Unsinkable

Fools Luck

It was 5:30 in the morning and Arthur was still laying in his bunk, staring at the ceiling as he listened to John snore in the bunk beneath his and their timid roommate, Kieran, chattering in his sleep.

He would've gotten up but he was still very tired and starting to get hungry - breakfast wasn't served until 7, so he figured he'd get a little shut eye until then. However, his brain had other plans for him this morning.

Beth...

She was suddenly swimming through his brain like she belonged there. Her laugh warmed him, her touch excited him, her beauty distracted him, but most of all, her mind intrigued him. She was so smart and funny, that it almost surpassed her beauty.

He could feel a familiar strain in his pants and he groaned to himself. Normally when this happened, he had the rest of the warehouse to relieve himself in. But he would never, not with two other men in such small quarters. John might do such things, but he wouldn't dare.

Trying to think of something other than Beth was proving to be too difficult, as she came flooding back to his mind and each time a little more until she eventually consumed his every waking thought.

It was maddening!

He sat up quickly and with no real mind of how close he was to the ceiling and smacked his forehead.

"Ah!" He yelped, falling back on the bed.

"Arthur?" John rasped.

"I'm fine. Just...hit my head is all."

"Oh."

As John drifted off back to sleep and the pain in Arthur's head eventually wore off, he slowly rolled out of bed and walked to the toilet. It seemed as if smacking his head on the ceiling alleviated the strain in his pants, though not entirely. He was one thought away from being in another predicament.

He turned his back to their roommate as he used the toilet, mumbling a slew curses under his breath about the lack of privacy - especially now! At least at the warehouse, they all had an area to use the bathroom, but not here.

Some ship, he thought.

Once he finished doing his business, he buttoned up his pants and grabbed his shoes from underneath the bottom bunk. He needed some fresh air and a smoke.

Maybe both would further alleviate his problem, if not, he'd have to find a safe, quiet place and....fix it himself.

As he left the room, the bright lights of the hallway nearly blinded him. He looked down and squeezed his eyes shut, hoping they'd adjust fast. And after they watered some, they did just that.

He pulled a cigarette out of his coat pocket and stuck it behind his ear, as he fished around for his lighter. The damn thing was always going missing and just as he was about to go back to the room, he heard a booming voice call out to him.

"Arthur!" Dutch barked.

He glanced up."Mornin' - where's Hosea?"

"Using the facilities. He asked everyone to leave."

"Oh, yeah. There ain't much privacy these days."

"It's like a sardine can, Arthur," He pulled a cigar out of his shirt pocket."Walk with me."

And so they did - up to AFT, where they watched the kennel master take the dogs out for their morning walk, before everyone woke for the day. Arthur counted ten dogs in total.

The sun was just coming up, creating a canvas of purples, oranges and pinks across the dark sky. It was a truly rare opportunity to see the new dawn out on the open sea as they were. He didn't know if he should count himself a lucky man or not.