"Hot damn," said Elaine, "we done hit the jackpot, and it's enough of them for each of us, so we don't have to share ... one, two, three, four, five, six ... and a possible!"
"So now we are playing spades or bid whist!” The ladies all cracked up while keeping their eyes on the guys as they passed by. A couple of them smiled and said hello as they walked towards the food.
"Calm down, hookers," said Vanessa seriously. "We are here to spend time with each other and relax. No men."
Everybody looked at each other, and Vanessa said, "Sike." They all laughed. Sabra said, “Girl, you were about to get your feelings hurt!”
Lillian thought one of the guys looked familiar, but brushed the thought aside and said to the ladies, "Remember the rules: once we claim one, he's off limits to the rest, agreed?"
"Agreed!" they all said in unison and had another toast.
"I have a toast," said Sabra.
"Go for it," said Lillian.
"Raise y'all glasses." She cleared her throat, "eh hem. What happens on the ship, ladies?"
"Stays on the ship!" they said together. They all laughed and lifted their drinks.
"Salud!"
At 6 p.m. the ship's horn blew and they went to the railing to wave and watch the ship depart from the dock. After the people and the buildings began to slowly shrink into memories, Julie asked them all to come to her room because she had something to give to them. They went to the room and were grateful that the suitcases had arrived. The ladies sat around and Julie went into her large suitcase. She brought out a small speaker and hooked up her phone to it. Soon the mellow sounds of Kem were playing. The ladies were all nodding, snapping, and singing "Can You Feel It." Next Julie pulled out three liters of bottled water. The ladies knew she drank a lot of water but wondered why she brought it on the ship.
"I guess you don't want the free water on board, because that, juice, and coffee is the only thing we don't have to pay extra for," said Lillian.
Julie said, "Girl, this ain't water…this is vodka!" Their eyes bugged out in surprise, then they echoed accolades all around. She then brought out a canister of powered lemonade. "Free lemon drops everyday while we are here."
The ladies cracked up, "Julie, you know you are prepared wherever you go. We can always count on that."
"Here, here," somebody said.
"Girl, I didn't pack any underwear so I wouldn't go over the suitcase weight limit," Julie said with a laugh.
“Commando!” shouted Elaine.
Everyone laughed.
She mixed up a strong batch of lemon drops and poured them into the colorful souvenir cups that the ladies had and said, "Let’s toast, ladies. But before we do that, let us first thank the Lord for getting us here safely, and to put his arms around us for the entire trip."
"Pray, then drink?" quipped Sabra.
"Shut up, girl, and pray," said Julie. They lowered their heads. "Lord, thank you for bringing us together and please look out for us as we begin this fabulous vacation."
"Amen," said the ladies.
"Now, let's also toast to our friendship, ask that our angels Don and Ms. Scott look after us too, and lastly, lets toast to VACATION!!!!" shouted Yvette.
"Here, here," said the ladies, "Salud."
"Okay. I'm ready to get out and mingle," said Elaine.
"Hold on. I'm not done yet," Julie said. She pulled out five cards that had each of the girl’s names on it and gave them to each lady. "I just wrote a little note to you all to say some things that I don't always have time to say. I want you to open them one at a time and read them."
Yvette said, "I want to go first". She opened the envelope and pulled out her card. On the front was Disney’s first African- American princess, Tiana, with writing on the back: "Yvette, we have been friends for over forty years. I was so glad that you were my child's nurse when he had his asthma attack. You were heaven sent at a time when I thought my child wouldn't make it ... that was one of the scariest moments in my life. In case I didn't say it, thank you once again for being the best nurse and friend ever." Yvette got up and hugged her. "You were a mess that day, and I was just doing my job." Julie said, "No, you went over and beyond that. Staying over and caring for him when you weren't even on the clock. You were great."
"Well, you are very welcome. That's my baby, too."
"My turn," said Vanessa and read, "We have been friends ever since junior high school. When everybody teased me because I had no hair after my head surgery (she had a tumor on her head), and wore those thick glasses, you were my protector and bully and beat everybody up." Everyone laughed. "You were quiet but you showed everyone that you weren't a punk. You have always been there for me and I hope I've been there for you." Vanessa got up and hugged her and whispered, "You've always been there for me, sis."
"I'll go next," said Lillian. "You are my light -skinned friend (smiley face). Even though when I first met you and I thought you were white, I never saw you that way. Your mom always treated me like I was her daughter. I remember all the times she would bring us food and give us money while we were at Michigan State. I thank God for MSU, because He made sure you were in our dorm and in our lives forever. You were a life saver so many times." Lillian's tears were really coming down and she held out her hand to Julie and they both squeezed.
"Dang! Y'all ruining my makeup again," said Sabra.
Sabra pulled out her card. "Aw, Tiana, my favorite Disney princess. How cute. Okay. Sabra, you are the militant one of the group and you always make us stand up for what is right. You have made me a better and stronger person and I want to be just like you when I grow up. Know that God has something very special in store for you. Aww," and she hugs Julie.
"Saving the best for last," said Elaine and she reads, "Elaine, you have done a great job raising those kids by yourself. When I'm down, I know I can depend on you to pick me up and make me smile. You are like a little sister to me, but you make me feel like I'm the youngest. Keep doing you and keep God first and all your dreams will come true. Thanks for being my friend."
Elaine got up and hugged her and said, "Okay, now I have an idea. All of us are going to find one word that describes what Julie means to you, since we didn't think to do all this card stuff," she said with a playful smirk. "I'll go first, and my word is always prepared. Oh damn, that's two words." Everyone laughed.
Yvette: “loyal.”
Lillian: “friend.”
Sabra: “retarded”, laughter, “okay, um, um, dependable.”
Vanessa: “protective.”
“You all are the best,” cried Julie.
They all stood up and had a group hug.
"Okay, enough tears," said Elaine while dabbing hers away." I don't know about you all, but I'm ready to change and check out the scenery. Let's all meet up in about 15 minutes, and explore this bad boy."
That evening they all put on shorts and capris and went to find some food. They were glad that their cabins were on the Lido Deck level and all they had to do was walk out the door, down the hall, and thru the sliding glass doors, and they were on the deck. There were lots of people in line for the buffet and there was a reggae band playing some great calypso music.
Julie loves to dance and immediately started swaying her hips to the music. The band was playing a great version of “One Love,” made famous by Bob Marley. Elaine joined in and soon the rest followed. Everyone was looking at them and smiling, some wishing they had the nerve to get up and join them. After a while, a few did. They shimmied to the buffet line and stock piled their plates with the endless variety of foods.
"Somebody told me that we were going to gain ten pounds on this trip, and now I see why," as she spied the seemingly endless display of sweets. "I'm eating at least one of everything," said Sabra.
"Well, I hope you brought your workout clothes, because we are not wheeling your fat ass off this boat," joked Vanessa.
"And try to stay in the middle of the boat so it doesn't tip over," said Yvette, who had
lost fifteen pounds while going through her divorce. They laughed at this. Sabra gave them the finger, and then joined in on the laughter.
After eating and dancing, they all decided to call it a night because they confessed that they were not as young as they use to be, and they were tired. They went to their rooms and spent time talking and reminiscing, enjoying the lovely view from their balconies, and then retired for the evening.
The next day, they arose having wonderful, alcohol induced sleep, with the ship gently rocking them, and met up on the Lido Deck. They decided to skip the formal breakfast and go for the buffet. Once again, the food was great and they ate till they could hardly stand up. They spent time exploring the ship since it was at sea all day. Everywhere they went they turned heads because they were such a beautiful array of women and they had fun wherever they went.
Vanessa and Yvette decided that they wanted to check out the onboard stores while Elaine, Sabra, and Lillian opted to sunbathe. Julie went to the casino.
Julie loved to gamble, but she knew her limits. She allotted herself a certain amount of money and once it was gone, she was done. Today she was on a winning streak and she was enjoying playing the quarter slots. On one particular spin, three red sevens appeared and the machine began playing that happy, jackpot song and she smiled and clapped. While she was having her own private party, a great smelling guy slid into the seat next to her.
"Is anybody playing this machine here?" he asked, gesturing at a slot machine next to hers. She looked over and almost stopped breathing, he was so sexy! Not so much fine as he was sexy ... damn, and he's got some green eyes, but she kept her cool. "Well, I guess you are," she replied with a smile.
"Looks like you are having some good luck," he said as he looked at her credits.
"I call it being blessed, but somehow that sounds kind of sacrilegious, huh?"
"Well, I feel anything we receive is a gift from God. I don't know if He condones this, but I feel as long as I'm not hurting anyone and not doing it in excess, then I should be good on judgment day."
Julie looked into the beautiful green eyes of this fragrant man and thought she had died and gone to heaven. Not only did he smell good, but he shared the same philosophy as she did. Then it hit her ... he looked like Michael Ealy, from the movies “Barbershop”, “2 Fast 2 Furious”, and the tv series “Being Mary Jane!”
"Wow," she finally said, "my sentiments exactly!"
He held out his hand. "My name is Ramone. And yours?"
She shook his hand, "I'm Julie."
"Pleased to meet you, Julie. Now, can you send me some of that luck… I mean blessings over here?"
Julie blew on her hands then touched his machine. "There you go."
The two played their machines for about twenty-five minutes before anything significant happened. Then Ramone, who was playing a Zeus machine, hit the three hammers and went to the bonus.
"Good for you," said Julie. "Now give him some moola!" she screamed at the machine. They both looked over at each other and Julie snapped her head back, because this man's green eyes were stirring up some feelings that she shouldn't be having. Do not look directly into those eyes! she thought.
They played a little longer; Julie looked at her watch and saw it was time for her to get dressed for dinner.
"I've got to be going. Time to get dressed for dinner."
Ramone arose too. "Yeah, me too." I know the brothers are waiting. Are you here with your husband?"
Julie said, "I am here with my girls. Ladies road trip, sort of, but since we're at sea ... well, you get it".
"I get it. Which dining room are you in? We have late seating too," said Ramone.
"The Mayfield … and you are here with your brothers?"
"I'm actually here with my sons. Special occasion?"
"Well, me and my bffs are here to celebrate our friend getting married and also she's moving to another country, so it's a huge trip for us. Another is celebrating her birthday. We take a trip together every year so this fit right in our plans."
"That's nice. Sounds like you have some good friends and good ones are hard to come by."
"You can say that again. There isn't anything I wouldn't do for those ladies. So ... your wife doesn't mind you cruising without her?"
"No wife. Been there, done that. Been divorced for a long time."
"Sounds like you're kind of bitter about marriage."
"No, not really. It's just not for me. I've been married twice and I'm not trying to go for three strikes. Nope. I'm good being single. What about you?"
"I went into my marriage blind. He was telling me things and I wasn't listening. I saw all the signs and ignored them. I still believe in the institution of marriage, and I'm keeping hope alive. I'm just not going to settle anymore. I can't. I’m seeing a nice guy now and just taking it slow this time."
"I hear that. Well, maybe I will see you later on. Save a dance for me somewhere tonight+?"
Ooo, a dancing black man with Michael Ealy eyes, she thought, "I sure will."
Elaine, Sabra and Lillian
Elaine, Sabra, and Lillian put on their bathing suits, grabbed their sunblock, sunglasses, and hats. Sabra made a lemon drop for each of them, and they headed to the Lido Deck to catch some rays. They found some lounge chairs, reclined, and relaxed to the sound of the soothing music the band was playing.
"This was really a great idea. I'm ready to go on a cruise every year," said Sabra.
"Me too. This is about the closest we might get to being treated like royalty," said Elaine.
"So true. I've been so busy lately, that I've neglected cleaning my house, and you know what's so funny? Whenever there was a man in my life, I always kept my house in order. I guess that's one good thing about having one," said Lillian.
"I can think of a couple other reasons for having one," Sabra said with a big grin.
"You so nasty," laughed Elaine.
"Why do you say that? I was talking about mowing the lawn and taking out the trash. Where was your demented mind at?" asked Sabra.
"Whatever," said Elaine.
The ladies all laughed.
The ladies sat and talked for a while longer and then closed their eyes and once again the alcohol and the motion of the ship rock them to sleep.
The beaming sun was starting to get really hot and Elaine was the first one to wake up. The first thing she noticed was five of the guys from last night enjoying the sunshine a little way from them. She made a quick self-check to make sure she hadn't drooled or anything and elbowed Sabra to arouse her from sleep.
"Huh?" said Sabra, still half asleep and half buzzed from her drink. "What is it?"
Elaine motioned with her head in the direction of the guys. Sabra looked and marveled at the glistening skin and bodies on these men. "Oh my," she whispered, and pinched Lillian.
"Ouch!" yelled Lillian who sat up and rubbed her arm. "Why the hell did you pinch me?" The two ladies just smiled and looked past her because there were five sets of eyes staring in their direction.
She looked a little embarrassed and then waved at the guys. "Hey, sorry about that. I didn't mean to disturb you."
The guys all smiled and then one of them said, “No problem. Can we buy you ladies a drink? We thought you were all going to bake out here in this sun."
Elaine leaned forward and said, "We would love a drink, thank you very much."
The guys motioned a waiter over and sent him to the ladies so they could order their drinks. Sabra then decided to speak up. "Hello, my name is Sabra, and this is Elaine and Lillian," pointing to the women.
"Nice to meet you ladies ... I am Nate, this is Frank, Louis, Carmelo, and Tyrone.”
They all nodded and waved.
"So, what brings you guys on the cruise?" asked Elaine.
"Our friend Ralph is getting married and this is what we decided to do for his bachelor party. And what about you ladies?" asked Louis.
"We're here for our girls’ bachelorette party! We shoul
d combine our forces," said Elaine.
"Most definitely," said Louis.
"Maybe you guys can give our friend a lap dance," asked Sabra.
"Only if you give our boy one," said Tyrone.
"Dang. Why we have to do something in return. Men!" Lillian said with a smile.
"So where are you from?" asked Sabra.
"We're from Michigan," said Nate.
"Shut up! No way! So are we! What part?" asked Elaine.
"Flint and Saginaw," chimed in Carmelo.
"What cities are you from?" asked Louis.
Lillian pointing at the girls, "Auburn Hills, Rochester, Pontiac ... "
"Michigan, wow! It's a small world. That's what’s up!" said Tyrone.
"Very small world!” said Elaine.
"You guys look pretty young," said Sabra. "What are your ages?"
"Well, it's seven of us. The youngest is thirty-five and the oldest is forty-five," said Frank.
"Oh lord," said Sabra…"more babies. This is a Vanessa kind of party."
"Excuse me. Just right for me," said Elaine with a smile.
"Well, you all can't be too much older than us," said Tyrone.
"Yes, we can, but thanks for the compliment," said Lillian.
"Whatever your ages, you ladies are fine. We've been over here admiring you ... been admiring you since yesterday," said Tyrone.
Why CAN T I Be A Cougar?? Page 16
