Desperate Lifeboat
It's April 1912, Stephen Whitaker is 24 years old. He is inline to inherit his family's huge railroad fortune. He had grown up with all the privileges that great wealth brings. He was given everything he wanted. He attended private schools. He grew up in Pittsburgh, PA but he attended Oxford University in England where he earned his business degree. He spent many of his summers traveling Europe and dating girls. He loved girls and knew he'd settle down and get married and raise a family in the not too distant future. His father and grandfather had been running the company for years and they were ready to retire. Stephen knew he had to get back to Pittsburgh to start his grooming to take over. He had had a great winter in Europe, skiiing, traveling, dating. He was heading home. He was excited. There was a brand new ocean liner that he had booked passage on to go home to America. The Dynamic was a brand new ship who was embarking on its maiden voyage to New York. He would take the trip to the city then have his private train meet him there for the trip home to Pittsburgh.
Sailing day arrived. Stephen arrived at the docks for boarding along with his valet, Smithers. Smithers was with him everywhere he went. Stephen was booked in a stateroom cabin on B deck. It was a small room but very luxurious. Smither's cabin was booked in Second Class along with most over servants. Even with all the modern amenities that the Dynamic builders had including in the construction, being a European ship and the European ideas of toilets being scarse and not discussed, even most of the 1st class staterooms did not have an attached bathroom/toilet. There were communal toilets with bathtubs and showers on each deck level. The few stateroom suites that had bathrooms attached were occupied by the very wealthy old money of Europe and America. This was not an issue to Stephen. He had never had an issue with this in the past. Whenever he had to visit the mens' room, he would go. Occasionallly there would be a line of gentlemen waiting, but the line, or qeue as the Europeans say, was never too long and usually moved quickly.
The journey began and soon Stephen found some other young men to visit with and spend his time with on the crossing. Their days were spent playing suffleboard, swimming, eating, and flirting with the ladies. Their evenings were spent at the dinners at the 3 dining rooms. Dinners in 1st class were events that lasted for hours with it's many courses and conversations. After dinner, the men would go to the smoking rooms and libraries for drinks, cigars and political discussions. The first couple of nights Stephen would get so involved in the discussions that he drank more bourbon that he usually drank. Smithers would have to help him back to his stateroom and help get him undressed and tucked into bad. Without fail, his bladder would remind him of the bourbon as soon as Smithers left the cabin. He would have to put on his nighttime robe and walk down to the bathroom to release all the bourbon he drank. Most nights the men he had just left were there too.
One the 4th night out things were pretty much routine. He had visited the sauna, swam in the pool, gotten a haircut, and sent some Marconi telegrams to his family. After dinner he and his shipboard buddies went to the smoking room for their cigars and bourbon. Life was great. The world was his oyster. This evening the cigars and bourbon were especially enjoyable. Before he knew it, the time was 11:30PM. Smithers came to the room to take him to his stateroom. "I'll stay just a little while longer, I believe." Stephen told Smithers. "You go ahead and go to bed. I'll be fine on my own this one time." Smithers left. "Another drink, fellas?" As he poured more of the wonderful libation in his glass. A short time later the guys thought they felt the ship shudder slightly. It was enough to pause their conversation for a moment and they each shared a mutual glance. "I was on a ship once when this happened. The ship lost a propeller blade. It's no big deal," said one of the group. The conversation, and drinking, continued. 12:00 Midnight came and went. There was no sign of the group disbanding. At 12:15AM, a steward approached the group and told them there was a problem with the ship and the captain had ordered the lifeboats to be readied and all the passengers to go to the deck just as a precaustion. It wasn't until this moment that Stephen noticed that the ship seemed to be tilted slightly. "Eh, I've had too much to drink," he thought. The cabin steward for his section of the ship met him in the corridor and led him to his cabin for his heavy coat and life jacket. "Is this really necessary?" He asked the steward. "Yes sir, we've struck and iceberg and the ship is taking on water. The Marconi operators are sending out distress calls for assistance." "Damn!", he mumbled. He made his way to the boat deck to the nearest lifeboat. Passengers and crew of the ship were already milling around. However, the air had turned very cold compared to earlier when he had walked along the deck. He saw some of his friends and approached them. The discussion now was turned to the iceberg and the listing of the decks. One of the guys even had a chunk of ice that he claims fell on the deck from the iceberg when the it floated by. The crewmen who were uncovering the lifeboats, stocking them with blankets, and loaves of bread announced that they would begin filling the lifeboats with women and children first. Stephen and his buddies stepped to the inside of the deck to make room for some of the ladies that were standing near them.
Minutes passed and more and more people were arriving on the deck. The ship was tilting more and more. It was apparent that something major was wrong. There were groups of passengers beginning to gather around each lifeboat station along the deck. After the 2nd lifeboat was lowered with several empty seats, the officer that was in charge in this area began to allow the men in the area board them also. This also made the ladies and children feel better to have a few men with them. Stephen and his buddies made a pact to scatter and make themselves available to be one of the men on the boats for this reason. The ladies and children were beginning to get upset as the ship was tilting, and bangs and explosions could be heard. Chaos was beginning to break out. Stephen was near the 3rd lifeboat that was being filled. All the ladies and children in the vacinity were loaded, a few of the husbands and fathers boarded leaving a few empty spots. The office told Stephen he could board if he wanted. He looked over at his buddies. They each gave him the 'thumbs up' sign and he climbed into the small wooden lifeboat. When it was lowered down the side of the ship, hit the water, and freed from the ropes they crewmen who were assigned to the lifeboards pushed the boat away from the ship and began rowing away. "We have to move far enough away so we don't get caught in the suction when the ship goes under," one crewman declared. They moved several hundred yards from the ship. The explosions and sounds of metal stretching and moaning could be heard along with the other passengers yelling, even screaming. Stephen was in shock. He was numb. His eyes were glued to the scene before him. The ship that he was just on, enjoying himself, was now angled in the water and people were being lowered in the lifeboats.
Another hour or so went by. Now the stern of the ship was sticking straight up out of the water and was slowing sliding down into the cold sea water.
Then there was silence. The sounds that had been heard for the last couple of hours were gone. All on their way to the bottom of the ocean.
Stephen heard a small boy near him start crying. His mother hugged him and tried to reassure the boy that they were ok and that another ship would be there soon to pick them up. The boy continued to cry. "Mother, I need to use the toilet, real bad." The boy told his mother. She was embarassed. In 1912, these things were discussed in polite society, even by children. Normally the child's nanny would be there to take care of these things. The child's crying continued. Finally, after some discussion with the people around her she agreed to allow the boy to stand on the edge of the boat and pee into the water. Without warning the sound of the little boy's urine hitting the water made Stephen snap to attention and realize he had drank all that bourbon and had not peed since he left his cabin to go to dinner about 8 hours earlier. "Goddamn!!! I need to use the toilet too." Being a grown man, he DEFINITELY could not say anything. He was sitting there with about 70 other people, most of them ladies. It would NOT be appropriate for him to comment. But SHIT SHIT SHIT. Suddenly, he had Lake Erie inside of him bursting to get released. What was he to do? With as much decorum as he could muster, he asked aloud to anyone who was near, "Do we know if there are other ships on their way to us?" One of the crewmen answered stating that there were a couple of ships on their way, but that it would be a couple of hours before they arrived. "DAMN, FUCKING, SHIT," thought Stephen. He was afraid he would explode before a couple of hours passed. He crossed his legs tightly. It was then he realized how cold he was. The cold air was not helping the situation. Thankfully, the blankets were being passed out to everyone. Maybe a little warmth would help relieve some discomfort. He shifted in his seat. He was pretty well trapped. His seat was in the middle of the boat. Ladies were seated on either side of him, infront of him and behind him. Squirming would draw too much attention to him and his predicament. AGONY, he was in agony! He had to pee so bad. He had never regretted drinking bourbon before but at this moment he direly regretted it. He uncrossed his legs, and recrossed the other direction. He wiggled in his seat slightly. He was beside himself. He could not pee in his pants. He was still wearing one of his custom tuxedos. He was surrounded by several members of American Upper Society. Making his situation known was out of the question. He had to be the master of his bladder. No matter that his eyeballs were floating and his teeth were chattering, both from the cold, as well as the desperation to release his achingly full bladder. He began to rock a little bit. Any movement seemed to help, at least he thought it did. "God in Heaven. Please help me hold my pee until we are rescued. I can not pee in my pants."
Some of the ladies in the lifeboat began to realize that when they left their husbands, fathers, fiancees, and brothers on the ship, that was the last time they may have seen their men. They began to cry. They had no idea that the Dynamic had enough lifeboats for everyone and that some of them had to be floated off the ship as it sank. Not knowing this fact caused them to become upset. Stephen began to soothe the ladies sitting near him. Making promises that they would see their men again. The odds were good that all the men were able to leave the ship. This new action gave Stephen to concentrate on besides his aching bladder. He was genuinely concerned for these ladies and their emotions. He hated to see women cry. About 30 minutes after this consoling began other lifeboats began to row to meet each other. Everyone calling out names of family and friends and the crewmen on the boats shining their flashlights helped the boats find the others. Soon the families that had been separated on the decks of the great ship were being reunited. It was soon recommended that passengers be relocated from boat to boat so they could be with their loved ones. All of a sudden, Stephen's bladder reminded him of it's condition. He thought to himself, "There is no way I'll be able to stretch my legs and climb over into another boat. I'll completely wet my pants. I have to stay put. " The 2 ladies on either side of him, whom he had been consoling just a few minutes before recognized the voices of their respectiv husbands. Since the ladies were still dressed in their evening gowns and some even in their night gowns, it was decided that it would be easier for the men to be the ones transferring to other lifeboats. "DAMN DAMN DAMN. I'm going to sit here and try to be ignored. I cannot do this. I'll pee in my pants. This is my best tuxedo."
"Mr. Whitaker, I hate to inconvenience you, but could I persuade you to transfer to that lifeboat over there, so that Mr. and Mrs. Wells may be seated together," asked one of the crewmen on the lifeboat he had been sitting in. At first, he pretended not to hear hoping maybe another man would volunteer. No one did. "Mr. Whitaker..."
"Alright, alright!" Stephen exclaimed, not intending to be rude, but irritated because of his full bladder and his fear of wetting his pants in the maneuver. He stood up, an action in itself very dangerous for a man in his desperate condition. When he did, the load of piss in his bladder shifted and he unconsciously reached down and grabbed his crotch, an action that was not acceptable in 1912. Thankfully, it was dark and the flashlight was aimed at the side of the boat. No one saw this action happen. He shuffled to the side of the lifeboat. Shuffling for 2 reasons. One reason as that the lifeboats didn't have much space for walking, and too, HE WAS BURSTING FOR A PEE!! He reached the edge where the two lifeboats were being held together to try and make the transfer as smooth and easy as possible. He stepped up on the seat near the edge and stretched his right leg over into the seat of the other boat. "HISSSSS." Oh my god, a big spurt of pee escaped his dick and shot into his underpants. This time he had enough of his wits about him not to react. Hopefully, his black pants would hide any wet spot that may develope. He found an empty seat at the rear of the new lifeboat and sat down. The glare of the flashlight left him and moved to the next man to be transferred. In the darkness, he pulled his overcoat over his front and reached down. Thankfully the wetspot that had been created when the unexpected spurt escaped was not big. However his underpants were pretty wet and were getting cold. No matter how miserable he was, he HAD to control his body function. He crossed his legs and began to rock slightly. He began to purposely think of things to keep his mind off of the entire situation. He recalled his childhood. Being in school, play football and baseball with his classmates. The Christmas vacations with his family. The summertime trips to the islands. His thoughts of the past and all the different positions he could move his legs and torsoe into to help his present condition of needing to pee worse than he ever had made him make one important, at the time, resolution. He'd never drink bourbon again. He opened his eyes upon hearing the sounds of exclamations and cheers. "A ship, a ship!" He looked up. There was a ship steaming nearby. The sun had begun to rise so the ship could be clearly seen. It was also firing flares into the air. Soon he too, cheered along with his fellow passengers. "Hisssssss." Shit! Another spurt shot out of his dick. He quickly crossed his legs again and stopped the flow. This leak was bigger than the last but at least he had his coat buttoned so no one could see now that it was getting lighter by the minute. Another 30 minutes went by and his lifeboat pulled up next to the rescue ship. Thankfully, in a short time, he'd be onboard and would find a toilet and get to have the desperate pee he had been holding for hours. As was custom, the crewmen on this lifeboat designated the women to be unloaded first. Stephen half expected this. He kept his seat. AFterall, he was just minutes away from relief. The boat slowly emptied of the passengers. Finally, Stephen and a couple other men were the only passengers left on the tiny lifeboat. 2 crewmen were there to assist them. As soon as Stephen stood up, his bladder having held all those glasses of bourbon and wine he had consumed hours before, knowing that relief was minutes away, grew weak and begain releasing its contents. "FUCK NO. NO. NO. NO." He was peeing in his pants and couldn't stop. He crossed his legs. He shoved his hands in his coat pockets and grabbed his crotch. He couldn't stop the flow. The pee was flowing strong out into his crotch and began streaming down his legs. He froze for a moment. The realized the other men were looking at him. Not because they could see what was happening, but because they were waiting on him to climb the rope ladder to the deck of the ship. But he was still peeing in his pants. "You gentlemen go ahead of me," he said in a shaky voice, to the 2 male passengers left. "Are you well, Mr. Whitaker?" one of the crewmen asked. "Yes. Thank you. I'm just cold," he replied. The 2 other men began climbing the ladder. Leaving Stephen in the lifeboat with the crewmen. He knew they would not leave the boat until he did. But he was still peeing. He took a small step toward the ladder. He took a very deep breath and tried once again to stop the flow of pee. He was able to stop it for a second and took the first step up the ladder. The release of some of the pee had releaved some of the pressure. He still had to pee but he felt a little better. He slowly climbed the ladder. He soon reached the deck and stepped over onto the ship. It was an older ship but still very nice. A steward was standing near the deck. There were many people milling about. The steward took his name and wrote it down. He told Stephen that he would be assigned to a cabin on this same deck down corridor B, just here and the 5th door on the right. It was a cabin on the side of the ship so there would be a porthole that could be opened. Stephen began his trip down the hall, trying hard not to do the stiff legged waddle that a small child does if he has wet his pants. He was a grown man who had just wet his pants and still needed to pee like a goddamned racehorse. He had no idea if his cabin would have an attached bathroom or not. Being an older ship, he doubted it. He got to his assigned cabin and opened the door. "HISSSSSS" The sound that he had already heard too many times in the last hour rang in his ears. His bladder was emptying its contents once and for all. He couldn't stop it. Even though no one else knew, at this point, what had happened, he felt completely humiliated. He involuntarily, squatted down to his haunches and finished peeing. A huge puddle began to form under him on the hardwood floor. He stayed in this position while his body finally expelled all the fluid it had been storing up.
Now what was he going to do....