“So make sure you thank the Captain for letting us impose on his ship and don’t get in their way. You're an intern so don’t say too much when it comes to what they're doing. Just Research. This opportunity is unheard of and I don’t need you messing it up.” Elise sighed as her boss continued to berate her as if she wasn’t finishing up her senior year and preparing to high tale it out of Hawaii.

I bet he really thinks I'm going to take this job here.

But of course I was smarter than Mr. Vincenzo.

You are smart.

It was a part of her daily self-affirmation. After the break down she’d rather not remember, she decided to stop seeing herself as the world sees her and how she views herself. It helped that she moved as far away from Rhode Island as she could handle. Hawaii was sunny, beautiful, surrounded by water, and the average dress size of Hawaiian women was about 14.  Initially it was perfect for Elise until she started and her weight began yo-yoing. A heavy course load, a double major in Marine Biology and Children’s Education left her with little time to eat. By the end of her first year she shed a good 50lbs.

But it wouldn’t be my life if I didn’t gain all of it back in my sophomore and junior year. Elise shook off the thought as she stepped onto the boat that was going to take her to her new floating home.

“And don’t forget to speak with the Captain, it’s important you—” Rolling her eyes at the redundancy of the conversation Elise cut off Mr. V.

“Make him know how appreciative we are of his help in our research, that we are forever indebted to him and that he has first dibs on the first born of each member of Management.” At the last part Elise held the phone away from as her supervisor ranted about her sass not being enough to cover for her intellect. “Mr. Vincenzo, I have this entire conversation recorded and I’ll listen to it as I sleep tonight, but I have to go because my transporter boat is about to take off. I’ll call you when I get settled.” Knowing it was somewhat a lie Elise slipped the phone into her pocket and checked on her luggage and equipment. Checking her phone one last time Elise gave the boat driver a head nod and proceeded to take her seat as the engine started up and the charter boat began its 45 minute journey.

Settling into the seat, Elise looked off into her bread and butter. The Ocean. At one point she thought her life would end there but now she saw it for what it was. It gave her a sense of purpose. In the vast blue carpet of the ocean were literally trillions of animals and plants waiting to be discovered and protected. Never mind that there are only two black African American Marine Biology majors in her year at school. She learned to stop focusing on race a long time ago. It only disappointed her.

She learned a lot of things in her four years at the university. Like there are these races of Amazonian Black women who are big beautiful and living life, wearing make-up, and doing things that Elise thought was only for the ‘skinnies’ She learned that in some other places being black still made you stand out, but some people had some decorum and didn’t remind you of your blackness every day like they did in Rhode Island.

“Slavery was so long ago, I don’t know why things like Affirmative Action still exist. Like why can’t they get over it?” With a flip of her platinum blond hair Brittanie looked up at the teacher as if she really said something deep. The teacher looked back at her and looked to be deep in thought. ‘As if that shit should even be considered thought’ a young Elise thought. Sitting in AP US History was torture. No correction sitting through the slavery/post slavery discussion in APUSH was hell. It didn’t help that I was the only black person for miles so my smartass nature couldn’t leave the ignorance unchecked.

Raising my hand and talking at the same time. “Mr. Fernandez, I think that if slavery was overturned as quickly as some people want to end Affirmative Action, we wouldn’t even be having this discussion because affirmative action wouldn’t exist.” Placing my hands on my desk I concentrated on my Vans and waited for the uproar.

“Well you have a Black President now so what more equality could be needed.” A young man in the back of class, who could very well have touched me intellect if he hadn’t smoked his brain cells away, commented.

“Technically we have a black president, and that’s 1 out of 44, 40+ years of reverse discrimination to account for 400+ years of slavery and oppression. You're a numbers man does that sound equal to you?” With a sneer on my face, I waited for the next barrage only for it to never come. The bell rang and I quickly threw my folder in my bag and bolted.

“We’re here” snapped back to the present. Elise looked at the engineer who hitchhiked his way onto the chartered boat. Claiming that he was going to fix some things on the boat. Wiping at her mouth and stretching Elise looked at the ship looming over their tiny charter yacht.

“The S.S. Fatality” Elise mumbled to herself.

“Charming isn’t it” smiling the engineer held a hand out to help her gain her sea legs after sitting for such a long time.

“You could say that again.” Shielding her eyes and smiling up at the engineer she continued on. “I'm Elise”

“I'm Tyler, a Doctoral candidate in Mechanical Engineering and Computer Science” Elise assessed him from head to toe and let out a low whistle.

“You must be smart”

He smiled “No I just have the good kind of autism.” The stunned look on Elise’s face went unnoticed as he continued “Okay so there is no ‘good’ autism but I like to be optimistic and think that I could be stuck on something a lot less cool like trains.” He smiled at the last part and looked at Elise.

Shaking her head Elise muttered an Oh Boy and walked around Tyler.  Finding her baggage she placed it on the ships lift and supervised the heavier equipment being loaded on as well.

“Ma’am, the Captain and his Right Hand are waiting for you on the top deck; they said to see to it that you are brought to them immediately.” The sunburnt native Hawaiian man smiled apologetically at Elise at her confusion.

And so the policing begins.

Apparently Mr. Vincenzo didn’t trust her enough to go see him on her own and she couldn’t quite blame him as much as she wanted to.

Making her way to the ramp the led to the top deck she readied herself for the hard ass and his mini hard ass that she’d have to kiss up to. Seeing the most decorated man and a equally decorated man  looking in her general direction she decide that that’s where she should be heading. As the sun blared down Elise felt butterflies, which she attributed to meeting new people and underdressed which she attributed to her cargo shorts, tank top, jean jacket, and Vans. As she got closer she noticed one of the men shift as if uncomfortable in the sun and sea breeze.

Aren’t they supposed to be ready for everything? These Marine types.