“You better. Summer is a busy time for families wanting to go on vacation.”
“Best get my name in then.” Skip took out his phone pushed some buttons and slapped it on the table. “Hold your breath for the answer.”
Five minutes later his cell did a dance on the table, and he crossed his fingers. “Here goes.” Skip read the text and let out a holler. “Do you believe that? Someone canceled his vacation just before the boss got my text. I walked into his time slot as easy as taking candy from a baby.”
“You ever tried that?” asked Chad. When Skip gave him a puzzled look, he explained, “Taking candy from a baby?”
“No! I never go near the squirmy, stinky bundles they call babies.”
Chad laughed. “You’re a piece of work, mate.” He slurped the last of his coffee and stood up. “Time to face the pile of work on my desk.”
All Aboard
Merissa stood with her carry-on and gazed into the harbor where the Imperial Voyager waited for passengers to come aboard and sail away on the deep blue sea. The main source of entertainment came from the Twelve Days of Christmas theme that this cruise line was hosting, but along with that fun, the itinerary offered five land excursions. The North Pole had booked her for three of them – the same three that Kyle had picked. Over the past months, Merissa had grown accustomed to the strangeness of this vacation and gave in to Amy, swearing never to mention it again. They were both ready for a vacation. The flight had caused them to miss most of yesterday’s Independence Day events, but Merissa wasn’t up to the weak substitute for her wedding day. Too many memories lurked around every corner on the home front. She looked forward to the fact that no uninvited ghosts would haunt her on this cruise ship.
Amy caught up and nudged Merissa in the arm, knocking her off balance. “Are you ready?”
“What? To see if our boarding passes are fake and we made the trip for nothing?” Merissa said realizing she’d blown her promise not to mention the peculiar provision of this gift.
“Don’t be a party-pooper. It’s not like you to be negative. You need to stop and get back to the joy of living,” said Amy.
“You mean, find a boyfriend? Is that what defines joyful living?”
“You promised – remember!” Amy growled, and Merissa felt a guilty tinge. She’d have to do better. It was time to fly even if her heart still screamed no.
“Well, let’s board this ship and see what the North Pole has planned for us,” Merissa said with the cheeriest voice she could muster.
“That’s the spirit!” said Amy satisfied with Merissa’s outward show of enthusiasm.
A porter relieved them of their luggage. They’d each printed off the suitcase labels separately online, Amy not wanting to let her pass out of sight for a moment. Merissa and Amy stood aside and let the man check the clipboard of papers in his hand. When done, he motioned for the girls to go, Merissa passed the porter a tip and they sped away, flinging handbags over their shoulders and screaming hip-hip-hooray into the wind. Merissa had to admit. The sea breeze smelled good and thirteen days of carefree sailing was a trip too grand to waste.
They hurried to join the line waiting to go inside the registration building. Overcrowded with anxious vacationers, the staff remained well organized, and the line sped through with ease. When they reached the counter, they produced their boarding passes and identification, and sure enough, their names came up on the computer screen. They posed for individual photos and were each handed a key.
“Have a great cruise, ladies.”
Amy’s mood was contagious and Merissa dashed along the hallway to keep up, light-headed with thoughts of the fun this next adventure might bring. Just inside the doors of the ship, a woman scanned the cards, and when she saw that the picture taken at the desk matched, ushered the women aboard. Merissa could not help but give thanks and as she walked into the foyer and pressed the elevator for the 6th floor. She whispered, “Thank you, Kyle.”
Behind her, Amy caught the words and shouted aloud, “Amen.” The moment amplified, and Merissa discovered that being here without Kyle wasn’t as bad as she’d dreaded. They emerged on the 6th floor and came face to face with a large nativity scene.
“Hope Santa likes Jesus,” said Amy.
“Doesn’t matter – I do, and that’s all that matters since this floor is our home for the duration of the cruise.”
Merissa glanced to the left and right. She still held her boarding pass. “We are odd numbers, so I think this is the hallway that leads to our vacation abode.”
The girls didn’t have far to walk. “This is it.” Merissa stuck her key card into the lock, and the door opened.
“It’s an outside cabin,” Amy squealed. “We can see the ocean from our room.”
“Kyle’s idea. He loved to watch the sunrise or sunset.”
“Oh, yeah – the honeymoon thing, right,” Amy said.
Her statement did not hit a sore spot in Merissa’s heart, and she experienced a flood of relief. Perhaps Amy had been smart to force her to come. Amy sprawled on one of the twin beds. “This one is mine.”
Merissa began to unpack her small bag. There was a safe in a cupboard, and after figuring out a mutual combination, they tucked their passports, money, and anything of value inside and locked it. All they needed for the cruise was their door key, which tripled as an onboard credit card and sea-pass when disembarking for excursions.
“I brought a fancy necklace that has a spot to tuck the card in. That way we don’t have to carry our purse around, and
