The next morning Dawn got up the earliest, and she went to the upper deck before checking on her friends. The weather was already nice that morning, and the ocean always looked beautiful. Dawn thought about all the places she and her friends had gone and all of the wonderful sights they’d seen.
It was sad to know this was their last day on the boat, but a part of her was eager to get back to Overbrook Meadows. Dawn missed her mama and her boys something fierce. A sharp pain twisted her gut when she thought about how things would play out with Henry, but she didn’t dwell on that. She didn’t have to think about him for at least one more day, and she preferred to do just that.
Dawn re-entered the ship at eight-thirty. Mona’s room was the closest, but Dawn didn’t see her friend for the rest of the night after she took off with Bart. There was a good chance Mona was still curled up in the sheets with her Latin lover. Dawn headed to Rene’s room instead, and she ran into her friend in the hallway.
“Hey,” Dawn said. “I didn’t know you was up.”
“I didn’t want to sleep late,” Rene said. She pulled her door closed and grinned at her friend. “Have you been to Mona’s room yet?”
Dawn shook her head and giggled. “I started to. Do you think we should check on her?”
“Uh-uhn,” Rene said. “Mona always gets up early. If she’s still in there, I guarantee you she’s not sleeping. You hungry?”
“Like a runaway slave,” Dawn said, and then caught herself. “Dang, that was wrong.”
“You think?” Rene said. She shook her head and laughed.
The ladies headed for the cafeteria in good spirits. Dawn loaded her plate with bacon and fried potatoes, but she looked down at the meal with disgust when they sat down to eat.
“Blech! Look at this mess. This is why I’m fat now.”
“It’s all right,” Rene said. “I told you not to worry about your weight while you’re on this cruise.”
“No, I got to start somewhere,” Dawn said. She went and got a grapefruit and yogurt instead.
“That’s all you’re eating?” Rene asked when she got back.
“I want to be skinny again,” Dawn confided. “Or at least thick. I’ve been thinking about what it will be like when I’m single again.” She shook her head. “I’m not…I know it sounds like I’m weak, but I don’t like to be alone. That’s why I stayed with Henry for so long. I don’t feel right if I don’t got a man.”
“There’s nothing wrong with that,” Rene said, “so long as you find the right man. When you get skinny, it’ll make it that much harder.”
“How come?”
“ ’Cause everybody will want you. And seventy percent of them will want you for the wrong reason. The best guy for you won’t care how big you are. He’ll like you for you.”
“I haven’t had too much luck finding somebody like that,” Dawn said.
“They’re all around,” Rene assured. “You just give them the wrong signals. Like that man who tried to talk to you last night. You shot him down cold.”
“No, I didn’t.”
“Men are big and strong, and they act tough,” Rene informed her, “but deep down, they’re all a bunch of babies. It took a lot of nerve for him to come and talk to you. And you told him ‘no’ when he asked if you wanted to go somewhere with him.”
Dawn thought about it and realized that was a rejection. “I didn’t…dang. I didn’t mean to.”
“So you liked him?” Rene asked.
Dawn smiled. “He looked good. And he had a deep voice. And he got some kids, like me. He’s divorced.”
“He’s still on this boat somewhere,” Rene said.
“I guess if it’s meant to be, he’ll find me again,” Dawn replied.
Rene started to tell her that sometimes you’ve got to make things happen for yourself rather than rely on fate, but Mona appeared out of nowhere, and she didn’t look like herself at all. She plopped down next to Dawn wearing dark sunglasses and baggy shorts. She didn’t have on any makeup, and her hair was a little unkempt.
“Well, look who decided to step away from the dick,” Rene teased.
Mona propped her elbows on the table and cradled her chin on her fists. She sighed.
“Did you have a good time?” Dawn asked, and a satisfied smile stretched her friend’s lips.
“It was magical,” Mona said. Her voice was gruff. She looked parched.
“Magical?” Dawn said.
“Did you get any sleep?” Rene asked.
“I got a few hours,” Mona said. “And yes, magical. That boy, hmmmm. He was, he was something else.”
Rene laughed. “So, did you make him beg? Did you break out the whips and chains?”
“Oh, noooo,” Mona said with a chuckle. “I wasn’t the dominatrix last night. Bart was like, a grown-ass man. He wouldn’t let me do anything I wanted.”
“What?” Rene couldn’t believe it.
“It was crazy,” Mona said. “Everything I tried, he was like, ‘No, Mona. I do not want to do that.’ ”
Her friends laughed because she tried to match Bart’s accent.
“He was teasing,” Mona said. “And I was fiending. And when he finally gave it up, I almost cried.” She shook her head. “He’s big, y’all. But he’s good, too. I know he’s young, but he had me howling like a dog. When he got through, he said I could do it how I wanted now, but I couldn’t even move. I must’ve came about five times last night.”
Dawn’s eyes widened. “Five times?”
“No shit,” Mona said. She removed her sunglasses and rubbed her eyes. Rene gasped when she saw how baggy they were.
“Girl, you look tired as hell! Why didn’t you stay in bed?”
“I’ll be all right,” Mona said. “I just need some coffee. Will you go get it for me?”
“I’m not getting your coffee.” Rene frowned. “You just passed four coffee machines on your way to this table.”
“I tried to get it,” Mona said. “But I dropped my cup. I think I broke it.”
Dawn got up with a chuckle. “I’ll get it for you. You want some cream?”
“No, I want it black,” Mona said. “Thanks.”
“So, what’s going to happen with you and Bart?” Rene asked when Dawn was gone. “Sounds like you really like him. Are you going to try to work out a relationship or something?”
Mona shook her head and yawned. “He lives in another freaking country, girl. I told you, this is just a fling. When we get off the boat, that’s it. We’ll go our separate ways.”
“But if he’s laying pipe like that, how can you let him go so easily?”
“I didn’t say it would be easy,” Mona said. “I said that’s the way it’s going to be. I talked to Bart, and he understands. If I ever take a trip to Brazil, I might look him up, but I’m not trying to get sprung on some long-distance shit. Plus he plays ball and he’s fine. Shit, I’d drive myself crazy worrying about who’s throwing their panties at him.
“I just wanted to have some fun, and I did. But I didn’t expect him to work it like he did. Last night was an eye-opener for me, Rene. I’m a different person now. I feel it.”
Rene was skeptical. “I never thought dick would change you.”
“It wasn’t just the dick,” Mona said. “The dick was the bomb—don’t get it twisted—but what Bart did for me was mostly mental. He made me respect him as a man and take my place as a woman.”
Rene shook her head. “This is weird.”
“How do you think I feel?” Mona said. “I’m telling you, you’d better jump on Xavier and see what he got to offer. Maybe it’s a cultural thing. He might could do the same for you.”
Dawn returned to the table with Mona’s coffee.
“Thanks, Dawn. You’re a real friend—unlike this heifer over here.” Mona glared at Rene.
Dawn took her seat and pealed the lid off her yogurt. “What y’all talking about?”
“I’m trying to get Rene to give Xavier some booty,” Mona said. “She knows she likes him.”
“Everybody knows that,” Dawn said.
“What do you mean everybody knows?” Rene asked.
Mona laughed.
“Last night he came and talked to Rene while we was at the disco club,” Dawn told Mona. “They was dancing and looking all in each other’s eyes. You don’t have to know nothing about nothing to know they like each other.”
Mona shook her head. “I don’t know why you trying to hide it,” she told Rene.
“I’m not trying to hide it,” Rene said. “I’m just not going to sleep with some boy I don’t even know.”
“He’s not a boy,” Mona said. “He’s a grown man, with grown man parts.”
Rene chuckled. “I’m still not doing it.”
“To each his own,” Mona said and took a sip of her coffee. “All I know is, my toes are still curled up.” She shivered. “Ooh! Aftershock!”
***
Mona was back to her old self after breakfast. The Finley Sisters left the cafeteria hoping to squeeze in as much fun as possible before the Ecstasy docked in Galveston tomorrow morning.
For the next few hours they ran from one event to the next, partaking in all kinds of activities from an ice carving demonstration to tea time at the Neon Bar. Dawn got a black panther painted on her arm, and Mona bought a beautiful print at an art auction in the Starlight Lounge.
After lunch the friends happened upon an impromptu volleyball tournament on the Sun Deck, and they were surprised to see Xavier and Bartolo waiting to take the court. Bart’s eyes lit up when he spotted Mona. He called her over with plenty of enthusiasm.
“Hey, Mona!”
She went and gave him a more-than-friendly hug. Xavier and Rene exchanged a much more subdued, “Hi.”
“You girls should come play with us,” Bart suggested. “We need more players for our team.”
“I’m no good at volleyball,” Mona admitted.
“I am,” Rene said. “I wanna play.”
“Me, too,” Dawn said. She actually played a little in high school, and she was pretty sure she still had a decent serve.
“All right,” Mona said. “We’ll play with y’all. Give us a minute to go change.”
The girls went to put on bikini tops with shorts, and when they returned, they were the hottest thing on the sandy court. Dawn was the only one with a one-piece bathing suit, but she didn’t feel self-conscious anymore. Her temporary tattoo was beautiful, and her big boobs were absolutely succulent, with nary a stretch mark.
“I’ma be wearing a two-piece by this time next year,” she told Mona.
“I believe it,” Mona said. “You can do anything you set your mind to.”
The volleyball game with the Brazilians was ridiculous. Neither team had a good player on their side, and there was more laughing going on than scoring. And Rene and Xavier’s flirting was at an all-time high. They let half a dozen balls sail into the sand right in front of them because they were too busy giggling at something the other had said or staring at the curves on their mutually gorgeous physiques.
Xavier didn’t have a shirt on, and his chest and arms were cut like a middle-weight boxer’s. Rene had a slim waist and flat stomach like a dancer. Xavier couldn’t take his eyes off her jiggling breasts when she occasionally did make a play on the ball.
The couple virtually separated themselves from the group by the end of the game, and when it was over, no one was surprised that they had disappeared altogether.
***
Rene and Xavier went to their cabins to shower. They changed into shorts and tank tops and attended a yoga class in the spa. Rene couldn’t believe how limber Xavier was. She tried to keep her mind out of the gutter, but it was hard—especially when the Brazilian offered to help guide her body into some of the more difficult stretches she wasn’t accustomed to.
They followed that up with a couples’ massage session and a leisurely stroll through some of the gift shops on the Atlantic Deck. Later the couple found an empty lounge, and they talked for more than an hour. Rene was impressed by Xavier’s intelligence, and it was hard not to be blown away by his otherworldly charm.
At six-thirty Rene had to return to her room so she could change once more for supper. Tonight the ship was hosting a special event called the Captain’s Dinner, and everyone in the dining room was required to dress formally.
Xavier had to go to his own cabin to change into a tuxedo, but he was polite enough to walk Rene to her room first.
“I wish today was not our last day,” he said as they strolled past a beautiful Rolls Royce on the Lido Deck. “You are a very special woman, Rene. I would like to get to know more about you.”
“I want to know more about you, too,” Rene said. “I think what you’ve accomplished is awesome.”
“I have not accomplished anything important,” Xavier said. “I am a poor boy, from a poor city. I play sports for the university, but it is very hard to make it as a professional soccer player. That is why my major is engineering.”
“That’s what I’m talking about,” Rene said. “You’re athletic, but you know an education is more important. You’re smart and handsome. I think you’re going to do something great one day.”
Xavier laughed. “That, that is nice of you to say, Rene.”
“I’m not just saying it. I mean it.”
“Well, that is even better,” Xavier said. He opened his mouth to say something else, but thought better of it.
“What?” Rene asked.
He shook his head. “No. It is not always good to say what’s on your mind.”
“Why not?”
“It could, at times, be very awkward.”
“Sometimes,” Rene agreed. “But other times it’s good to follow your heart. Like me, for instance; I didn’t think I should tell you how I feel, but I may never see you again, and I’m not going to leave here with regrets.”
“But you have not told me how you feel,” Xavier said.
“I know,” Rene said. She grinned and looked away coyly.
“Maybe what you have to say is the same as what I have to say,” Xavier guessed.
“I get the feeling it is,” Rene said.
They were at her room by then. Rene leaned with her back against the door. Xavier stood before her with his hands in his pockets. He looked like he wanted to kiss her good night but was too nervous to do so.
“Maybe you could invite me inside,” Xavier said, “for coffee. And we could talk more about our feelings.”
Rene smiled and looked into his eyes. She shook her head. “I don’t have any coffee in my room, Xavier.”
“That is okay,” he said. “I do not drink coffee.”
Rene watched his eyes for a moment longer, and then she turned and opened her door. She stepped inside her cabin without looking back. Xavier followed her in and closed the door softly behind them.
***
Mona and Dawn arrived at the captain’s dinner at the same time, both looking as stunning as Angela Bassett on the red carpet. Mona’s dress was yellow and strapless, with an empire waist and a full, silk skirt. Dawn’s gown was metallic gray with spaghetti straps and a long-sleeved bolero jacket.
All of the other guests were dressed to the nines as well, and the atmosphere was quite regal. Dawn felt like she was at her senior prom—except there were no dumb jocks there with their shirts un-tucked and their bowties stuffed in their pockets.
For dinner the guests had a choice of roasted veal with mushroom cream sauce, seared pike perch with mixed vegetables or durum wheat pasta tossed with eggplant, zucchini, and plum tomato sauce. Before Dawn and Mona contemplated ordering without their friend, Rene entered the dining hall wearing a strapless chiffon gown. It was grapefruit pink with a sweetheart neckline and sequin bodice.
“Hey, y’all,” Rene said. She took a seat with her friends and casually lifted her menu from the table. Dawn and Mona stared at her until she looked up and noticed their expressions.
“What’s up?”
“What’s up with you?” Dawn asked.
“Nothing,” Rene said. “Why y’all looking at me like that?”
“Cut the shit,” Mona said. “Tell us where you been.”
Rene laughed. “Damn. Quit being nosey.”
“Girl, you’d better quit playing and tell us what happened,” Dawn said.
“You slept with Xavier, didn’t you?” Mona wanted to know.
“No, I did not,” Rene said, but her smile was much too sneaky.
Dawn put a hand to her mouth. “You did!”
“No, I didn’t,” Rene promised, still beaming.
“Yes, you did,” Mona said.
“I think I would know,” Rene said.
“You been with him for four hours,” Mona calculated.
“Yeah, and?” Rene returned her attention to her menu, but Dawn snatched it from her.
“Tell us what happened.”
“Y’all are really tripping,” Rene said.
“You slept with him,” Mona said. “Admit it.”
“I promise you I did not sleep with Xavier,” Rene said. “We just kicked it.”
“Where’d you go?” Dawn asked.
Rene chuckled and shook her head. “We went a lot of places. We went to one of those yoga classes.”
“Yoga?”
“Yes, yoga,” Rene told Dawn. “It was fun.”
“All that stretching and bending…” Mona said. “I know it got a little heated.”
“It was nice,” Rene said. “We went shopping after that, and we talked for awhile. And then he walked me to my cabin, and I changed and got ready for dinner. That was it.”
“He walked you to your cabin, or he walked in your cabin?” Mona asked.
“What do you want, a play-by-play?” Rene asked.
“Yeah,” Dawn said.
“I want the truth,” Mona said.
“All right, he did come inside,” Rene said, “but we just talked.”
“Yeah, right,” Mona said.
“What’d y’all talk about?” Dawn asked.
“Y’all know I like him,” Rene said. “He likes me, too. We talked about what it would be like if we tried to date or whatever. I was trying to figure out if a relationship was even possible, and we decided it wasn’t.”
“Why not?” Dawn asked.
“He lives in Brazil,” Rene reminded her.
“But he comes to Dallas every summer,” Dawn said.
“No.” Rene shook her head. “I’m with you on this one, Mona; I can’t do the long-distance thing. But it’s okay. I had a nice time with Xavier. We’re good friends, and we’ll always have our memories.”
“That’s it?” Mona asked. “You’re not going to keep in touch at all?”
“I’ll probably say hi to him every now and then on Facebook,” Rene said, “but as far as a relationship, no. We’re not going to try that.”
“Did y’all kiss when he was in your room?” Dawn asked with a grin.
“A little,” Rene said.
Mona’s eyes widened.
“Did he touch on you?” Dawn asked.
“Not that much,” Rene said.
“You slept with him,” Mona said.
“I told you I didn’t,” Rene said. “But he did leave me a nice video message to remember him by.”
“I wanna see,” Dawn said.
“All right,” Rene said. “But you’d better not start tripping. I’m telling you I didn’t sleep with the boy. I don’t know why y’all don’t believe me.”
“I believe you,” Dawn said.
“Thanks,” Rene said. She had her camcorder strapped to her wrist. She opened it and played the last file. Mona and Dawn leaned over her shoulders and watched the brief message.
“Hello, Rene. It is me, Xavier. I wanted to record this video so you would remember me after the cruise and maybe watch it sometimes, if you think of me.”
Xavier was wearing a blue tank top, and he spoke directly to the camera. Rene wasn’t in the shot, and it was clear she was holding the camcorder.
“I enjoyed the time I spent with you on this ship,” Xavier went on. He smiled. It was a bright, beautiful smile. “I wish our circumstances were different,” he said. “I believe you and I could have had something special. But life is not perfect, and these are the cards we were dealt.
“Maybe our decision is right. Maybe we are wrong. I suppose we may never know. What I can say for sure is you are a smart and beautiful woman, Rene, and I will not soon forget you. I wish for you all of the blessings under the sun. Hopefully we will meet again, one day…”
Xavier smiled, and then he walked towards the camera. The scene went out of focus as his chest filled the screen. The camera jostled, went out of focus again, and then recorded the ceiling. Next there was a sound that was immediately recognizable as smooching.
“Are you still recording?” Xavier asked.
“No,” Rene said off screen, and the video ended abruptly.
“Mmm,” Mona said and settled back in her chair.
“That was beautiful,” Dawn said. She sat back in her seat with a wistful grin.
“What’d y’all do after you recorded that?” Mona asked. “It looked like he was getting closer—and closer…”
“I already told you we kissed,” Rene said. She returned her camera to its pouch and took her menu from Dawn.
“If y’all did something, you need to tell it.”
Rene knew Mona wasn’t going to believe the truth, so she toyed with her friend’s head. “What happened between me and Xavier is our business. I’ll never tell you what really went on.”
Dawn’s jaw dropped. Rene turned and gave her a conspiratorial wink. Dawn giggled like she understood.
“I knew it!” Mona said. “You need to tell it, Rene!”
“You will never know what happened,” Rene repeated and stared down at her menu. “Ooh, I think I’m having the veal.”