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Part II – The Offence

He caught Kate’s eyes in the mirror and looked away. She had given him a tentative smile which he ignored. He couldn’t wait to get off the ship and back to real life. The Linda matter had left a bad taste in his mouth. He needed a plan to show her. He found it difficult to concentrate on what he was watching. He recalled the interaction they just had. He got angry all over again. And this time, his anger arose because he didn’t know why he was so angry. Why would seeing Linda bother him so much? He regretted divorcing her. Maybe if they had just been separated, he would still have a hold on her. The divorce was meant to be a punishment. She had cried and begged him when he told her he wanted a divorce. He sighed, and Kate caught his eye again in the mirror. This time, she had a worried look. He decided to humor her. Maybe that would help take his mind off Linda. He smiled at her.

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Sadness & Joy – Part 1 (The Meeting)

He looked around to be sure everything was going well, before heading to his designated table to have dinner. The band leader chose that moment to change the beat and started playing a very upbeat tune, a mixture of afrobeat and pop, very African. Out of the corner of his eye, the captain noticed a couple at the next table get up to join the dancing couples on the floor. He did not pay much attention and continued with his meal. It had been like any other trip and he was glad that it was ending uneventfully, especially as his experience had taught him that anything could happen at sea. He had   learnt never to heave the sigh of relief until the last passenger had safely disembarked.