Read one of our favorite chapters in Book A – All Aboard!
CHAPTER 23
The ship slowly approached the port. Calvin and Cara had their bikes waiting at the top of the ramp, ready to ride as soon as the boat connected with the shore. George waited anxiously with his golf clubs. He hoped to be able to get Yenny and Yazmin on with them in their foursome.
Isaac and Isabelle had talked Finley, Faith, Zander and Zara into taking a Jeep tour with them. Jackson, Jennie, Kenneth and Quinn had all signed up for the ziplining excursion several weeks prior, without knowing anyone else from the group would be attending. They were happy to have Vince and Victoria come along.
Lisa talked Ben, Brooke, Oscar, Olivia, Parker and Penny into getting massages.
The rest, which consisted of mostly the older guests, joined Bridget, Andrew and Abigail on the golf cart tour. Andrew and Abigail wanted to stay close to this group to help out any way they could.
Andrew wheeled Ursula down the ramp, while Vivian pushed Uva in a borrowed wheelchair, with her walker hooked onto the back, so they could use it to transfer to the golf carts. Ulani walked by herself, holding on to Nandi and Nigel on both sides. Abigail and Stella flanked Sterling, describing the scenery in detail as they exited the boat.
“I can smell the Eucalyptus trees and the flowers,” Sterling breathed in deeply. “Mixed with ocean air, there is no better smell.”
Andrew helped Ursula get situated in the golf cart. Dottie would drive her scooter throughout the tour; that way she wouldn’t have to transfer. Matthew, Melissa, Russell and Rebecca rode in one four-person cart and Xavier and Xenia took Hank with them in their cart.
Bridget called out, “Follow me, everyone.”
Matthew put the pedal to the metal and took off straight toward the crystalline sea. The cart hurtled forward, carrying the foursome to, if not certain doom, at the very least, a soggy afternoon. Everyone else stood frozen, as the cart veered away, but Andrew raced to catch up.
“Hit the pedal on the left,” he shouted.
In a panic, Matthew lifted his foot and jammed the accelerator down again.
“The LEFT,” Andrew screamed. Andrew sprinted harder than he had in a very long time; harder maybe than he had all those years ago in high school track, when he came in third place, in the state semifinals in the 200-meter dash. His lungs were on fire as he caught up with the runaway cart. He held on to the top cover and reached his leg in, forcing Matthew’s foot off the pedal, which slowed the electric cart down so quickly that it would have sent his four passengers to the pavement, if they hadn’t already been holding on for dear life. The golf cart stopped just inches before the water. The crowd that had gathered to watch, cheered. Abigail and Bridget ran to make sure everyone was okay.
“That was more fun than my last horse ride,” Rebecca said.
“I thought we were gonna go swimmin’ with the fish,” Russell said, still holding on to his hat.
Melissa, white-faced and trembling, found her voice, “Matthew, are you trying to kill us? I don’t think you should be driving this thing. You don’t know the first thing about driving one of these.”
“I do too. I’ve driven carts like this a million times; I got a little carried away, that’s all,” replied Matthew defensively.
Andrew showed an embarrassed Matthew a few tricks about driving the golf cart, and then they were off again, like a herd of golf cart turtles, this time.
Bridget, the perfect tour guide, went slow enough for everyone to keep up and enjoy, but not so slow that anyone got bored.
Ursula opted to wait outside the Catalina Casino in the golf cart with Vivian, so they didn’t have to transfer her to a wheelchair. The rest of the group enjoyed seeing the inside, as it was the largest building on the island, and so easily seen when pulling into Avalon Bay from the mainland. Its rounded front with pillars, and pointed roof gave it a European feel. The ballroom boasted the domed ceilings, and made even stoic Andrew get a little romantic. He discreetly pinched Abigail’s bum when no one was looking, grabbed her hand and twirled her around as if they were going to dance. Abigail laughed and lightly kissed his cheek, blushing a little, and then caught up with the rest of the crowd.
Melissa casually whispered with a laugh, “I saw that, son. You two need to behave yourselves. You act like newlyweds sometimes.”
Andrew blushed a little, took his mom’s hand and twirled her around, but had to catch her quickly so she didn’t go clear to the ground. Melissa smacked him.
The group headed to the Art Museum next, and everyone went in this time. Vivan sweetly read many of the descriptions to Ursula. Sterling joined them so he could listen as well. They were surprised at how much history existed on this beautiful island.
Andrew and Abigail particularly enjoyed the glass art by Chihuly. Abigail had always had a fascination with that kind of art. She loved that you could see through the glass, and she especially loved all the color. The photographs throughout the museum took them to another place and time.
After the museum, they split into three groups so that they didn’t overwhelm any one restaurant. Some wanted pizza instead of Mexican food, and some wanted fish and chips and clam chowder.
David, Dottie, Matthew, Melissa, Winnie, and Vivian, with her three almost hundred-year-olds, joined Andrew and Abigail at Mesa del Sabor Mexican Restaurant.
David helped Dottie transfer to the restaurant chair. Andrew and Abigail observed the difficulty Dottie faced maneuvering from one place to another. Their hearts broke for her. She used to be so active and vivacious in everything she did. She had always been the life of the party, which remained true in many ways, but it demanded more effort now. The scooter greatly improved her mobility, but after sitting for a couple of hours, she felt it. Nothing was comfortable when sitting for hours. She needed to stand up and stretch but standing up and stretching had its own hazards.
Once she was seated, Andrew went over and gave her a hug from the back and sweetly said, “We’re so glad you decided to join us for lunch. Those other groups don’t deserve you,” he said teasingly.
“Aw, go on. You know how to sweet talk a lady,” Dottie blushed.
As they were waiting for their food, Ulani commented, “I’ve eaten so many chips and salsa that I no longer need my meal.”
“Me too. I’m already full. But they’re so crispy and yummy,” said Winnie.
Melissa said, “Well I love chile rellenos, so I had to save room for those.”
“Winnie, I know you’ve traveled the world. Have you been to Catalina Island before?” asked Abigail.
“Yes, but only one time, about twenty years ago. It looked much the same, but many of the restaurants have changed, of course. I didn’t go into the Casino or museum then, so I especially enjoyed seeing those today.”
“Describe the most beautiful place you’ve ever been,” Uva pleaded. “I haven’t been to many places and want to live vicariously through you right now.”
“That’s easy. And it might surprise you. The absolutely most beautiful and cozy place that I’ve ever been in the world is my own bed.”
Everyone laughed.
“I love to travel,” Winnie said with emphasis. “But I love coming home even more. But I don’t think that’s exactly what you were asking me, right Uva?”
“Well, no, but I do know what you mean, and 100% agree,” Uva said.
While everyone chatted, Vivian pulled three seven-day pill boxes out of her big purse and started handing mid-day pills to each of the ladies. Each lady grabbed her own pills and automatically popped them into her mouth without even thinking.
Winnie went on to say, “People ask me that question often, and it’s so hard for me to answer because you can find beauty wherever you go. I’ve learned to appreciate so many kinds of beauty. But there are a couple of places I’ve been, that not very many people have, where I was awestruck. One of those places is the Enchanting River in Surigao del Sur, Philippines. I’ve never seen water with that unique color of blue before.
“And for beauty that is literally polar opposite, the Antarctic, with its glaciers, icebergs, and penguins, was equally as stunning.”
“Wow. It sounds like you’ve been to some amazing places,” Matthew said.
“I have. I feel truly blessed. Traveling has been my dream since I was a child. God created an incredible world, with so much to see. Now, if you want romance…” Winnie paused, hesitating to finish.
“Tell us,” they all cheered as they waited on her every word.
“The Tunnel of Love in Ukraine is enchanting. The tulip fields in the Netherlands are to die for. And Cherry Blossom Street in Bonn, Germany in the springtime is like nothing you’ve ever seen before. I could go on.”
Vivian squeezed Ursula’s hand and loudly said, “You’ve been to Germany in the springtime, haven’t you Grandma?”
Ursula looked at her blankly.
“Germany? Haven’t you been to Germany?” Vivian asked a little louder.
“Germany. Ah yes. There’s a romantic story for you,” Ursula winked.
Just then the food came, and the entrees became the new topic.
As they were eating, Andrew asked, “Vivian, tell us a little bit about yourself. These three beautiful ladies seem to get all the attention, but we’d love to know a little bit more about you. Thank you so much for bringing them.”
Vivian laughed and said, “I’m having the time of my life. Thank you for allowing me to be part of the party. These three have kept me laughing since we left home. It’s non-stop with them. And thank you for asking about me. I have two children: my son, Zack, just got married a few months ago to a darling girl named Jasmine; and my daughter, Brittney, is still in college. My husband, Jeff, and I have been married for 27 years this coming November.”
“Do you work outside the home?” Melissa asked.
“I help take care of these three sweet ladies as my full-time job right now. They all live together in what we call the Underground House. But that’s a story for another day. I’m grateful to have this time with them, and they have been very generous to me, even though I’d do it for no pay, if they’d let me,” she smiled with a soft elbow nudge to Uva.
“How do you know Uva, Ulani and Ursula?” Winnie asked Andrew and Abigail.
“We met them when we were in college in Utah. We didn’t have any family around, so they adopted us. They fed us many meals,” Andrew answered.
“We call them our Three Fairy Godmothers,” Abigail added.
“They are like our own children,” Ulani said. “In fact, we like them better than some of our own children.”
“We loved meeting a lot of your family,” said Abigail.
Everyone enjoyed Mesa del Sabor, and Abigail raved about her lobster enchilada, though too full to hardly move. The group enjoyed taking their time eating and visiting. A few ordered coffees when they were finished with their meals and all were grateful that the restaurant wasn’t very busy, so they didn’t feel rushed to leave.
Melissa, sitting next to Ursula, reached over and grabbed her hand to get her attention. Ursula looked at her. “Before we go, I want to hear your romantic German story, Ursula,” Melissa prompted very loudly, with a smile.
“Ah, my young love story.” She closed her eyes and thought for a few moments before launching into her story. “My Oma and Opa were German but moved across the border to a small town near Zurich, Switzerland when they were young newlyweds. My aunts and uncles and cousins lived not far away on the German side.
“In the spring of 1939, my parents took me to Switzerland to visit them. We sailed on a large boat for over a week to get there. I got sicker than a dog the first few days of traveling and then I gained my sea legs and enjoyed the last few days. We stayed with my grandparents for a month. Being an only child, I thoroughly loved being with my cousins. We spent every waking moment together.
“Both Switzerland and Germany were enchanting that time of year, with all the blossoms, just like Winnie said. My 17-year-old cousin, Peter, was a beautiful person and surrounded himself with beautiful friends. One friend, in particular, caught my eye—Ulrich. He too, was seventeen years old. I was fourteen years old, but I think I fibbed and said I was fifteen,” Ursula confessed with a guilty chuckle.
All at the table laughed at that. All were listening intently.
“I believe I had caught Ulrich’s attention, as well, because he started coming around more and more often. He would chase me around the cherry trees in the orchard. He put blossoms in my hair. He spoke English very well, to my relief, because I didn’t know a lick of German. I still remember his beautiful German accent.” Her eyes became distant, as if remembering the sound of his voice.
“We talked for hours and hours about everything under the sun. He wanted to know all about living in America. We shared our dreams and our passions; big passions and big dreams for both of us. He wanted to live in America and make lots of money. He wanted lots of children and a big house.”
Everyone at the table sat silently, hanging on her every word.
“A few days before leaving to go home, Ulrich and I went for a walk in the orchard. Peter and his girlfriend were not far away, so everything was proper. Ulrich pulled me behind a tree and kissed me like I’d never been kissed before– because I had never been kissed before.”
More laughter.
“He told me that he loved me, and that he would never love another. I asked how we could possibly make it work with him living in Germany, and me in the United States. He didn’t know, but knew he had to find a way.
“I didn’t tell my parents about the kiss, or his confession of love. But they knew. We boarded the boat and sailed home. I cried the whole way, and didn’t stop crying, even when we were home. We wrote letters to each other, sometimes I wrote every day, and then put them all together and mailed them once a week. But the mail service was so delayed and unreliable back then. And then I didn’t hear from him for quite a long time.”
David sat across from Ursula, listening intently, when his eyebrows popped up and he looked a little shocked. Ursula saw his shock and expected what came next when he asked, “What year did you say that was, Ursula?”
She read his lips, even if she didn’t hear him well. “1939.”
“But that was the year…”
“…Germany invaded Poland. Only a few months after we met. We were just kids. We had no idea about the brewing situation of war.”
Shivers went up Abigail’s spine.
Vivian had tears in her eyes.
Melissa squeezed Ursula’s hand once again and asked, “What happened?”
“As I said, I didn’t hear from him for many months. Then my Oma wrote to me and told me that Ulrich had joined the German army. And, as I’m sure you can guess, Hitler would not allow the soldiers to send or receive letters from the United States.”
“Oh, Ursula, please tell me what your husband’s name is. The suspense is killing me.” Abigail said, and then went white as she realized her choice of words may not have been the best at this part in the story. She looked to Vivian seeking for a sign that this story had a happy ending. She couldn’t discern if Vivian’s tears conveyed happiness or sadness, and Vivian refused to give away any of Ursula’s story.
Ursula just gave a smile and said, “I didn’t hear one word from him for years. I only received occasional updates from my Oma. Even though she lived in Switzerland, mail was sparse.
“My heart was broken. I heard the news reports over the radio about how many soldiers had died, on both sides. I felt patriotic and loved my country, yet hearing about the deaths of enemy soldiers saddened me deeply. Fear consumed me. The reports trickling in about Hitler’s evil deeds were utterly unbelievable. We could not fathom that anyone could be so cruel or have that much hatred toward others.
I cried myself to sleep almost every night. At first, I prayed like I had never prayed before. I hoped, and I prayed. I prayed, and I hoped. And then when I didn’t hear anything for so long, I stopped praying. I lost hope. My parents tried to console me, but I was inconsolable. I became a shell of a person. I ate very little and talked even less.”
Ursula took a long drink of water. Though slightly hoarse, she pressed on, enveloped in her memories, as if the room held only her. “On the evening of April 20, 1945, I remember the exact day because it marked my 20th birthday; something stirred within me. I decided to pray once more. Though I received no clear answers about my future, or Ulrich’s well-being, a warmth enveloped my soul unlike anything I’d felt before. I sensed that everything would be okay. How it would be okay remained uncertain, but I held onto the certainty that it would.”
I woke the next morning, dressed, and smiled as I sat down to breakfast. My parents did a double take when they saw me. I said, ‘It’s going to be okay.’ They hugged me and didn’t question me. But I could see the relief in their faces.”
Once again everyone at the table hung on her every word.
“I received word in July that my Ulrich had been badly injured and was recovering in Sweden. I found out later that a Swedish man, who delivered iron ore in Norway, saw the aftermath of an accident and saw a German soldier kick Ulrich and declare him as dead. The Swedish man knew Ulrich was still breathing. The soldiers left with other injured men and said they would come back for the dead man. The kind Swedish man took Ulrich with him before the soldiers could come back to get him. He cared for Ulrich for many months. By the time Ulrich was well enough to talk and walk, and think about going back to his family, the war had ended. He was alive. The moment I heard that, I knew that he would forever be My Ulrich.
“Vivian, now you can tell the rest of the story. I’m tired.”
Vivian wiped away more tears– and this time we knew they were happy tears. “Yes, my Grandpa Richy, AKA Ulrich, was the greatest of men. He came to the United States in 1947, married my sweet grandma, and they had 9 children together. My mother was the second oldest of those children.”
“That couldn’t have been easy for him, having been a German soldier, living in the United States after the war,” David soberly commented.
“No. You’re right,” Vivian said. She sat quiet for a moment, thinking. “Grandma and Grandpa told me of one specific time when they were in downtown Salt Lake City, just walking down the street, holding hands, when a man rushed up to Grandpa and grabbed him by the lapels, and started screaming in his face that he needed to go back to where he had come from, and that he didn’t deserve to be in this country, or even be alive for that matter. He spit in Grandpa’s face. Thankfully, a nearby police officer witnessed the incident and swiftly intervened, seizing the man, and pulling him away from Grandpa. Grandma and Grandpa quickly left, very shaken, but grateful it hadn’t escalated to something worse. After that, they rarely went into the city, unless absolutely necessary, and even then, took care of whatever business they had, and left as quickly as possible. A few months later they moved to a small town in southern Utah where most of the people were kind, and treated Ulrich the same as any other neighbor. Ulrich lost a brother in the war, so he knew the pain others were feeling.”
Abigail stood and gave Ursula a hug from the back. Ursula patted her hand. “I told you I had a beautiful German love story.”
~
As they exited the restaurant, the group felt like they were leaving another world, enthralled in a heartwarming story of love and war.
Even for September, the day was hot, and the air conditioning felt good, but Abigail chilled easily, and loved walking outside to feel the heat of the sun warming her up.
The other groups were starting to congregate in the courtyard between the restaurants, and though full, most everyone decided they still had room for ice cream. They had an hour and a half until they had to be back on the boat, so it didn’t matter if the ice cream shop took a while filling their orders.
“Hey before we get ice cream, let’s drive the cart over to the golf course and see how our golfers are doing,” Andrew said. “It’s not far.”
“Okay, but don’t look too dejected for not getting to play, or I’ll feel bad,” Abigail said.
They pulled up toward the 9th hole, staying back a way so as to not interrupt play. George was just teeing off. They didn’t see Yenny and Yazmin anywhere. Something went wrong, and George sliced the ball out of bounds. He grabbed another ball and tee’d off again, this time sending it the opposite way out of bounds. Gaya burst out laughing. George gave her a look that could kill. Gaya blew it off and laughed even more.
“This is NOT funny!” George yelled, yanking his golf hat off, and slamming his driver into his bag. “I’m done. Let’s go.”
“Oh, I’m sorry. My bad,” Gaya said sarcastically, but more serious now. “I must have misunderstood. I thought we were playing a game,” she said, with the look she gave her students who were in trouble when she was a principal. “In case you have forgotten, you are not in the State Championship, your senior year of high school.”
George took a big breath, lifting his pointer finger to argue further, then relented and thought better of it. Gaya stood looking straight at him with her hand on her hip, ready to take him on. George flushed and slammed himself into the golf cart. Gaya sat down softly next to him.
Gratefully, Andrew and Abigail were slightly behind the clubhouse, where George and Gaya didn’t see them. They decided to sneak off before they were discovered. As they drove past the clubhouse, they saw Yenny and Yazmin shopping in the Pro Shop; much to Andrew and Abigail’s relief, they hadn’t witnessed the scene on the 9th hole.
When Andrew and Abigail moved far enough away to not be seen or heard, Abigail gave a nervous burst of laughter. “What was that? Why was George being so serious? I’m with Gaya. It’s just a game.”
“What are you talking about? It’s totally not just a game. You never laugh at someone who hits a bad shot. That is against all golf etiquette. Everyone knows that. You know that.”
“No, actually I didn’t know that. I haven’t read the golf etiquette rules book lately.”
They were quiet for several minutes, fuming over a fight that wasn’t even theirs. Both of their moods lightened a little as they entered the ice cream shop.
A few minutes later, Yazmin and Yenni joined them.
“Where are George and Gaya?” Andrew asked, even though he knew they were probably somewhere still “discussing” their disagreement.
“Oh, they’re coming. I think they must have had a little spat on the golf course. They didn’t seem very happy with each other,” Yazmin filled them in. She spouted off something in Spanish to Yenny, and they both laughed.
Then to their huge surprise, George and Gaya came in, arm in arm, laughing. Andrew and Abigail gave each other a questioning look.
“How’d you play?” Andrew asked George, curious to hear his answer.
“Well…let’s just say it wasn’t my best day of golf. But I learned a lot,” George said sheepishly, looking at Gaya.
“Sounds like there’s a story there,” Andrew prodded.
Yazmin jumped in, “George was grumpy right from the get-go. It was only a 9-hole course, and he thought it was 18,” she said, laughing a little.
“Hey, don’t be telling on me,” George defended. “I had Gaya get the tee time for us. I didn’t personally look up the course beforehand. So you can imagine my surprise when they told us it was only a 9-hole course. But it wasn’t crowded, so Gaya and I decided to just play it twice. I’d like to say that I played better the second round, but…”
Andrew laughed, and slapped George on the back. “You know the saying, ‘A bad day on the golf course…’”
“It’s still a bad day when you’re retired.” But then George softened again and said, “But I guess it’s not so bad when you’re on vacation, and with good people.” Gaya gave a triumphant smile and ordered her ice cream. George decided to drown his golf sorrows in a double scoop, double-dipped waffle cone.
“Those of you that are driving, listen up. Please finish your ice cream before you start back, or make sure to get it in a to-go cup so someone can hold it for you.” Abigail directed. “I don’t want anyone dripping and driving.” Even George laughed.
With the summer rush and Labor Day behind them, the town lay quiet. The sun still shone high in the sky until evening, lengthening out the day, but everyone could feel autumn hanging close by, just waiting to jump in.
Andrew and Abigail returned their golf cart and sat down on the rocky beach overlooking the harbor to eat their ice cream. They sat in contented silence, watching the sail boats in the harbor.
The local city shuttle stopped near them and the ziplining group got off. They were all laughing. Quinn laughed the hardest. “You were screaming like a baby coming down that first descent,” she said, wiping the laughter tears from her eyes.
“I was NOT screaming like a baby. I screamed like someone about to die, and the lunatics around me were laughing like they were having a great time rushing to their deaths,” Kenneth defended.
“It’s a good thing we got to do it twice,” Vince said. “You looked like you were actually enjoying yourself, along with all those other lunatics the second time.”
“Yeah, I think I nailed it the second time. I was cool and suave, sailing gracefully down.”
Quinn snorted, “Sauve and graceful? Is that what you call flailing your arms wildly?”
“I was just trying to be funny,” said Kenneth.
“Right, sounds like you’re getting your story a little confused,” smirked Quinn.
“Okay,” admitted Kenneth, “I was a little nervous. I’m a big guy; what if the line didn’t hold me? I kept thinking I’d crash into a tree, or worse, the ground. What if I had? Would you have saved me, Dr. Quinn?”
“Maybe, but it would have cost you,” replied Quinn, matching Kenneth’s flirtatious tone. She reached out and patted him on the chest, but then, seeming to catch herself, turned quickly away.
Abigail elbowed Andrew, “Did you see that?” she whispered. “I swear I felt the spark from here.”
“Shh, they’ll hear you. Leave them alone,” Andrew whispered back. The six of them saw everyone’s ice cream and decided to borrow a couple of golf carts to go back and get some as well. The box lunch that came with their excursion included a small brownie, but that had been consumed hours ago. Jackson and Jennie took a cart and drove off toward the ice cream parlor. Kenneth slid into a cart, looking hopefully at Quinn. When Quinn saw his look, she quickly slipped into another cart, and asked Vince and Victoria if they wanted to ride with her. That left Kenneth sitting there by himself. He slowly pressed the accelerator and followed the others to the ice cream parlor looking dejected and confused.
Because Goldie was docked, the passengers could reboard whenever they finished their visit to the island. Most of the group was back on the ship by 4:00. Captains Kevin and Kelli, and Charlie, greeted them as they came aboard, asking questions about how their day had been. Charlie checked names off as they boarded. It appeared that Vince and Victoria had been successful in their quick shopping trip after ziplining and ice cream, because they boarded with a few shopping bags in hand. They spied Trina and Trevor and waved to them. “Look what we bought. We have some new hiking shoes, socks and shorts so we can join you on the next island.” They pulled out their purchases while Trina and Trevor put forth little effort to act interested.
By 4:20, they had everyone except for Calvin and Cara. Abigail started to worry a little, as they were not ones to generally be late. But the worry didn’t have time to settle in her stomach, when they rode up the gangway and slammed on their brakes, just for dramatic effect.
“We’re here. We hope we didn’t slow anyone down,” Calvin said, out of breath, with Cara breathing heavily behind him. They both laid their heads on their handlebars and took a few seconds to catch their breath.
“No worries. You’re actually a little early. This group just tends to be really early,” Charlie reassured. “How was the ride?” he asked.
“Incredible,” Calvin said, still trying to breathe. “It may have been just a touch longer and more than we expected, but hey, that’s the fun of it, right?”
“Right,” Charlie said, unsure if he agreed or not.