The Cruise

THE CRUISE SHIP

A happily married woman's shipboard fling and its aftermath. All characters and events are figments of my imagination. Spoiler alert: this may not please the BTB crowd...

For years my wife Jenny and I talked about enjoying an ocean cruise but our jobs always got in the way. From our Sydney home we considered the Pacific islands but chanced upon a ten-day cruise from Fremantle along the Australian West Coast to tropical Darwin in the far north. The ship was due back into Asian waters for their peak tourist season and offered rates well within our budget at a time both of us could take holiday time from our respective jobs.

Jenny is the office manager in a real estate office while I guess I'm your typical computer geek, graduating from computer games as a teenager to a university degree with honours majoring in computer science. After a few years with a computer software company in the city, I branched out on my own, setting up bespoke computer systems for variety of businesses from my dedicated home office.

The timetable for our cruise looked great. Fly to Perth, board the ship in nearby Fremantle and then sail to Darwin with stops and shore visits at Geraldton, Exmouth and Broome. The start of our voyage would be in the cool of winter but we could look forward to welcome tropical temperatures as we headed north.

Two days before our departure, my biggest client rang. His logistics company was my first major client. I designed all their warehouse systems and their automated invoicing and tracking software. What appeared to be a minor issue baffled his own IT people so he asked me to urgently check it out.

With assurances to Jenny that I would be back within an hour or two, I discovered that the problem with my operating software was not a simple system malfunction but an overseas hack. It derailed the transit software package, but the thought occurred to me that hackers want profit, not mischief, which had me looking at their financial trail. With an ashen face I rushed into my friend's office and laid out the problem. The priority immediately shifted from fixing the transit software to protecting the company's financials. It would take days to fix and if I did not get on top of it quickly, large sums of money could be siphoned off before we regained control.

With a heavy heart I phoned Jenny with the bad news. Her reaction was predictable and one she might possibly regret later, but my options were limited. There was too much at stake.

Driving home close to exhaustion late that night, I thought of a possible solution. If we transferred my ticket to her best friend Margot, a divorcee currently between jobs, the two girls could take the cruise while I fixed things at Oztrans.

Jenny begrudgingly accepted the arrangement. When dropping her at the airport I meant it when I kissed her goodbye and told her to enjoy the cruise and have fun. Little did I know how literally she was to take that offer! Jenny promised to ring me every day while she was within phone range and after a long, loving kiss we went our separate ways.

The first phone call came from Fremantle moments after Jenny dumped her luggage in her cabin.

"The ship is beautiful Harry," she gushed. "The cabin is big and airy with an outside window and big comfortable beds for Margot and me."

I was heartened by Jenny's enthusiasm and felt much better about returning to work to overcome the problems at Oztrans.

She rang again close to midnight and had obviously enjoyed a drink or two.

"I'm so sorry Harry. I guess I forgot about the two-hour time difference. Margot and I went into town for a meal and we returned to the ship about an hour ago. We're leaving port in a few minutes. It's so exciting, but I really wish you could be here with me. Thank you for letting Margot come. She deserves a good break after her horror year."

I had to agree on that score, but with work to do early the next morning, made my apologies and slept soundly.

The ship made the 200-mile journey to Geraldton in twelve hours or so, berthing just before noon. It was scheduled to stay there for two days with organized tours of the town and the surrounding hinterland. Jenny did not phone until the ship was leaving port and guests were heading for the dining room for dinner.

"Hi Honey. I know I promised to ring you every day but there's not much to report from here. We went on a coach tour to a winery today. Can you believe that they can grow grape vines in this climate? Anyway, we're just leaving and probably won't have phone service until we get to Exmouth, so I will ring you from there."

As she terminated the call, I realized that she said goodbye without her customary "I love you". Neither had she mentioned Margot. Odd.

The call from Exmouth a couple of days later was even more abrupt than the previous one.

"Can't talk for long Honey," she explained. "We're about to go ashore on one of the ship's boats to look at whale sharks and I'm in the queue for the next group to leave."

"How is Margot?" I enquired.

"She's fine and is having a ball. I don't think she's met anyone yet, but she's staying on board because she doesn't like to travel on little boats."

"So are you looking after her?"

"Honey she's a big girl and perfectly capable of looking after herself. Well, gotta go. We're boarding."

I thought I heard her giggling before the call disconnected.

The promised daily phone calls never came, but I finally found the source code the hacker had planted on Oztrans' system. It made its way in after one of the younger IT guys opened up a porn site on his work computer. He no longer works there.

Meanwhile according to its schedule, the ship should have arrived in Broome and not having heard from Jenny, I decided to give her a call. It went to voicemail so I left a message asking her to ring me when she could. On a whim, I decided to try Margot's phone. She answered on the second ring.

After exchanging pleasantries, I asked her how she was enjoying the trip and how she was getting along with sharing a cabin with Jenny.

"Oh she's been no problem at all. We hardly see each other really."

Realizing the implications of what she had just said she nervously tried to backtrack.

"I mean I don't like to leave the ship and Jenny has been out to all the coach trips and dive experiences. I've lounged around the pool and have read a couple of books....."

Her voice trailed off.

"OK Margot. Lovely to chat. Would you ask Jenny to ring me when you see her please?"

"Of course Harry."

The time difference resulted in a call well after midnight. Jenny sounded as though she had been drinking.

"Have you been checking up on me Honey?" she teased with a playful giggle. "Won't do any good. I've been a good girl. I'm looking after Margot like you said, but she won't go on any of the tours. John's looking after me so I don't get into any trouble."

"John?" I asked. "Who in the hell is John?"

"He's just another passenger looking after me Honey. He's looking after me... Aren't you John?"

A little giggle punctuated her last statement and I waited.

"Don't, John." I heard, punctuated with another giggle.

Having heard enough of her drunken ramblings, I disconnected the call and phoned Margot again.

"OK Margot. No more half-truths. What's going on? Is Jenny with you?"

"No Harry. I'm sorry but she's not here right now. Look I don't want to get in the middle between you two. I wish I had stayed at home. Goodnight."

I rang her straight back.

"What now?" she started angrily.

"Who the hell is John"

"A guy she met on the first day of the cruise. I don't know who he is and I've hardly seen Jenny to ask her about him."

"Don't you two talk about your day when you go to bed at night?"

There was a long pause.

"Oh, shit!" I exploded. "She hasn't been sleeping in your cabin has she?"

"Harry, please don't jump to conclusions. It's just one of those shipboard things and I'm sure there's nothing going on that will create problems later. Just let her enjoy what's left of the cruise and share her joy when she gets back to you at home."

"No Margot. I really can't do that. Infidelity is as much of a deal breaker for me as it was to you. Remember how you felt when you discovered that Dave was stepping out on you?"

I regretted the comment immediately. Margot was a moral, good and honest woman. She sobbed and I quickly tried to apologize.

"Margot, you're a good woman. We've been friends for years. Hell. I've known you longer than I've known Jenny. If Jenny has been sleeping with this guy, we're done. I have no idea what to say to her when she gets home. Maybe she'll call me tomorrow when she's sober again and we can try then to look for a way back."

After disconnecting the call my anger bubbled over. I hammered my fist into the kitchen table. Didn't hurt the table much but my hand didn't feel too good. Was my Jenny really fucking around? The evidence so far would surely suggest so. But what if she was not having sex with this guy? Given her drunken comments to her companion while she was on the phone to me, it certainly looked bad. Could I accept her behavior as a passing shipboard romance and take her back as though nothing happened? As I considered that possibility I realized that if she had been sleeping with another man it would forever be a wedge between us and would fester until it eventually tore us apart in any case. No - I needed proof of infidelity before running any risk of burning bridges. On the face of it, things looked bad, but there was a possibility that nothing was going on. I had to be sure.

I decided to take the initiative and at nine o'clock I phoned Margot. Allowing for the time difference, Jenny should be waking up about now and nursing a considerable hangover. She should also be in the cabin she was sharing with Margot.

"Hi Margot," I began cheerily when she answered her phone. "Can I speak with Jenny please?"

There was a short hesitation until she ventured "Jenny's not here right now, but I will see her in a few minutes so can I ask her to ring you?"

"Did she sleep in her own bed last night Margot?"

"I suppose so, but I'm not sure. I crashed early last night and fell asleep almost immediately, She could have come in afterwards."

It was lame and she knew it.

"So her bed is now neatly made up but you're not sure whether or not she slept in it?" I mocked.

"Please Harry. Let it be. The cruise will be over in a day or two and she'll be all yours."

"I admire your loyalty Margot but you and I both know that if Jenny's sleeping with this guy John we're done."

"Don't do anything silly please Harry. I care for you both and I don't want to see anyone hurt."

"Might be a bit late for that," I muttered. "Thanks Margot. Have a great day."

I terminated the call and immediately hit Jenny's number, knowing that if she was awake at all, she would probably be nursing one hell of a hangover.

"Hello?"

Jenny's voice sounded weak and trembling. Suddenly all I had was a "call ended" message on screen. My wife had hung up on me! I called straight back and eventually got her voicemail.

"Jenny if you want to stay married to me, call me straight back."

My anger increased in the ensuing silence and I realized that this was getting me nowhere. I needed a plan.

I checked the ship's itinerary to find when she was due in Darwin and booked a flight to arrive early on the same day, together with a return flight back home a few hours later. I guessed that Sydney based passengers from the ship would be on it. I was angry, hurt and confused. Jenny and I had enjoyed a great marriage together. I loved her dearly and I thought she was in love with me in equal measure. If I read the signals right and she did indulge in a shipboard affair, was it worth ditching an otherwise idyllic partnership? Did Jenny have feelings for this John character?

By meeting the ship in Darwin and surprising her, could I reclaim my errant wife and dismiss her actions? I was not going to play private detective but neither did I want to be easily recognizable, so I bought a tradesman's shirt and trousers, work boots, and a generic baseball cap. Traders' Clothing Store also sold protective eyewear. Large, heavy framed sunglasses were just what I needed. Not planning to stay anywhere in Darwin, I put a few toiletries in my briefcase along with my laptop and two days later, flew out of Mascot airport for Darwin in the early hours of the morning.

I stepped into the terminal to a beautiful warm morning and caught a cab into the city centre where I enjoyed a good breakfast. A couple of hours later, I joined the crowd at the wharf to watch passengers disembark. I spotted Margot but she was on her own, carrying a small case. The flow of passengers slowed to a trickle before I finally caught sight of Jenny. Wearing a light floral sundress she appeared with a guy, joined at the hip, his hand clearly caressing her arse and her arm possessively around his waist, the pair giddily engaged in conversation. At the foot of the gangplank she turned to him to say something and the two of them kissed hungrily while he groped her in full view of a coachload of passengers waiting to be driven to the airport.

"Get a room you two!" a passenger waiting in the coach mocked.

Struggling to maintain control, I considered charging at the man who was fondling my wife. He was about my size and weight, probably a year or so younger and dressed in a tee shirt, board shorts and flip flops. Very classy. With the element of surprise on my side, I reasoned I could probably take him down. I've always been a logical thinker and hesitated long enough to consider the consequences. Did I really want to spend a day in the Darwin lockup charged with assault?

Instead, I took a few deep breaths and pulled out my phone to record their kiss on video. I felt ill as I watched the disintegration of my once wonderful marriage.

A cab got me to the airport before the coachload of tourists arrived, so I bought a newspaper, checked in and asked for a seat at the rear of the plane. I took a seat in a corner of the departure lounge, burying my head in a newspaper to review the news of the day. It took every bit of self-control I could muster to avoid rushing up to the loving couple when they eventually strolled into the lounge, completely besotted with each other. Hell, I could have been standing naked in the middle of the room and they would not have noticed.

I waited until the final boarding call, pulled the cap down a little and made sure I had my sunglasses on. Shuffling down the centre aisle of the plane, I noticed Jenny and her lover wrapped in each other's arms. Margot was seated a few rows behind them, seated alongside a teenage girl.

I need not have worried about Jenny noticing me. She was completely absorbed with her companion. Margot looked up as I passed, but if she recognized me at all, she gave no sign of it. I settled into my seat in the last row and completely drained, closed my eyes and tried to sleep.

On the opposite side of the aisle was the rear toilet and half an hour into the flight, I looked up to see my wife's lover heading my way. Opening the door, he stepped inside and I watched the warning light switch from green to red. Shortly afterwards Jenny rose from her seat and as she approached, I buried my head in my newspaper. Just as she tapped softly on the toilet door, a flight attendant arrived.

"I'm afraid this toilet is in use Ma'am," she said sternly, clearly aware of what they were trying to do. "The front toilet is not in use so you should go there. Or of course, you can wait here until it is no longer occupied." She smirked at my wife as she made the statement.

Blushing furiously, Jenny scampered back to her seat, her need for the toilet seemingly no longer urgent. I smothered a laugh. The flight attendant, a pretty woman in her early forties I guess, stood her ground until the guy emerged.

"I'm sorry sir, but these facilities are only big enough for one person at a time."

She laughed at his discomfort and turning to me, whispered: "You'd be amazed how many passengers think it's cool to join the mile high club, but it's not happening on my watch."

I returned her dazzling smile, suddenly feeling a whole lot better about myself. Any doubt I harbored about staying in this relationship vanished and instead of feeling sorry for myself, I began to consider what action to take when I got home.

I had no checked luggage but made my way to the baggage collection area and waited for the lovebirds to appear. Margot was well ahead of them though and spotted me. As she approached, I put my index finger to my lips in the universal signal of asking for silence.

"Please do not tell Jenny you've seen me but ask her if she wants to come home with you, inferring that you will travel by taxi. I'll wait for you by the parking ticket vending machines on level 2. If Jenny prefers to take a cab with her lover, just come to me alone and I'll drive you home. But please, do not tell her that you've seen me here. Let her make her own decision."

With a confused look she returned to the carousel to await the arrival of her suitcase.

When they finally arrived, the lovebirds stood just behind Margot, putting on an embarrassing display of public affection. Her behavior annoyed me, for she should have been expecting me to collect the two ladies on their arrival. She clearly didn't care about the possibility of being discovered, so I captured a few photos of their intimate embrace on my phone, turned on my heel and waited at the ticket dispensing machines.

Margot arrived alone, trundling her case behind her.

"Jenny's sharing a cab with John," she said somberly. "She pretended to be annoyed that you are not here to pick us up."

"Margot, we both know that she wants to spend a bit more time with her lover or her first step would have been to phone me to find out why I was late. Hell, she didn't even call me or text me with her flight number!"

"Please don't be too hasty Harry. There were many little shipboard hookups on the voyage and 99.9% of them evaporated when the ship docked in Darwin."

"Why do you think that Jenny and John are different. I noticed that Jenny's not wearing her rings. Do you think that John even knows that she has a husband? You don't know how close I came to physically attacking him when he was kissing my wife as they left the ship."

Margot gasped.

"Oh, my god," she spluttered. "You were in Darwin? I thought I saw you as you boarded the plane but dismissed it as impossible. Why Harry, why?"

"It's simple Margot. I figured that I could intercept her as she left the ship and try to work out our relationship from there. What I did not expect was to find some slob with his hand on my wife's arse, putting on a very public display on the dock. The shock of seeing that destroyed my good intentions. Seeing them all over each other on the plane and in the baggage area didn't affect me much. It just reinforced the fact there is nothing left between us."

"Harry I know this looks bad, but Jenny loves you. Please don't let this one bad experience ruin your lives together."

"There is little chance of coming back from this," I said sullenly. "They've gone well beyond a simple shipboard romance and you know it."

We drove the rest of the way in silence. I helped Margot by carrying her case to her front door, gave her a chaste peck on the cheek and turned to go.

"Bye Harry. Please keep in touch. She really does love you, you know."

Jenny did not arrive until dinner time, hauling her suitcase behind her and complaining that I had not tried to pick her up from the airport. She looked as though she'd been through the wringer. Her hair was a mess and her cheeks were flushed.