'Wow', Angie thought to herself, 'I was always told that cruise ships cabins are tiny and cramped. This is nice; a king size bed, Jacuzzi tub, kitchen and a balcony overlooking the entire front of the ship. Maybe all that time I spent busting my ass at Wal-Mart to help put Aron through college was worth it!'
"Look out Booty! Comin' through!" Cathy hollered as she pushed her way through the door.
Angie's best friend Cathy had come up with "Booty" as Angie's nickname on the way to the cruise ship terminal. She was always coming up with silly names for Angie. 'It's certainly a fitting title' Angie thought to herself as she caught a glimpse of her rear in the mirrored wall across from the bed. 'Some hard work with Weight Watchers and a little magic from her new friend the surgeon and I look better now than I did even as a teenager. "Booty" is right, and it's been getting me a lot of attention.'
"This is a party pad! I can't believe Aron put us up in this cabin and sent us on a 7 day cruise! Me and you are going to wear out these cock-cards!"
With a laugh Angie said, "I guess you mean the cocktail cards?" The cruise tickets came with a pair of pre-paid credit card type vouchers that entitled Cathy and Angie to unlimited mixed drinks for the entire cruise.
"You already know what I mean then." Cathy says with her usual grin. She slung her suitcase into the corner saying "I'm going to go find where all the bars are at on this boat, I'll catch up with you in a few minutes."
"Ok." Angie says as Cathy playfully swats her ass on her way out the door. Cathy was always sort of flirtatious like that with everyone, men and women. Strangely it usually set Angie more at ease; made her feel more comfortable and less concerned that someone might be disproving of her own behavior. Cathy had a way of making her relaxed and uninhibited.
Angie floated around the cabin casually checking out every feature; turning on the TV, finding all the light switches, looking around the bathroom. 'This is unbelievable, I can't get over how nice this is. I hope the cruise is a blast; I hope my boys are ok.' Swiping a wine cooler from the mini-bar she reminded herself that she was here to have fun and all rules were off; no counting points or calories, drinking whatever she wants, just no rules and no worry.
Heaving her suitcase on the bed with some difficulty she was reminded of her husbands gentle tease about her bulging bags. 'Ah well, I'm a woman who is going to be gone for a week and I love my shoes, what can I say?' she thought to herself. Tugging on the zipper, her suitcase started to puff open and ooze blouses and bras as if she had just popped open a cardboard tube of store bought biscuit dough.
Flipping on a well-worn romantic comedy on the TV behind her, Angie started to sort her belongings. Arranging blouses and skirts and pants in the closet she had another one of those moments when her eye caught the label of a new top with the size printed in bold letters. That dress size still caught her by surprise at times; it was difficult to remember (and more importantly to feel!) like a woman who was not overweight. She thought to herself with an almost audible sigh, 'I spent too many years carrying too much weight; too much time hiding in baggy clothes. Not that I feel uncomfortable having lost the weight. I look good, I really do, I just don't know if I'll ever get used to it! The attention can be unnerving at times; the lengthy and undisguised stares from men. Black men especially, they do love a fair skinned redhead with an onion booty and I've gotten a few store receipts with phone numbers on them to prove it. Aron always said that black men have good taste in women.'
Reaching for the last blouse she saw what looked like the video camera bag with a letter taped to it that said simply "Angie" in the familiar hard slanted lettering of her husbands hand. She quickly opened the thick envelope and found a package of condoms wrapped inside a note from Aron:
Hiya Sweetpea!
Hope you're having fun! I'm glad I was able to send you Cathy on a cruise together. You need the break and I know Cathy will keep things interesting on the cruise. Me and the boys will be fine, call whenever you want!
Love,
Me!
P.S. I thought I would help you pack, wink, wink. And remember, be naughty! Be very naughty!
'Oh Jeez,' she thought while shaking her head. 'I can't believe he actually snuck condoms and a video camera into my suitcase.' With a hint of a smile playing across her lips she thought, 'He's been dying for me to have sex with a stranger for years now. He has such a weird fantasy, I don't get it at all. It's been a fun idea we've explored between us; in a bizarre way it's even brought us closer together.' A slight smile lit her lips thinking of how her husband had nearly come unglued with excitement after the time she had flirted with a stranger in a bar and then ultimately kissed him in a back corner. 'I don't understand why but it definitely brought a new level of passion to her marriage. But still, actually having sex with another man? I don't know if I can or even want to do that.'
The crooning voice of her Keith-ringtone broke her reverie. Noticing Cathy on the caller ID, she picked up her phone, "Where'd you run off to?"
"Hey you, go open the balcony."
"OK, hang on a sec." Angie says fumbling with the unfamiliar sliding door latch. "Are you outside?"
"Yeah, I'm down by the pool. I've got one of these cool cabanas reserved for us. Can you see me? Look to your right, I'm waving at you."
Angie quickly scans the pool and bar and spots Cathy waving furiously. "Ok, yeah, there you are."
"Wow, our room is pretty high up there!" Kay says hoisting an outsized cocktail. "Hey, forget about unpacking. Get your booty down to the pool, I've got a margarita waiting for you!"
"Alright, I'm coming. Gotta figure out how to get down there first."
"Wait, shake your titties at me!" Cathy says with a near audible grin.
"What? No!"