Well, here we are — the end of the trip. It had to end, which is a problem shared by all good things. I hope you aren’t expecting much in the way of cruise stories in this particular installment, as all we have left to do is get off the ship.
It seemed that as soon as I closed my eyes to sleep, the alarm was going off to wake us up. I have no idea how late Ryan was out celebrating Halloween, but he seemed no worse for wear.
A quick look outside revealed that we had…
Tonight Kris and I went to the Holiday party sponsored by her school. It had been postponed due to snow. We all decided to honor Valentines Day since we are closer to it than New Years. President’s day was in the running, but lost out in the end.
At 3:00, I started to worry. Did he fall overboard?
As soon as I opened my eyes, I was filled with dread. This was it – the last day of the trip.
I could see the hulk of Ryan under the covers on his bed. He hadn’t fallen overboard. Relief.
I tiptoed…
Another snowstorm. Ho-hum. At least the temperature is high enough that it isn’t painful to go outside. Every winter we reach a low point and vow to move south. This year, that point came about 6 weeks earlier than usual. One of these years we’re actually going to take action…
Boston is remembering the 25th anniversary of the Great Blizzard of ’78. Everyone has been talking about where they were during the whole ordeal. I get dirty looks when I chime in to say that we lived on St. Thomas in ’78, and read about the whole thing in the
…
The night was fitful for both of us. I tossed and turned trying to get comfortable, but it was just not possible. I turned on the TV just for the distraction. Ryan went out to settle on the verandah for some peace and quiet.
Eventually, sleep arrived. As consciousness began to intrude some time later, I fought it for as long as possible. The room was pitch black, and the TV was turned off.
I tiptoed to the shower so as not to wake Ryan, who must have waited until I finally dozed off before getting in…
Someone punched me hard in the stomach. Really hard. The pain had me doubled over.
I opened my eyes to darkness. It still hurt, and I tossed around trying to stretch the feeling away. It would not leave.
The digits on the clock slowly came into focus; 4:20 a.m. I got up, walked around and then began to feel nauseous. “What the heck?” I wondered, waiting for the feeling to pass. In a few minutes it was gone, but the pain remained.
Was I seasick? The ship felt perfectly still, as it had for the entire trip. Where were we?…
Ryan called this morning. He is very concerned about four of his high school buddies who are about to be shipped off to Iraq. He had written them a long letter, and asked if we could print it and deliver the copies so they’d be sure and get it before they leave.
Our excursion didn’t leave until 11:00 am, so I hadn’t bothered to set the alarm. When I woke at 8:30, Ryan was long gone.
After a quick shower, I neatened up the room a little. The love seat was piled high with clothing and miscellaneous stuff – I…
I was putting in a new tape when I heard it. A woman screamed like she was being murdered – a blood curdling scream. Within seconds, a whole group of people joined in, adding their own screams to the mix. Men’s and women’s screams created an odd harmony of panic and horror. I ran to the stern, still trying to load the camera. I expected the worst – someone must be seriously hurt.
“Do you want to sit at the Captain’s table tonight?”
“Ah, gee. Not really. Do we have to? Would it be rude if we didn’t?”
That settled it. “Yea. It would be rude. We have to do it”. I had violated my own rule about dealing with children, or anyone else for that matter. Never offer a choice when there is really only one answer.
Guided by that little piece of hard-earned wisdom, I said “We’re going to the Cruise Critic party at 11:30.”
With no options given, Ryan simply nodded.
I proceeded to unpack, but Ryan made no move to do likewise.
“Don’t you want to put your stuff away?”
“Nah, I’ll just leave it in the suitcase. It’s fine.”
I patiently pointed out that with the suitcase in the room, there was no room left to walk. Reluctantly, Ryan unzipped it and heaped the contents onto the bed.
“Welcome. May I have your tickets please?”
I handed over the booklet. The desk person examined it, and punched the reservation number into her computer. After looking at the screen a little too long for my comfort, she said “Welcome Mr. X. Would you mind stepping into that room over there please?”
Oh boy. Was it the suitcase again? Ryan and I walked the few steps into the adjoining room, which was furnished with a couple of tables, some chairs and a couch or two.
“What’s going on?” Ryan asked.
“I don’t know. No idea.”
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