***
Francis was prompt. When he walked through the hatch to environmental he was met with a well scripted tableau.
“Very well, Mr. Wang, since you cannot be trusted, I accept your resignation effective immediately,” Brill said authoritatively. “We’ll find a replacement at Dunsany Roads, and since there are no other openings on the Lois, you’ll be placed ashore there. Do you understand?
“Yes, Chief. Thank you, Chief,” I said. “I can’t allow my feelings for Ms. Ardele to endanger the ship any longer.”
Diane’s face crumpled up and she had to turn away so we could not see her tears. Frankly, I suspected it was laughter she was hiding.
“Hi?” Francis said uncertainly. “What’s going on?”
“Ah, Francis, good you’re here.” Brill turned to him. “I understand we owe you some thanks for uncovering Mr. Wang’s weakness for Diane.”
“Wha—?” he said.
“Last night, Francis,” I said to him. “You were right. I was so distracted by Diane I didn’t even know what chapter I’d bookmarked in my tablet. It’s true. Whenever I’m around her, I just can’t think of anything else.” I hung my head in shame, and also so he wouldn’t see the corner of my lips twitching as a fought a grin.
“But—” he began.
“Ishmael has explained the situation, Francis. Thank you for being so diligent and spotting the problem. The safety of the ship is, of course, our first concern. We’ll be putting him ashore at Dunsany, and in the meantime, he’s going back to help out in the galley where he can’t do any serious damage.”
“But—” he tried again.
“That leaves us short-handed. I’ve spoken to Mr. Kelley and he’s doesn’t have anyone to spare, so you’re going to have to cover his watches until then.” Brill was a bulldozer. She just kept pushing and pushing.
“But—” he tried a third time.
“I’m sorry, Diane,” I broke in. “I never meant to hurt you.” I had no idea what I was saying. I was just trying to keep the play going.
“Mr. Wang, I think we’ve had just about enough from you,” Brill said coldly. “You’re dismissed.”
I headed for the hatch and I could see Francis’s face out of the corner of my eye. He was just about primed.
“Wait!” he shouted.
Thar she blows! I thought.
“Yes, Francis? You have something to add to this conversation?” Brill asked.
“Is this about the bookmark on his tablet?” he asked.
“Why, yes,” she said. “It is.”
“And you think he’s incompetent because he was so distracted by Diane that he doesn’t know what he’s doing?”
“I believe that’s a fair assessment,” Brill agreed. “You yourself brought it to his attention last night, I believe. At least he had sufficient integrity to bring it to attention this morning.”
“But I was just teasing him!” Francis objected. “I didn’t mean anything by it.”
“Oh, Francis, I think you don’t give yourself enough credit. Obviously you are more observant than you know and must have picked up on Mr. Wang’s state of mind,” Brill answered. “The fact remains, that if he can’t keep his head on straight enough to know what bookmark he’s setting on something as simple as his tablet, how can I trust him with the lives aboard this ship? These people trust us to care for them. I can’t overlook the fact that he did not know he’d set his tablet for spec one and during six full weeks he had been so distracted by Diane that he didn’t realize it until you pointed it out to him.”
She was good—very good.
“But,” Francis said, “he didn’t set it to the wrong chapter.”
“Oh?” Brill asked archly. “Then how do you explain this?” She held up my tablet to the page that Francis had last seen me reading. “This is clearly spec one material.”
“True, but he didn’t make the mistake in setting it,” he said.
“I don’t follow, Francis. What are you saying?” Brill asked.
“He didn’t make the mistake in setting it. I set it to spec one the day we pulled out of St. Cloud. I never dreamed he wouldn’t spot it,” he said miserably.
“So this whole fiasco is your doing?” Brill said incredulously.
Francis nodded and I recognized the can I just melt into the deck now expression on his face. I had been wearing it not so long ago.
“Mr. Wang?” she called to me. “Do you have anything to say to Mr. Gartner on this matter?”
“Yes, Ms. Smith, I do,” I replied.
Francis turned to me with a pained and stricken across his face.
“Gotcha!” I said.
There were about four solid heartbeats of frozen disbelief on Francis’s face before he turned to find Brill and Diane grinning at him. “Gotcha!” they both said together.
“But—” he began.
I walked over to him and put a hand on his shoulder. “It’s okay, Francis. I know, or think I know, what happened.” I nodded toward Diane. “You saw her snatch my tablet and jigger the bookmark, right?”
He nodded.
“Then you thought you’d up the ante by boosting it to spec one?” I asked.
“Yeah, I never expected you wouldn’t spot it, but then watch after watch you came in with it. I’ve never seen anybody wrestle so hard,” he said with what sounded like admiration. “Then you rotated to the next shift and I never got a good opportunity to tell you. To be honest, I didn’t think you’d still be working on the wrong lessons until you mentioned it last night. I couldn’t believe how much of it you’d gotten through.”
“And ribbing me about Diane?”
“Oh, that. I’m sorry but it was just too perfect to pass up. I just couldn’t resist. When it comes to good-looking women, you’re easy to tease, Ish.” He looked at all of us then and said, “I’m sorry. Really I am.”
I raised my eyebrows. “Is that good enough for you two?” I asked Brill and Diane.
Brill nodded. “Yeah. I’m good. What about you, Diane?”
There was something in Diane’s stance that made me think she was going to deck him, but she finally said, “Yeah. Good enough.”
“Okay, well, then I guess it’s good enough for me.” I held out my hand to Francis.
He looked at it and then my eyes before taking it.”You’re a good man, Ish,” he said softly.
“I’m an idiot, but it comes naturally to me. I don’t need to use brilliant women like these two as an excuse. I’m dumb enough on my own,” I told him with a grin. “Good, now? Anybody ready for lunch? I think Cookie’s doing lamb with garlic.”
Diane said, “All ops normal, Mr. Gartner. No maintenance scheduled or performed. You have the watch.”
Francis replied, “Thank you, Ms. Ardele, I relieve you. I have the watch.”
“Kneesies,” Diane huffed as she brushed by him, headed for the lock.
“I’ll catch up with you in a few, Ish,” Brill said. “I’ve got some loose ends to finish up.”
I waved and followed Diane out. I almost felt sorry for Francis.