Page 48 of The Cruise

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As the ship headed north that night and darkness gave way to a new day, passengers woke to another packed schedule. Quoits, shuffleboard, and skittles took place on an upper deck, and a watercolour class encouraged budding artists to sit at easels and paint nautical scenes in a light-filled studio. Guests in the Neptune Lounge attended talks that included ‘An Audience with Our Crew,’ where key crew members explained what it took to sail a cruise ship around the world. The Captain sat in the front row and cheered as he recognised the countries he’d visited.

Dancing classes were popular and attended by many, including Jane, who was surprised that she had more rhythm than she’d bargained for.

While Kath went to ukulele lessons, Anne, frustrated by not seeing Dicky, sat through a classical recital and joined Jane and Kath for a cheese and wine experience. As they dressed for the evening entertainment, the three friends were delighted that housekeeping had sculpted Christmas trees out of the towels at the end of their beds and little boxes of liqueur chocolates had been placed on their pillows.

‘These are divine,’ Jane exclaimed as she popped a mini chocolate rum log into her mouth and they set off to watch Melissa Montana fill in for Dicky.

On Christmas Eve, the friends enjoyed mulled wine and mince pies and stood around the giant yuletide tree in the vestibule to sing carols by candlelight. They linked arms as they were joined by the other passengers, remembering Christmases past as a string quartet accompanied the singing. A buffet in the Terrace Restaurant followed and was laden with festive dishes with a roast suckling pig at the centre. The Neptune Lounge filled up for the evening’s entertainment, and at midnight many guests attended mass in the chapel.

When dawn broke on Christmas Day, theDiamond Starshone like a giant gleaming globe as the sun rose and the ship sailed silently through tranquil waters.

‘Good morning,’ Captain Kennedy’s voice was heard throughout the ship as guests woke. ‘It’s Christmas Day and I am pleased to tell you that we are now arriving in St Maarten on a beautiful, sunny morning.’

He described what he could see from the bridge and the activities that would soon take place. His velvet voice concluded with his message for the day.

‘Fellow travellers, may I be the first to wish you all a very happy Caribbean Christmas and I hope that today is, for you all, a most memorable day.’

ChapterTwenty-One

‘Wake up! Santa’s been!’ In Hibiscus, Jane stood at the foot of Kath’s bed and, reaching out, grabbed her friend’s toes. ‘Come on, sleepy head, wake up.’ She wore a giant onesie patterned with Rudolph and Santa’s reindeer and marched over to Anne’s bed to lean close to her ear. ‘Jingle bells, jingle bells, jingle all the way!’ she sang.

‘Bugger off!’ Anne hollered and, grabbing a pillow, hurled it at Jane.

‘Now, that’s not very nice.’ Jane laughed and ducked out of the way. ‘Naughty children don’t get stockings from Santa.’

‘All I want for Christmas is two aspirins and a gallon of water,’ Anne groaned as the night before flashed through her mind.

She remembered dancing in the disco with Bridgette until the early hours. The Captain, perched on his regular stool at the bar, had been delighted to supply a never-ending range of cocktails as he watched the women twirl and twist under a giant glitter ball. Waving his stick and raising his hat, he’d shimmied his shoulders and joined in. Anne had a hazy recollection of the disco closing and, with the Captain ensconced in his wheelchair, together with Bridgette, and considerably worse for wear, they’d negotiated their way to his suite to continue to party.

‘I imagine that Bridgette is suffering as much as you are today,’ Jane said.

‘Don’t think so,’ Anne mumbled, ‘she was sharing space cake with the Captain when I left them.’

‘What?’Kath and Jane exclaimed.

‘She said she bought it in a bakery in Saint Vincent, and cannabis cake is known to combat the effects of excessive alcohol and make you feel good.’

Jane remembered the delicious Red Belly cake she’d eaten with Selwyn and Toots. No wonder she’d experienced a sublime calm that day. Not to mention Spirit’s lethal spliff. She was hardly able to criticise Bridgette.

Kath was out of bed. Wearing a reindeer-patterned nightshirt, she picked up a Santa hat and pulled it on, then stood beside Jane and stared at Anne’s huddled body. Turning to Jane, they both nodded and pulled back the covers to jump in Anne’s bed.

‘What the hell…?’ Anne raised her tousled head and removed her eye mask, peering with one eye closed, ‘What on earth are you doing?’ she asked.

‘We are your rescue Santas.’ Jane laughed, wriggling her body further into the bed. ‘And if you care to sit up and see what Santa has left in your stocking you might feel a great deal brighter.’

‘What stocking?’ Anne asked and eased into a sitting position.

‘This one.’ Jane handed Kath and Anne a bulging stocking, cut from her heavy denier tights. ‘When I was a kid, my mum used to leave a filled stocking at the end of my bed. It was always one of her Pretty Polly American Tan nylons, usually full of ladders and worn at the toe.’

‘I had one of my father’s old socks.’ Kath smiled. ‘There would be a tangerine in the bottom, a bag of gold-covered chocolate coins, and a small wooden toy.’

‘Or a bag of jacks.’ Anne, suddenly brighter, was upright. ‘I spent hours playing the game, sitting cross-legged, bouncing the ball in our hallway, and scooping the metal jacks against the tiles. It used to drive my mother mad.’

‘Well, your stocking contents have been updated this year.’ Jane grinned. ‘I hope you appreciate my sacrifice of cutting the legs out of my tights.’

‘Shall I sew them back on?’ Kath asked. ‘I’ve got a sewing kit in my bag.’

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