The Yacht

Eighteen year old Abdullah Wahid Moghadam and his sixteen year old sister Aaliyah, waited patiently at the entrance of the Yacht Club, Chaguaramas, for their friends to arrive. Fortunately, they did not have long to wait.

Abdullah, or Abdullas as he preferred to be called, ran a hand through his spiky, sandy brown hair. In all of the siblings, he and Aaliyah resembled each other the most. They both had the same colour hair, both their eyes were hazel green and they had similarities in facial structure. That was where the similarities ended. Aaliyah tended to be more of a go-getter while Abdullas was contented with whatever he got. This time though would be different: Abdullas was determined to become a part of the popular crowd, and today was his chance to prove his mettle.

A black Range Rover drove up, blearing rock music laden with profanities. Driving it was Jean- Pierre Rousse, son of one of the directors of a well-known and profitable investment bank. Jean- Pierre, or JP as he preferred to be called, was dressed in a vest and three-quarter pants with a pair of old sneakers. Joining him in the front seat was Stevran Saunders, his partner in crime and notorious ladies’ man. In the back seat were four girls who were busy giggling at the flirtatious remarks that Stevran made.

JP nodded in acknowledgement to Abdullas and Aaliyah as he got out of the SUV. Like Abdullas, he was also eighteen. He was tall, a few inches above Abdullas at 6’3”, with a lean physique. He was of French Creole descent, and had curly light brown hair and blue eyes. Stevran also exited the vehicle, his eyes locking on Aaliyah, who blushed. She knew him for a while now, and she hoped that after today, they would become exclusive.

Stevran’s predatory gaze suddenly made Abdullas feel nervous. His father was not in favour of them going on a boat ride without a chaperone. It was only at the interference of his mother that they finally obtained a reluctant permission. But Mahmoud’s warning rang in Abdullas’ ears.
“Watch your sister, and see that she does not get into any trouble!” he said sternly, his thick black brows knitting to form a scowl that was terrifying, “See that no harm comes to her!”
Their father and mother were naturalized citizens of Trinidad; their birth land being Syria. Despite his many years living in Trinidad, Mahmoud Moghadam never lost his suspicious nature, which increased sharply in particular to young people.

Abdullas stepped in front of Aaliyah, “Hey Stevran, how’s it going?”
Stevran looked up. “Cool,” he replied, smiling at Abdullas, “You?”
“Scene.” Stevran turned to unload the trunk, and Abdullas sighed in relief. At least he wasn’t staring at Aaliyah anymore. Stevran lifted a huge cooler out of the back of the SUV with little effort. He was of an athletic build and was the product of mixed parentage- his father was black while his mother was a real callaloo: Indian, Chinese and Creole. He had curly dark hair, a dark brown complexion, piercing brown eyes and a devastating smile. He was very aware of the effect that he had on the ladies- he used it often to his benefit. He smiled wickedly to himself as he continued to unload the vehicle. He had promised Aaliyah that they would be a couple, but only after they did ‘the deed’. She was a particularly tough nut to crack; most of his conquests were more than willing to acquiesce to his every wish. But he remained patient, continuing to charm her with the expertise of a pro. Today he expected to reap the rewards of his efforts.

JP grabbed a cooler and basket and started to walk towards the jetty. Abdullas grabbed Aaliyah and followed, with the four girls and Stevran bringing up the rear, Stevran holding another basket. After a short walk, JP stopped in front of a huge boat. This must be the yacht, Abdullas thought, as he watched JP climb into it.
“C’mon up,” he yelled, looking over. Needing no more invitations, the group quickly clambered into the boat. JP started the engine and steered it into the open waters.

Stevran and Abdullas leaned against the railing, drinking beers as they watched the girls pull off their tops and bottoms, revealing string bikinis. It nauseated Abdullas slightly to see his sister dressed so provocatively, but he said nothing, since he did not wish to lose face so quickly in front of Stevran. Aaliyah smiled up at Stevran, then threw a challenging look at her brother, daring him to say something. As she expected, he did not respond.

Stevran’s eyes gleamed. Aaliyah was by far the prettiest little thing he’d ever laid his eyes- or hands- on. She could have been about 5’5”, but her body was slender. And boy, did she fill out her bathing suit! He smiled back at her and she blushed again. The other girls were oblivious to their flirting, that is, except for Naomie, who pretended not to notice. Naomie had known Stevran all her life and they were best friends. It was unfortunate that she had carried a torch for him for a few years now, knowing full well that he would never notice her in that way.

Naomie had been quite indifferent towards Aaliyah and Abdullas since they started liming with them. However, with Stevran’s obvious attraction to Aaliyah and Abdullas’ shameless schmoozing with both JP and Stevran, her attitude had changed to disgust and loathing, the former feeling directed towards Abdullas whiles the latter at Aaliyah. Since she could not glare at Aaliyah without Stevran noticing, she instead focused all her displeasure on Abdullas. Abdullas was unnerved by the fierce glare that Naomie threw him form time to time. He’d never associated with her. She wasn’t as boisterous and flirtatious as the other girls; she was more quiet and subdued. He had admired her from afar, and had promised himself on many occasions that he would try and get to know her. Fat chance now, he thought as she threw him another contemptuous look. He turned to face the sea, still sipping his beer.

The boat slowed as it entered a cove, stopping completely as it neared an uninhabited island. JP reappeared, holding a huge boom box which he promptly turned on, filling the once tranquil area with loud music. Two girls, Jillian and Cindy, jumped up.
“Oooh, dat is meh song,” Jillian said, dancing to the music, which was a popular Machel tune. She and Cindy gyrated in time to the fast paced tempo.
“Aaliyah, come and dance girl,” Cindy invited. Aaliyah felt shy. She had never been to a party or nightclub before; her father was much too protective. He promised to reconsider when she turned eighteen, but she wasn’t going to hold her breath.
“Yeah, come nah girl,” said Jillian, “You too Keisha. We know Naomie not coming so ah not askin’.” Prodded by the girls, Aaliyah finally rose. She was not even sure she could wine.
“Move yuh waist nah girl,” Jillian said, “Dance!”
Aaliyah’s pitiful attempt at dancing elicited a fit of laughter from the other three dancers.
“Girl, how you outta time so?” Keisha laughed, “Like you not hearing d timin’ of d music or wha?” Even Abdullas’ lips twitched.
Mortified, Aaliyah was about to return to her seat when Stevran stopped her.
“Here,” he said, taking her hand and pulling her to him, “Allyuh stop laughing at her now nah!”
He glared at the girls, who promptly stopped giggling. “Move like this,” he said, dancing closely behind her, his hands on her hips. Aaliyah tried to follow his lead, and after a while, she finally got the hang of it. She squealed in excitement as she danced.
“Look! I can do it too, see?” she said to Stevran.
Stupid white girl, Naomie thought, rolling her eyes. What’s so great about dancing anyway? She pulled back her short hair into a rubber band, then pulled her towel over her exposed body. She was already dark skinned, about the same complexion as Stevran. She was not looking to get any darker.

Abdullas stared at her as she spread her towel over her shoulders. She was sitting in a corner with her back turned. She pulled up her legs so that her knees were close to her chin and leaned on them. She intrigued him. Maybe later, when she was in a better mood, he’d probably try to start a conversation with her, get to know her better. He continued to stare at her back as the others continued their dancing and drinking.

When Abdullas finally turned his head towards the crowd, he realized that Aaliyah and Stevran were missing. He would have searched for her, but JP stopped him, handing him a lighted joint.
“Relax,” he said, “He’s not doing anything she doesn’t want him to do.” Reluctantly, Abdullas accepted the crudely rolled cigarette and took a drag, hoping that it would relieve him of the nagging feeling that he had in his stomach.

Stevran had escorted Aaliyah down into the boat, where there was a small bedroom. He locked the door behind them.
“Don’t worry; it’s just the both of us down here. No one else can hear us,” Stevran said reassuringly to Aaliyah, who was looking around with an uneasy expression on her face. Aaliyah tried to smile, but her face felt as though it was made of stone.
Stevran scooted up onto the bed. “Come here,” he said, patting the empty space.
Aaliyah slowly climbed up next to him. He pulled her closer to him and began to kiss her. Aaliyah tried not to move away; he was much too aggressive. And the slobber- how disgusting! She just lay there patiently as Stevran continued to moisten her lips and face with his saliva.

The experience was not particularly pleasant. Stevran was overeager and Aaliyah was sometimes frightened by his roughness. She decided that she would follow the advice of her best friend: just lie there and think of something pleasant. She pretended that she was tanning on Maracas Beach and forced her mind to focus on that while Stevran continued his ministrations on her unresponsive body. A sudden movement jolted her back to reality. Stevran was coming off the bed. Oh thank God, she thought in relief. He’s finally finished.

Her relief quickly turned to shock as she watched him take off his swimming trunks. Her eyes bulged at the sight. What was he going to do with that?!
Stevran mistook her shock and fright for awe. He grinned, “Big huh?”
Aaliyah shrunk backwards as he advanced towards the bed, pulling her knees to meet her chest, her eyes still bulging.
“C’mon babe, relax. I promise it won’t hurt; well not too much,” Stevran coaxed, reaching for a leg. She shook his hand off.
“Don’t you want us to be together?” he demanded.
She nodded slowly. “It’s just that I’m scared,” she said, tears brimming from her eyes.
Stevran sighed. “I promise that it’ll be okay. Besides, it’s the only way I can get close to you.” Seeing that her hesitation was faltering, he added, “I love you. Don’t you love me? Don’t you want to show me how much you love me?”

Aaliyah allowed herself to be pulled into Stevran’s embrace. After all, she thought, as he attempted to smother her with kisses again, he did say he loved me. Maybe it’ll be okay, like he said.

Abdullas heard a funny sound. It was muffled, due to the music, but it sounded like it was from inside the boat. It sounded like a scream. He would have rushed to investigate, since his sister was alone with Stevran, but JP intervened again.
“Why are you so tense?” he said, “Have fun, relax. They are,” he added, referring to Stevran and his sister. Abdullas took another beer out of the cooler and walked towards the bow of the yacht. It made him feel helpless when he did not have situations under his control. He hated that feeling.

Naomie joined him as he was opening his beer. She was a pretty girl, Abdullas thought as he smiled down at her. He found her mocha complexion to be very flattering and the short hair complemented her fine features. She did not look up at him, preferring to gaze out at the body of water in the cove.
For a few minutes, neither of them said anything. Then Naomie spoke up, her tone scathing.
“So how does it feel to have your sister sell herself for your popularity?”
Abdullas looked down at her, “What did you say?”
“Oh please. Everyone knows what Stevran and your slutty sister is doing downstairs.”
Abdullas scowled, “What did you just call my sister?”
“You heard me.” Naomie continued to stare at the mountains surrounding the cove. She did not dare look up.
“You have some nerve calling my sister a slut,” Abdullas snapped, “Everyone,” he said, borrowing a line from what she said earlier, “knows that if you were in her position, you wouldn’t hesitate to open your legs!”
Naomie winced at the cutting reply; mostly because she knew what he said was right. “Well at least,” she retorted hotly, “I know how to control my younger siblings. Do you?” With that, she left, leaving Abdullas to stew over her parting jab. He stayed there for a while, slowly drinking his beer as his anger subsided. He would deal with Aaliyah later.

Twenty minutes later, they emerged from the body of the yacht, Stevran with a triumphant expression on his face while Aaliyah wore a shaky smile. Planting a big smack on her lips and declaring her to be ‘his woman’, he allowed her to rejoin the rest of the girls, who were giggling and chattering in anticipation. He joined JP, who was leaning against the railing of the boat, exchanged knowing smiles and grabbed a beer.
“Who wants to go swimming?” he shouted suddenly. All the girls- with the exception of Aaliyah and Naomie- squealed their assent and followed Stevran as he jumped off the side of the boat. JP laughingly took pictures of them in the water, occasionally ducking away from the spray that they sent towards him. Aaliyah felt too achy and odd to go out swimming. She pulled on her clothes and hoped that they would be on their way home soon.

**********************

Aaliyah and Abdullas barely spoke to each other on their way home. Abdullas was too angry to even look at her, and Aaliyah couldn’t care less. All she wanted was a warm shower and to fall into bed. She hoped that her father would not be home by the time they arrived. However, as Abdullas steered the car into the driveway, their father’s car was in plain sight. Aaliyah cringed internally; their father was most likely awaiting their arrival. There was no way in which she could escape his scrutiny.

They entered the house quietly, hoping that he would not notice. It was all in vain; their father’s voice boomed across the house, calling them into the study. Mahmoud was scanning some papers as they entered.
“So how was your little boat ride?” he asked, finally looking up and smiling.
“It was fine Dad,” Abdullas replied, hoping that he would not notice Aaliyah’s growing discomfort. Aaliyah tried to keep herself from fidgeting.
“What is the matter with you?” Mahmoud asked Aaliyah suddenly. So much for hoping that he would not notice.
“It’s nothing Daddy,” Aaliyah answered as pleasantly as she could muster, “I’m just a little tired and not feeling too well.”
Mahmoud’s stare intensified. Something was definitely not right with his daughter. Aaliyah shifted restlessly under his relentless gaze.
“Maybe she has her period?” Abdullas suggested, hoping that the suggestion would suffice.
“Yes,” Aaliyah agreed quickly, “I think my period is coming.”
“Wasn’t it last week that I had to buy sanitary napkins and painkillers for you Aaliyah?” Mahmoud’s voice had gone dangerously soft. Abdullas and Aaliyah remained silent.

Mahmoud rose from his chair and stood in front of Abdullas, “Did I not tell you to watch over her and see that no harm comes to her?” His face was intimidating; it was taking all of Abdullas’ will power to remain standing there and not run away like a child.
“So you still refuse to answer?” Mahmoud demanded. When Abdullas failed to respond, he backhanded him, knocking him off his feet. Blood poured from his nose. Aaliyah screamed, running to her brother’s side.
“Please, don’t hit him anymore,” she sobbed. Abdullas slowly raised his head. His ears were ringing and his sight was a bit blurry, but still he managed to get up, swaying unsteadily.
“Are you ready to talk now? Either one of you?” Mahmoud said, staring at his daughter, who was steadying her brother. As no answer was forthcoming, Mahmoud made as though he was about to strike, but Aaliyah was faster. She jumped in front of her brother, effectively cutting off Mahmoud, who would never dare hit one of his girls.
“I admit, I slept with Stevran Saunders,” she said quickly, her hands clasped, “The fault is mine; please don’t hurt him.”
Mahmoud staggered backwards, shocked. His daughter, Aaliyah, had relations with a boy? She was barely sixteen. He knew she was a handful, but he was evidently wrong to assume she had a good head on her shoulders. He would never make such a mistake again.

Aaliyah watched as her father recovered from his surprise. Panic threatened to overwhelm her. It was a wonder that she hadn’t run from the study and locked herself in her room!
“What is the boy’s name?” Mahmoud asked. His face looked murderous.
“S-Stevran Saunders,” Aaliyah stammered. Mahmoud reached for the phone.
“What are you going to do?” she cried as he punched some numbers. Mahmoud pointed to the door.
“You will both go to your rooms immediately. You, young lady,” he pointed to Aaliyah, “are grounded indefinitely. Go now!” Immediately they exited the study, Abdullas holding his nose to stem the flow of blood and Aaliyah with a tragic look on her face.

Meanwhile, the day was as pretty as ever. A cloud temporarily curbed the scorching rays of the sun, while a pleasant breeze blew, cooling the land.