Until the Gangaway Tears Us Apart

by V. Louro

  * * *

  Sofia noticed how time flies onboard, especially on rocking sea days when a lot of people got sick before they obtained the famous “sea legs” that everybody was supposed to have after a few days.

  The extra days at sea gave her the opportunity to learn a very important lesson: the difference between being a three stripe officer and a regular crew member.

  The stripes on her shoulders allowed for a lot of things, including using most passenger areas, which could be very handy. Going to the gym, the Spa and the buffet were just some of the perks. There were also crew discounts for the Spa and the shops, officers could watch shows in the theaters, have meals in the Italian restaurant and the Steakhouse and go to passenger’s parties and bars at the same cost that the passengers paid.

  After a few conversations with colleagues Sofia realized most crew members received a completely different treatment, severely segregated by department, rank and nationality. Officers and crew with officer equivalence were on the top of the chain, being entitled to a lot of deck privileges, such as being served food from the passenger’s menu in the exclusive officer’s mess, having a separate bar only for them, a room steward, a private room and a few other things that come with the rank. After that came the ones who enjoy some deck privileges, like the shop assistants, photographers, the Spa staff and a few more that, not being officers were still entitled to some amenities.

  In the bottom of the list were all the others, the majority of the crew: cleaners, housekeeping, galley staff, bar staff, waiters, deck attendants and many more that performed all kinds of different jobs onboard. Many never had the opportunity to see the public areas of a ship. They were the ones who lived in tiny cabins shared between two or four crew members, on deck 2 and 3, under the water level and without natural light. They had no deck privileges or of any sort. The only facilities they could use were the ones located in crew areas, and there were not many of those because ships are made to be enjoyed by passengers, not crew. The food served to those crew members in the crew mess was horrible, the entertainment available was limited to a few parties in the crew bar where everybody got drunk and once in a while there was a crew barbeque. Their contracts varied from six months to sometimes a year, depending mostly on nationality, and average they worked twelve hours a day without ever getting a day off during the entire contract.

  When Sofia enquired with Denise why people accepted to be treated so unfairly, the explanation gave her a very clear picture of the real world. For those workers from countries like the Philippines, India and Thailand where salaries were miserable and the conditions were poor, being onboard was the smaller of two evils. On the ship they had free accommodation, free food and clean uniforms. The company also paid for their flights and life onboard was inexpensive for anyone with a bit of a brain, which gave them a way to save money and provide for their families at home. If they were in those countries in a normal job their families would be very poor. Instead, they sacrificed their time and their freedom so that their families could do better.

  Sofia started to understand that working on a cruise ship was not only like working in another world; it was more like working in a place where several different worlds coexist together.

  Going to the gym with Denise after work became a daily routine. It was good to keep in shape and decompress from stress.

  “Hi. You don’t look too happy.” Sofia noticed as soon as Denise walked out the door.

  “I’m not happy at all. From tomorrow on my happy days on this vessel are officially over.” Denise replied. She walked with a slow pace, carrying the mp3 player and a big bottle of water.

  “Why?”

  “Because tomorrow I become front desk supervisor. I’ll tell you the details when we go for dinner. Right now I need to release this negative energy on a treadmill before I actually turn violent.”

  The sun was setting when they arrived in the gym and since it was almost dinner time the place was not busy. Passengers always gave priority to food. Actually, sometimes Sofia was under the impression that passengers came onboard to eat.

  The gym had a round shape in the front of the ship, right after the Spa, and tall, wide, glass windows provided a stunning view of the ocean. The sea was much calmer than that morning, the sky was bright orange and angry or not, even Denise enjoyed the stunning view.

  The treadmills and cross runners were in the front, overlooking the deep blue water.

  They had a good workout and after that, even though physically tired, Denise showed signs of a better mood and by the time they finished she managed a shy smile.

  The food court was also on deck 15 but all the way to the back. Sofia found it annoying having to go to her cabin on deck 4, take a shower and change into the uniform only to go back to deck 15 again to get some food because after nine o’clock in the evening the officers’ mess was closed. She became even more frustrated when she saw that the dancers could go wherever they wanted in their own clothes and Denise ironically mentioned that was not the only benefit of being a dancer.

  Since they arrived so late most people were gone and the food court was a quiet peaceful place where a meal could be enjoyed in privacy. A few waiters wandered around cleaning tables. The walls were decorated with paintings from Mediterranean landscapes and Sofia recognized Venice on one wall and Portofino on the other.

  It was also Italian night on the menu and they picked up plates with prosciutto, melon, mozzarella cheese and cherry tomatoes. Sofia poured some minestrone soup into a bowl and took a plate with strawberries she hoped tasted as good as they looked.

  Most tables were free and they took a window seat in the very back where the only thing they could see outside was the white foam of the waves battering the side of the ship. Further away a few tiny lights here and there announced the presence of other vessels in the quiet waters of the Singapore Sea. Just a couple of miles starboard another cruise ship sailing on a parallel route was glowing in the darkness like a delicate floating jewel.

  “So, do you want to tell me what you were talking about earlier?” Sofia asked.

  “I was sent to be front desk supervisor because Leah, who is the front office manager, heard me saying I don’t like that job and she is a bitch so she requested for me to do it. Now not only I have to do something I hate, I also have her as my direct supervisor. The woman obviously doesn’t like me so you can imagine what it’s going to be like working next door to her.”

  “Why doesn’t she like you? You’re such a nice person.” Sofia was genuinely surprised.

  “Thanks, but with Leah things are complicated. She doesn’t even like herself so her feelings for others are unclear. Leah is massive, I mean, she’s fatter than many of the passengers and that’s not easy. She’s not pretty at all and I heard a few people saying that being so unhappy is what makes her so unpleasant. I never had a chance to talk to her about it so I don’t know if it’s true. When I first met her, I actually had a good impression and it never crossed my mind she could have any issues with me. She was friendly, treated me nicely and I never imagined what a backstabbing bitch she would turn out to be. One day we were with a group at dinner and I mentioned that I don’t like the front desk because some passengers are horrible and they complain about everything and that I was really happy in the crew office. She didn’t say a word but two weeks later Amy, who was my supervisor and also happens to be the nicest person on this ship, called me and gave me the bad news. Leah had decided in a meeting that I should swap jobs with Diego. Since she has been on this ship forever, Leah gets away with whatever she wants. Amy tried to make her change her mind because all together I was only in the crew office for two months and it wasn’t fair to make me leave so soon, but she insisted and that was it. According to the gossip Leah envies me. I’m pretty and elegant so she’s going to make sure I’m unhappy. Misery loves company!” Denise enlightened her friend.

  “Oh, I’ve seen her a few times. She can barely fit in the chair at dinner. Whe
n I saw her I thought she had a metabolic disease or something like that.” Sofia replied.

  “I don’t know why she is so fat. The receptionists say it’s a punishment for being mean. I know it’s not a nice thing to say and I do put them off when they say it in front of me, but I must admit they have a point.”

  Sofia finished her soup and tried a strawberry. A bridge officer passed by on his way out and gave them an indecipherable glance. The girls grimaced and resumed their conversation once he was out of sight.

  “So, what can this Leah do that affects your work so much?”

  “I’m not sure yet, but being my supervisor there are many ways to make my life difficult. If she doesn’t like me, but specifically requests me to work with her, what other reason can there be?” Denise shrugged.

  “Maybe you’re right, but take it easy. It might not be that bad after all. What about the job itself, is it hard?”

  “Hard is not the right word. It is more like mentally insane. Let’s just say that in the pursers department the only thing worse than being a front desk supervisor is being a receptionist. I’m going to be responsible for the most unhappy and frustrated people on my department, probably onboard.”

  “Why is that?” Sofia wondered.

  “The job is not technically difficult but dealing with passengers can be a nightmare. Some of them treat the receptionists worse than they would treat a dog with the plague. They are rude and abusive and they think that because they paid for a cruise they are entitled to say whatever comes to their minds. The complaints are the worst part of it. Every time a receptionist comes to my office I know there is trouble coming. To give you an idea of how passengers treat us, a cruise director once gave me the best description I can remember; he said that passengers spend the first twenty five years of their lives learning manners, the next twenty five years teaching manners to their children and after that they don’t know what to do with manners anymore so they come on a cruise.” She elucidated.

  “Do they complain that much?” Sofia asked conjectured if it was that bad or if her friend’s foul mood was making her see things bigger than they actually were.

  Denise understood that someone who had never done the job could have a completely different perspective. “They complain like you wouldn’t believe it! On turnaround day the ones disembarking moan all morning long because their bills are bigger than expected and they don’t remember having all those drinks that they actually signed for. Then the ones embarking complain because it’s three o’clock in the afternoon and their bags are not yet in the room, even though we are distributing six thousand pieces of luggage and the ship doesn’t sail until that evening. Then some of them will come down and complain because the airline lost their bags and of course that’s our problem because if we don’t locate the bags their holiday is ruined. I normally spend the first two days of the cruise looking for luggage.

  “We also get all the upgrade hunters bugging us because the room they paid for is not good enough but of course they don’t want to pay extra for a better room and even if we’re full they expect us to pull a suite out of our hats. Towards the evening we start getting complaints about dinning arrangements: they want another dining room, or another waiter, or a table by the window, or a table big enough for all their friends to sit with them, you name it. And that’s only embarkation day.”

  Sofia chuckled. “I’m sorry; I know it’s not supposed to be funny, but in a way, it is.”

  Denise couldn’t help it and started laughing too. “Well, since crying about it makes wrinkles I guess it’s better to pretend it’s a joke and have a laugh on the account of our beloved passengers. We have a love and hate relationship with them, but the truth is, they pay our salaries.” She muttered.

  “I hope they’re not all that bad.”

  “No. Most passengers are actually great. But we don’t meet those because they are busy enjoying their holidays. We get left with the stupid, ignorant, obnoxious and rude ones.”

  The last table on the other side of the wide room became empty and the two friends were left completely alone. Denise went to get more food and Sofia appreciated the dark night for a little while until her friend returned. “What was the most stupid comment that you can remember?” She asked when Denise came back with a plate of tiramisu big enough for both of them.

  “I could write a book about stupid comments and complaints. For example, a couple of years ago when we were cruising the British Isles, sailing out of Southampton, one turnaround day we were still doing embarkation with the ship obviously docked in port when a guy called from deck 11 furious, complaining that he had paid for an ocean view cabin and all he could see was a parking lot!”

  “Are you serious?”

  “Of course I’m serious; I was right next to the girl who got that call. And that’s not even close to be the worst I’ve heard. One of my friends in the tour office once told me a story about a man who complained because he had booked a tour to the Loch Ness Lake and the monster didn’t show up. Until he asked for his money back my friend though he was just kidding, but the idiot insisted that he wanted a refund because he didn’t see the monster.”

  Sofia had tears in her eyes from laughing so much, trying to imagine the passenger telling everybody that the monster didn’t show up for his tour.

  Enjoying the effect of the stories on her friend Denise went on. “The Hotel Secretary on my last contract received a comment by the end of the cruise saying something like Your TV sucks. Have you thought about cable? I still tried to call the passenger who wrote it to ask how many miles of cable he believed we should attach to the ship but he was gone.”

  “You know, I was told that cruise ship passengers often forget to pack their brains but I thought it was a figure of speech.”

  “It is very literal, but then it is their lack of sense that gives us some amusement. One of these days I’ll tell you a few more stories. I actually have an entire wall of them in my office.”

  Sofia nodded in agreement. “Do you have time off tomorrow?”

  “Me? I don’t know what that is anymore. Tomorrow I’m too busy and we dock too far from the city center. I can’t go ashore.”

  “I’m sorry for that. I heard Singapore is great. Carla and I have a few hours to spare so we’re going for a walk and to get lunch. It would be great if you could come with us.” Sofia told her with an exaggerated sad face.

  “I wish I could, but it’s not going to happen.” Denise replied with regret, realizing she wouldn’t be able to leave the ship after spending four days in a row at sea.

  Back in her cabin, Sofia had a quick look at her emails and found one from Kieran, asking where she was and why she had left like that. She typed a brief reply.

  Dear Kieran. Remember what you told me when I asked you why you decided to be a surgeon? You said you wanted to give people their lives back.

  What about getting your own life back? Shouldn’t that be your priority? How can you give others something you don’t have?

  Love, Sofia

  Some people learn easily, others take time. Sofia didn’t see giving someone time as a gesture of abandonment. She thought of it as a gesture of love. Sofia relied on Kieran’s good sense to understand that. People who are very smart often fail to see the most basic things right in front of them. When told about it, they are frequently too proud to admit it. Pride is only good until it becomes stupidity. Hopefully, Kieran would wake up before he reached that level. She didn’t want to start thinking about her choices if he didn’t think things through. It had never been that hard for her to leave a guy before, but she had never loved anyone like that before either. This time it was different. Sofia felt she was betting her own heart and there were no guarantees the results would live up to her expectations.

  The idea that things could take a wrong turn sent a shiver down her spine. That was something she definitely didn’t even want to think about. Losing Kieran temporarily for a good reason was bearable. Losing him forev
er was painful beyond her imagination.

  A day hadn’t passed without her considering that option. What would she do if? What does one do when plans fail? Would she return to Ireland and try to fix things or follow logic instead of her heart and move on?

  4

  One suspect of food poisoning, two not-so-bad colds and one crew member with gastro that required quarantine for twenty four hours were the highlights of Sofia’s morning. Nothing very exciting from a medical point of view. After just over one week onboard she felt a little like one of those doctors who sit in the office and prescribe medication all day long. She tried not to think too much about it and focus on the time off in the ports. After all, it was only a four month contract and the life experience would certainly be worth is. The travelling was a great bonus.

  She met Carla at the bottom of the gangway and they took a taxi to the city center. Carla had been in Singapore before and knew where to go. Sofia followed her into the jungle of skyscrapers. The day was warm and sunny, perfect for walking.

  Singapore had a beautiful skyline and for an Asian city it was impressively clean and organized.

  “So doc, anyone got your eye yet?” Carla asked casually while they walked along a busy street.

  “What?”

  “Guys. Anyone you find interesting onboard?”

  Sofia chuckled. “Define interesting.”

  “Anyone you wouldn’t mind to get your hands and eventually the rest of your body on.” The nurse replied cheerfully.

  “Sorry to disappoint you but I haven’t found anyone that matches that description.”

  “No worries. You have plenty of time.”

  “Do you always play matchmaker?”

  “What can I say? Life on board can be boring. No decent tabloids so we have to make our own thing.”

  Sofia laughed at the idea of replacing tabloid gossip with ship’s gossip. “What about you? Your social life seems intense.”

  “I make the best of what I have. But having said that, I don’t sleep with as much guys as you might hear. I like flirting but I am selective in what comes to action. Just FYI, you now, people can be very cruel onboard.”

  “You don’t strike me like the kind of person who cares about what others think.” Sofia observed.

  “I don’t ask for their opinion, but no one likes to hear lies or amplified truths going on behind their backs.”

  “I’ve never liked gossip so no worries.”

  Carla smiled in appreciation. It was good to be with someone who didn’t prioritize being judgmental.

  They started their city tour in Marina Bay, the water front area. Two strange looking buildings, the famous Esplanade theaters, caught their attention. They were placed next to each other right by the water and were shaped like enormous durian melons, a fruit famous for its bad smell. The entire park was gorgeous and sparkling clean.

  After taking some pictures in front of a Chinese temple, a Hindu temple, the Arab street, a flea market and a few strange looking statues they returned to Marina Bay and found the famous fountain by the river promenade in the square across from the Fullerton Hotel. The Merlion, a statue with the head of a lion and a body of a fish spouted a powerful stream of water into the river.

  Sofia and Carla took pictures of each other in front of the icon and then gave the camera to a tourist who photographed them together before they went for lunch.

  “Don’t you feel guilty that we are eating pizza in Asia?” Sofia enquired observing the surroundings from their table in the boardwalk.

  “Of course not! Pizza is bread, tomato sauce, cheese and more toppings if you like. I don’t trust the local food. God knows what they put in the plates. Do you see any dogs or cats around here?” She smirked.

  “Never mind. You’re helpless. Tell me, the ship docks in the morning and leaves late afternoon, which only gives people a few hours in each port. That doesn’t seem enough to see a place, right?”

  Carla took another bite before she answered. “They have to make choices of where they really want to go and stick to that. Some of them have been in these ports before but they enjoy cruising so they keep returning. For the ones who are visiting for the first time at least it’s a way to find out if they will want to go back one day. There are some good tours people can take to go to the most remarkable places, take some pictures and show them to their friends, more or less like what we just did. This is a bad cruise for crew because it’s repositioning. We only do these ports once on the way down from Asia. As soon as we start regular cruising in Australia and New Zealand it will be great because we do the same ports every cruise and even if you miss the chance to go out one day, next cruise we’ll be there again.” Carla explained.

  “When we arrive in New Zealand I need to get an All Blacks t-shirt for my friend Ailish. I’m not sure who the All Blacks are but she said something about rugby.” Sofia murmured.

  Carla looked at her incredulously. “How can you not know who the All Blacks are? They are the New Zealand national rugby team, famous worldwide. They are like heroes for any rugby fan.”

  “I know I’m a bit ignorant in what comes to that kind of stuff but hey, I know the names of every bone in the human body…”

  “So do I. And I still know who the All Blacks are. We’ll be in Christchurch, their home town. You’ll find something there for sure. And please, do yourself a favor: when we are in New Zealand pretend you know who the All Blacks are and pretend you like them. The locals are very fond of their team.” Carla suggested, teasing.

  “I’ll put that on my agenda. Talking about it, we need to go. What happens if we miss the ship?” Sofia asked squinting at her watch.

  “First the port agent will get us flights to the next port and then we have to pay the flights and the hotel. We won’t get paid for the time off and depending on the excuse we come up with they will decide if we should be fired or not. If both doctors fail to embark the ship can’t sail. Did you know the ship can sail without a captain but not without a doctor?”

  “I think Ryan mentioned something like that when I arrived.”

  “That’s it. No medical assistance, no sailing. She stays in port and that can cost millions, so make sure you get that pretty ass back onboard before they collect the gangways.” Carla said with exaggerated authority.

  “Yes mom!” Sofia replied with a grin as they picked up their bags and called a taxi to get them to the port.

  The two friends found a gigantic queue at both gangways. Crew were directed to the amidships but since passengers wouldn’t find it funny if crew skipped the line, everybody had to wait for their turn and Sofia nearly arrived late because by the time everyone in front of her punched their cards in the machine and went through security they had been waiting for twenty minutes.

  The good thing in port days was that people were too busy to get sick and the ones that looked for medical help actually needed it. In two hours the medical center didn’t get many patients but at least the ones coming down in the afternoon were interesting enough to compensate for the boring morning. One leg infection that turned into a medical disembarkation straight to a hospital, a kid with a very high fever that was kept in observation to make sure treatment worked, a cook with a burnt hand after touching a hot spot in the oven and a dancer with a sprained ankle who would not be able to perform for a few days.

  “You’re sitting in the wardie instead of being in the gym and that thing in your glass smells like vodka. Does that mean you had a crappy day?” Sofia studied Denise’s face carefully.

  “Yes, I did. Is it that obvious?” She muttered.

  “It is to me. Do you want to talk about it?”

  “Sure, why not? You’re the only person who listens to me anyway.” Denise replied looking wryly at Diego who was drinking and playing with his friends and not giving any attention to his lonely girlfriend.

  “Thanks, I guess...” Sofia took a seat next to her.

  “You know what I mean. The only good thing today was
that Leah ignored me all day. On the other hand I found out I have a very interesting team of receptionists. I can tell you right away I would love to send half of them home and get them replaced with some people who wouldn’t mind to do some work.”

  “Are they really that promising?”

  Denise sighed. “They are perfect for anything except work. And I spent half an hour at the front desk today arguing with a group of passengers who made a fuss because someone in Singapore didn’t take their American dollars and of course we need to do something about that. And we’re getting a lot of people cancelling tips this cruise.”

  Sofia knew there was a tipping system on ships but she didn’t understand how it worked so Denise told her that an amount is charged every day to each passenger’s account and that money is used to pay the accommodation and the dining room departments, who don’t receive normal salaries. There is a minimum amount the company guarantees every cruise, which is very low and then everything else they earn comes exclusively from tips. By the end of each cruise the money goes to a pool and gets divided according to rank. Since tipping is not compulsory, in long cruises where it becomes a lot of money for the passengers to pay, many withdraw the charges or reduce them to much less, leaving the crew with nearly nothing.

  “But these people who cancel the tips, don’t they end up tipping personally anyway?” Sofia enquired, having a better idea of how the system worked.

  “A lot of them give money to their waiter or their room steward, but they don’t tip the ones that don’t serve them directly, like the night cleaners, the public area cleaners, buffet stewards and so on. A lot of people who receive money from the gratuity pool never get to be with the passengers. If the tips are less, what they get paid for three weeks of work is nothing. And remember that the big money goes to the big people first. The buffet stewards who work twelve hours a day for example, get paid very little in comparison with a head waiter or even just a waiter.” Denise explained with a pang of anger in her voice.

  They ordered another drink and Sofia tried to make sense of the information she was getting. The entire scheme was not logical to someone with education and principles, and still the people who came up with those ideas were supposed to have a superior education. Sofia wondered if they had spent years in college to study the best way to take advantage of the ones in need. “That’s very unfair. Why doesn’t the company compensate them for bad cruises then?” She asked.

  “Because this is a dog-eat-dog world!” Denise said bitterly. “Cruise lines save millions every month in salaries by using this system. The passengers pay for the cruise and they also pay for a good percentage of the crew’s salaries. These crew members signed a contract and agreed to take the chances. Do you think anyone in head office cares if a few unhappy Filipinos or Indians go home? There will be another thousand waiting to replace them the next day. Crew members are numbers. All it matters is profit. But then, if I can still remember things were more or less the same ashore. Here we just notice it more because it is right on our faces.”

  Sofia could see the difference between ranks intensifying as time passed and understood a bit better the things she had been told on her fist days onboard. She knew there couldn’t be any sense in a world with no justice but justice wasn’t in her hands. It never had been and she suspected it would never be. She had learned to accept what she couldn’t change and no longer felt a coward for that.

  “Time for a different subject. You’re getting too depressed for my taste.” The doctor said sympathetically.

  “Sorry for my bad mood. I’m not having a happy day. Maybe I’ll have a happy night to balance it out. That is if my selfish boyfriend ever gets his eyes of that stupid wall and remembers I exist.”

  “Let me give you a tip before you come up with any more adjectives to describe Diego: you looking that unhappy won’t turn him on.” Sofia told her.

  “What do you want me to do? Pretend that I’m happy? Acting is not one of my talents.”

  Instead of answering Sofia rose, took a few steps and whispered something to Diego’s hear, leaving Denise wishing for a big hole to hide as he smiled and winked at her.

  “What did you tell him?” Denise asked suspiciously as soon as Sofia came back to her seat.

  “I told him his girlfriend had a bad day and needs a good night to make it up.” Sofia replied and ignored the indignation on her friend’s face.

  “I can’t believe you did that.” She muttered.

  “Look, men are not farsighted. The only time they understand body language is when you’re naked in front of them and even then sometimes you need to be lucky. If you want something from them, just ask, preferably with simple, small, clear words.” Sofia explained with a wicked grin.

  “Still, you shouldn’t have done that. What is he going to think of me now?”

  “I don’t believe he will be doing much thinking. You can thank me tomorrow.” She finished talking when Diego arrived, took Denise’s hand and lead her out of the room with a happy grin on his face.

  Sofia returned to her empty cabin and spent the rest of the time left on her internet card. There was another email from Kieran asking the same as before. So much for being smart!

  She knew she should email him back but chose not to. Shouldn’t he already know the answers to his questions? For someone who opened people’s chests and fixed them he should be capable of understanding human nature a little better, especially concerning the people he claimed to love. She wondered how he really was but it was too soon to ask. He needed more time to put himself together and needed that time alone, even if he didn’t agree just yet.

  Sofia looked around for a moment and examined the little space that was now her home, only in a home there is normally at least one more person. She missed having a family and missed Kieran more than anyone else. Nothing was the same without him.

  Sofia hated being alone. As New Year knocked on the door she felt sorrow and emptiness piercing right through her. She knew that after a good night of sleep she would be able to see things clearly but that moment all she wanted was to pack her bags and go home. Tears clouded her eyes. She fought them back and focused on the fiction novel she was reading. She loved reading fiction because in the books there was always a happy ending. In real life things weren’t that straightforward.

  5

  Everybody was extremely busy organizing the big party. It was New Year’s Eve and the night had to be memorable. From the earlier hours in the morning, crew put in their best effort to prepare everything. The ship was sparkling clean and both production and cruise staff focused on decoration and sound effects for the parties in the atrium and the open decks. A big net with hundreds of colorful balloons was set up in the ceiling on deck 7, ready to be opened at midnight and let the balloons fall over the audience.

  New Year’s Eve was the only time the female crew members were allowed in passenger areas wearing their own dresses instead of the uniform, although they still had to wear a name badge.

  Sofia had a plain sleeveless black dress she considered one of those essential items in any woman’s closet. It could be used for almost anything. With silver high heels and sparkling earrings it was just perfect.

  There was a special dinner with a different menu in the officer’s mess. The evening meal was one of the nicest Sofia had experienced since her debut and for a few hours it really felt like home on the ship. Even the usually serious faces were smiling. The biggest surprise was Leah who arrived wearing a set of shirt and skirt in dark metal blue. She had her hair up, lovely makeup and a beautiful pair of pearl earrings. Despite her size, she looked really good. The smile suited her and made everyone feel comfortable and at ease in her presence. Sofia wondered why she didn’t behave like that all the time.

  Denise picked up a light blue dress that made her piercing blue eyes stand out and curled her blond hair. She felt sexy and sophisticated and was glad she could wear her own clothes. Diego gave her an approval look that put a big smile
on her face. Anne joined them wearing a long black skirt and a beautiful red top that not only suited her dark hair but it also matched her outgoing personality.

  Aaron joined the group and around eight thirty they met a few more people on deck 5 by the lobby bar. They went from stand to stand and took group pictures with different scenarios. There was one with the famous staircase of the Titanic, another with a bright moonlight, one imitating the outside of the ship with the wooden railings and a bright orange buoy and also a plain white screen where everyone made creative poses.

  They went up to deck 7 and started walking from the front, right by the doors of the main theater making a drinking stop on each bar. In one of the bars there was someone playing a piano in a corner and the group ordered some cocktails that Aaron insisted on paying. Once those drinks were gone they moved on, passing through the perfume and the jewelry shops. The next stop was the Adventurers Lounge, which had a bar with the shape of a half-moon at the entrance, a display of comfortable couches and small tables and then a stage where smaller shows took place every night. They had jugglers, comedians, magicians and games organized by the cruise staff.

  Anne offered another round of cocktails. They started feeling light headed and the night was only just starting. Right after the photo gallery where the passengers could find the pictures that were taken during the cruise there was another theater style bar: Atmosphere. This one had a central stage surrounded by tables and chairs with different sizes and shapes but the decoration was a bit darker with wooden panels, smaller lights and western inspired paintings. There were big screens coming out of the ceiling and a DJ booth from where a production manager controlled the sound and lightning.

  Denise bought another round of drinks and when they finished she declared herself officially drunk.

  “Put me on that list too.” Sofia added.

  “I’m getting there.” Anne claimed cheerfully.

  “Girls!” Diego, Aaron and Ian said in unison, like by the rate they were consuming alcohol any of them would manage to stay sober much longer. A few more group pictures with everybody’s cameras and they got out of there and went straight to the promenade deck through the wooden door that opened to the outside.

  The ocean was a swirl of liquid coal. There were no lights outside except the moon, no stars, no other ships. The night was peaceful and quiet, and it was also chilly. They felt the salty scent of the ocean breeze filling their lungs with a fresh fragrance. The numbing wind that tumbled in with the waves didn’t help Denise feel much better.

  “I think we should stay here a little longer.” She suggested.

  “Why?”

  “So we can get just a bit sober. I’m sure half an hour would make me feel less dizzy.”

  “Come on Denise. Where is your spirit of adventure?” Aaron teased.

  “My spirit of adventure is drunk.”

  From deck 8 to deck 14 there were only passenger’s cabins, so they took the elevator straight up and Ian decided to stop by the bridge and say hello to the deck officers. They stayed for a few minutes chatting with Andrea and Stephen and then took the stairs to the entrance of the Spa on deck 15. The area that was normally the fun daytime space with the pools, pizzeria, ice cream bar and grill was now fully decorated and ready for a massive party.

  A band played Caribbean music above the pizzeria, on deck 16 and many passengers were already partying and dancing in their formal gowns, decorated by bright paper hats and big plastic glasses saying Happy New Year.

  Against Denise’s will they had another couple of drinks, which she wisely refused, saving what was left of her blood and liver for the remaining of the night. Sofia and Anne only had one more drink each, but the guys didn’t seem to worry about how drunk they were going to get and kept pouring alcohol down their throats like there was no tomorrow.

  By ten o’clock, someone thought about having a snack in the buffet. On the way up Sofia stopped by the kids’ center on deck 16 and took a look inside through the glass doors.

  “I guess being a kid onboard is a privilege.” She said.

  “Oh yes, they get all sorts of fun and games here.” Aaron confirmed.

  “Can we go inside?”

  “No, you’re not allowed. Only people under sixteen.” Ian said in a joking tone and grabbed her arm to help her negotiate another flight of stairs up to the last point of the drinking tour: the Stardust Disco.

  The night club was inspired in the stars, from the colorful carpets to the star shaped lamps in the ceiling. The best seats were the ones by the big windows and with the passengers partying everywhere else there were plenty of those available. Stardust was the type of venue that wouldn’t be very busy until all the other parties were over.

  “Wow, the view from here is amazing.” Sofia observed admiring the glowing wake with its ethereal trail of phosphorescence left behind the ship.

  “Beautiful, isn’t it? I think this is the best view onboard.”

  “When I was night manager on my last contract I used to find passengers here doing Yoga on the dance floor at five or six o’clock in the morning.” Denise remembered.

  “Well, I found a few having sex on the couches after the bar closed when I was a night manager.” Anne added and everyone laughed, as if everything related to sex was ultimately hilarious.

  A few minutes before eleven and all very drunk, it was time to return to the atrium where a big crowd gathered, waiting for the cruise director to start his speech. Meanwhile the band played and a few people danced. There was no space to move much less for dancing, but they danced anyway and Sofia found herself dancing with Aaron who took advantage of the situation and held her tight beyond what she felt comfortable, so she swapped with Denise and danced with Diego, a much safer partner who didn’t put his hands where they were not supposed to be and still made her laugh with his sad attempts to speak Portuguese.

  By half eleven in the evening everyone approached the center to guarantee the best place for countdown. The deputy cruise director interrupted the band and took over the small round stage in the company of a passenger. A guy in his late twenties or early thirties who looked a bit embarrassed stood next to Eli, waiting nervously. Her voice echoed through the microphone and suddenly everyone stopped talking.

  “Ladies and gentleman, this is a very special night for all of us, but we’re expecting it will be even more special to this young man next to me. I’m going to pass the microphone to John and ask his girlfriend, Kelly, to come over here because he has something very important to tell her.”

  At that point everyone knew where that story was going but the silence remained with the audience waiting to see if the guy would be able to deliver a decent speech or if he was going to stutter on every word and make a fool of himself in front of the entire ship.

  A pixie like young woman was now in front of him in a short green dress and if he looked nervous, she blushed like a ripe tomato. John got down on one knee holding a small black velvet box in his hand.

  “Kelly, I love you, you are everything to me and all I want is a future with you. Will you marry me?” He asked nervously but without the stutter. The videographer was right next to him with the camera pointed at the girl.

  “Yes, of course I will.” She replied at once and jumped into his waiting arms. Two seconds later the ring was on her finger. John took a deep breath of relief and the band started playing again.

  “Cheesy, cheesy, cheesy.” Anne said, not too fond of that kind of public display.

  “Totally agree with you, but what can we say? Some people like the public thing.” Sofia nodded.

  “Yes, Americans especially. If my boyfriend did that to me I would say no just to make a point.”

  “Which is why you don’t get a date.” Aaron replied dryly and Anne gave him a killer look.

  Ten minutes before midnight the cruise director and the captain took their respective microphones and the real entertainment began. Sofia had only seen the captain briefly and it w
as a total surprise for her to observe how gifted he was with words and how much the passengers loved him. She heard some passengers saying that they only took that cruise because they knew he would be there. As the captain made jokes and told some interesting stories of his life time at sea the clock kept ticking until finally everyone started counting those last few seconds together: …5…4…3…2…1

  HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!

  A colorful cloud of balloons fell out of the ceiling, people kissed and hugged and said the famous words with a lot of noise. The band resumed playing. There was more dancing, more drinking, more happy smiles and a lot of drinking.

  Sofia made a quick escape to her room with the excuse of going to the washroom and called Kieran’s cell phone. There was no phone coverage and she used the satellite phone on her desk. It rang and rang with no reply. It was ten hours earlier in Dublin, he could be at work, maybe cutting someone open in the OR since the ill people don’t take a break because the rest of the world is partying. She tried one more time and at the fourth ring someone answered.

  “Hello?” A sleepy voice replied.

  “Hi, it’s Sofia. Just wanted to wish you a happy new year.” She said, trying to find the right words in her inebriated mind.

  “Sofia?!” He sounded very awake suddenly. “Sofia, where are you? Are you all right? For heaven’s sake, where did you disappear to?”

  “I’m fine. Don’t worry.” She soothed him, happy that he sounded concerned and not just upset.

  “When are you coming back?” He asked anxiously. “I miss you.”

  There was a moment of silence.

  “I’ll go back when I know you are okay.” She replied trying to keep calm, with her racing heart betraying her thoughts and tears threatening to ruin her makeup.

  “Please, can you at least tell me where you are?”

  “I just wanted to wish you a happy new year. I really hope it’s better than the last one.” She hung up feeling terrible about it and went back to her friends who had moved to deck 15 and were now dancing to the sound of a Caribbean band.

  In the middle of crew and passengers dancing and laughing by the pool, she forgot how she was feeling and enjoyed the night. For a brief moment she closed her eyes and Kieran was there dancing with her. And then she opened her eyes and saw Aaron who was back in action and clearly determined not to go to bed alone. Diego saved her once again when he suggested everyone move to the crew bar, the only bar onboard where they hadn’t been drinking yet.

  Very discretely Sofia took off to her quiet and peaceful cabin with her head much heavier than it was supposed to be. She fell in bed and slept almost immediately.