| |
“Hello.”
Claudia nearly jumped out of her skin when she heard another person’s voice.
She had been pacing back and forth on a quiet upper deck that could only be accessed by a narrow metal staircase. It was the place Emily had fled to when she had gotten emotional about her upcoming nuptials.
It was quite the find. There weren’t many places on the ship where one could enjoy solitude while getting some exercise and admiring the ocean view. Claudia felt it was one of the ship’s best kept secrets. She hadn’t seen anyone else up there the entire time she had been walking.
But now, suddenly, a man of about fifty had appeared seemingly out of nowhere.
He was tall and distinguished-looking, with broad shoulders and a commanding presence. He had a thick head of dark hair, which was greying at the temples. There were prominent wrinkles on his forehead and around his eyes. He was neatly dressed in a collared polo shirt and meticulously-pressed chinos.
“You startled me,” Claudia told him, her heart still pounding. “I thought I was alone up here.”
“As did I,” he chuckled. “But it’s nice to have some company.” He extended his hand. “Stan Howard from Orlando.”
She shook his hand. “Claudia Porter from Prairie Crocus.”
He scrunched up his face in confusion. “From where?”
“Canada,” she told him. “The prairies.”
“Oh. I bet you’re happy to get away from all the snow, huh?”
“Well, there isn’t any snow there yet,” Claudia corrected him. “Give it another month or two and I’m sure we’ll have more snow than we know what to do with.”
“Shows what I know. We always cruise to places with hot, tropical climates.”
“Do you cruise often?”
“Yes,” Stan confirmed. “At least eight or nine times a year.”
“Wow! That sounds amazing!” Claudia exclaimed. “My parents have really taken to cruising now that they’re retired. But they don’t go quite that often - yet. I’m sure they’d love to. You and your wife must really love being at sea to cruise that many times a year.”
“My father,” Stan corrected her. “I travel with my father. I’m as single as the day I was born.” He stared at her expectantly, seemingly waiting for her reaction to what he had said.
Claudia smiled politely, all the while thinking to herself that it was time to leave. “My mistake.” She glanced at her wristwatch. “Oh, is it that late already? I should be going,” she told him apologetically. “I’m supposed to be meeting someone.”
“Husband?” Stan guessed, quite obviously trying to figure out whether she was single.
“Boyfriend.”
His jaw tensed ever so slightly at that. Then he offered Claudia a tight smile that didn’t quite seem genuine. “Lucky fellow. I wouldn’t want to make you late to meet him. You’d better get going! Enjoy the rest of your cruise.”
“You too.”
Claudia headed down to the main deck, where an action movie was playing on the massive outdoor screen. She scanned the rows and rows of people relaxing in lounge chairs with popcorn, certain she would find Scott there.
She didn’t see him.
She sent him a text asking where he was, but she didn’t get a reply.
With a shrug, Claudia decided to head back to the cabin. She felt hot and sticky after all her walking. A quick shower and a change of clothes would make her feel a million times better. After looking around to get her bearings, she was on her way.
“I wonder how many steps I’m averaging per day?” Claudia mused as she walked. It was more than she was used to, that much was certain.
The cruise ship really was huge. It was impressive.
Eventually, Claudia reached the hallway that led to her and Scott’s cabin. They had upgraded to a room with a balcony, which she didn’t regret one bit. Falling asleep to the sound of water lapping against the bottom of the ship and the scent of saltwater was indescribable.
Claudia swiped her key card and entered the room. She expected to find Scott napping, but the bed was empty. Then she heard a noise in the bathroom.
“Hello?” she called. “Scott?”
There was no reply.
Claudia glanced over and saw that the door was slightly ajar, but the bathroom light was off. Confused, she walked over and poked her head inside. “Scott?” she asked again, the hairs on the backs of her arms standing on end.
She walked over and pulled the thick navy shower curtain back.
A woman in her forties let out a startled squeak and leapt out of the shower.
Claudia gasped and stumbled backward. She quickly realized the woman was wearing the signature purple Mermaid Fantasy uniform, and she was holding one of the mostly-empty travel-size shampoo bottles that were provided each morning.
“You scared me!” the woman scolded Claudia. She had short, jet black hair and close set, narrow eyes. She pursed her lips and made a sound of disgust. “What were you doing, sneaking up on me like that? You’re going to give me a heart attack.”
“I scared you? You scared me!” Claudia retorted, still on edge. She took a deep breath. “Why didn’t you answer me when called out?”
“I didn’t hear you.”
“What are you doing here?”
“Cleaning,” the woman replied, holding up the shampoo bottle as evidence.
“I didn’t see your cleaning cart outside.”
“It’s down the hall.”
“Oh. Why were you in here with the lights off? It’s dark.”
“I was only coming in to empty the garbage,” the woman explained. She tossed the used bottle into the trash bin and pulled out the bag. “Shouldn’t you be out having fun instead of hiding here in your cabin?”
“I’m not hiding,” Claudia protested. “I came back to have a shower.”
“Well then you’re lucky I’m about to bring you fresh shampoo, aren’t you? I’ll be right back.”
Claudia was left speechless as the woman pushed past her and left the cabin. She had an abrasive personality - or was it simply assertive? She had a much different demeanor than Rosa, the ship employee Claudia had interacted with earlier.
When the woman returned with shampoo, Claudia decided to try to smooth things over.
“I’m sorry I scared you,” she told the woman. “My name is Claudia, by the way. Claudia Porter.”
“Fatima Patel,” the woman replied. She set three tiny bottles of shampoo down on the bathroom counter. “I gave you an extra one,” she said, her eyes lingering on Claudia’s long red tresses. “With all that hair, you’ll need it.”
“Thank you,” Claudia told her.
Fatima nodded curtly and then abruptly left the room.
With a shrug, Claudia locked the door and got ready for her shower. She was actually grateful for the extra bottle of shampoo. There was never enough product in those tiny bottles for her liking. It had been thoughtful of Fatima to give her an extra one.
The cruise ship employee wasn’t the most charming person Claudia had ever encountered, but so what? Sometimes Claudia had to remind herself that not everyone on the ship was on vacation. Some people were at work. It was a startling realization every time.
