Page 10 of The Cruise

In the Terrace Restaurant, a pianist sat at a grand piano and played popular tunes as guests were guided to their tables. The impressively dressed maître d’ greeted Anne, Kath, and Jane. His tailed suit was pristine, and with a voice as smooth as silk, he oozed charm. ‘My name is Nathaniel,’ he said. ‘Welcome to The Terrace and allow me to show you to your table.’

Checking the name Hibiscus on his seating plan, Nathaniel indicated that they follow him as he glided across the room.

‘It looks like we’ll be sharing,’ Jane said and eased herself onto a seat, grateful that there were no arm rests. The table was laid for six, and Jane felt uneasy. ‘Keep together, don’t leave me on my own.’ Most people only saw her size and often treated her as contagious.

‘You’ll be fine,’ Anne replied, sitting down on the opposite side. She waited while Nathaniel skilfully unfolded a napkin and placed it on her knee. ‘We’re sure to have interesting dinner companions.’ Licking her peach-coloured lips, she looked hopefully around the room.

But Jane was uncomfortable. Terrified that her seat wouldn’t support her weight, she felt her dress pull tight. She’d manipulated herself into a body-sculpting Lycra slip which threatened to split at any moment.

‘I’ll keep you company,’ Kath said and sat next to Jane. She nodded thanks as a server poured iced water into sparkling crystal glasses.

Jane fiddled with her napkin and watched the assembly of well-heeled guests as tables filled and introductions were made. She noted that the women wore stylish outfits that must have cost a fortune. Their jewels glistened in the subtle light as her spirits plummeted. If only she’d bothered to go shopping for more comfortable clothes and accessories.

It wasn’t that Jane couldn’t afford to be on the cruise. On the contrary, she pondered, she’d worked hard and saved all her life and as an only child, inheriting her parents’ home, she didn’t have to worry about money.

When her contract was abruptly terminated with the television company she’d worked with for years, she settled mortgage-free into life in Garstang. But without routine, her days dragged. Cookery shows filled her time as she checked out the names of her successors. Jane knew that she’d been dropped because of her advancing years. An ageing, overweight home economist no longer fitted the bill with young, ambitious, upwardly mobile executives at the trendy production team. Jane put familiar faces to the names when the credits rolled on the shows she’d worked on, and despaired that none were over the age of thirty.

‘You’re very quiet.’ Kath nudged Jane. ‘What are you thinking?’

‘That I’m feeling my age and this cruise was a mistake.’ Jane tugged on her dress, willing the fabric to lie comfortably. ‘I don’t think I’m going to be able to get on with strangers.’

‘Does it matter?’ Kath asked. ‘You have us as companions, and Anne will ensure we have a good time.’ She looked across the table where Nathaniel assisted an elderly gentleman to his seat. Anne greeted the new dinner guest and made a fuss to ensure he was comfortable beside her.

‘She can smell money.’ Jane smiled as she watched the performance and noted that the new arrival wore a navy blazer with shiny brass buttons and a nautical captain’s hat perched on his head.

‘Do you think he got his hat in a fancy-dress shop?’ Kath whispered.

‘It’s impressing Anne,’ Jane said, ‘she’s called him “Captain”.’

‘Husband-hunting has begun.’

‘I’m not sure that I can bear to watch.’

‘Just relax,’ Kath said, she touched Jane’s arm with affection. ‘Don’t ever think you’re not as good as anyone else.’

‘I feel so out of place.’ Jane looked around the room. ‘Everyone is glamorous, and I feel so big and awkward.’

‘I’m not exactly the belle of the ball.’ Kath touched her greying hair and straightened the front of a dress that had seen much better days. ‘But let’s make the most of things.’

Jane sighed and took a sip of her water. She twirled the ice in her glass and then picked up a menu from the centre of the table to study the various courses they’d soon be tucking into.

It was Jane’s habit to analyse each dish whenever she ate out. She imagined the ingredients and method of cooking and, having supported many talented chefs over the years, wondered what their take would be on the food that would soon arrive. Her skilled fingers had spent hours of preparation, attending to the finest detail before the cameras rolled, enabling the chef to be the show’s star. Deep in thought, Jane didn’t notice that the chair beside her had been pulled back, and a smartly dressed man sat down. Like an electric shock, his leg touched her own and Jane recoiled. To her horror, water spilt from her glass, drenching the menu, and pooling on the table.

‘Oh, goodness, I’m so sorry,’ Jane said, a flush creeping over her face.

The man reached out and dabbed at the table with his napkin. ‘No harm done,’ he replied.

Nathaniel appeared and instantly remedied the upset. As he replaced the menu in Jane’s hand, her heart sank. She was in the agonising position of having to converse with a stranger and glared across the table as Anne made introductions.

‘Hello, I’m Anne,’ she said, ‘may I introduce the Captain, on my right, and these two ladies are my friends, Kath and Jane.’

‘Delighted to meet you all,’ the man replied with a smile, ‘my name is Selwyn.’

‘Any room for a little one?’ A woman pulled out a chair and sat between Kath and the Captain. She clutched a sequinned bag and placed it on the table. It matched her beaded dress. ‘Bridgette Haworth,’ she announced. Smoothing a heavy dark bob with petite fingers, she laughed, ‘My friends call me Bossy Bridgette, but I can assure you I’m not. I’m on the cruise as a guest speaker.’

‘Good evening,’ the group replied.

Conversation struck up, and details of their journeys were disclosed as dinner commenced and wine poured. Everyone bar Jane began to relax.

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