Our stay in Juneau was just over night. I took everyone out to dinner and a few drinks. Carl had repaired our pump and had done some critical parts shopping in preparation for our open water cruise. Jan had filled our freezers and shelves with food, since we would be out away from civilization for an extended time too.
Anne and Julie had been working hard on the boat too. I even pitched in and helped polish some brass fittings and 'swabbed the deck'. I felt more and more like a buddy rather than the 'boss'. This was a feeling that I enjoyed. It brought back memories of times gone by when I hadn't been wealthy.
Surprisingly, we went the whole day and night without sex. We were pretty busy of course, but one would have thought we would have kept on with the debauchery. I, for one had needed the break. I felt like my cock was going to fall off after the last few days, and I am sure Carl was feeling the same way.
During the afternoon Julie and I had a long talk. We were discovering things about each other, learning about past times and generally making up for lost time. It was still hard for me to believe that Julie was my daughter, probably exacerbated by the fact we had been having sex. Was my mind trying to separate daughter/father in order to preserve the status quo?
May and I took a couple of long walks. Seeing the Mendenhall Glacier was one of our side trips that we took alone. Everyone else went in the afternoon while May and I went in the morning.
Feeling the cold air waft off of ages old ice was invigorating to say the least. May was radiantly glowing, especially with our conversation. We were talking over what we would do after the trip. I was pressing for a permanent and legal marriage, while May was keeping me at bay with talk of just trying out living together first. Her way of protecting herself was a 'no strings attached' method of being.
I was sure that May had been severely disappointed at some time in her life or else I would have figured she would have been open about marrying me. I guess the knight in shining armor wasn't going to get his way...yet.
Anne had been giving me the eye from time to time. I think she was still carrying a banner for me in her heart. I felt bad since she was a great person and a beautiful lady too. I had no regrets about wanting May though. May and I had melded in ways that I could never have imagined.
Julie told me not to worry about Anne, that she would be all right. I took her at her word and kept on treating Anne like I had been all along. Julie had expressed interest in going to a certain college, and I overheard her and Anne talking about it. Anne was distressed since she evidently couldn't afford to go there too. She felt she would lose Julie as a friend.
"Julie, what will I do for friends? You are my best friend. Now that your father has picked May I will have no one to go to. I need you to stay in our current school."
"Anne, this other school has the best opportunity for both of us. I am sure we can figure out a way to get you there with me."
"That school costs way too much. Sure, you have a rich dad who will probably fund your whole tuition and housing, but I have no one who would or could do that."
"I don't plan on asking my dad for money Anne. It's different now. He isn't...he's not what I thought he was in any way. I could no more ask him for money than I would you."
"Then how do you think you will afford this new school? You don't have the money to make it there on your own."
"Anne, what have we been doing on this trip? I'll tell you what we've been doing. Proving that we know how to fuck with the best of them. I will 'work' my way through school."
Anne looked a bit pale when Julie said that. I turned and went to my cabin, afraid of what I had been about to do. They had been having a private talk and I had almost burst in on them demanding the old parental, 'what are you talking about...are you crazy?' I was shocked at what Julie had hinted at doing.
I picked up my phone and put in a call to my financial advisor. I made arrangements for both girls to go to that school, full ride, all expenses paid. Then I also told her that I needed to redo my will. I had changes to make that I had not planned on having to do at the start of this fateful trip.
That evening at supper there was a strained conversation between Anne, Julie and myself. May picked up on the tension. I was trying to figure out a way to let the girls know that their way to school was taken care of.
May drug me out of the room as soon as desert was finished. Her direction took us to the bridge where we were alone.
"Ok Bill. What the hell is going on with you guys? You are not looking at each other, you all have this guilt thing going on, what happened?"
I told May about the conversation I had overheard and what I had done after it. May stood there for a bit. Her hands went out to mine and she drew me into her arms. Hugging, she kissed me.
"You know that you could set them both up with money to spare. They would never have to work again. It would be just pocket change for you too."
"Yes I could. I do believe that people should be contributors to society too. For that to happen, they would need to learn how to do something constructive. A degree in some field would give them far more than me just giving them a bunch of money."
"Why don't you let your news wait until the end of our Alaska adventure? We can work it all out then."
"Aye, aye captain."
"You goof! Mark my words then 'matey'. I am the captain after all."
We slept together in my cabin that night. May and I held each other all night. There was no sex, just holding and caressing. I felt a feeling of peace and fullness that I hadn't had in so long.
The next morning we pulled out of Juneau and headed for Glacier Bay. I radioed ahead to the ranger station at the park entrance. I cleared our boat for a permit and passage through the park. We would have to run in to the island the station was on to pick up the permit when we got there.
As we moved along Icy Straights, headed for the park I soon found out that Anne and Julie were a bit horny. I found myself being drug into their cabin. I protested that May needed to give an ok first. My thoughts were that May would get me out of this.
I should have known better. May said that I should be kept busy until we anchored up for the night. This, along with the fact that they had already stripped me of my clothes made my thoughts on the matter moot.
