Davey Jones's Locker. C.R. Cummings

thoughts wandered off the topic to reminiscing about other trips on other ships with their grandfather. That was interesting to Andrew and he was glad he was making the effort to learn more about his own family. Already he was much prouder of his grandad.

      After afternoon tea and thanking both their Gran and Mr McGackey brother and sister rode home. When he got there Andrew at once wrote down in a notebook all the facts he could remember from the interview, then sat and considered what else he might like to know. That sent him to the computer and he looked up shipbuilding companies on the internet and browsed for a while.

      Muriel did not phone that night, making Andrew feel quite anxious. He was worried that she might have met someone else, or might have decided she did not like him. This worry kept him tense all day at school on Friday. His thoughts were now focused on that night’s Navy Cadet parade and he was edgy and irritable until he and Carmen were dropped off at the depot at 6:45 that evening.

      At once the tension evaporated. The first person Andrew met was Muriel. She had been waiting near the gate and was all smiles. “How was your day?” she asked, quite oblivious to his nervous state.

      After that cadets was wholly enjoyable. The first parade was fine and then the lessons were interesting: coiling and heaving lines, flag signals, and ship identification. During the canteen break the details for the Saturday night movies were agreed on. Andrew wasn’t all that thrilled that Tina Babcock and Jennifer Jervis were going to be there, along with Blake and Shona, but he accepted it as the price he had to pay.

      All evening he kept flicking surreptitious glances at Muriel, admiring her beauty and longing to hold her hand, to kiss her. But then, immediately after the dismissal parade, Sub Lt Sheldon drove all such thoughts from his mind and placed him right back under pressure by asking if he still wanted to do the Advanced Diving Course.

      After swallowing and wondering how to get out of it without admitting he was scared Andrew replied, “Oh, I’m not sure if my parents will allow it.” The knowledge that when he had signed on for the Open Water Dive Course, he had indicated that he was also planning to do the Advanced Course made Andrew squirm inside. But that had been before he knew what diving was like; what his real reactions might be. Now he just wanted to get out of it.

      Sub Lt Sheldon nodded then said, “We can ask your mother when she comes to pick you up.”

      To that Andrew could only hope she would say no. Muriel then added to the pressure by saying, “Oh come on Andrew! You said you would, and I want you there.”

      At that moment Carmen appeared with their mother. Sub Lt Sheldon smiled a welcome and said, “I will ask now.”