Merissa read Chad’s, and it matched with hers. “It appears they have assigned me the wrong roommate. Rest assured, sir, we will not be switching rooms.”
At that moment, a brown-eyed charmer of a man peeked in. “Came to check out my new roommate.” He grinned, and when he locked eyes with Amy, Merissa could see her melt.
“Not happening!” Merissa said. “We will go to guest services and they will sort it all out.”
Chad spoke up. “Of course we will. Skip was just fooling around.”
“Speak for yourself. That little gal is a lot more appealing than you, right now.” He never took his eyes off Amy. His gaze was not in any way offensive and Merissa gave him credit for that.
Amy returned to the door and offered Skip her hand in greeting. The name is Amy Patterson, and I suppose living next door will have to be close enough.” Both of them locked expressions and when Merissa noticed the tiny grin that squeezed from the corners of Amy’s lips she knew the romance bug had hit her friend – and they hadn’t even left the port yet. She glanced at Chad, hoping for a more mature response. His solid expression clarified her hope.
“Why don’t you grab your boarding passes and keys, and we’ll head there right now? Our luggage hasn’t arrived yet, anyway,” Merissa said.
“According to the brochure that shows the ship’s layout, we won’t have far to go. Guest services is on this floor,” said Chad.
“You’ve checked it out?” Merissa asked.
“Before I came over. I suspected you wouldn’t be up for a new room-mate this early in the cruise.”
“Or ever,” Merissa said, making sure Chad knew she was not that kind of girl.
“Helps we’re on a Christian cruise. I’m sure the desk will have no trouble switching us,” Amy said. “See Merissa – God’s looking out for you already.”
Amy was right, and the lady behind the counter was full of apologies, with no clear answers how the mix-up occurred.
Merissa laughed and elbowed Amy and spoke in a low voice to her friend. “Quite sure the source of the problem started at the North Pole.” Chad stood behind her and when she stepped back – the updated sheet in her grasp – she stumbled over him.
“Sorry,” Chad said. With an embarrassed gaze, he cleared his throat and yelled to Skip. “Smile for the camera. Don’t want your mug shot to get you into trouble again.”
The lady behind the desk spoke. “There, you are all updated in the system. Amy Patterson with Merissa James, and Skip Jacobs with Chad Livingston. Everyone assigned and registered in their proper accommodations. I trust this has not been an inconvenience.”
Skip hooked his arm through Amy’s. “No trouble at all, Ma’am. You saved me the trouble of searching the entire ship for this beauty. We can get this cruise rolling in a proper fashion, now.”
Merissa rolled her eyes and muttered, “And here it starts.” She was relieved to witness Chad’s expression of agreement at her comment. At least one of our neighbors was on the same page as her.
The captain’s voice came over the loudspeaker, welcoming the guests aboard and asking all guests to return to their staterooms so the muster training for emergency procedures could begin.
Chad smiled when they reached their rooms. “Sorry about the inconvenience. Hope that hasn’t set you against us.” He was addressing his concern to Merissa for Amy, at this point, was beyond regretting the accidental meeting. The mix-up had accomplished a work-of-magic between her and Skip. Merissa dreaded the Exposé that was sure to erupt as soon as the door closed behind them.
“Certainly not, Chad. These things happen – I suppose.” Merissa knew that she had not thoroughly examined the contents of the registration sheets when she’d received the surprise manila envelope. The misunderstanding was most likely on her end. The North Pole had messed up, but she’d put it behind her and move forward.
Suitcases lined the hallway, and Skip wheeled Amy’s luggage into the room and took Chad’s from in front of their doorway. Chad did the gentleman thing and pulled Merissa’s inside. Before Chad closed them in, he nodded. “Good evening, ladies. Enjoy the cruise.”
A half hour later, after following the staff’s lead, Merissa and Amy found themselves in the Grand Theater, which turned out to be their official musters station in case of a real emergency. They watched the crew as they demonstrated how to put on a life jacket and all the steps they should follow, should this be an actual disaster. Our new neighbors ended up sitting next to us with Amy and Skip side-by-side in the middle. Merissa poked her several times to gain her attention and then resolved to whisper in her ear. “Remember the Titanic. Pay Attention!”
The passengers were dismissed, and the pair, engrossed in conversation, pushed on ahead. Chad moved in beside Merissa. “Do you think we lost our friends right off the get-go?”
“It appears to look that way.” Hypnotized by his deep blue eyes, Merissa disconnected from his intense gaze and broke out in a cold sweat. She swallowed hard. “No matter – I’m here for rest and relaxation. Amy is far too exuberant for my mood these days.” Merissa figured boredom would send this gorgeous specimen elsewhere on the ship to find his female distraction. That was not to be the case.
“I’ve been working too long without a break myself, and my body is screaming slow down. No better place to be confined than in a ship at sea.”
“Where do you work?” Merissa asked.
“Part of the international Human Resources department with my company. We’re stationed all over the world, and I’m their go-to person when things fall apart on location.”
“Ah, so you’re the middleman who takes all the punches?”
“Not quite. I’m the middleman who has the last say, so they butter me up as best they can, hoping I’ll side with them in their debate for justice in the workplace.”
“And do you fall prey to their bribery?” asked Merissa.
“Not at all. Just soak up the pampering, then dish out the verdict at the end of the sessions.”
“Helps they won’t see you again,” Merissa said.
“But they do. I enjoy healthy relationships with many teams. I believe we solve more problems with honey than the bee-sting.”
“So true!”
“What do you do to earn a living?” Chad asked.
“I’m on the leadership team at a magazine, Stacked. You may have heard of it. I give you fair warning; we’re always on the look-out for the next great story.”
“You a writer?” Chad asked.
“No, further up the chain. I design the layout of the magazine and make the cuts to what goes inside and what lands in the rubbish pile.”
“Ah, you’re the boss that the little man at the bottom of the totem pole slaves to please.”
“I like to think I’m fair to the employees and the magazine,” Merissa said.
“I have no doubt you are. You seem like a reasonable woman to me, and one that does not fly off the handle without cause – displayed by our little crisis earlier. A woman with solutions!”
Merissa did not bother to respond to that statement. She stopped outside her stateroom door and withdrew the key-card from the pocket of her pants. “We’re here now. Suppose I will see you around.” She opened the door, and a reluctant Amy sauntered in behind.
The girls changed into casual dresses, high heels, and dangly earrings. They were signed up for fine dining and headed down to the fourth floor to find their seating. A male host welcomed them at the door, and after examining their sea-passes ushered them across the room to an appealing table set for four. The backdrop was a full-sized window overlooking a small rear deck. The blue sea undulated in response to the working propellers beneath and sent enormous waves streaming out behind the ship. A sky that held the promise of a magnificent sunset faced them and Merissa felt content. The head waiter and his assistant held each of their chairs and seated them then shook the linen serviette and placed it – with a touch of grace – upon their knees.
Merissa gr
inned at Amy. Her friend was not used to high-class dining. Her job convened where the rubber meets the road and involved working with more of an everyday bunch of characters who hung out at pubs for entertainment and who held banners and marched against the injustices of the world. Merissa loved her and cherished their differences, whereas Amy, who lived every moment in the present, was not afraid to put her up-town-friend in her place when necessary.
When the two men from next door stopped at their table, Merissa groaned, and Amy’s face lit up like the lights on the Christmas tree across from them.
“So, the mix up continues,” Merissa said.
Skip took the seat next to Amy. “If this is another mistake by the administration, it is minor, and I can handle it.” By the grin pasted on Amy’s face, she agreed.
Chad pulled out the chair next to Merissa and waited. “Do you mind sharing meals with us?”
“Of course, not,” Merissa said. Chad appeared every bit the gentleman and this sharing of the table for the evening meal would keep Amy off her back as to her lack of interest in socializing with men.
The waiters introduced themselves as Sache and Petro. While the men catered to their every need as professionals, they remained personable and fun. So, between the efficient duo serving us, and the couple across the table displaying their hilarious antics at such fancy dining manners, Merissa and Chad remained in stitches throughout the entire five courses. The kitchen served up special bread, appetizers, soup or salad, a main course, and dessert, as little or as much as one could put away.
“I didn’t know people ate partridge?” said Skip.
“Really? I suppose they don’t include them on fast food menus.” Chad poked his friend with an elbow.
“It looks half raw, but it has a lovely, subtle taste,” said Amy sounding all-knowing like a food critic. Eating the game bird was a food experience she could check off her never-ending bucket list – if she ever included it.
“Ah, yes, subtle like you,” said Merissa with a slight chuckle.
“It’s probably loaded with calories,” Amy complained.
“Only about two-hundred and twenty, for a roasted bird of that size,” said Sache.
“With everything else I’ve eaten, I should give up dessert,” said Amy rubbing her belly.
“Oh, no, Miss. This is your first night of the Twelve Days of Christmas. You must try the Pear Cake delight!”
“Pears! Dah – Now I get the whole name-theme of the menu,” Amy spouted while rolling her eyes.
The foursome set up singing the first line of the well-known Christmas ditty. “On the first day of Christmas, my true love gave to me – a partridge in a pear tree.”
When guests from the surrounding tables joined in the merriment, the entire dining hall erupted into laughter. Merissa laughed the hardest, and it provided such a relief to unload the heaviness inside. She took a sip of her wine. “Oh, my that felt good.”
Amy piped in. “Probably that’s because you haven’t laughed in over a year.”
Chad looked at Merissa with new interest, and she squirmed under his scrutiny while her face reddened with embarrassment. He looked away and addressed Amy.
“I prefer a woman who doesn’t giggle about every little thing in life. It shows depth and character.” He focused on Merissa again. “I hear laughter does the heart good, like a medicine.”
“Touché! Sounds like he’s a perfect match, Merissa,” said Amy as she giggled and nudged Skip. He was eating up the attention, and it was plain to see they would become an item – at least for the next thirteen days.
Merissa was certain her face could not get any hotter. She vowed to set her friend straight on suitable comments when they got back to their room.
Before they’d finished eating, Skip and Amy had planned the entire evening – as a foursome. Merissa gazed out the window at the sun that was almost ready to drop below the horizon.
“Perhaps we can meet you at the show,” said Chad, “I’d like to get some air, on the deck.” He turned to Merissa. “Would you care to join me?”
How could she say no? Anything was better than sitting here – prime targets for the children across the table who did not know how to guard their tongues. It appeared Skip had Chad on his chopping block same as Amy whittled away at Merissa. They’d drooped the ax on both of them multiple times during the meal.
Out on the deck, Merissa drank in the smell of sea salt and held her face to the wind to taste it in the air. The waves, according to the captain, were a mere four feet, great weather to embark upon the journey. Chad remained quiet for the longest time, and she appreciated that he did not demand center stage and seemed content to stand side by side to marvel at nature.
“I love to stand at the water’s edge with my parents and watch the sunset. I never tired of it,” Chad reminisced as if talking to himself.
“You grew up on the ocean?” Merissa asked.
“North Carolina. My folks still live there,” Chad said.
“How wonderful. Mine are both gone,” Merissa said.
“Sorry to hear that. You’ve known much grief in your young life.”
“Too much.” Merissa glanced at him and wondered if Amy had spilled the beans to the men about Kyle and her most recent grief. No, probably not. At dinner, her friend had danced around Merissa’s struggles, but to her credit, focused on the outward results in plain view for anyone to see. At least she had enough grace to let Merissa tell her own stories when, and if, she chose to.
“I have a sister and a niece that fill my life with unexpected surprises.” Merissa laughed. “And then there is Amy.”
“Understood.”
Chad’s smile reached up and touched the corners of his eyes, and the red hue from the sky reflected into the blue depths within. The sheer volume of intensity stole Merissa’s breath. She looked away.
The woman intrigued Chad. Amy hinted at her need to be plucked from the abyss, but he didn’t understand what that statement could involve. Merissa portrayed the image of an angel, perhaps with a broken wing, but definitely not living anywhere close to the abyss.
“So, are you ready for the theater? I liked the plan involving the show and then hanging out in the lounge later,” said Chad.
“I think country music is on tap tonight. I enjoy bluegrass, old and new country. Seems like our friends chose a fun evening.” Merissa laughed. “I’m sure it will surprise Amy when I show up at the theater with a man I haven’t scared off, yet.”
“I don’t scare easy, Miss James.”
Spectators packed the room and when Merissa and Chad arrived, they ended up sitting in the risers, a few rows up from Amy and Skip. The couple below waved when they noticed they had secured two of the few remaining coveted seats. The lights dimmed, and the curtain opened on Act one. Following a religious theme, the first day of Christmas symbolized God as true love and Jesus Christ as the partridge. It held all the elements of great entertainment – emotional highs and lows floating through the room until every spectator understood the allegory of God’s love and His Son’s sacrifice in a refreshing and rather creative way. The room thundered with applause when the final curtain closed and the house lights came on. She noticed Chad wipe a tear from his eye but turned away so as not to embarrass him.
They waited by the elevator for Amy and Skip to catch up – each lost in thought. Excitement spilled from the fast exiting crowd. Amy hugged Merissa.
“Can you believe that play? It was amazing, both serious and hilarious. Spot on, right? Just like you preach all the time,” Skip said.
“Truth and fun all rolled into one. I’ll never look at a partridge the same way,” Merissa said.
“Are you in the habit of looking at partridges?” asked Skip. He poked at Amy and they both studied her, waiting for a response to his silly question.
“Probably not. But you must admit it gives one food for thought,” said Merissa, leveling her gaze on Chad, “and sheds new light on the carefree ditty we sing at Christma
s.”
“Agreed – much food for thought,” said Chad.
The doors to the elevator slid open, and they piled in. Partridges with happy smiling faces hung from the ceiling and swayed to the background music as the group headed up to the 6th floor.
“See all those happy expressions smiling down at us. They were the birds that escaped the cooking pot tonight,” said Chad. Everyone laughed, and Merissa startled when Chad slipped his fingers through hers – but she did not pull them away – and for that, she scored herself ten for effort.
When they stepped off the elevator, they all turned away from the stateroom hallways and moved in the direction that walked through a quiet internet station filled with couches and chairs overlooking the sea, past the Service desk, and at the far end of the ship walked into the lounge that played the toe-stomping sound of a Brad Paisley tune. Dancers clung to one another’s waists and created a train of circles around a huge Christmas tree in the middle of the room decorated in its entirety with partridges and pears. The staff handed out party hats to everyone. While wearing it, the crowd provided a resting perch in a pear-tree-nest on top of their heads, home base for any misguided or lost partridge flying around the ship. A safe refuge. None did, but the crown-nest created quite the spectacle of people on the dance floor. It was fun and weird at the same time, and Merissa found herself smiling more often than not.
Dove Magic
“I wonder why they call these lovely birds turtle-doves?” asked Amy.
“I’m sure we will find out before the day is over,” Merissa said.
“Or you could ask me,” Chad said.
The girls had been chatting away at breakfast and totally ignoring the two men that once again joined them in the formal dining room. The cruise lines had assigned the table to them, as well, so Merissa expected they’d be joining them for all the meals. Ignoring them was easy for her, but she wondered if Amy was on the outs with Skip – already – for she’d not spoken to him since he sat down other than a brief hello. Or perhaps Amy had once again taken over the martyr role for the grief-stricken fiancé.
Christmas Cruise in July Page 3