The week before Christmas would have normally been a happy time for Tom and Laura. Their two kids made it a point to be home a couple of days before Christmas, and to be home on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. From the time Zach and Sherry were little Christmas Eve was present opening time, and then Santa Clause came after they went to bed. Laura carried this tradition on even after Zach and Sherry knew there wasn't a Santa Clause. There was always something under the tree for them on Christmas morning.
Zach and Sherry were home the week before Christmas, but for a different reason. Their mother was dying of cancer. The doctors had told them that she wouldn't make it to Christmas. Either Tom or one of the children had been with Laura day and night for over a week. They were giving Laura so much pain medication that she rarely know they were there, but day and night one of them was with her.
Tom thanked the lord that he was the one that was with her when she died. It was 2 A M on the 22nd of December when Laura took her last breath. The nurses had called their doctor to the hospital, and he had told Tom that he had better call his children if they wanted to see her alive again. Tom decided it was better if Zach and Sherry weren't there when she passed on, and didn't call them. Laura's funeral was the day before Christmas. All that day and way up into the evening there were at least three friends and neighbors there seeing to their every need. Tom and the two children tried to get them to go home and be with their families, but they stayed until after eleven.
There wasn't anything traditional on Christmas Eve or Christmas Day. Friends and neighbors continually dropped by trying to cheer them up and bringing more and more food. Again Tom tried to get them to go home and be with their loved one's on Christmas, but again there was some one there waiting on Tom and his family members, as well as on and Laura's brother and sister and their families.
Tom's lawyer cleaned up the legal stuff and his accountant paid all the bills for him. Here he was 48 years old with and no one in the house to talk to or watch TV with. Laura had done all the housework, so Tom didn't even have a cleaning woman coming in once in a while. He just moped around the house all day. He only went out to eat and get groceries occasionally. Their friends had Tom over to their houses on several occasions, but it wasn't the same to them or him, not having Laura there with them. About a month after the funeral, Tom's daughter flew in from Texas. She suggested he take a cruise or a trip some where just to get out of the house and get away for a while. She had decided that a cruise was what he need and pulled the tickets out of her purse. "You have to go", she told him, "I can't get a refund." He accepted the tickets and , thanked her for her concern and kindness. The next Tuesday Tom flew to Florida and boarded the cruise ship.
At first he just walked around the deck. He spent most of my time at the bar or playing blackjack. The captain of the ship saw that Tom wasn't participating in any of the activities, even though the activities director had tried her best to get him involved. The captain came over to Tom at the bar and asked him to have dinner with him at his table that night. He said he didn't know, but before he could finish his sentence the captain was walking away and called over his shoulder "I'm in the last dinner at eight, see you, see you there." Tom joined the captain at his table just a little before eight. The captain told Tom his name and introduced him Tom to his first mate and three more officers whothat were at the table. Tom had just sat down when he looked up and saw her come through the door.
She was wearing a long emerald green formal dress that did justice to her sandy red hair. She was trim and tall for a woman. She had real nice looking breasts and the top half discreetly showed above the low cut dress and filled out the front of it nicely. The dress hung beautifully from her full hips. She walked with the grace of a princess. Tom really wouldn't call it walking, it was more like floating, her shoulders never moved as she glided to her table. Tom judged her to be about 40 or 42, and was wandering what her husband would look like.
The captain noticed that Tom's eyes were following her across the floor. He nudged Tom's elbow and said, "That is Mrs. Young. She lost her husband about six months ago. Her daughter was on our one of our cruises last month and told me about loosing her dad, and how hard it had been on her mother." She said, "her mother had hardly been out of the house since her dad's death in a plane crash about six months ago." Tom said, "He know how that felt." The Captain continued, "her daughter had such a good time on the cruise that she bought her mother a ticket for this one. She didn't know if she would come or not." Tom broke his gaze and tuned to the captain and said, "Oh, that's exactly why I'm on this cruise."
She glided over to a table and ran her hand over the cheek of her ass and smoothed her dress as she sat down. This showed her nicely shaped, round but firm ass. Tom was pretty sure he had seen her on deck in a white bathing suit, sunning herself. He had even taken a second look then, but she looked much better in the green formal gown. The captain saw that Tom couldn't keep his eyes off her, and asked Tom if he would like to meet her. Tom said, "I don't know..." but before he could get the rest of the sentence out the captain got up and went over to her table. They talked momentarily, and he brought her back with him. When she came up to the table Tom pushed back his chair and stood up.
The captain said "Mrs. Young this is Tom Wells, Mr. Wells this is Susan Young." They shook hands and both said how nice it was to meet the other. The captain pulled out the chair beside Tom and asked the woman to have a seat. Tom couldn't take his eyes off her. She was even more beautiful up close. Her complexion was beautiful, with out much makeup on. He turned to her and said, "The captain was telling me that you had lost your husband about six months ago. I lost my wife about four months ago." Susan said, "Oh, I'm so sorry to hear that. I know what a terrible time it was for me, and I'm am sure it was for you as well." The waiter came and poured them wine. Tom asked Susan, "where she lived." She answered, "Just out side of Chicago. My husband was president and CEO of Microchip, the company has something to do with computers."
She then asked Tom, "where he was from."
Tom said, "Menkota, Ohio. I'm in the insurance business there."
They We were served out soup and more wine. Then they had our salad and still more wine. The main course was lobster. Neither of them finished their lobster, but both of them had some more wine. The captain told them that he was sorry to have to leave them but he had to see to his duties. Shortly after that the other officers excused themselves and left him a Susan all alone.
They made small talk about their children and where they lived, as they picked at their dessert. The table was cleared off except forof their wine glassesd. There was a band playing in the corner so. Tom asked Susan if she would like to dance. She accepted and they went out on the dance floor. He was holding her loosely but he still could smell the fragrance of her unusual perfume. He couldn't describe her perfume, except it reminded him of the TV adds that more or less say "If you don't want to get laid, don't wear this perfume."
He guessed the wine was working on her too, because they found themselves pulling each other closer and closer. God! It felt so good to have a woman in his arms again. Their bodies seem to move in rhythm even though they had never danced together before. Her breasts were touching his chest, and her thigh would occasionally rub across his genitals as they turned. Tom was starting to get a hard on and he was sure she could feel it, because she tried her best not to touch him there.
Tom had a feeling that she wanted him as much and he wanted her, even though they were both in their forties. They were giggling, laughing, and talking in each other's ear like they were teenagers on their first date. They would dance a while and go back to the table and have some more wine, and then dance some more. There wasn't anyone left at the captain's table except them by now. The wine was really getting to both of them by now and they were definitely on a first name basis. Tom happened to glance at the clock on the wall, and it was 10:30 PM. They had been together for two and one-half hours, but it seemed like just minutes. The waiter and assistant waiter had finished cleaning the tables and put out the glasses and silverware for the next morning. Both of them were just standing at the door looking at Tom and Susan, and hoping they would leave so they could go to bed, or whatever they had to do next.
Tom nodded his head toward the waiter and said to Susan "We're the only ones left and I think they would like for us to leave. Would you like to go to my cabin and have a drink?"
