Lana:

"You have got to be kidding me," I stammered as I froze and stared open mouthed at the floating death trap that rested mere yards from where I stood.

I had stopped so suddenly and unexpectedly that my older brother, Ethan, nearly ran into me.

"No, I think he's serious," replied Ethan as he glanced up momentarily from his smartphone to take in what had stopped me cold in my tracks. "Here we go again... And remember to breathe Lana," he advised after catching a glance at my utterly dismayed expression. It wasn't until Ethan reminded me that I realized I'd stopped breathing as I gawked in horror at what I was getting myself into.

"Dad! I'm not getting on that thing!" I nervously fumbled with the strap on my khaki-colored shoulder bag I carried with me everywhere as I turned to face my father.

"Oh come on, Lana. It's just a ship! And besides this is going to be fun! A short cruise through the many islands off the coast of Costa Rica! What could be more fun?" And that's Dad for you. All exclamation marks and enthusiasm. He tries too hard, but it's always in vain. Disaster is inevitable-not to sound too cynical. He shook me by the shoulders and grinned goofily. "And since when have you been afraid of sailing?"

I just stared at him increduously. How could he forget? "Since you took us jet-skiing five years ago and managed to both crash and capsize the boat." Ever since that incident I've never been too fond of boats, or water for that matter.

"Well it wasn't my fault... entirely...if the other guy didn't just decide to park his boat in the middle of the lake, right in our path, nothing would have happened!" he countered feebly, but we all knew the truth. Ethan rolled his eyes in annoyance at this statement, yet uncharacteristically remained silent. He usually had a lot to say when it came to Dads' mistakes. Dad sighed, "I know I haven't spent much time with you and Ethan since then, but-"

"I suppose that wasn't your fault either Stefan. Nothing is ever your fault, is it," Ethan interjected tartly. Ever since the divorce, Ethan hasn't been too fond of Dad and he made it known.

"Ethan!" I said sharply with a subtle shake of the head, signaling him to shut up, as I glanced at Dad and took in the hurt etched expression that was quickly morphing into frustration on his face.

"Can't you see I'm trying to change things? I get to see you two only a few weeks a year, so lets just get through this without fighting for once! I'm trying to make this work," he huffed. "And don't call me Stefan! I am your father so I think I deserve to be least called dad by my own son!"

Mom and Dad got divorced when Ethan and I were eight and six, and now, Ethan was not just going to let Dad try to make amends for missing out on nearly ninety percent of the past ten years. I on the other hand believe in the concept of forgive and forget.

"Whatever you say, Stefan," mumbled Ethan as he strided off to board the boat with Dad following closely on his heels.

I stared after them, wanting to follow, but I felt like I lost all the feeling in my legs. I mentally willed myself to take another foot forward, as I drew in a shaky breath of hot, humid air as I reassured myself that everything was going to be fine (since everyone else seemed to skip out on that part). I'm not going to ruin this trip because I was a little scared of some floating inanimate object. That's Ethan's job, and he's doing just fine on his own. Besides what are the chances of a ship crashing every time I get on one? A billion to one...right?

Stefan:

"See, there's Tortuga Island. We might see a lot of turtles! You still like turtles right?" The colorful brochure I had picked up earlier highlighted the main attractions located off the coast of Costa Rica. I picked up my pace so I could walk, more like jog, alongside Ethan.

I was given a mumbled response sounding, from what I understood, like, "Yeah, sure." He was still focused on whatever was capturing all his attention and interest on his phone. This was not going to work. How am I supposed to try to connect and relate to my son if he won't even look at me.

I took a few quick steps, stealthily reached over his shoulder, and swiftly plucked the phone right out of his hands, and out of curiosity I glanced at the screen – he was reading about conspiracy theories, that was an eyebrow raiser – before smoothly pocketing it in the pocket on the chest of my shirt. That got a reaction.

"What was that for?" I just earned myself a glare. At least I could understand him this time. An improvement, right?

"Don't worry, you'll get it back at the end of our vacation." Ignoring his blatant protests I calmly continued a few steps up the wooden ramp to the ships deck before glancing back giving Ethan a pointed, 'Are you coming, or what?' look. I was returned with a classic 'like I have a choice' glare as he brushed past me.

I'm trying. I really am trying. I just need Ethan to give me a chance and then I could show him, and Lana of course, that I do care about them. That I do love them and I'm not the same irresponsible, absent father they think I am. And I have a good reason for giving them that impression.

The divorce was messy. It ended with me and Lauren, their mother, fighting all the time. It seemed like whatever I did was wrong, like I was to blame for everything that went wrong. That I was never around when needed, that I was always working, that I didn't spend enough time with the kids. All this started a year before Lauren filed for a divorce. Before that we were the classic, cliched, one big happy family. But now, you could make a reality show out of us.

My job is conflicting. I'm a sales consultant who does a lot of traveling – at least that's what everybody thinks. Truth is, that's just a cover to hide the truth. I would give anything for my fake story to be the real story. It really has cost me a lot, but telling them the truth will only put them in harms way.

I'd barely seen Lana and Ethan since the divorce, and even less after the jet-skiing incident. I had managed to convince everyone that I had rammed into that guy on accident, but I did it in full consciousness. That guy had been following me for days thinking he was subtle enough to escape my watch. When I saw the all too familiar gleam of a sniper rifle concealed in his hands, I knew what I had to do to protect my family, and I did it. And it's had it's consequences. Lauren freaked out and wouldn't let me take the kids anywhere where something like that might happen again.

I felt a pang of guilt thinking about that. I'm the reason Lana's frightened of boats, and now, I'm taking her onto another boat. What a grand idea that was.

Maybe this cruise thing was a bad idea. We'll be back on dry land an hour or so after sunset and it's private, but Lana looks so uncomfortable and I don't want to ruin my second chance. Well, to be honest I blew my second chance a long time ago. It's more like my seventh or eighth chance really. But I know things will finally get better after this trip. I just know it.