Ticket please?

“Good evening sir. Ticket please?” I said hoarsely for maybe the hundredth time that night.

The man grumbled as he looked for the small thin strip of paper that was supposed to be in his hands the moment he stepped into the boat. I impatiently wait, looking at the other passengers who are also waiting for the man. I found myself studying him, from his furrowed brow to his scattered bag. This guy seriously needed to relax.

“Here.” He pointedly says, handing me a piece of crumpled paper. I open it delicately, afraid it would get torn apart
“Well? I don’t have all day.”

I force a smile, then I point him to the right direction. He stomps away like a little kid, slamming his bags on his bed. I soon accommodate the others, most of them more gentle than the other guy.

“Take a break Lisa. Let me take over.” Mike says, offering a helpful smile that came out as creepy.

“And let you slack off? No.” I huff, remembering the time I left him in charge. Never gonna happen again.

“Come on. I only took a bathroom break. I didn’t know people would come pouring in.”

I ignore him, knowing it was wiser than to acknowledge his arrogant self. Boredom soon came over, making me use my highlighter to paint my nails.

“Excuse me miss?”

I look up instantly with a smile on my face, afraid to get caught not being “polite” to the passengers. But as I met dark brown eyes with a crinkled forehead, I internally groaned to face Mr. Cranky.

“Yes sir?”

“Where can I ask for beddings?”

I noticed he had a dimple on his left cheek while he talked, and the way he was so stiff and bossy.

“Just continue on this side sir, then turn to the right for the Information table.”

He walks off again, without much of a thank you. Jerk. Minutes later I see him return, his tall frame towering the double beds.

“Good evening passengers. We regret to inform you that we will be leaving an hour after our designated time, as we are still undergoing cargo. We apologize.”

I silently protest, certainly not looking forward to another hour of standing. I see Mike snicker across from me, lounging on one of the seats for the others. Rage begins to grow inside of me, barely holding its lid.

“Miss?”

“What?!” Uh oh. Breathe Lisa. I find the courage to look up and begin to apologize to the man, until I realize it was him.

“Uhm, I’m sorry about earlier. I know I acted sourly towards you.” He looked sincere, yet still so stiff. He held two cups of soup on both hands, both steaming with the hot water. “Maybe I could make it up with the soup?”

I couldn’t say no, especially when he showed a smile. It was downright cute, definitely better than the evil tyrant face he wore earlier. Luckily his bed was near my station, and soon we began talking like long lost friends.

“So you were left on port because you got locked in the bathroom?” He bellowed with a laugh. I smacked his arm and tried to shush him, peering around to see the other passengers sleeping on their beds.

“It’s not my fault it’s broken. They should have written that “out of order” note on the door. I got in so much trouble for missing that boat!” I cringed as I remembered that moment.

The overhead speakers soon came to life, zapping me out of retrieving more embarrassing moments to tell the guy beside me. “Ladies and gentlemen, we will soon depart from the port. Employees, please report to the office.”

“That’s my que.” I stood up and began to dust off the biscuit bits from my shirt.

“See you in 5 hours then? Since you can’t see me til after the trip I mean.” He gave me a soft smile, enough to make my heart go kaboom!

“Sure”

I fell asleep during those five hours, dreaming of nameless guy. It kind of sounds stupid that I didn’t get his name, but if we don’t see each other again it won’t be a problem. I begin to do my rounds to my station, as passengers began to exit the boat. He was no where to be found, his bags all gone.

“Lisa! Want to go somewhere before the next boat?”

“Mike. No.”

I walked away, hoping he would just give up.

“Come on Lisa. It’s not like you have another date somewhere.” I began to walk faster, not minding my way. That was until I bumped into him.

“She does have a date, doesn’t she?”

I looked up to see Mr. Cranky turned Mr. Mystery smiling at me, a hopeful look on his face. I looked back at Mike, his face full of annoyance. I slipped my arm through his, and smiled at him.

“Yes, yes I do.”
——————–
Dedicated to the snotty woman who checked our boat tickets on the way to Tacloban. She was so grumpy that the creases on her forehead never seemed to go away. So I gave her a fictional love life so she could be happy. 😀
On a very HAPPY sidenote, I finished my book! I sent it to multiple publishers, and I have my fingers crossed so hard that they’re locked together! Haha.