Page 39 of The Cruise Club

Betty Cunningham and Holden Jackson were celebrating when Carmen got back to her cabin and heard music. ‘Are you all right?’ Carmen asked as she knocked on her mother’s door.

The door swung open, and Betty stood with a glass in her hand. She wore a Diamond Star T-shirt and cruise-themed cap. ‘Here she is,’ Betty said, moving back as Carmen entered the room. ‘My daughter has come to put a downer on our day.’

‘Of course I haven’t,’ Carmen said as she looked around the room, where Holden was sprawled on the bed wearing a T-shirt and cap that matched Betty’s. He spun a keychain between his fingers and sipped champagne from a logoed mug. ‘What have you both been up to?’ Carmen asked.

‘You might be surprised to hear that we won first prize at the Golden Oldies Dance Like No One Is Watching afternoon event.’ Betty grinned. ‘Holden and I showed off a few moves that impressed the judges and added a little humour to win us a few extra points.’

Carmen thought that the judges must be blind, and the audience certainly wasn’t watching. Her mother’s humour could clear a room faster than a fire alarm, and her wit was probably best enjoyed with earplugs and a stiff drink.

‘How wonderful, I’m very happy for you both.’ Carmen smiled. ‘Was the prize champagne?’

‘A bottle each and a bag full of Diamond Star goodies.’ Betty wandered over to the bed and sat down beside Holden.

‘How are your poor old bones after all that dancing?’ Carmen asked.

Betty sighed dramatically and reached out for Holden’s hand. ‘I’m in constant pain,’ she said, ‘but I wouldn’t want to hold my Holden back with my suffering. I just quietly grin and bear it.’

Carmen saw ‘My Holden’ smile sympathetically at his Bet and she knew it was time to leave the couple alone. Whatever magic he was weaving over Betty in the form of spiritual pain relief, Carmen hoped it would continue, at least until the end of the cruise.

‘Don’t wait for me this evening,’ Betty said. ‘Holden is treating me to dinner in the Atrium restaurant.’ She smiled lovingly and stroked Holden’s fingers. ‘He’s reserved a table for Jaden Bird’s tasting menu.’

‘That sounds like an amazing treat,’ Carmen said.

As Carmen closed the door, she thought about the cost of a meal in the Atrium and knew the tasting menu would cover a month’s shopping at home.

Holden must be loaded. Entering her own cabin, she wondered if the dinner was to celebrate something special.

Perhaps Holden was celebrating his birthday?

Carmen flopped down on her bed, and as she kicked off her shoes, she fantasised wildly about Betty jetting off to the States to live in Holden’s Florida home, which was probably luxurious.

Had Holden come on this cruise specifically to meet someone?

After all, Betty was single and had assets that amounted to a tidy sum.

Despite needing updating, Desbett House, set in an acre of grounds, was worth a great deal, and Carmen’s dad had left his family more than adequately provided for with investments that had paid substantial dividends over the years.

Carmen stared at the ceiling and considered that many older couples met on cruises.

Sometimes, they even tied the knot on the ship.

Carmen couldn’t imagine that Betty’s serendipitous meeting with Holden would lead to anything more than enjoyable company for both during their holiday.

No one in their right mind would put up with Betty for long.

Carmen sighed and daydreamed about life without Betty. It would free her to pursue her own dream, filling her days with writing in a place of her own, somewhere that Carmen could truly call home.

She remembered Villa Galini in Maxos – the charming retreat overlooking the sea with steps patterned in pretty mosaic tiles and terracotta pots on either side of a blue front door.

The villa, three stories high, boasted overhanging balconies and a terrace, and she could almost imagine the pleasure of sitting there, watching the world drift by.

Carmen stretched, turning to hug her pillow, allowing herself a fantasy of the lonely writer blossoming in her new home.

Every morning, she’d wake to the soft rustling branches of the fir tree outside before throwing open the shutters to reveal the horseshoe-shaped beach below.

Carmen would eat breakfast on a balcony, enjoying local yoghurt laced with delicious honey supplied by the elderly man who slept on the bench.

Isolation would feel like a companion, and her words would flow in this peaceful place.

The phone rang, waking Carmen from her dreams. Wondering if Betty needed assistance with dressing for the evening, she answered it.

‘Hello, Mum, what can I help you with?’

‘Hello, my darling, isn’t it a fine evening to be alive?’ Theo’s voice held a hint of humour.

‘Hello you,’ Carmen began to smile, ‘I thought it was an emergency call from my mother, insisting that I zip her into a dress that she insists makes her look twenty years younger.’

‘It sounds like Betty has a special evening ahead?’

‘The Atrium, no less, for Jaden Bird’s tasting menu.’

‘A financial commitment, for sure,’ Theo laughed. ‘Do you think Holden is going to propose?’

Carmen nearly dropped the phone. ‘What! Propose to my mother?’

‘Why not? Stranger things have happened at sea. At their age, the only thing left to lose is time.’

‘B… but Betty, married again? She’s been set in her ways for decades,’ Carmen spluttered.

‘Well, she seems to have embraced the whirlwind that is Holden, and you might be in for a surprise.’

Carmen was momentarily speechless. ‘Let’s not get ahead of ourselves. He could be after her money.’

‘Let him have it. It’d be worth every penny and you can always come and live with me. Just think,’ Theo said, ‘freedom beckons for you.’

Theo’s voice was warm and sincere, and Carmen hugged the phone to her ear. She might not be lucky in love, but she’d struck pure gold in friendship.

‘But in the meantime,’ Theo continued, ‘Fran has asked us to their suite for drinks to thank us for today.’

‘She doesn’t have to do that,’ Carmen said. ‘I’d do anything for Fran and Sid.’

‘Me too, but I say we accept their kind invitation, and I’ll pick you up in an hour. Would you consider having dinner with me, too?’

‘My lovely Theo, there is absolutely nothing in the world at this moment that I’d like more. Thank you, I’ll see you soon.’

Carmen replaced the phone and sat up.

She felt bittersweet at the thought of parting ways with Theo, Fran and Sid.

Their friendship added a new brightness to her days.

She spent so much time alone, wrapped up in her writing and the demands of Betty’s daily life, that she didn’t know how good companionship could feel.

Saying goodbye and returning to her predictable world was strangely disheartening.

This fleeting escape, the cruise of her dreams, would end soon, and she would head back to the grey routine of her life in Butterly.

The pleasure of interesting excursions and spontaneous conversations would fade, replaced by the familiar quiet of Desbett House and solitary hours spent coaxing words onto a screen.

Carmen suddenly decided that with only two more sun- drenched days ahead, she should make the most of them and stop worrying about her novel.

Now that she had the framework of her book in place, it was time to put it to one side.

Feeling anxious that she was rejecting the main reason for being here, Carmen knew that she was grateful for Ruskin’s time and tuition, but as she swung her legs over the side of the bed, she made her mind up that she couldn’t take any more of his critical comments and wouldn’t be attending the early morning mentoring sessions.

‘I’ll send him a note,’ Carmen decided, aware of the need to be polite, and taking a pen and a sheet of Diamond Star stationery, she began to write.

Ruskin,

I want to express my gratitude for the time and effort you’ve invested in me, but I won’t be continuing with your mentoring sessions.

They have been invaluable, and I appreciate the expertise you’ve shared in our discussions.

That said, I have decided that I need to enjoy every moment before the cruise ends and I return home to finish my current novel.

Thank you for all you’ve done to support me.

With my best wishes,

Carmen

Trusting that she’d hit the right tone, Carmen slipped the note into an envelope. She’d ask Fernando to deliver it to Ruskin’s suite and hope that Ruskin wouldn’t be offended. But she reasoned he was so thick skinned, she had no doubt that he wouldn’t notice her absence.

Now, the most important thing she had to decide was which of her new fabulous outfits she would wear that evening.

In the comfort of Fran and Sid’s suite, the setting sun cast a breathtaking backdrop as Theo and Carmen stood on the balcony alongside the reunited pair, who were happily back in each other’s arms, and watched the horizon transform into a canvas of pinks and purples merging with the deep blue of the sea.

Dressed for the occasion, Fran wore a flowing dress of rainbow colours with silver bangles jingling on her arm. Sid, in smart trousers and a bright yellow shirt, wore a smile as vibrant as Fran’s outfit.

‘I could live on a ship,’ Sid said, ‘everything feels so peaceful at times like this, as though the moment is suspended while we pause to take in the beauty of the amazing world out there.’

‘Blimey, you’re getting all lyrical.’ Fran laughed. ‘Sid Cartwright, the writer, who’d have thought it?’

‘Fran has a point, Sid,’ Theo added. ‘Have you ever thought about writing?’

‘No,’ Sid sipped from a glass of ice-cold sparkling water, ‘not until now, but my little upset this morning has made me think.’

‘What about, my sweetheart?’ Fran asked.

‘How hard we work when we should be thinking about slowing down and enjoying our golden years.’

‘Well, that’s the first time I’ve ever heard you say anything like that.’ Fran touched Sid’s arm. ‘I thought you liked our working life.’

‘I do, but the dreams we built have all come true, and I want to spend my days enjoying life with you.’

‘Ha!’ Theo said. ‘You see, Sid, you’re a poet, and you don’t know it.’

They all laughed, and Theo topped up their glasses, smiling when Sid declined any champagne.

‘Are you watching your diet, my friend?’ Theo asked.

‘With this one’s eagle eye permanently trained on me, I’ll have no choice.’ Sid took hold of Fran’s hand. ‘We had a bit of a scare today, and I never thought that acid reflux could be so painful. It’s taught me a lesson.’

‘But all that matters is that you’re well,’ Fran said, ‘and if we must watch our intake more closely, then so be it. I could do with losing a few pounds.’

‘You’re gorgeous, Fran,’ Sid said, ‘and I’ll always love you just as you are.’

‘I promise not to turn into the food police, but I want you to be in fine fettle.’ Fran winked at Sid. ‘Besides we ought to include some healthy options on our restaurant menu.’

Theo raised his glass. ‘I propose a toast to health. May it be the only thing we need to worry about.’

Everyone chinked glasses, then Fran held a plate of nibbles and encouraged Carmen to try a bite of smoked salmon topped with caviar on a slither of blini.

‘Go on, fill your boots,’ Fran urged. ‘You’ve no fear of gaining a pound or two, and I must say that you look absolutely fabulous in that dress. ’

‘Hear, hear,’ said Theo, ‘I shall be the envy of everyone tonight.’

Carmen dipped her head. She wasn’t used to compliments, and they could see that she felt uneasy.

Fran took hold of Carmen’s hand, lifting it and twisting her into a twirl. ‘Just look at you!’ She laughed. ‘Where did that shy woman go who boarded the ship and wouldn’t say boo to a goose?’

‘You mean the dull, dowdy, downtrodden person who’s blossomed since she met the three of you,’ Carmen replied.

Sid grinned, and Theo nodded as Fran gave Carmen a hug.

They wordlessly acknowledged that Carmen looked stunning in her evening gown.

The satin fabric caught the light, the mix of blues the colours of the ocean, flattering her figure as it hugged her curves before cascading to the floor.

Delicate beading on thin straps added glamour, and Carmen had pinned her hair in a soft, flattering updo that framed her delicately made-up face.

‘Now,’ Fran announced, her voice warm with gratitude, ‘don’t let me and Sid stop you both from enjoying your evening.

’ She gently set her glass down on a table.

‘We’re planning a quiet night in, but before you go, we both want to express our heartfelt thanks for your kindness and support today.

I was hopeless in a crisis, and the fact that you were both there, rooting for us, means the world, and we won’t forget it. ’

‘Nonsense,’ Theo said, ‘of course we would be there, and I know I speak on behalf of Carmen too when I say that meeting you and enjoying your lovely northern company has enhanced this cruise for me. Can I come and dine at your restaurant soon?’

‘Any time!’ Sid and Fran chorused. ‘Both of you, come and stay at Dunromin, our home at North Shore.’

Carmen placed her glass beside Fran’s. ‘I’d love to and hope that when we leave the ship, we’ll continue to be friends.’

Sid nodded. ‘I’ve told Fran that this cruise is the first of many for us. We love everything about it, and no matter where life takes us all, let’s keep in touch and have many more adventures. When this holiday ends, our friendship doesn’t have to.’

‘Now off you go and enjoy yourselves!’ Fran shooed Theo and Carmen out of the suite.

On their own, Sid held Fran’s hand and led her back to the balcony. Standing side by side with the gentle sound of the sea beneath them, they felt the warm air on their skin and breathed the faint scent of seawater.

‘Who would have thought that plain old Sid from Blackpool would make friends with the celebrity Theo McCarthy?’ Sid said.

‘We’re all the same Sid, just flesh and blood, breathing the same air, so why shouldn’t you two be friends?’

‘Aye, I guess so, but a cruise is magical, isn’t it,’ Sid whispered. ‘It’s like time slows down.’

‘I can’t believe how perfect it is.’ Fran squeezed Sid’s hand. She rested her head on his shoulder and snuggled into his arm.

In the comfortable silence that followed, as they stared out at the pitch-dark night, Sid whispered, ‘It’s a blessing to be alive.’