Chapter 3 - The Benefactor
I stared at the security officer in absolute disbelief.
I tried to explain that it was a simple misunderstanding caused by a frozen bank account.
He shook his head and said maritime law was very strict regarding unpaid fares on luxury vessels.
He promised to return in exactly sixty minutes with handcuffs if the balance remained unsettled.
I closed the door and paced the narrow floor of my cabin.
I had no cash, no working credit cards, and no jewelry left to sell.
I decided to go down to the casino to see if the ship manager would allow me to work off my debt.
I walked through the glamorous aisles of slot machines feeling completely humiliated.
An older gentleman in a tailored linen suit was watching me from a nearby baccarat table.
He had silver hair, kind eyes, and an aura of quiet authority.
He stepped into my path and gently asked if I was Theresa.
I cautiously nodded and asked how he knew my name.
He smiled and introduced himself as Arthur.
He explained that he had overheard my conversation with the security officer in the hallway.
Without waiting for my permission, Arthur handed a solid black credit card to the nearest purser.
He calmly instructed the staff member to pay my entire cabin fare for the full year.
I gasped and told him I could not possibly accept such a massive loan from a stranger.
Arthur softly replied that we were not exactly strangers.
He motioned for me to sit down at a quiet corner table away from the loud music.
He ordered two glasses of sparkling water and leaned forward with a serious expression.
He told me he had been waiting a very long time for me to finally board this specific ship.
I asked him what he meant by that statement.
He pulled a faded photograph from his breast pocket and slid it across the glass table.
It was a picture of Arthur standing next to my late husband, Ernest.
They were much younger, shaking hands in front of a massive corporate office building.
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Arthur looked into my eyes and delivered a chilling piece of information.
He told me Ernest did not die of a natural heart attack.
