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Chapter Three

Sharlet Latamier was among those, impatiently awaiting her turn to board the ship. Easily provoked anger, one of her characteristic traits, stirred juices of discontent, causing her stomach to become upset, a frequent occurrence. She thumped her fingers on the railing, shuffled her feet, and popped a couple of Rolaids in her mouth. Stretching her neck to see what was holding up the line she could only get a glimpse of Bernice Chandler, the next person to board. Still upset because of Bernice Chandler's innocent delay of the ship's boarding process, Sharlet bypassed the lounge and went directly to her stateroom.
In the process of divorce after seventeen years of marriage, she was a bitter woman. Her husband left her for another woman. Long before that, though, she had lost any love she may have had for him and a part of her was glad it was over.
But she had planned to separate on her own terms, and for him to take the initiative, especially in favor of another woman, infuriated her. As she stood staring out the stateroom window, hands pressed against the glass, hate boiled inside as she replayed the scenario through her mind. 'What could I do to hurt him?' she thought to herself, 'Nonsense! This cruise is supposed to be an escape from it all, a time to let go and relax.' Not so. She had yet to realize she was taking the cruise to spite her husband, who couldn't care less, and subconsciously she was ferociously devouring the fruits of self-pity.
When Sharlet was seven years old her father left home, leaving her and her younger, prettier sister, Bonnie, to compete for their mother's love. The bottom line-Sharlet lost. Mother, needing a replacement for her husband, bonded closer to Bonnie, neglecting Sharlet.
The prolonged hurt, the loneliness, the crying nights, finally broke Sharlet, leaving her without the capacity to either give or receive love.
Later, she did try to establish and maintain a marriage relationship with her husband because inwardly she needed and wanted to love and to be loved. Unfortunately, old wounds were too deep. She failed to recognize and appropriately deal with the problem. For many years she acted her way through the marriage, keeping herself busy with their daughter (now away at college) and later schooling herself in real estate.
The real estate profession was quite good to her, allowing her to become independently successful. Successful, in her own right, only because of an exceptionally high I.Q. and an ingeniously conceived false front that portrayed a cheerful disposition, and overall, a pleasant personality. She pretended to be interested in the welfare of her friends, co-workers, and families, and showed concern for the best interests of her clients. In truth, she was deceitful and conniving.
But recently, the unresolved issues of her painful childhood years, aggravated by her disillusionment with marriage, were beginning to produce more internal stress than the thin veneer of insulation that protected her could withstand. A serious personality disorder, so long concealed, had surfaced and was beginning its manifestation. An egotistical and caustic attitude emerged, driving potential clients away. Additionally, it was not long before she lost the friendship and respect of many co-workers.

As Sharlet sat in her stateroom, on the cruise ship Sunbeam, still gazing out the window, she pondered her fate. Her thoughts were so intense that she failed to notice the massive bridge in the distance that connected San Pedro to the coast of Long Beach. The Saint Thomas Bridge and surrounding harbor, home of the Queen Mary and Spruce Goose, boasts one of the largest and busiest ports in the world; surely a sight to be captured through the camera lens of a typical tourist. Curious people, in small boats below, were waving as their vessels putted to and fro along the length of the Sunbeam. Sharlet saw none of this. Consumed with negative emotion, she was oblivious to the simplest joys of life.
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