Читаем Dead Sea полностью

    After we had our assignments, the chief excused us all, promising to give us an update as soon as he and Turn decided on a safe destination. The group separated, some of them moving off together, others leaving by themselves. Chuck had a tennis ball (I don't know where the hell he'd found it) and gave it to Malik and Tasha to toss around. I warned them not to get too close to the edge of the flight deck, and then let them run off. Felt good to see them having fun, if only for a little while. They tossed the ball back and forth, bouncing it off the flight deck's black, sun-baked surface. I pulled away from the others and stood by myself against the railing. Gazed out at the sea. I'd never been on the open water like this, and despite the seasickness and the memories of what had led us to the Spratling in the first place, I was enjoying it. When I looked out at the water, there was nothing in all four directions. No buildings. No mountaintops. No land at all. There was just an endless, flat sheet of gray and white, broken only by the rolling waves. It was easy enough for me to imagine that there was nothing else beyond the horizons-no cities or countries or people. No dead. As I watched, something-I think it was a dolphin-jumped from the water, spun through the air, and then splashed back into the ocean, disappearing beneath the surface. I smiled. Three more appeared and did the same thing. It was one of the coolest things I'd ever seen.

    "Dolphins," a voice beside me said, confirming what they were.

    I turned. It was Tony Giovanni, the tow truck driver. He'd moved next to me along the railing while I was watching the waves, but I'd been distracted and hadn't noticed.

    "I wasn't sure what the hell they were," I admitted. "Sort of look like sharks."

    "Sometimes it's hard to tell," he said. "Especially when all you can see is their dorsal fin sticking out of the water."

    "You been around them much?"

    Shrugging, he patted his pockets till he found a half pack of cigarettes. He put one in his mouth and then offered the pack to me.

    "No thanks. I don't smoke."

    "I don't guess I'll be smoking much longer, either. It's gonna be ugly when I run out. Not as ugly as if that Murphy guy runs out of booze, but still…"

    He thumbed his lighter, shielding the flame with his hand so that the wind wouldn't blow it out, and then continued.

    "My wife and I used to take trips-you know, those whale watching or 'Swim with the Dolphins' things? She loved nature. So do I. Paid sixty bucks a month for cable TV and the only thing either of us watched was the Discovery Channel. So yeah, I've seen them up close. Usually, they just follow the boat, looking for handouts. Same way the birds do."

    He pointed upward. A flock of seagulls circled overhead, squawking at one another.

    "They'll follow us for days, just waiting on any scraps we throw them. They're trained, almost. Fuckers love to eat. If the birds ever caught Hamelin's Revenge, we'd all be fucked."

    I nodded, and then turned my attention back to the sea. The dolphins were gone.

    He exhaled smoke. "You ever been on a boat?"

    "No," I said. "First time. Still a little seasick."

    "Next time you go down to the galley, see if that Hooper guy has any crackers. Saltines work best. Eat a bunch of those and try not to drink much, and you'll be okay. They soak up all the liquid in your stomach."

    "Thanks. I'll try that."

    The tennis ball rolled over to us, bounced off Tony's shoe and almost went over the side. Tony bent down, picked it up, and tossed it back to Tasha.

    "Thanks," she shouted.

    He smiled, watching them play.

    "Cute kids," he said. "Got to tell you, until we introduced ourselves, I would have sworn you were their daddy."

    I laughed. "Not me. It's funny, though. You're not the first person that said that. The professor thought the same thing, and the chief brought it up just a few minutes ago."

    "You must look alike."

    I wasn't sure what to make of the comment. Was it innocent or was he implying that all black people looked the same? He must have known what I was thinking.

    "Hey, man, don't get the wrong idea. That's not what I meant."

    "Sorry," I apologized. "Old habits die hard, I guess."

    "Yeah, I hear you. No sweat. Just didn't want you to get the wrong idea. All I meant is that you guys looked like family."

    "I don't have much of a family. Just a brother, and he's long gone."

    "Well," he said, "you do now. Those kids dote on you. Can see it in their eyes, the way they look at you when you talk. My kids used to…"

    Tony couldn't finish. His Adam's apple bobbed up and down, but no sound came out. Tears welled up in his eyes.

    "Sorry," he said after a moment. "Every time I think I can talk about them… Shit. Guess I should get down to the boiler room and let Murphy show me what to do. If I can even find it, that is. This ship's like a damn maze. Nice talking to you, Lamar."

    "You too, Tony."