His hands aching, Danny threw his utensils on the table and gladly freed his chair for Juni, who had just arrived as a relief. They exchanged a few agonised glances as Danny untied his apron and chucked it in the laundry bin. It was the best way of communicating sympathy with one another when a language barrier allowed nothing more than an exchange of "See ya, man", which is what Danny told his colleague before pushing his way out of the narrow door.
His first stop was a bathroom, staff of course, but the one on the floor above had lavender soap; reason enough for him to skip up one set of stairs with grimy fingers. Upon seeing his face in the mirror, he splashed water onto it to remove beads of sweat that had glistened on his forehead. Kitchen duty was the worst. Who could have known that those old stories of potato peelers still applied nowadays. Apparently the fancy folk who were toasting with champagne a few levels up liked their spuds as much as the old-timey fisher or pirate did.
At least he was done with peeling vegetables for the day, and he wasn't going to have kitchen duty for at least a week, so he could take it easy. Maybe go for a round of pool in the staff quarters if anyone was still up for it. They had pulled into port for the night, so most of the guests were going to celebrate their gross amount of wealth on shore for a change. That meant fewer tips, but more peace for the boys.
On his way to the staff quarters, he smiled and nodded at guests who passed him on their way off the ship.
"As long as you're in that uniform, you are on duty," was the first thing he'd been told upon recruitment. So, he remained polite and spotless, and hid his haste beneath a polished facade.
Just as he was about to round the corner to after-hours, someone called him with a voice that grabbed him by the collar of his polo and spun him around on his heels. It was the voice of the boss.
"Yes, sir," Danny replied duty fully. The man in front of him was dressed head to toe in expensive black, two of his body guards flanking him on each side.
"Finally, I can get a hold of one of you roustabouts to do something useful," the man growled, clearly displeased that Danny's colleagues were busy doing their jobs. He saved none of the feigned cordiality with which he treated his guests for his employees. Sometimes Danny wondered if Mr Valderes would keep human employees even once robots were a thing, just so it would be more satisfying to look down on them.
"How can I help, sir?"
"Bring my wife dinner to her room -"
"Yes, sir."
" -and you better make sure she eats it."
After just a moment's hesitation on Danny's part, Mr Valderes bellowed: "Instantly!"
"Yes, sir!"
Keeping his head lowered for a few meters, Danny hurried away without daring to glance back at his boss. Encounters with the man were rare, even though he frequented the ships he owned and liked to use them as a means of transport between the ports of the world. Still, Danny did not anticipate the rare meetings. Annoyed but aware that he had no choice, he returned to the kitchens, only that he did not use the back entrance this time.
"Back so soon?" asked the chef teasingly, who had heard Danny moan all throughout his shift.
"Just quickly whip up something fantastic for Mrs Valderes, big guy's orders."
The chef made a face. "A personal errand to run for Juliana, who wouldn't mind that job."
"Just hop to it," sighed Danny who had really been looking forward to the few hours of down time before his morning shift. Hector the bar man took a step towards Danny, towel and glass in hand.
"I bet they fought again," he hissed with a knowing look on his face.
"Again?" asked Danny.
"Yeah, Margot from house keeping says she hears him yell all the time. Especially before he goes to port. I'm telling you, there's something dodgy with that guy."
"You don't say," huffed Danny who was very aware of the cloud of possible threats emanating from Mr Valderes. Threats that were easily turned into reality, whatever that man's business was.
The chef had listened to Danny's headings and brought the tray out soon. It was complete with a wine glass and bottle and Danny rolled his eyes. He should have used the upstairs kitchens, even though he didn't know the people up there as well. After thanking the chef he decided wisely to take the elevators this time.
The top floor, of course, was reserved for well-paying guests. Mr Valderes quarters, and therefore his wife's, were a few floors lower, but completely prohibited for guests and it usually allowed only select staff. The guard by the elevator door had clearly been expecting someone, and only briefly inspected Danny's tray before nodding him to go on. Danny had only been here once before, but he found the room he was looking for easily enough. All angels in hell hated him today.
With the bottle on the tray, it was impossible to balance it with one hand. Uncertain he looked around for help and when he found none, he decided to open the door using his elbow. Cautiously he walked into an empty lounge area and searched for a spot to place the tray.
The door to an adjacent room opened, and he spun around to face Mrs Valderes who looked as startled as he was. He should have called out as he entered to warn her. The woman had stopped in her tracks and regarded him, not shyly. With a tissue she dabbed at her reddened eyes, and it was clear that she had been crying. Danny immediately felt uncomfortable for barging in unannounced to find her in such a compromised state. He had previously seen her when she was dining in one of the restaurants with her husband, or when she accompanied him to one of the bars. Every time she entered a room, it posed a challenge to not freeze up and stare.
