Teach a Teacher a Lesson

The Port of Marseille, July 2016:

Sam was awake even before his alarm clock went off. An insistent beam of early morning light kept peeping through the porthole of his cabin, landing directly on his face. He got off his bed and turned off the alarm clock before it started beeping. The sound had always annoyed him, and yet, he hadn't bothered to change it. He paced up and down the room, stretching his limbs to work the kinks from his long sleep out of his body. He felt well-rested. It had been a tough week, and a good night's sleep was what he had needed; as second-in-command, it was his duty to see that this cruise ship was ready for another departure.

This had been his routine for the past four years, ever since he set foot aboard the Midnight Dancer, one of the largest and most luxurious vessels currently traveling the oceans.

Every time there was to be a departure from Marseille, their home port, he had to spend a week assigning each member of the crew their duties and making sure that they were fully briefed. The Midnight Dancer was more like a floating hotel than a normal cruise ship. In addition to the usual ship's crew, he had to oversee the hospitality staff and ensure that the galleys were stocked with adequate provisions.

On his way to the shower, he glanced out of the porthole. The weather seemed perfect for their departure. They were going to have an uneventful voyage.

He had a shower, trimmed his beard, and then put on his flawlessly ironed white uniform and hat. He took one last look in the mirror, winked at himself, and left his cabin.

After checking with the captain in the navigation room, he climbed two flights of stairs up to the second deck. Departure was at six in the evening for this trip. He always liked to enjoy the peace and quiet of the ship before the swarms of passengers began embarking. On summery days like this, he loved being up here to soak in the soul-soothing warmth of the sun. He removed his hat and let his gaze drift out to the horizon...to the glistening, serene, clear-blue waters of Marseille and up to a cloudless July morning sky. A light breeze brushed his face and slightly ruffled his hair. He turned his head left toward La Joliette and watched as this commercial part of the city slowly came to life. Though he usually spent his time on board, he reveled in exploring every nook and cranny of Marseille, the second largest city in France and a regional center for culture and entertainment in the south. There were few ports of call he enjoyed as much as this city, with its numerous cinemas, clubs, bars, and restaurants and even museums. Although he was not the museum type exactly, he had learnt a lot in his visits to the maritime museum there. There were several historical ones as well, but ever since that life-changing event ten years ago, he avoided anything to do with history.

A sudden commotion below made him turn his gaze toward the stern of the ship. He saw people coming aboard. Even though departure was hours away, some passengers liked to board the ship early and familiarize themselves with their surroundings. Curious, he moved closer to the railing on that side and scanned the people, thinking it was time for him to take his place in the navigation room.

A woman with long red hair, gleaming in the sunlight, caught his eye, but before he had a chance to study her, she entered the ship and he lost sight of her. Somehow though, she had seemed extremely familiar.

Needing to explore the disturbing feeling her image had stirred, Sam decided to go down to the reception area. Even if he couldn't find her there, he would be able to check the cabin reservations and see if any of the names rang a bell. By the time he arrived, most of the passengers had already gone, escorted to their cabins by the hospitality staff. He went to the reception desk and asked to be shown the passenger list.

The moment his gaze landed on her name, his whole body stiffened. He widened his eyes and slightly dropped his jaw. No! It can't be! He looked at the name once again, making sure he had not misread it. Could it? Could it really be her? After all these years? A little voice nagged inside his head. Somehow, instinctively, he knew it was true.

A smoldering rage emerged from the pits of his soul. Memories flashed in his mind's eye...of her...of what he went through afterwards. It was all coming back to him. Things he truly believed he had left behind.

Infuriated, he dropped the list on the desk, as if the paper was on fire, and turned to leave. She was right there, entering the room, carrying her seemingly heavy luggage, still as beautiful as she had always been. He was transfixed. She lifted her head as one of the porters offered to help her with her bags, and smiling pleasantly at the officers and staff by the reception desk, she followed him toward her cabin. Sam watched her leave the room with the sway of her hips that had always driven him crazy.

She had no idea who he was, but he was not mistaken. He could never forget her. She had been the bane of his life. She was the cause of all the torment he had gone through in the last ten years. He clenched and unclenched his fists to control the surge of anger pooling inside him.

Sam made his decision then and there: She was going to pay. He would get his revenge for all the pain she had inflicted on him in his youth. Knowing that she would not recognize him and try to steer clear of him gave him the perfect opportunity to plan and launch his attack.

Once this voyage began, there would be no escape for her. As with all the passengers aboard the ship, she had come to find relaxation, but he was determined to see that she had a rather unpleasant journey.

As a plan formed in his head, a wicked lopsided smile set on his lips. This time, his seduction would be thoroughly successful. After all, not only was he an experienced man now, but he was also a rather attractive one, a man that few women were able to refuse. This time, she would be the one left broken-hearted.

His grin widened the more he thought about it. The moment he had been dreaming about for so long had finally come. At last, it was time for him to teach his old history teacher a lesson!