor by the Greek Majestic's tugboat Doris May. The rain continued into the night and through the morning. The storm the ship went through became the fiercest ever. Nearly everyone on the ship was seasick the night before New Year's Eve. Even the crew such as the doctor and the nurse could not keep themselves from being sick. The officers on the bridge were allowed to relieve themselves as much as they could so they could resume their posts on the bridge. By the morning of New Year's Eve the storm faded away, and there were smooth seas and clear skies. After the fight on the bridge that morning with Linarcos, James went to Purser McFarland and said "We might as well celebrate this chaotic voyage with a New Year's Eve party. Send out the invitations and also get that Sunray band to perform. I'm sure this is one voyage no one will forget" said James. "I know I won't forget it. I'll be glad to get off this darn ship" said Purser McFarland. "Well then get to it" said James. "Aye sir" replied Purser McFarland.

Meanwhile back in New York, Lillian rushed around getting her prettiest dresses to put in her suitcase. "Lillian this isn't a fashionable occasion. Dad don't expect me to dress up" said Jane who was already packed up. "Well it is to me. Your father will be having a retirement party there in Athens amoungst all the prominent families including the Linarcos'. We need to look our best" said Lillian. "I've been to retirement parties for the Line. They're not grand occasions, but if you say so......." said Jane walking downstairs to the front door. "You know young lady you need to stop being sarcastic" said Lillian. "You're not my mother. My real mother would of never ignored me like you do to me" said Jane. "Someday you'll realize you will need a mother. You're father isn't always gonna rescue his princess" said Lillian. "I will love my dad more then I'd love you anyday!" shouted Jane angerily as she slammed the front door. "When will that girl ever learn that I do love her?" thought Lillian as she packed her remaining clothes in the suitcase and headed downstairs.

Meanwhile in his cabin, James readied himself for the party. The night was supposed to be smooth seas until early morning Monday. Now with the chaotic trip nearing its end, James was excited to get into port to see his wife and daughter. After getting ready for the party, he went to Mr. Linarcos' cabin to meet him. Mr. Linarcos closed the door of his cabin holding back tears from his eyes. James didn't know why he was so composed. "I hope you will know that it should be smooth seas tonight and that it's gonna be rough tomorrow" said James. "All I hope to know is that my wife is alright. Looks like I'm gonna be a father very soon without being there with her" said Mr. Linarcos. "Sometimes it's better that way. Most men do not like to see their wives in pain, but be glad because when you get home you'll finally see your wife and baby" said James. For the party, James felt it was not only respectful but appropriate to meet and escort his prominent passengers to the captain's table. So along the way he stopped by the Rogo's cabin. The Indian Ambassador's suite, and the Spanish cabinet member's daughter's cabin and they all grandly walked into the dining saloon. There at the table stood Reverend Scott. "Not this jerk again! Mr. God the Great!" exclaimed Mike Rogo. Reverend Scott ignored Rogo's remark. "Captain, ladies" he greeted them. The men pulled out the chairs for the ladies and then they all sat down.

"Well hopefully this will be a wonderful evening to end this precarious voyage!" said James. "Precarious? You might as well say disasterous! Look what it did to my Linda!" said Mike Rogo. "I told you I didn't want to be on this ship, but you insisted" said Linda Rogo sipping at her wine. "Well I'm sure everyone feels better by now. Is there anything you all may like right now?" asked James. "Yeah to get off this boat!" said Linda. "I could use some champagne" said Mr. Linarcos still holding back the tears in his eyes. "What's the matter with that guy?" asked Mike. "This man here is gonna be a father anytime soon" said James. "Hah! At you're age!" snickered Mike. "Yes at my age" said Mr. Linarcos who watched as the band Sunray came onto the stage. "You know Mr. Linarcos, you shouldn't of done that to that group" said James. "Well I wanted to okay? I have the money to do so" said Mr. Linarcos. The group fell silient. Acres came by the table to bring out the dishes of food. "Looks great Acres. Tell those men back in the gallies I'll give them a hundred dollars more for their great work" said James. "Will do sir" replied Acres smiling. "And Acres, don't let me catch you sneaking off ship again okay?" said James jokingly. "Oh yes sir. I promise I won't do it sir, but can't help missing my wife and children" said Acres. "That's okay, you're entitled to see your family" said James smiling.

The party went on. The music kept playing and James chatted with the passengers at his table, until he saw his phone light flashing. "I wonder what's gonna on up there" said James. When he excused himself, he walked out of the saloon and back up to the bridge. When he got the news about the wave about to hit the ship, he knew it'd be too late. He could get angry at Mr. Linarcos all he wanted to, but the only way was to hope, hope the ship would make it in the condition she was in. He saw the sorry look in Mr. Linarcos' eyes but it was not enough. The ship he knew would be doomed. James saw the wave heading towards the ship at a fast speed. The wave hitted the bridge flooding it completely. He knew he was drowning and all he thought was about his wife and daughter.

Meanwhile at the airport, late at night going into the very early hours, Lillian and Jane arrived from New York. They were told to stay put because of something important. The both of them were tired from the ten hour flight. Leaning against Lillian was Jane sleeping against her shoulder as they sat down. "Mrs. Harrison?" asked the lady. Jane then woke up when Lillian stirred. "Yes?" asked Lillian. "Could I please talk to you in private?" asked the lady. "Why of course. Stay here Jane" said Lillian. Jane stretched herself and yawned. She knew her Dad would be here to greet them soon. Just then far in the distance where the lady and Lillian were talking, she heard Lillian screaming and crying, "No! No! It can't be! James can't be dead!" Jane knew then knew that her father was dead. She didn't want to ask any further. She simply knew that the condition of that ship would not make it through the storms both Lillian and her encountered during the flight. She siliently cried because now she felt totally alone. Lillian walked over to Jane who then composed herself. "Jane, there's something I have to tell you" said Lillian. "If it's about Dad, I can tell" sobbed Jane. "Oh Jane....."said Lillian as Jane got up and hugged her stepmother. "I'm sorry I've been angry with you" said Jane crying uncontrolably. "That's okay my darling. It's okay. We'll make it through this" said Lillian. "Don't leave me okay?" sobbed Jane. "I will never leave you" said Lillian. The two hugged and sobbed uncontrolably the two them alone in the terminal.

Meanwhile, thinking he was dead, James woke up on a bench in Central Park. It was a nice warm day. There walking by was his first wife Eliza Anne dressed in a white gown. "Eliza, what are you doing here?" he asked. "I've come to take you home" said Eliza. "Home? But home is far from here" said James. "Not here it is if you look by that golden gate up on that hill" said Eliza. James sobbed. "No, no, no! It can't be" he said. He knew he was dead and he only hoped Lillian and Jane would far well without him.

The End