The Girl from Laporte

By Judith A. Wantuch

This is a fictional novel about a very modern young girl who falls overboard while on a day excursion near Port Charlotte, Florida. Extreme sorrow and grief engulf the family. She finds herself in a different time and place. Soon, great adventures on the high seas are followed with romance, love, and moral integrity. Finally, the girl is found in Key West and reunites with her family but makes a solemn vow that she intends to keep.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Xlibris US
• Release date: Feb 28, 2013
• ISBN: 9781479793112

Judith A. Wantuch

Judith A. Wantuch spent her entire working career as a realtor in Indiana and finally in Florida. It has always been a lifelong goal for Judith to write; finally, here is her first fictional novel. She promises this will not be her last! Although the novel is fictional, it is based upon her loving granddaughter, Paeton. The heroine has many of the same characteristics of Judy’s granddaughter, and the timeline and historical events align themselves with actual history. Whether you read an actual book or use an iPad, you will enjoy this experience, linking the past with the present. Watch out for a sequel to this saga of The Girl from LaPorte. Judith resides in Port Charlotte, Florida, with her two cocker spaniels, Abby and Amy.

Book preview

CHAPTER 1

Man Overboard

JUDY WATCHED ANXIOUSLY for her son, daughter-in-law, and granddaughter to disembark from the airplane. She didn’t get to see them often and was really looking forward to this visit. She had all sorts of fun things scheduled for them to do while they were in Florida. Finally, here they came down the aisle. Hugs and kisses were exchanged, and the group went to get their baggage. The airport was close to Judy’s home, and she had a great dinner waiting for the family when they entered her home. Judy always planned in advance and had a spare guest room as well as a queen-size hide-a-bed in case there were more than two people visiting. Judy and her family originally lived in LaPorte, Indiana, but it was always her dream to move down to Florida when she retired. So a few years ago, she and her younger son, Leo, moved to Punta Gorda, Florida. Judy’s son Patrick and his family still lived in LaPorte, Indiana, all except Caleb, Patrick’s son, who was a marine stationed in Afghanistan. Judy had been asking them to come and visit, so this was a special time for the whole family – a time for bonding and having a great time together. After dinner that first night, they sat together around the pool, enjoying the wonderful sunset and splashing in and out of the pool. Patrick and Leo had a pool when they were youngsters, and they laughed about some of the things they did when they were children. As the evening drew to an end, everyone wanted to know about Judy’s plans for this visit.

Well, we are going to take a nice boat ride tomorrow, leaving Charlotte Bay, going to Cayo Costa. We will also go to Englewood’s Stump Pass Beach for another day. We can take one day and go to the Fort Myers Farmers’ Market, and then there are three other nice beaches and a lighthouse that we can visit. Pat, do you remember the beach in Venice where we found all the sharks’ teeth?

That’s the one where we took the children many years ago.

That one is Venice Beach with Sharky’s restaurant. Paeton would probably like to go back there. Naturally, we can enjoy the pool and cookout some nights and enjoy some of the family dinners we liked so much when we were all together years ago.

Pat said, Well, Mom, I guess you really have our trip planned out. Of course, I’m not a bit surprised!

I just want to make sure you will all have a good time and want to come visit me often, said Judy. And I can’t wait until Caleb gets out of the service so he can come down here and visit me. I’ve missed him so much, and I know he has grown up so much. Caleb was Pat’s only son, and the family was anxious for him to be able to come home safely.

The next morning, the sun came up about 7:00 a.m. Judy got up and made a big pot of strong coffee. Once she got this in progress, she started frying up thickly sliced bacon and prepared the hash brown potatoes. Next, she whipped up a huge batch of scrambled eggs, remembering not to add onion, green pepper, or anything else as her granddaughter, Paeton, didn’t like these embellishments. Everyone started getting up and coming into the kitchen. Judy said, Let’s get the table set and enjoy a good breakfast. Then we can get ready for the boat.

After breakfast, they prepared for the outing at Fishermen’s Village. They packed a nice lunch with all the makings for ham sandwiches, and they mixed Crystal Light into big jugs and packed fresh fruits and vegetables for a complete lunch. They packed their bathing suits and beach chairs and umbrella.

Paeton, go in my bathroom and look for the sunscreen, then we’ll be ready to get to the dock, said Grammy. The cruise started at 9:00 a.m., and it was truly a beautiful day. The sun was shining, the water was glistening, and the captain announced that, typically, dolphins were sighted. Also, the dolphins sometimes swam alongside the boat as if they were guiding its way. The yacht was big and comfortable with a big double deck so that observing the sea life was accessible to all. Paeton, Judy’s granddaughter, said, Let’s go on top. We will have the best view. They all agreed, so up the steps they went. The sky was so blue, and the clouds were fluffy white. The water had a small chop.

It was a perfect day! Everyone was taking pictures and looking for dolphins. Paeton snapped pictures with her cell phone, and Grammy could see that Paeton was also texting on her phone. Suddenly, someone spotted dolphins off the starboard aft side of the boat. Everyone was trying to get a better view. Up and out of the water came the dolphins, in and out, up and down; they put on a great show.

The captain explained that the wake of the boat gave the dolphins a free ride, so to speak, so they enjoyed following along. He also told the passengers to make noise. The dolphins stayed with the boat longer this way. Paeton wanted to get a better view too, so she stepped back and decided to stand on the box that held the life vests. Backward she tumbled and swiftly fell in the water. Not one person noticed her falling into the water; they were all fixated on the dolphins in the aft section of the ship. Nobody seemed to notice any unusual splashing. Down, down into the deep water she went. At first, she didn’t panic. She was in top physical condition. She had been a cross-country runner in school and avidly played soccer. There wasn’t an inch of fat on her body. She tried to swim back up to the surface and noticed the water swirling around her with lots of bubbles. She thought the bubbles were a bit odd, but still, she was concerned about getting to the surface as soon as possible. She wasn’t a quitter; she would fight to get to the surface. She remembered the captain saying that the water was only twelve to eighteen feet in the deepest part of the bay. She struggled on. She swam, and she was watching for sharks; the water continued to swirl around her. Soon, she noticed two large dolphins and a baby dolphin swimming with her. She kept swimming.

Just as the day started out beautiful and sunny, the weather quickly changed, and darkness came over the bay. It started raining softly, and the captain of the boat apologized to the passengers and said it would probably just last a short time. Oh no, the rain came down harder and harder with the sky getting darker and darker. The captain announced that the crew would batten down the hatches and requested that the passengers on top deck come down to the main deck. The crew set out to secure the open sides of the boat by snapping plastic coverings in place to keep the rain out.

When Patrick and Koreen got down to the main deck and everyone was supposed to be on the same deck, Paeton wasn’t there. Patrick quickly ran back up the second deck; she wasn’t there. Pat went to the captain. The crew and Patrick went back up the top deck and found Paeton’s cell phone near the box where the life vests were stored.

Oh my god, she must have fallen overboard, said Patrick.

The captain called the Coast Guard immediately and announced, Man overboard! He instructed the crew to keep a lookout, but the weather just kept getting worse. The captain announced that the boat would return to the dock and offered his apologies.

As soon as the Coast Guard boat reached the Good Times Two, Patrick asked if he could go with the Coast Guard to search for his daughter. Liability will not allow us to take you along, sir, said the Coast Guard captain, but give us your number, and we’ll keep you informed.

Patrick’s family was devastated. I’ll get a private boat. I have to. I just have to look for her. I just can’t stand waiting around and not do anything, said Patrick. He felt like he was numb; he didn’t feel anything. Everything around him seemed like a blur. He looked around as he stood on the dock, and he started to weep. They all wept and held one another. Extreme agony and despair enveloped them. Pat started walking down the dock. He walked until he saw someone near a boat. He asked, Would you take me out to the bay? My girl fell overboard. I have to look for her! His voice was very low and very solemn; it was so sad.

The old man looked at him, saw the women crying, and said, I’ll do you one better. Come with me. Pat followed him just like he was in a trance. The old man limped with every footstep. They made their way to the small yacht club. He motioned to a few older men, and they came close to him. He spoke softly to them and said the family was devastated, a young girl fell overboard, and the Coast Guard was looking for her. He simply said, Could you sit back and wait?

You’re right, Mack. We’ll make some calls.

Mack said, What’s your name, young man?

Pat Wantuch. I’m from Indiana, visiting my mom.

"Well, Pat, I could take you out to search, and I will, but many boats are better than