Alexei’S Blue Marble

By Michael R. Robinson

Alexeis Blue Marble is set aboard a cruise ship embarking on a five-day journey to the Bahamas.
Twelve-year-old Alexandre Kristian, originally from France, tells this story of his life and his crazy cruise, which is a birthday present from his adoptive parents. At age seven, Alexandre lost his birth parents in a car accident on a country road in France. Soon he was adopted by an American couple and was brought to Virginia. He lost one kidney, and his remaining kidney was damaged in the same accident.

Alexandre is still stricken with grief over the loss of his birth parents. He grapples with his feelings of confusion about the meaning of life and death. He wishes he had died with them.

Alexandre also has a hero, an individual from history, Alexei Romanov, Crown Prince of Russia, who was executed in 1918 at age thirteen. Thus, Alexandre prefers to be called Alexei.

During the cruise, Alexei finds many adventures and makes new acquaintances who have profound impacts on his present and future life. These new acquaintances include a beautiful girl and a rough boy with an attitude who sees Alexei as a threat to him.

Alexei loses his kidney. Hospitalized and under anesthesia, Alexei had a vivid dream: a face-to-face encounter with Alexei Romanov, who helps convince him that it is good to be alive and that his parents would have wanted that.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Xlibris US
• Release date: Nov 30, 2016
• ISBN: 9781524563714

Michael R. Robinson

Michael R. Robinson was born in Morgantown, West Virginia. His parents were both professors at West Virginia University. In 1961, he gained a little brother named Paul C. Early in life, Michael developed interests in aviation and architecture. School was rough as Michael fought through academic problems and bullies. The entire family went off to Australia for seven months when he was in the fifth grade. Michael and Paul attended a parochial school there called St. Leonard’s. Australia was fun most of the time. They made a few friends and had many wild adventures. Michael attended West Virginia University for two years and attended West Virginia Junior College, from which he graduated in 2001. Michael’s interest in writing developed early. However, the challenges in his life prevented him from pursuing his writing interests. Among these challenges was a diagnosis of a life-threatening heart condition that required him to have an implanted defibrillator or pacemaker. Now, however, Michael is ready to write with the utmost vigor. Alexei’s Blue Marble was inspired by a 2013 cruise taken by Michael and his brother Paul to the Bahamas.

Book preview

CHAPTER OUTLINES

ALEXEI’S BLUE MARBLE

Chapter Outlines: Alexei’s Blue Marble

Chapter 1: Alexei at Sea – This story begins at the dock of a cruise ship the Blue Marble. Twelve year old Alexandre Kristian still wonders why he didn’t die in the car accident that took his parents and took one of his kidneys. He wishes he had died with them. They set sail on the Bahamian cruise.

Chapter 2: A Girl That Matters – Alexei has spotted a girl who interests him. After the lifeboat drill, the girl introduces herself to Alexei as Chloe Barrett. They are up on deck together, and Alexei dazzles her with some French as they get acquainted. Alexei thinks they are being spied on.

Chapter 3: Always an Inspiration – Alexei recognizes the spy as a blond-haired boy who cut line earlier. Chloe seems to like him, much to the dislike of Alexei. The ship is pitching in rough seas, and Alexei is ill. Alexei finds that Chloe is familiar with his favorite historic person, Alexei Romanov. This is why Alexandre likes to be called Alexei.

Chapter 4: G-Force Dinner – At dinner the first night, Alexei meets a boy, Austin Workheiser, at his table. Austin is very talkative and excitable. Alexei also sees where Chloe and the blond-haired boy are sitting. Alexei laughs when the blond-haired boy becomes ill, and this makes Chloe unhappy.

Chapter 5: The Secrets of Ships and Oceans – Austin convinces Alexei to join him on a wild exploration below decks. Austin cuts his leg, and they work to find a way back on deck. They go to sick bay. Alexei returns to his stateroom to find two angry parents. He is sent to bed where he dreams up a scenario in which he dies on the ship while saving Chloe’s life—she has fallen overboard. Alexei dies and sees his parents having a picnic in a Paris park.

Chapter 6: A Boy Named Attitude – Alexei’s father scolds and yells, but Alexei’s off the hook because it’s his birthday. While Alexei is signing up for the karaoke contest, he meets the blond-haired boy, Bear MacKenzie. Bear challenges Alexei to beat him in the contest. There’s a fierce exchange.

Chapter 7: Birthday Splash – Alexei gets a huge birthday party that the whole ship is invited to. There is a pool contest—watermelon pushing. Bear falls in the water, and we find that he can’t swim! Austin pulls him out. Embarrassed, Bear runs to his stateroom. Chloe asks Alexei to go and check on him. Bear doesn’t want to talk.

Chapter 8: Franz and Isabel – Back on his stateroom balcony, Alexei reflects on his birth parents and the fun times, especially at the Paris park and at the picnics. He can’t understand why he didn’t die in the car crash with them.

Chapter 9: Painfully Organized – Alexei finds another present—a book about Alexei Romanov. Chloe visits. She said she didn’t want to go with Alexei to see Bear because she was too nervous. Alexei is developing problems with his kidney. They meet Dr. Ty Tavarus. Alexei wonders if he is supposed to die on the ship.

Chapter 10: The Show Must Go On – At the karaoke contest, there’s trouble for both Bear and Alexei. When Bear tries to sing, he freezes. He runs off stage. Alexei is able to sing his song but suddenly finds himself in a hospital bed in sick bay! He had fainted. He now has a catheter in his neck so that he can be given dialysis. His kidney is dead. He will need a transplant.

Chapter 11: I Make It to the Quay – Alexei is not allowed in the water. He lies to his father so that he may go skim boarding. He doesn’t really care about getting the catheter site wet. At the quay, Alexei teaches Austin how to skim board. Chloe separates to talk to Bear. Alexei’s falls and gets catheter site wet.

Chapter 12: Dizzy Dancing – At a dance, Alexei and Chloe meet out on the deck rail and have an intimate moment! Austin alerts them that the dance is beginning. While dancing, Alexei finds that his catheter site is bleeding. In sick bay, everyone is upset that Alexei had lied about not being allowed to get wet. Bear has a change of heart about Alexei and even offers Alexei one of his kidneys.

Chapter 13: Alexei in Life and Death – Back in port, Alexei is rushed to the hospital. His kidney is infected and has to come out. Another boy, Joey, has died in a car accident. Alexei receives one of his kidneys. During the operation, Alexei comes face-to-face with Alexei Romanov! Romanov is angry with Alexei for wishing he had died with his parents and tells Alexei that he needs to live.

Chapter 14: Happy to Be Alive – The new kidney is working so far. Alexei is visited by Chloe and Austin before they go home. Alexei reflects on the past week, the cruise, his party, his new friends, and the meeting with Alexei Romanov. He knows he needs to live. Now he feels happy to be alive.

CHAPTER 1

ALEXEI AT SEA

Day One, August 11

After five years, I just can’t clear this from my mind. Why am I still alive? I don’t understand it. I should have died with my parents.

Come on, Alexei, let’s go! Papa calls.

I’m coming, I’m coming! I’m now out of breath as I run up the escalator and into the cruise ship terminal. I’m trying to write notes in my pocket notebook, but it isn’t easy to run, snap photos with my phone, and write at the same time, especially when there’s so much to see. Sometimes you have to write it in your mind and transfer it to paper later. My photos will help too.

I’m at Port Canaveral, Florida, with Mama and Papa. We’re getting ready to board the Blue Marble, a new family cruise ship. It’s called the Blue Marble to represent what the earth looks like from space—a big blue marble. The ship’s a thousand feet long. The hull is dark blue. The top half is white. Gold and light blue stripes run the length of the ship just above where the blue part ends.

Off in the distance, the launch pads and storage buildings of Kennedy Space Center are wiggling in the heat waves.

Papa! Come look!

Those pads are pretty far away and still look huge, Papa says.

We’re entering the terminal building next to the ship. The huge room has an all-glass roof, and I can see the reflections of the people below. There must be thousands of us in here. There are many agents checking us in, so the lines are moving quickly. Finally, at the front of the line, we find that an extra security check has to be done because my French last name differs from my parents’. Papa has a copy of my adoption papers as well as my passport, which is now an American one. It takes a little extra time, but we finally pass and hurry up the enclosed gangway.

The ship’s lobby has a shiny gold and blue marbled floor and a four-story atrium. Crystal chandeliers shine like giant diamonds. Their shiny glow is almost too bright to look at. We shuffle with the crowd to the elevators that will take us to our staterooms. We have an ocean-view stateroom with a balcony for our five-night cruise to the Bahamas! And we will be stopping at the ship’s private island. All this is a birthday present from my parents.

Maybe I should backtrack and explain all this. My name is Alexandre Kristian. I was born in Paris. I’m thin, about four-feet and ten inches tall, with dark green eyes and dark brown hair. Tomorrow, I turn thirteen.

My birth parents and I lived in a condominium just two miles from the Eiffel Tower. One cool and sunny spring morning, when I