back to his place, I’m probably gonna go.”
She was somewhat embarrassed to mention that little side bar, so she said it in a very quiet voice and made for the door.
“Wait an ever-loving minute.” I stopped her cold. “I’m going to need a bit more information than that. I need to know: what’s Manny’s full name; what’s his deck and cabin number; where he’s from; is he married; what’s his religion; what’s his yearly income? Come on Ma Seoure, safety first, safety first!”
“Yea, you’re right, I won’t stay out all night.”
She cooed as she wrote Manny’s name, number, and cabin location on one of the pieces of the ship’s stationary and then she was gone in a cloud of ‘Heaven Scent.’
Dinner Together
As I was still standing in front of the mirror, I looked at myself. I could see that I needed to curl my hair - I needed gentle curls to soften my features. The rollers were hot again and ready to use. That was a chore I performed daily so I was quite efficient at it. Still, I often burn my fingers; always in such a hurry.
Dropped the towel and put on my underwear; then, I waited at the desk for my hair to curl. As I sat there, I saw the postcards that I got from the passenger services desk. Picked up the closest one and began a quick note to the girls at the office. By the time I was finished with the postcard, my rollers were cold. I removed the rollers and dusted my face with a minimum of make up while sitting at the desk.
The blue silk dress hanging in the bag was waiting for my attention. Actually the dress was very simple. It was a beautiful vivid Olympic blue knee length A-line (the fabric hugged the waist and flared out at the hips). It had little cap sleeves and a simple bodice. I did most of the stitching by hand because the silk was too delicate for the machine. When I put the dress on, I smiled at how nice it looked. It fit me exactly right; it was, after all, made for me, by me. The scoop neck left ample room for my ‘tin-cup’ necklace, another of my creations. That necklace was knotted lapis lazuli with accent crystals on each side of the stones, very delicate – my favorite.
I went to the mirror and finished my hair leting the curls fall loosely to my shoulders because the soft curls really did give me a much fresher, softer youthful look. My hair, very thick, not blond and not quite brown, it’s some non-descript color that has never been named – fine to a fault - was clean, soft, and shiny. I put a pair of small lapis studs in my ears to match the necklace and touched on a bit of my favorite perfume ‘Amazing Grace,’ slipped on some strappy blue sandals, and decided I was done.
Not a minute too soon as I heard a knock on the cabin door. I opened it and Michael shot into the room like he was being chased and quickly closed the door behind him. When he practically dived into the room, I made a quick retreat into the closet to give him space for his entrance.
“Nice dress!”
He hugged me and kissed my cheek.
“You smell good, too.” He said with a cute little smile on his face.
“Thank you.” I said.
He was wearing a black tux and was freshly shaved. He looked so button down and handsome that when I got a good look at him even though I was deep into the corner of the closet, he nearly took my breath away.
“You look pretty dapper, yourself.”
“Michael, I was wondering if you are still interested in going to the movie under the stars or the 10:00 theater show. I think our eight o’clock dinner negates the movie but if the theater still interests you, I’m game or not.”
I wanted to make it clear that he wasn’t obligated for either event but I was definitely expecting dinner on his balcony and would be available for him if he wanted to see the theater show.
Taking my hand and pulling me toward the slider to the balcony, he said, “Let’s play it by ear, can we?”
“Wait, do I need to bring anything with me, i.e. some pinky, or whiskey?”
I wanted to do my part.
“If we need something from here, we won’t be far away.”
As he spoke, he waved his hand out to show what he meant by here. Then he pulled me through the door like a child who couldn’t possibly find their way and shouldn’t be let loose. He continued to pull me by the hand until we got through the small door between our balconies.
“I’m so hungry; I could hardly wait till eight. But we’re all set up now so let’s get started.”
He brought me to the prepared table and pulled the chair out for me to sit down.
“Some nice white wine to get us started. It’s already been corked.” He poured us each a glass and then raised his glass to mine for a toast.
“Cheer, thanks a lot, eh.”
He used my words from the night before when I toasted the ship, the trip and the sea.
“You don’t miss much.” I said to him as his words warmed me.
“You don’t talk much.” He said. “But when you do, it’s memorable.
Michael had ordered double lobster meals for each of us. There was a cold fruit soup, a small green salad, pasta, a vegetable medley and of course, jello. I noticed that he had a CD player playing classical music that was soft in the background.
We drank the wine and worked on the lobster. By 8:30 we had finished off a complete bottle between the two of us. I was peacefully satisfied with a little buzz from the wine. I’m not used to drinking that much at a time; it’s more my style to have a single drink and load a pipe.
As I drained my wine glass, I caught Michael watching me. I smiled. He just continued to look at me with a look of frustration. I reached for my jello.
“I can’t figure you out.” He said in a resigned voice.
“I mean, you are a sweet, kind woman who is good with her hands and has good hands. I know that you are intelligent with a sense of humor, you enjoy music, you have some powerfully creative talents, you’re caring, and self sacrificing. But even with all of those giving traits you are still aloof; sometimes so much that it can be off-putting.”
“Do you have to figure me out? Would it be such a bad thing to just co-exist without understanding at all? Understanding another person can be a full time job and frankly not without irritation. I’m beyond sorry if I have insulted you; that would never be my intent. Yet, I think I know what you mean; I don’t respond to people in a ‘proper’ manner or should I say ‘normal’ manner. Analyzing my reactions and responses to people – why I am like I am – it’s because I’ve tried to give my self the gift of honor.”
I stopped again seeking his reaction and realizing that sounded a bit pompous. He was just listening but had lost the questioning expression on his face.
“Honor allows me to be honest with myself and with others. Honor allows me to cut through the bullshit. I don’t speak just for the sake of filling empty air.”
I was concerned that I had offended him without even knowing it. Was I no longer aware of the way people react to me
