Vampire Of The New World

Emma led me down a short flight of stairs and then to the door of my sleeping quarters. She opened it and I saw a windowless room with a bunk bed. The only other furniture was a chair placed at the far end. At the center of the ceiling was a solitary lamp which Emma switched on and mounted on the wall was an electric fan. On the lower bed was a worn out backpack with a shirt and a pair of pants beside it.

"Those would be Lito's," said Emma. "I'm sure he won't mind if you take the lower bed." Emma then proceeded to take the bag and the clothes and placed them on the top bed.

"Are you sure he won't mind?" I asked.

"He would always be out there doing chores anyway. Would make better sense if he finds a comfy little corner near the engine to doze off." Emma smiled. "Can I leave you here for now? Lunch will be at 12 noon sharp." Emma emphasized the last word. "The captain runs everything according to schedule. You won't be getting a late lunch if you miss eating on time. You can take a quick nap now and I'll just send Lito to wake you up if it's time for lunch."

I thanked Emma and took note of the time. Barely an hour to go. I quickly changed clothes and debated whether to take the nap as Emma suggested or not. My body made the decision for me. I let out a loud yawn and stretched out on the bed. The bed was soft and comfortable and I dozed off within a minute.

I fell into a dreamless sleep and was oblivious to everything that went around me as my body tried to recover from the exhaustion of the past twenty-four hours. I was woken by a gentle tap on my arm.

"Toto…" came a voice from somewhere.

I slowly opened my eyes. For a while, I was disoriented after seeing the bed above me and the small room where I was. Lito was standing at my side, rousing me from my sleep.

"Toto, lunch will be ready soon. Emma asked me to walk you to the saloon," said Lito.

I felt a dull throbbing pain in my temples, but I was awake. Rubbing my eyes, I stood up and followed Lito out of the room. "Thanks, buddy," I said as I caught up with Lito who did not reply. We climbed the short flight of stairs and crossed the deck to the saloon.

Seated at the table were Mr. Lazaro with Joseph at his side. Also seated was another man, possibly in his fifties, wearing the white uniform of a captain. Mr. Lazaro was conversing with the man in his usual loud manner and gesticulating with his hands while Joseph still sat quietly.

Mr. Lazaro looked up and said, "And here comes our guide! I'm sorry, we had to disturb your sleep. Have a seat." Mr. Lazaro gestured at the empty seat next to Joseph. "This is Captain Javier, we were just talking about you."

The captain looked at me closely and nodded his head. "You have the looks of a sailor, exactly what we need in this vessel. Mr. Lazaro told you about the other man who backed out, didn't he?"

"Yes, Sir," I answered.

"Good thing he did not board this boat, I don't need a man who runs at the first hint of danger to become part of my crew. However, aside from leaving us without a guide, he also left us one crew short." The captain paused, still not taking his eyes off me. Then, he said, "You will be part of my crew aside from being a guide to Mr. Lazaro. You will be working as my second officer as well as helping Lito with his tasks."

Just then, a woman came in carrying a tray. She was older than Emma, but moved snappily as if always in a hurry. Emma came behind her also carrying a tray. They served lunch, composed of rice and braised beef, and filled our glasses with water. Both the captain and Mr. Lazaro thanked them and the two women withdrew to the galley where they presumably were having their own lunch. I would find out later that the older woman who served the lunch with Emma was named Nora.

I looked around and suddenly noticed that Lito was not having lunch with us. He left the room without me noticing. At once I felt embarrassed to be eating at the same table as the captain and the owner of the boat and thought whether I should leave. Mr. Lazaro, however, was very gracious and continued to converse with me.

"You are looking for someone, Toto?" Mr. Lazaro asked after seeing me look around for Lito.

"I was just looking for Lito. I'm just thinking where he could be having lunch so that I can join him."

"He's probably having his lunch with the engineer downstairs. Don't mind him. You will always dine here with me. I order you to."

Relieved, I took the plate of food that was being handed to me by Captain Javier and started eating. All the while, the captain talked to Mr. Lazaro about the shipping industry and how they were faring with the ongoing oil embargo. Not knowing anything about the shipping industry or the oil embargo, I decided to just quietly eat my lunch.

"What do you think, Toto?" I just heard Mr. Lazaro say.

"Sorry, Sir. I didn't catch your question." I was able to mutter.

"I was just asking about the weather. Captain Javier sees favorable weather today. I just want to know what you think."

I was about to express my agreement with Captain Javier when three people entered the room – two women and one man.

"Ah, Sofia! You arrived at last!" exclaimed Mr. Lazaro. "I was already wondering if we should sail without you."

One of the women came to Mr. Lazaro and kissed him. Seeing their resemblance, I assumed correctly that this was Mr. Lazaro's daughter. The man they were with shook hands with everyone. He was a tall, bearded man who talked with a deep voice. After shaking hands with Mr. Lazaro, he placed his arm around Sofia's waist and kissed her affectionately.

The other woman who came in was just about Sofia's age. I was speechless as she approached me and shook my hand.

"Hello, Toto. Quite a surprise seeing you here." She was the woman I least expected to see.