"Go ahead, I don't mind, really." she swore. "It'll just go to waste, otherwise."
We had sat through a three hour Timeshare sales pitch on a rainy day in the Poconos, and our reward was a three day cruise from Ft. Lauderdale to Bermuda. The catch was it had to be used immediately or you lost it.
Laura and I had gone away to try to rekindle what we lost over time. It hadn't worked and we both knew the relationship was winding down. Two years of dating had run its course.
"Well," I replied, "Half of it is yours."
"Not really, since you paid for the Poconos, anyway."
So, on a Monday, when most people are getting off, I was boarding the ship. It was older than the Super-Cruisers, but still held about 800 passengers. The cabin was interior, meaning no windows or portholes. And small. The bed was the entire room except a tiny shower and toilet. But it was free, along with meals. Drinks and shore excursions, naturally, were not.
As I unpacked, I heard a bang on my door. When I opened it, a woman practically fell into my arms, with a loud, "Oooh!"
I steadied her as her lady friend jumped in concern. "Maddie! Are you alright?"
The woman in my arms righted herself, heaving the heavy suitcase that she was maneuvering to one side. "Oh! Oh! I'm so sorry!" she said to me, as she spun to face me, eyes wide with excitement.
"Are you okay?" I asked.
"Yes, thank you! These halls are so small! And the bags!"
They had been trying to lift their bags over the threshold, into their cabin. "Here, let me help you," I offered, lifting them and placing them on each of he two beds so they could unpack them. Their cabin was small too, but bigger than mine, with a balcony.
They couldn't thank me enough, yammering away about bringing so much clothing. They were both in their sixties, but not looking anything like Grandmas used to look. Both had stylish hair, colored, obviously, and their attire was current and trendy, bright colors and flashy jewelry. At a glance, each could pass for fifty, I thought.
The one called Maddie was particularly attractive. Bright blue eyes so alive, a perpetual smile showing ultra-white teeth, Blond hair in a short style with curls on the sides, like a flapper. Someone who had been considered cute in her day.
They thanked me profusely, and introduced themselves. Her friend was Sarry, like Sara with a Y.
"So, Mike, you're traveling alone?" Sarry asked. Maddie jabbed her and said I was too young for her. "Oh? But you're not? Ha!"
They were on the cruise with four other women from their club. Sarry invited me to join them for drinks later, but Maddie said, "He didn't come on her to hang with six old biddies, did you, Mikey?"
I said I was sure to see them somewhere since the ship was rather small. Maddie made a point of smiling and winking as she closed her cabin door and said, "Bye, Honey, thanks again!"
Sure enough, they were two tables away at dinner, and all six made a point of waving at me. I felt self-conscious, like I was back in grammar school.
Being forty myself, I still thought of younger women, in their twenties and thirties, so the mature ladies were like walking into your Mom's card game, and all her girlfriends smiling and flirting with you. Very disconcerting.
Later, at the bar, Maddie stopped by to say hi and invite me to join them. I passed, thanks a lot. But there was something about her that intrigued me, the smile, the eyes, the winks, the whole package, even though she was at least twenty years older.
Then I realized what it was: As a twenty year old in the service, I had met an older woman, a ripe old babe of Forty, who wound up being my Commanding officer's wife. She had a reputation of flirting with the enlisted men, and she selected me as a victim. A special detail and a wild afternoon in her pool still brought back an erection.
The next day on the pier, I had signed up for a bus tour. All six of the Ladies Club had signed up, too, without my knowledge. After a head count, the staff realized they had over-sold the trip by two.
At six-two and 225, I wasn't looking forward to cramming into a bus seat for three hours in this heat, so I volunteered to stay on board the ship. Staff promised me perks for my trouble. The whole cruise was a perk.
There were murmurs, then I heard, "Me too!" Maddie was moving out of the crowd. "I've seen it before anyway. I'll see you girls at dinner!"
The other ladies were smirking and giggling like school girls and she said, "Some one's got to keep Mikey company, right?" and she winked as she took my arm, and I felt myself blushing again.
She wore a yellow floral wrap around her waist, covering a swimsuit, and a Peasant blouse, containing her ample chest, sandals, shades, and a big floppy white hat. She held my arm tightly as the bus pulled away and she waved at her friends with a big smile. After it left, she turned to me. "So, Honey, what are your plans?"
"I don't really have one. I just figured I was too big for those seats."
