Chapter 15 - Back to Michael

Here's the start of Chapter 15! Enjoy. I'm going to get up early and write a Leesie poem about Michael in a wetsuit. I think that's a nice, satisfying way to leave you for the Thanksgiving holiday.

I'm going to save my announcement for after the break. Look for it Monday.

Until tomorrow, here's a good shot of Michalness!

CHAPTER FIFTEEN

MICHAEL’S DIVE LOG – VOLUME #10

Dive Buddy: students           

Date:  06/01

Dive #:

Location: Grand Cayman

Dive Site: pool

Weather Condition: sunny

Water Condition: calm

Depth:  10’

Visibility:  perfect

Water Temp:  82

Bottom Time:  15 minutes

Comments:

            Back at work. Three days off with Leesie weren’t enough. I’m teaching today, so I bring her along. Can’t leave her alone. Not yet. The fear is still too fresh.

            The classroom stuff is a good review. She doesn’t get in the pool—but she sits on the edge with her feet in the water, and follows my every move, nodding her head like she’s mentally going through the motions.

            I can’t wait until she gets that stupid cast off her arm. Then we’ll really dive. One week from today she has an appointment. I’m taking her for sure. I want to be there. If all goes well, they’ll saw that junk off her hand and not put a new cast back on. Her collarbone seems to be doing well—her arm is out of the sling more than it’s in.

It’s been over a month since she shaved her head. Her hair is growing fast—almost an inch. At least that’s what she says. It’s more than half an inch—I’ll give her that.  Yesterday she searched all over the apartment to find a ruler to measure it with. Made me promise to buy her one. Even at half an inch, it’s coming in thick enough to give the scar some camo. She doesn’t put make up on every day, but the spa ladies at the rehab place gave her heavy-duty stuff that makes a big difference with the part of the scar that marks up her forehead. If she wants to get cosmetic surgery, that’s fine with me. Whatever. If it makes her happy, I’m down with it.

I’ve got to go under the water with my students. I swim over to Leesie. “We’ll be down about fifteen minutes.” I don’t like not being able to watch her. Since I found her Thursday, I’ve been with her all day—until I turned her over to Alex—who was stupid enough to take off before I woke up on Saturday.

That scared me. Leesie was fine—up making me French toast, but still. Stupid, Alex. What was she thinking?

Now, Leesie slips off her sling and picks up a mask and snorkel she borrowed from the shop. “Can I watch you from the surface?”

I squeeze her knees. “Sure.” Freak, I love her. “Great idea.”

She gets me to tape a grocery bag around her cast while my students haul out of the pool then watch us.

“How come she gets special attention during our lesson?” A middle-aged lady with a giant butt wants to know when I rejoin them.

I grin back at the lady. “Because she’s my fiancé.” Yeah. It feels good to say that.

The lady shuts up—smiles back at me even. “Congratulations.”

“Gear up, guys. What are you waiting for?”

No one says you messing around with your babe—for that I’m grateful. Go easy on them. I coach the class of four through getting all their gear on, make them jump in, review descent when we’re bobbing on the surface. And then we’re down.

Big butt lady gets nervous, but I’m in her face—encouraging her to breathe, in and out, slow and calm—until we wear the panic down. She’ll love me after this.

I glance up quick to check for Leesie. She’s off to the side watching.

She watches me.

I watch her.

We both hesitate to rock any boats.

She wants me to look up getting married in Cayman. I keep putting it off. I promised her dad to bring her home first. She’ll freak when she hears that, but what else could I do?

I’m taking Leese out on the boat with me tomorrow. More watching. These students are doing a check out dive in the calm, shallow water inside the reef. The water is way too rough on the East End for  Leesie to sit on the boat when we go out of the reef on normal dives. She’d be puking her guts up for sure.

She can come with me tomorrow. No prob.  I’ve got morning dives on Wednesday. Then students again in the afternoon. I can bring her along in the afternoon, but what about the morning? Alex is booked on the boat with me. Cooper is captain. Gabriel, Brock, and Ethan have the other boat. That leaves Seth.

Would he hang out with her that morning? Nothing obvious or anything. She’d be ticked if she found out I’d set up a watch dog. I so don’t want to ask him. Makes me nervous—yes, jealous. But what else can I do?