It was said that the cooks here were Michelin star, the personal trainers were second to none, the masseuses were unparalleled, the onboard mall was the grandest and most exquisite to be found on a ship, the theatre was comparable to the interior of the Royal Albert Hall, albeit smaller in scale, the dining hall breathtaking and if the cabins, or in their case suites, were anything to go by, more jaw dropping awaited them, things mentioned not even in the leaflet and on the website.
The bar, formerly occupied by only the couple, had drawn quite a number of newcomers in the past hour; no longer quiet and personal an experience, the couple found themselves shifting further and further away from the bar to allow for others to order their drinks, but being the first there did grant them the additional perk of being able to pick from the best seats and table available and so, as anyone would, they picked a table perched right next to the railings looking down over the side of the ship.
There wasn’t a great deal to see from this side of the ship other than the sheer size of the port itself, boasting an extensive history of what was once a thriving industry of shipping imports and exports, all the way back to 1843 to be exact. Switching to the present day and it had become the busiest cruise terminal and second largest container port in the UK. The port was hardly a glamorous view, but its history alone demanded awe.
“What’s up?” Edward enquired, noticing the vacant searching expression on Christine’s face.
The gentle breeze caressing her cheeks and her mind captured by the thoughts of days in her life gone by, she returned her attention to him.
“Oh nothing, just thinking about how much we needed this getaway”.
“You do too much thinking, isn’t this supposed to be your chance to forget about everything?”
“Ooh, look at you, weren’t you the one in panic fits before we got on?”
“Well we’re on now, there’s nothing I can do about it and besides, I have a drink in my hand, a fantastic view and thoughts of sun, sea and sand ahead, so I guess all inhibitions are out of the window”.
“That was fast”.
“Doesn’t take much, you know me, I’m a man of simplicities”.
“No need to remind me, I know that all too well”. She sighed. “I wish my mother would see it that way”.
“Your mother is… difficult, but I’m sure with time, she too will come around”.
“She doesn’t make life easy”.
“If it was too easy, we might start worrying about when it’ll all go wrong. Think of her as just your daily dose of cynicism”.
“Hey, that’s my mother you’re referring to”, she replied in a somewhat serious manner, before bursting into laughter, “I can’t, I honestly can’t. She’s vile at the best of times, hoping for any more than that would be like asking for a miracle”.
“Ha, remember when I met her for the first time?”
“She hated you”.
“She did, remember how I tried my utmost to get into her good books?”
Christine couldn’t hold back her laughter.
“You were like a child, I could hardly recognise you. The thought of who is this man and what has he done with mine must have popped into my head a dozen times”.
“Hey, I like to make a good impression, cut me some slack”.
“Get out of here, you doing dishes? Wanting to help out with laundry? Sacrificing yourself to help her out on a shopping run? You of all people?”
“I’m a charmer; I like to think I am, my charm won you over didn’t it? I can do all those things”.
“That’s bullshit, Edward and you know it. I’ll give credence to the charmer claim, but I call bull on everything else. I will admit though that it was sweet… even if my mother almost scratched your eyes out to get you to leave her be… which I did warn you about by the way, but I appreciate the effort”.
“She’s a stubborn old mule; I was just doing what I could to show her I was capable of being your husband”.
“Well she was more than capable of doing it herself, she told you that herself. I certainly don’t need you hospitalised, nor do I need you raising my mother’s already high blood pressure, in doing so, raising mine”. She sighed. “Besides, it’s not as though…”
She trailed off, averting her gaze to the view.
“Not as though what?”
“It doesn’t matter”, she replied, standing up, “I’ll get us another round, same thing?”
“Yeah”. Edward watched her make her way over to the bar. He knew all too well what she was going to say; likely some conversation souring remark about his time spent away or the kind. Their marriage was anything but rosy, that could hardly be denied and some might describe it as something akin to a ship skirting the jagged protruding rocks of an ominous island, during a storm.
Thinking about it now, it was difficult to really put a finger on where things started to go awry; when exactly did he start to feel so reserved towards her? When did he become so aloof from his own family? Being with them now made him feel so alien, why? Shouldn’t it be natural for a man to be with his wife? Drinking and enjoying a view like this? Shouldn’t it be natural to start up a regular conversation with his daughter? Why then did he feel so distant from them, like a man reunited with his family after being separated for years?
He knew why, even if the questions he shrouded his mind with served purpose only to deny the answers he already knew.
