Difficult Lessons

by Tammie Welch

“No, I can wait for dinner. It is 4:45. Why don’t we go to the room and get showered and ready for dinner? I don’t want to be late.”

  “We won’t be late. Let’s go on up though. If we shower together, we might have a little extra time. I would hate to waste a wonderfully romantic cruise.” Cynthia was the one with the devious look this time. Sara could not help but laugh out loud when she saw it.

  As they walked by the dining room, Sara glanced in. “Looks like they are decorating it up nicely for dinner. I guess that is why it is closed.”

  “Must be,” Cynthia agreed.

  Sara needed the vacation more than Cynthia did. The final month at school had been brutal for her. After she refused to resign immediately, Michaels tried to make things rough for her. She had asked if she could stay late in the afternoons to pack things up in her classroom. He refused to allow this. She would go in early in the mornings and pack boxes and take them to her car before school started. She worked as late as she could in the afternoons to get things cleared out. Fifteen years of teaching in the same room had allowed her to accumulate quite a bit of material that had to be moved, but by the last day of school, she had cleared all of it out.

  The three days of post planning went by painfully slow. Sara was anxious to go away with Cynthia. She had worked hard to set everything up without Cynthia knowing anything about it. It would be the surprise of a lifetime. She had to let a few secrets out. She had to tell her something so that she would get her birth certificate. She also had to tell her something to get her to buy a suit that would be appropriate for the biggest surprise. Sara’s mom and dad, Mel, Kathy, and Karen were all in on the secret, but no one let on to Cynthia.

  Sara had managed to contact Cynthia’s parents and tell them what she had planned. She had hoped that they would be happy for their daughter. She invited them to go on the cruise with them and even offered to pay for their tickets. They flatly refused to have anything to do with it. Sara was disappointed. She decided that she would not even tell Cynthia about contacting them.

  Chapter 26

  Sara was sitting on the bed in the suite when Cynthia emerged from the bathroom. The beautiful woman stunned her as she moved through the room. Cynthia was wearing the tailored black suit that Sara had convinced her to buy. The pants were a perfect fit for Cynthia’s hips. The light material was just clingy enough to enhance her luscious thighs without being too revealing. The crisp white button up shirt hugged her body perfectly. The jacket was just large enough to look comfortable, yet distinguished. It was perfect. Sara almost wished she did not have plans for this evening. Seeing how beautiful Cynthia was standing there made Sara want her even more.

  “What do you think?” Cynthia’s voice shook Sara from her thoughts.

  “Wow! You look absolutely awesome. Turn for me. Let me get a look at the entire package.”

  Cynthia giggled as she walked across the room as if she was a model on a catwalk and turned toward Sara. Sara laughed at the overly exaggerated awkward walk, but could not take her eyes off of the woman performing it. “You look perfect. I will feel like the ugly duckling walking in with you my dear. I guess I need to get on in the shower and see what I can do to make myself look at least presentable enough to be seen with you tonight. With all of these other women around, I will have to keep my eyes on you at all times.”

  “Stop it and go get ready. I am starting to get hungry myself.” Cynthia playfully slapped Sara on the butt as she walked by her.

  Sara showered quickly, but dressed with care. She had bought a suit similar to Cynthia’s. She looked in the mirror once she had the pants and shirt on. She knew that she would not look as good as Cynthia, but that was all right with her. It was Cynthia who was important tonight. She dried and combed her hair. When everything was perfect, she pulled the jacket on and walked out of the bathroom to find Cynthia staring at her.

  “We look like twins!” Cynthia laughed.

  “Yeah, a little. I liked your suit so I looked for one similar to it. It is five minutes to six. We probably should be heading down to the dining room. I don’t know how big it is. It might fill up quickly.”

  ***

  The Maître D’ greeted them with a smile. “Your names, ladies?”

  “Sara Carson and Cynthia Wesley.” Sara spoke softly.

  “Ah. There you are. Follow me.”

  The dining room was decorated beautifully. The tables were covered in pastel linens, all of which were different colors. Each centerpiece was made of fresh gardenias. You could smell their fragrance as you entered the room. Crystal chandeliers hung from the ceiling and were trimmed in ivy with silk gardenias.

  “Why are we at the front of the room?” Cynthia whispered to Sara. “I wonder if they would move us somewhere in the back less conspicuous.”

  The gentleman pulled each chair out for them and made sure they were comfortable before returning to his post at the door. Their backs were to door as Sara had requested. She did not want Cynthia to see anything while they were waiting.

  Sara turned to look at the door. “It looks like the place is filling up fast. We can just stay here and make the best of it. I think it is pretty cool. Just enjoy it.” Sara grabbed Cynthia’s hand as she spoke. Cynthia smiled that gorgeous smile. Sara caught a glimpse of Mel and Kathy walking in before she turned back around in her chair.

  “Well ain’t this some shit?” Cynthia jumped at the sound of Mel’s voice. “I didn’t realize that this was the cruise you two were taking, Sara. You should have told me. We could have gotten rooms near each other.”

  “Well this is a surprise.” Sara was not sure if Cynthia was buying the faked surprise. Kathy hugged Cynthia and was seated by the Maître D’.

  “This is great. I told Mel that I was not sure about taking a cruise with a bunch of people that I don’t know, but she tried to assure me that everything would be okay. I can’t believe that we ran into you two on the first night.” Kathy was quite chatty. Sara knew it was from working in the bar. She had to talk a lot in there and it just carried over outside of the place.

  Shortly after Mel and Kathy came in, Karen was directed over to the table. Sara knew that by this time Cynthia was not going to believe this was a complete coincidence.

  “Karen!” Sara feigned her surprise again. “I am glad that you could get booked on this cruise.”

  “Me too. When you told me that you were taking Cynthia, I thought it would be a great getaway. I called up my travel agent and she managed to get me booked.”

  “With you, Mel, and Kathy here, it is almost like home. This is going to be a blast. Now maybe Cynthia will relax. She has been so jumpy since we boarded.”

  Karen patted Cynthia’s shoulder. “Relax chick. You will have a great time. This is the fourth cruise I have taken. They are great.”

  “I am sure I will have a good time. Now who is going to tell me what is going on here?” Cynthia cut right to the chase on that one.

  “What do you mean?” Sara’s innocent act was not believable at all.

  “This is just not a coincidence. This smells royally like a set-up. Someone spill it.”

  “What are we spilling?” Sara’s father’s voice was unmistakable.

  “Someone better start talking.” Cynthia spoke as she laughed hugged both of Sara’s parents.

  “Okay I will tell it.” Mel was taking control. Sara knew that she could pull something off and make Cynthia believe it. “Sara told all of us that she was surprising you and taking you on this cruise. She was afraid that you would be uncomfortable on it. She asked all of us to come along to help you feel better. She didn’t want to tell you that we were all coming. She wanted it to be a surprise.”

  A few other people were seated at the table that they did not know. Quick introductions were made and everyone was chatting. Cynthia began to relax and let go of her suspicious feelings. Mel’s explanation seemed to have worked for now.

  The dining room was full and the staff was serving drinks. The captain enter
ed and walked to the stage. “Good evening. I am Captain Warner. I hope that all of you are enjoying yourselves so far. I have a couple of announcements that need to be made before our meal is served.” He went through a list of standard announcements including where they would be stopping and different activities on board. “We also have a few distinguished guests on board with us for this trip. If you did not know before we left port, I am sure that you have figured out that this is a lesbian cruise. Under normal circumstances, there would be no men on this trip except for the staff and crew. We do have one male on board with us that is not employed on the ship and I feel that I need to make his presence known so that no one gets upset. Mr. Stan Carson, would you please stand. Mr. Carson is on board with us for this trip for a very special reason. His daughter, Ms. Sara Carson has a surprise for a very special lady. Ms. Carson, would you and Ms. Wesley step up here please?”

  Cynthia shot a look at Sara that would have pierced steel. Sara smiled and reached for Cynthia’s hand and led her to the stage where the captain was standing.

  “Ladies, and gentleman,” the captain nodded at Sara’s father. “Ms. Carson here has something she would like to say. Go ahead Ms. Carson.”

  Sara smiled nervously at Cynthia. “Cynthia, since the day I met you, I have been infatuated with you. The more time I spent with you, the more that infatuation turned into love. I have worked really hard putting all of this together, so I hope that you do not turn me down here in front of everyone. Cynthia, will you do me the honor of committing yourself to me for life, right here in front of everyone on board this gorgeous boat?”

  Cynthia was completely speechless for a few seconds. A tear ran down her cheek as she spoke. “Of course I will. I love you with all of my heart, Sara.” Cynthia put her arms around Sara’s neck and kissed her. “I’m going to strangle you when I get you in private,” she playfully whispered.

  The entire dining room stood and applauded. Sara grinned from ear to ear. Cynthia cried and smiled at the same time.

  After the applause stopped the captain spoke again. “I have to tell you this. Ms. Carson has planned this entire thing without the knowledge of Ms. Wesley. The only thing that she told Ms. Wesley was that she was taking her on a vacation. She knew nothing of the friends and family that would be joining them until they walked in here. If it is acceptable with everyone, we would like to have the Commitment Ceremony before dinner is served.”

  Cheers, whistles, and applause echoed throughout the room.

  “Great. Ladies, are you ready?”

  “I think we are,” Sara answered looking at Cynthia. Cynthia could only smile and nod through her tears.

  “Can we get the rest of the party up here with us?” The captain motioned for everyone to come around. A young lady brought a bridal bouquet of white and lavender flowers to both Sara and Cynthia. Everyone was placed in a position so that all of the guests in the dining room could see each one.

  Captain Warner began the ceremony when everyone was in place. Sara had requested to speak to Cynthia instead of reciting standard wedding vows. She was slightly choked up when she began to speak.

  “We met solely by chance, or so it seemed at the time. I was awe-struck by your beauty and grace. I did not know at the time that we were put together by a power much more knowing than us. A power that knew I would need strength and stability in a trying time. You were a rock sent for me to lean on. I only hope that in the future, I can be that same rock for you, should you need it. I make this vow to you now, in front of all of these people. I promise you, Cynthia, to be there for you, to love and support you, to take care of you when you need it, and to be your loving partner for the rest of our lives.”

  Captain Warner turned to Cynthia, who was still smiling and crying. “What would you like to say to Sara?”

  Cynthia turned toward everyone and tried to speak, but nothing came out. She cleared her throat and began again. “I am so stunned by this. As you all can see, this is the most fabulous woman on the planet. I cannot believe that she has done this and it has left me absolutely speechless.” Turning back to Sara, “When I first saw you, I was drawn to you. I could not explain it at the time. Like you said, it was a power beyond us that put us in the same place at the same time. I know that over the last few months you have gone through some trying times. I have tried to be there for you and do whatever I could to help you. I plan to do the same in the future. I plan to love you more tomorrow than I do today because my love for you is constantly growing. I plan to support you in every aspect of our lives together. I plan to take care of you when you need it and let you take care of me when I need it. I plan to spend the rest of my life with you. I love you, Sara Carson. I know this probably sounds pretty lame, but that is the best I can do on the spur of the moment.”

  “I think that summed things up nicely,” the captain said as he turned to take something from Mel. He handed a small box to both Sara and Cynthia. “Ladies, if you will open each of the boxes at this time.”

  Cynthia glanced at Sara questioningly. Sara only smiled knowingly as she opened hers. The rings were gold bands with two interlocking female symbols on the top. The symbols were outlined in each of their birthstones. The words “love and friendship” were engraved on the inside of the bands.

  “Ladies, each of you holds a ring that is a sign of your commitment to each other. If you will place the rings on each other’s hand.” Sara gently slid the ring she was holding on Cynthia’s hand and squeezed.

  Cynthia was shaking uncontrollably as she tried to place the ring on Sara’s finger. She finally managed to get it on.

  The captain spoke again. “Some people spend their entire lives looking for the perfect love. Others stumble upon it by chance and do not realize it. Only a few come across true love and are lucky enough to realize what they do. Looking at these two lovely ladies, I truly believe that they have found that true love. Ladies, would you two mind sealing your commitment to each other with a kiss?”

  “Not at all,” Sara said with a huge smile. It was as exciting as the very first time she had placed her lips on Cynthia’s.

  “Now, let us return to our table and enjoy our meal that the fantastic crew has prepared for us,” the captain said with a smile.

  Close to the end of the meal the captain stood. “May I have your attention once again? My crew and I have a little surprise for these lovely ladies, and everyone else. I asked Ms. Carson during our planning, what she wanted to do for a reception. She had stated that her parents and few close friends would be with her and they would just make the most of the evening themselves. Well, I can’t let that happen. We have the lounge next door set up for a reception. Everything is taken care of. There are drinks, snacks, of course music for dancing, and something else that I can’t quite remember.”

  As the captain finished the last sentence, a door opened and a young woman wheeled out a cart with a huge wedding cake on it. It was four tiers high. Rainbow streamers and flowers surrounded the cake. It was also decorated with small rainbow rosettes. Sitting on top was a beautiful topper with two brides.

  “Oh yeah.” The captain’s words broke through the surprise that had engulfed Cynthia and Sara. That’s it. We have a cake for you ladies. This is compliments of our staff.”

  Sara was the speechless one this time. She never expected a reception, much less a cake.

  “Ms. Carson, is everything all right?” The captain was looking at her.

  “Yes. I am just surprised. I really didn’t expect this.”

  “Well, we figured if you could pull off all of these surprises for Ms. Wesley, we could pull one or two off for you.”

  “You certainly did that,” Sara laughed

  Sara and Cynthia received well wishes and hugs from everyone that had witnessed their commitment as they entered the lounge. They danced and mingled with other passengers until midnight.

  “Why don’t we sneak off to our room?” Sara had a devious look on her face when she spoke to Cynthia.
r />   “That sounds very good to me. Should we tell anyone where we are going?”

  “I’ll take care of it.” Sara turned and walked to the stage where the band was playing. After saying something to one of the members, Sara stepped onto the stage and took the microphone. “I have a short speech I would like to make. I think I can speak for both of us when I say that the rest of the cruise might be rather pale in comparison to tonight. Mom, Dad, Karen, Mel, and Kathy, you are the best friends and family that we could ask for. You have gone above and beyond for both of us. To everyone else, thank you for making this an incredible evening. We are going to take our leave now. I hope to see each and every one of you throughout the cruise, but for now I have a lovely woman that I need to take away from you for the remainder of the evening. Have a great night, and again, thanks for making all of this absolutely wonderful.”

  Everyone applauded as Sara made her way back over to Cynthia.

  “Are you ready to go?”

  Cynthia nodded and smiled.

  ***

  The stars danced in the night sky as the salty air tickled their noses. They stopped at the railing and watched the water go by in the night. The full moon was directly overhead. The waves danced in its light. Cynthia laid her head on Sara’s shoulder and sighed a contented sigh.

  “It’s beautiful, isn’t it?” Sara kissed her head as she asked the question.

  “Not nearly as beautiful as you are. I cannot believe that you did all of this for me. No one has ever even come close to doing something this wonderful.” Cynthia turned and put her arms around Sara’s waist.

  “You deserve every bit of it sweetie. I hope this is not the last wonderful surprise that I am able to give you. I am also glad you didn’t turn me down in front of all those people.”

  Their lips met in a deep kiss. Something about the gentle rocking of the boat, the stars, and the moon made it even more passionate than any kiss had ever been.