Claire Gulliver #04 - Cruisin' for a Bruisin'

by Gayle Wigglesworth

  Claire explained with careful patience, “Mom, it’s a really long way to our cabins and I got caught up in a clog in one of the corridors.” She handed out the jackets to her mother, Ruth, her mother’s best friend, and Lucy Springer, her travel-writer friend. It didn’t take long for them to zip up and head outside.

  The wind tore at them, grabbing the door out of Claire’s hands and slamming it shut behind them.

  Claire set her sunglasses on her nose, hoping they would protect her eyes. While it had been a warm and sunny September day, here on the San Francisco Bay at five o’clock with the late summer fog just waiting to slip over the hills and through the Golden Gate, the wind was cold and fierce. In fact, the wind tugged alarmingly at Claire’s glasses and blew her dangling earrings out parallel to her shoulders.

  “What?” she shouted to Lucy, unable to hear what she said.

  Lucy just shook her head and motioned Claire to follow her further towards the bow.

  It was amazing how many of the passengers had elected to ride outside for their departure in spite of the cold and wind. But then they were headed to Alaska, so everyone was prepared for cold on this trip.

  The Bay couldn’t be more beautiful, touched as it was with the gold of the late afternoon sun. The water was deep grayish green, the sun catching in little flashes on the peaks of waves. The usual crush of Saturday afternoon sailboats were intermingled with the brightly colored sails of the windsurfers, who dared ride their boards far into the Bay to make the most of every gust of wind. They looked like a flock of large butterflies fluttering over the water.

  Alcatraz Island seemed close enough to touch as they passed. In fact, she could see tourists lined up for one of the return boats. Angel Island loomed in the background, cutting off her view of the picturesque village of Tiburon, which she knew hid behind it.

  At Ruth’s nudge she turned around and posed with Lucy and Ruth while her mother snapped a picture, then with Lucy and her mother while Ruth snapped one with her camera, but then she moved away to position herself for their approach to the Golden Gate Bridge.

  She couldn’t believe how high it was. Somehow she thought the ship was so big she would be much closer to the top when they passed under. She could see the figures up there, just dark dots against the glare of the late sun. Ruth was looking for her neighbors, who had promised to bring their children down to wave good-by to her from the bridge. Claire didn’t see how anyone could recognize anyone from this distance. But people around her were waving and she could see the little ant-like figures waving back from their perch high over their heads. And then they were under the bridge, the big ship bucking through the treacherous current where the ocean entered the Bay. She grabbed the rail to steady herself and saw her mother beckoning her, as she and Ruth headed inside. The fog seemed to be loping toward them, the wind pushing it forward while the ship ploughed determinedly through the waves to meet it. She turned and carefully made her way to the door, noting that a few hardy souls were apparently staying until the last glimpse of land was gone.

  Inside, protected from the wind, Claire slipped her sunglasses in her pocket and held the rail to the stairway tightly as she fought the lurching of the ship while she ascended to the cocktail lounge at the front, top of the ship. They had checked it out earlier and decided this was definitely the place to have cocktails before dinner. She removed her jacket and ran her fingers through the tangle of her short hair as she made her way across the crowded room, dropping gratefully into the cushioned chair they had saved for her. The waitress approached bearing a tray of drinks.

  “We ordered you the special for the day, a Gold Coast Sling, all right?” Ruth asked, reaching for the gin on the rocks which had just been placed in front of her.

  “Great.” Claire eyed the tall golden colored drink wondering what it contained. Then remembering she was on vacation, she decided she didn’t care how potent it was. She could always crawl to her cabin if necessary.

  Millie, Claire’s mother beamed. “Well everyone, let’s toast to a great adventure.” She lifted her glass and gently tapped each of the others. “I’m so glad you both decided to join us for this cruise.”

  Millie, with Claire’s encouragement had signed up for a cruise to Alaska with her church group scheduled for last May. But then her bosses at Richman Cadillac had surprised her with a retirement gift of a cooking course in Tuscany. Unfortunately it was scheduled at the same time as the cruise. At first, it didn’t matter because Millie flatly refused to go to Tuscany. It was too far away and way too foreign for her tastes. But eventually Claire and Ruth had convinced her she couldn’t pass up the opportunity and waste the money the Richman brothers had spent. So Millie talked to her travel agent and found, while she couldn’t get a refund for the cruise, she could change the sailing date with no penalty. Ruth, who had agreed to go to Tuscany with her and even attend the cooking class with her to gain her agreement to go, was more than willing to go to Alaska with her in September. Ruth loved to travel and did so whenever she had the chance.

  Millie was the complete opposite, which was strange considering her daughter, Claire, owned and operated the popular Gulliver’s Travel Bookshop on the San Francisco peninsula. The Alaskan cruise had been intended to be Millie’s first foray into the travel world, but of course, that trip to Italy and the Tuscany cooking school really became her first big adventure. And Millie enjoyed it immensely, in spite of the fact it turned out to be more adventurous than she ever imagined. But that was something she never talked about, especially not to her daughter.

  So now the Alaskan cruise, scheduled and paid for, was going to be another travel experience and one all four ladies were looking forward to. They expected to be totally pampered while their senses were assaulted with the beautiful scenery of Alaska.

  “You know, I’m quite excited about this cruise. This ship is much more luxurious than I expected.” Lucy looked around as she sipped her drink. “I think this is going to be totally different than my trips to England. I’m so glad you called me, Claire.”

  “Oh, oh, I can see the title now,” Claire swept her hand across her forehead, “Gardening Amongst the Glaciers.”

  Lucy wrote travel books about England and specialized in English gardens. Claire had originally met her when she lectured on England at Claire’s bookshop and subsequently, they became good friends.

  They all chuckled, imagining a new line of books for Lucy, as they sipped their drinks and glanced around the lounge at the other passengers already having a good time.

  Millie and Ruth had been excitedly discussing this trip all summer. Then, three weeks ago Millie’s travel agent had mentioned the cruise line was offering half fares to fill their remaining openings. Millie, remembering how envious Claire and Lucy had both been about the pending cruise, decided they should all go. When Claire passed the information on to Lucy, Lucy not only agreed it was too good an opportunity to pass up, but she convinced Claire to go too. The cabin they shared was inside on a lower level with no window, but the travel agent assured them they wouldn’t even notice. They would have a TV hook up with the camera on the bridge so they could see what every other cabin saw and, she explained, they wouldn’t be in their cabins much anyway. Somehow they were persuaded.

  “My goodness the fog is thick. I hope the captain can see where he’s going.” Millie’s forehead was deeply creased as she peered out the window at the dense gray.

  “Don’t be silly, Millie, they use radar just like the airlines do. They don’t have to see to see.” Ruth spoke a little sharply. She sometimes became impatient with Millie’s worries.

  “Of course, of course, I know that. I wasn’t really worried.” Millie straightened up and looked around, lowering her voice. “Except that lifeboat drill kind of spooked me. I mean what a way to start a trip. I just look at those tiny lifeboats and shudder. They sure didn’t look big enough to hold everyone.”

  “Mom, every time you fly they give you a safety demonstration just in cas
e. This is the same.” Claire’s voice was soothing, as she tried to convince her mother to forget her worries.

  “Don’t you just love to wonder who all these people are and who’s with whom?” Ruth changed the subject.

  “You mean who’s sleeping with whom?” Lucy responded, eyeing the crowd eagerly. “Before we get back I’m sure we’ll know quite a few of them and can probably answer that question with some accuracy.”

  “Well, at least Mom will be able to,” Claire said. “You wait and see, she’ll know most of them before the first week is over. When I caught up with her in Florence last May, I swear she knew everyone staying at our hotel, and it was a big hotel.”

  Ruth laughed, nodding her agreement, while Millie just shrugged.

  “I can’t help it, people just talk to me. So of course, I have to be polite.”

  Then she joined them all in a giggle. It was true. She loved people, talking to them, hearing about their lives, even looking at endless pictures of grandchildren. For all those years, while living and working in the same neighborhood in San Francisco, she was always acquiring new friends. She always knew who moved into the neighborhood, who had a baby, who was sick and who died.

  “Well, concentrate on finding us some eligible dance partners, will you Millie? It would certainly spice up the trip.” Lucy, a very attractive woman in her fifties was checking out the room. “See there? That one. The big guy over there? He looks interesting. And he looks about your age Millie. He could do for you or Ruth, don’t you think, Claire?”

  Ruth extended both hands, palms out and shook her head. “Oh, no, not me. I’m just here for the fun, no romance for me.”

  Claire looked at Ruth with surprise and then inquiringly at Millie.

  Millie explained, “Ruth has a new beau.”

  “Ruth! Who? When did this happen?” Lucy and Claire said in unison.

  “Why didn’t you say something?”

  And then, “Who is he? Where did you meet him?”

  Ruth waved the waitress to bring another round and shrugged, a little embarrassed by their interest.

  Millie tried to help her friend by explaining. “Remember me telling you about Sam Ng. He was the man from San Francisco, who was at our cooking school in Tuscany with his wife? And she got sick at the school and died right after it was over. You remember, Claire? I told you how sad that was.” She paused for Claire’s nod, then continued. “Well, at the school a group of students always played cards whenever we had spare time. And you know who is the card shark?” She indicated Ruth with her head. “So this summer Sam Ng was having a poker party with some of his friends and he invited Ruth and Randy Jackson, another of our fellow students from down on the peninsula, to join the game. And Ruth has been playing with them ever since.”

  Ruth nodded. “And that’s where I met him. His name is George Chang and he’s a prominent local businessman. He’s a widower with two grown children. We just hit it off.” Ruth actually simpered.

  “Ruth, that’s wonderful. Is it serious?” Claire eyed her mother’s friend with curiosity. She had known Ruth all her life. Ruth was like an aunt in lieu of the siblings neither her mother nor her father had. Ruth was gregarious and fun loving. She was proud of the fact she still wore the same size she did in high school, and while she still wore her hair and make up in the style of her younger years, she wore the current fashions in clothes, no matter whether or not they suited a woman of her years. Ruth had been married four times, two ending in divorces and two in widowhoods. Usually she was interested in any opportunity for romance.

  Until now! This avowal she wasn’t interested was an entirely new response from Ruth and one that made Claire wonder about George Chang. He must be special.

  “Don’t be silly, Claire. Of course it’s serious. Why else would she be swearing off men for the entire cruise?” Lucy smiled at Ruth. “Good for you, Ruth. There’s nothing like a little romance to stir the blood and brighten your life, right?” Then she turned and looked directly at Millie. “I guess we’ll have to see if we can catch that good looking fellow for you, Millie.”

  Millie looked shocked. “Me?” Her voice actually faltered.

  “Well of course. Don’t worry, I’m watching out for Claire and me, too. I think a tad of romance for each of us is what we need to make this cruise perfect.”

  Claire laughed. “Well, good luck, Lucy, but that might be a big undertaking. I understand there are way more single women on these cruises than there are men.”

  “Well, we only need three. That doesn’t sound too hard, does it?” Lucy appeared very confident and actually the way she said “only three” didn’t sound impossible.

  “And we only want a little romance. We’re not looking for life commitments.”

  Claire nodded, although she was dubious about Lucy’s plan. It was easier to agree and worry about the details if and when Lucy found them candidates. “Well Lucy, if you’re taking orders I like mature, but not old, and still virile. I don’t care about the hair, but please find me some one with a sense of humor.”

  “Hey, this isn’t a dating service, you know. Give me a break. I have a limited pool of resources.”

  Claire looked around at the variety of people in the lounge. The crowd was eclectic and noisy. It was hard to pick individuals out of the group, but one thing was for sure, everyone was ready to have a good time.

  Lucy put down her empty glass. “Ladies, I’m going down to the cabin to freshen up before dinner. I’ll meet you outside the dining room in a half hour, okay? Claire, do you want me to take your jacket?”

  Claire got up. “No, I’ll go with you. Mom, do you want me to take your jacket?”

  “Would you, dear? And Ruth’s too. Here’s my room key.”

  Claire, her arms full of jackets once again, prepared to traverse the length of the ship. “I don’t think we have to worry about using the workout room, Lucy. If we make this trek to our cabin a few times a day, it should help counteract all the food we’ll consume.” She got off the elevator at the sixth level to drop the jackets off at her mother’s cabin while Lucy descended to the second level where their cabin was located near the back of the ship.

  * * *

  “Excuse me, sir?” The tuxedo clad man spoke into Ian’s ear.

  Ian looked up interrupting his anxious scan of the passengers still straggling into the huge dining room. He recognized the maitre d’ he had met with earlier, just after boarding, in fact.

  The man glanced around the faces at the half full table and then said discreetly to Ian. “We find we do have a space available for you and your brother in the late seating, as you requested. If you would follow me...” he turned and nodded to the waiter, who stood behind him with fresh place settings to prepare the table for others.

  Ian shrugged at Sean as they both stood, laid their napkins down, nodded cordially to the others seated at the table and followed the maitre d’ out of the dining room, passing another host leading a group of four to the table they had abandoned.

  “What’s going on? I thought you wanted the early seating?” Sean whispered.

  “I don’t know, but I do know I paid plenty to make sure we got seated at the right table, so let’s just follow him.”

  The maitre d’ led them to a secluded corner near the front entrance and smiled apologetically. “Thank you for following my lead. There has been a bit of a last minute muddle. The party you requested to be seated with changed to the late seating. I felt obligated to honor my agreement with you, so I did some fast shuffling to get you changed too. I hope you will be satisfied with my efforts.”

  Ian smiled. “That’s perfect. Thanks for taking care of it. I’d much rather be at the later seating and I did so want to surprise my friends by appearing at their table.”

  Sean didn’t say anything, but managed to nod with a small smile.

  “Fine. Just present yourself back here at the late seating and you will be seated at the table you requested.” The maitre d’ nodded firmly
and turned away. The first night of a cruise was always his busiest time with everyone requesting changes, early to late, late to early, big table to small intimate table, and the worst was still to come. Tomorrow he would be trying to satisfy those people who found they didn’t like their table companions and so now want to be moved to another table far away.

  Ian watched him go back to the cluster of people near the host station and then turned to Sean. “Hey, bro, let’s go have a drink.”

  CHAPTER TWO

  “Table eighty-four for Springer, Gulliver and Clarkson.” Lucy smiled brightly at the incredibly handsome maitre d’ as she handed him the engraved card with their dinner seating assignment.

  He paused just a moment to smile back at her before consulting his list. “Oh, ladies, we’ve had a slight change. We have moved you to table seventeen, a most congenial group and in an excellent location. I’m sure you will enjoy it.” He turned to one of his assistants and murmured further instructions before stepping back and waving them into the vast and ornate dining room.

  Claire and Lucy exchanged questioning looks at the last minute change, but they followed Millie and Ruth through the labyrinth of tables and chairs in the dining room.

  “Here you are, table seventeen.”

  The man gallantly held out Ruth’s chair while Millie took the next of the four empty seats on one side of the oval table. Lucy slipped into the next one leaving the end one for Claire.

  That last chair was to the right of the chair where sat the very same old lady she had seen in the corridor earlier. There was no getting out of it. All the other seats at the table were filled. She couldn’t believe with almost a thousand people at each sitting, she had somehow been placed next to the person, who must be the oldest on the cruise. She just hoped the lady wasn’t senile and deaf. Well, she thought, so much for Lucy’s plan for finding romance for her. She sat down hoping no one guessed the reason for her hesitation.