Ch. 6 – Cabo San Lucas
Cabo is the most beautiful stop on the cruise with its awesome rock structures, hills, and greenery. I often come down there to stay with friends who keep condos or boats there.
One problem with stopping at Cabo is that the harbor is too shallow to actually dock, so you have to wait in line to get on a shuttle boat. This trip I didn't feel like waiting in line so I decided to stay aboard. Having the run of a nearly empty ship is a lot of fun.
After breakfast I went to the salon for a haircut, shave, and massage. As a VVIP guest they threw in a facial and body scrub. When I left, three hours and $200 in tips later, I felt renewed and fresh.
In port the dining room is closed for lunch so I took a quick snack in the cafeteria-style eatery and went down to the library/internet lounge. It was empty, so I slowly browsed the books in the library to pass the time. Generally, when I travel I have a suitcase of my own books, a good mixture of fiction and non-fiction and usually a couple of classics.
I had reached the gardening section (kind of odd for a ship, I thought) when my peace was interrupted by a married couple who came in and logged on to one of the computers.
"Hello," I said, feeling friendly.
"Hi," they said in unison. They continued to look at the screen. I moved around slowly so I could look over their shoulder to see what was so interesting. On the screen were images of naked people. They were surfing the web for porn!
"Nice collection you found there," I said, non-chalantly.
"Sure is!" the wife replied.
I settled down into conversation with this adventurous pair. They were Charles and Chloe from Charleston, South Carolina. They were in their early thirties and had been married for two years. Each of them had married young, grown bored with their original spouses and left them. They had met in a swingers group.
"Sure, we've had some wild times, but this cruise hasn't been as wild as we would have liked," Charles explained.
"Really? You must not know where to look."
"Where should we look?" asked Chloe, all southern drawl and charm.
"How about I send a steward down to your cabin and he can show you?"
"Is that a proposition, Joe?" asked Charles.
"You could say that."
"You have a girlfriend, Joe? We don't do anything with single guys."
"Sure, Charles. I think I can arrange something," I said, thinking of Dea.
I went back to my cabin and relaxed for the afternoon. I checked e-mails, read the news online, made a few stock transactions online. After a quick snack I settled into a biography of King George the Sixth and passed time.
About five o'clock I called Dea and Ramon in and explained the evening to them. Dea was to be my "date" and Ramon would provide service. I told Dea to dress up, giving her some money to go down to the on-board boutique and pick out something nice. Ramon was to be in full dress-uniform and would arrange for the food from the kitchen, since Dea wouldn't be available to cook.
After giving them their instructions I retired to the bathroom to make my own preparations. I shaved, showered, and then soaked in a hot bath spiked with lavender and vanilla oils. I put on one of my white linen suits, complete with tie and cufflinks. I was ready for an elegant evening with my guests.
At six Dea came back from the boutique for inspection. She had purchased all new clothes, down to the underwear. She looked great.
At six-thirty I sent Ramon down to collect Charles and Chloe. I had Dea mix a pitcher of martinis and put out the appetizers.
