My Journal

By Harriman Nelson

10

I decided to call Emmie this morning. But realized too late that I’d forgotten about the time difference. Apologies and assurances that Seaview was fine, along with me, later, she told me what a shame it was that Lee’s eyeball was damaged by the cat.

“How did you know that?” I asked, surprised.

“Well, it’s been in all the news. Pictures and video’s and….”

“Damn,” I muttered.

“Is there a problem?”

“Depends entirely on one’s point of view.”

I could just imagine Lee’s reaction, although he hadn’t ordered the crew to remain silent about this little matter, only the eye’s magic headlights.

“Will the Navy spring for a replacement or will Lee have to?” Emmie asked, “after all he wasn’t wearing it at the time…people are saying it wasn’t damaged in the line of duty. He’ll be devastated if he has to go back to the use of only one eye, won’t he?”

“Lee’s ‘on duty’ 24/7 when he’s in command of Seaview. And we’re on ‘active’ service to the Navy right now. I can’t see the Navy not repairing or replacing a prosthesis he volunteered to be a test subject for. He says the vision out of it is blurry to the point of blindness. But he’s optimistic that he and Doc might be able to make some adjustments via some remote instruction from the scientists at Bethesda.”

“Well, good luck to them. I suppose we can expect the press to hound the institute about the entire episode.”

“Afraid so.”

Just then someone knocked on my door.

“Hang on, sweetheart….come.”

“Excuse me, sir,” Chip said as he entered, “oh, good morning, Mrs. Nelson…”

“Actually, still night here, Chip,” she said, touching one of her curlers and clutching her robe a little tighter over her bust. Not that she needed to. After all it was one of those heavy flannel things, not the flimsy accessory to her negligee.

“Well?” I asked as Chip looked around, concerned.

“Mallie’s escaped. My cabin door was closed, but she must have managed to turn the knob.”

“Oh gawd. Have you informed Lee? He…he didn’t leave his eyeball on his desk or in the head?”

“I don’t know. Lee’s not in his cabin. I’ve searched everywhere I could think of for Mallie. I suppose I’d better inform Lee and get the flying sub ready to take her back to Santa Barbara when we find her. I just hope I can get a cat sitter at this late notice.”

“You can’t believe that Lee would make you get her off the ship?” Emmie asked. “He can hardly blame the cat for behaving like one! I don’t care how much damage she caused. Lee should have kept the eye secured, like you do for children. It’s his own fault when you get right down to it.”

“I don’t think I’d like to tell him that,” Chip said.

“Well, I sure would. In fact, Harry? Call Lee down here. Or punch me into one of the videophones you have all over Seaview. I’ll set him straight and….”

“Oh, there you are, Chip,” Joe said from the open doorway. “I heard that you spoke with  Cookie earlier. So, what can we look forward to for breakfast this morning?”

“Fried Spam and reconstituted eggs or cereal, unless you want the captain to go out and catch us something again.”

“What’s that?” Emmie asked.

“Lee took a team of divers out to catch us some squid yesterday,” I said.

“Oh, Harry, I didn’t realize your emergency food supply was bad enough for that.”

“Is this a private conversation or can anyone join in,” Lee said from the doorway. He was holding Maleficent and wearing the eyepatch.

“Son,” I said, “anything wrong with your socket?”

“No, tight and dry,” he said as he handed the cat over to Chip. “Just wearing the patch because there’ve been a few complaints about it looking worse without Igor than with it.”

“About Mallie…” Chip began.

“She found me in the Nose, jumped on my lap and started to paw my shirt pocket for treats, like the ones you have in yours. Actually,” he added. “I want to take a look at the box for the ingredients. Might be palatable….”

“You can’t be serious!” Emmie said.

“I’m not looking forward to another fishing trip. And those treats have to taste better than the sawdust we’ve been eating.”

“There’s only one more box, Lee,” Chip said. “And…well…I’ve tried one…I wouldn’t advise it. Took me a full pack of Wintergreen chewing gum to get the taste out. The last pack in stores.”

“Back to business,” Emmie said, “Lee, you’re not going to make Mallie walk the plank or leave the boat are you?”

“What? Harry, what have you been telling her?”

“It was me, Lee,” Chip said. “I thought you’d have me send her home.”

“Captain Bligh I’m not.”

“Call for you, Skipper,” the duty Sparks said over the PA, “Bethesda. The experimental lab. They’re ready to walk you through repairs.”

“Great,” Lee said into the intercom, “pipe it through to Sick Bay. Tell Doc I’ll be right there.”

I guess it showed in my face that I wanted to go with him.

“Go ahead, sweetheart. And please don’t try any of those cat treats, no matter how tired you get of the food aboard.”

“Yes, dear. Love you,” I said and closed the call.

And so Chip, Joe, and I watched Lee and Doc follow instructions on fixing the prosthesis. It was a complicated and long procedure, using Sick Bay’s ultra fine instruments, normally used, I was informed by Doc, for eye, (appropriate) and heart surgery.

“That should do it, temporarily at least,” Bethesda’s scientists concluded, “go ahead and try it, Captain.”

“Wait,” Doc said, “clean it in the solvent first.”

“Yes, mother,” Lee said.

After it was cleaned and dried, Lee inserted the prosthesis and blinked a few times for his eyelids to adjust. Then he looked straight into the tool locker, and then toward the hatch.

“The X-ray vision doesn’t work…and the blurriness is hardly any clearer. Worthless,” he added, removing it.

“Well,” the director said. “We tried. Our techs won’t sleep until you have a replacement. I suppose you’ll be flying out asap.”

“No, we’ll complete our mission with or without X-ray vision.”

 And so we headed to breakfast. Le had already checked on available sea life, but told us that there wasn’t anything swimming worth fishing for.

“Spam, here I come,” I sighed.

“Well, Harry,” Lee said. “At least there’s still some ketchup.”