Thread: A Birthday To Remember (BBB & Rage)

The sun peeked over the horizon, and he was already up and preparing the boat. They would be arriving soon, so he wanted to make sure everything was ready. He didn't want any delays in getting the trip started. After all, Uncle Gabriel always came through for her. That's why he was her favorite. That's why he was the 'cool' uncle. He had never married or had kids of his own, so instead he had a tendency to dote on his nieces and nephews, but he had always been closest to his oldest niece. She was the first, and he was only ten years old when she was born. He was actually closer in age to her than he was to her father, having been the 'surprise' child his parents had never expected, but had loved all the same. Ronnie was his oldest brother, and had been the first of he and his three siblings to have children, giving him his beloved niece. Since she had never had an older brother, and he had never had a younger sibling, he had fallen into the role naturally. He had been long graduated and even finished with college by the time she started high school and discovered boys, but he was always there to let her cry on his shoulder when one broke her heart, or to scare the guys with certain reputations into treating his niece respectfully. He never tried to discourage her from having sex or enjoying herself when she started becoming curious about it. After all, he would have been a hypocrite if he did. He simply encouraged her to know what she was getting into and to be safe, and most of all to respect herself enough to at least be selective of her partners. She was a gorgeous girl, after all, and had her pick of the litter. Gabriel wasn't single because he was unattractive. It was quite the opposite, really. He was a well built man, not skinny and not overly large, but more of a medium build with a trim waist and broad shoulders. He was muscular, but not grossly so, giving him what some would call a rather ideal build. He was also fairly tall, around six feet, give or take an inch, with thick, long, dark brown hair that fell just past his shoulders and always seemed to frame his face perfectly. Deep blue eyes were the most noticeable feature of a handsome face with a strong jaw that often looked to have seen a few days without the touch of a razor. He was, by no means, a man that women didn't notice. His problem had always been finding the time and patience for relationships. He dated, of course, but just never seemed to get beyond physical needs and desires with any woman, and so he lived his existence as a bachelor. It wasn't a bad life, so he never complained. Having taken over a share of the family business along with his brothers when their father passed, Gabriel did well for himself, and as a result, had been able to afford a few luxuries that made life rather enjoyable. One of his prized possessions was the yacht. His 'second home', as he often called it, was an eighty foot triple deck large cruiser, by far not the grandest in a harbor populated with megayachts that exceeded one hundred fifty feet in some cases, but it was plenty for his needs, with lots of exterior recreation space for sitting and enjoying drinks or sunbathing, as well as a comfortable hot tub on the lower back deck. The interior was quite roomy, with a decent sitting area that included a kitchenette and dining space, as well as a furnished area for watching the satellite TV on the middle deck, and two guest rooms as well as the master bedroom on the inside lower deck. The top deck consisted of the helm, where he naturally spent his fair share of time when at sea, though it was easy enough to plot a course and let the boat run itself for long periods as well when far enough from land. He had thrown his fair share of parties on the yacht, and was now preparing it for a very special trip. His darling niece was a week away from her eighteenth birthday, so he had cleared his schedule and arranged to take her on a two week boat trip around the coast as her present. They would be stopping in several major ports along the way to refuel and spend a night relaxing, and would be on their way again, leaving out from Savannah, Georgia, where he kept the boat, and making their way around Florida and along the Gulf Coast. Their final destination would be New Orleans, Louisiana, where they would enjoy her birthday celebration before backtracking and making their way to Savannah once more. He knew she was excited about the trip, and had asked if she could bring her best friend along, to which he had agreed as well. After all, she would probably need someone to talk to while he was occupied with the things she would find boring, like manning the helm and keeping them on course. Checking the diving watch he always wore, he noted the time, figuring she would be arriving soon, and so he finished preparing everything. After making sure there was plenty of propane to fuel the cooking range and oven, he began stocking the cold drinks and food in the fridge, figuring he had enough to hold them over until their next stop. At each port he would have a chance to replenish supplies while the girls went out to enjoy the different locales and probably get some shopping in. After all, what girl didn't enjoy shopping and grabbing clothes and souvenirs from different places to show off to their friends? Finally, when everything was done, he took a seat on the front deck and cracked a cold drink, sipping it patiently as he waited for them to arrive.