The Anatomy of a Shipboard Romance

Friday, December 29, 2023
Gulf of Mexico, Florida, United States
This is the story of Chris the Commentator and how he found romance onboard a cruise ship.  I’m sure he’s not the first…and he won’t be the last…but his played out in front of my eyes…every night at dinner.
Chris is a 70ish man who gets hired on contract to work for Princess as a commentator.  He gets a 10 day cruise in exchange for broadcasting a bit of history/information for a few hours on the morning we transit the Panama Canal.  And only the morning…when we return through the canal from Lake Gatun to Colon, he’s likely already sitting in a bar with his feet up, day over…done and dusted.  It’s a good gig if you can get it…and to get it you’ve gotta know about 4 hours of semi useless trivia about the construction of the new canal as well as some history of the area.  In return you get a free cruise.  
Now Chris is traveling solo, so enjoys sitting at a large table for 6 so he can socialize…and impress those at his table by giving them all a ‘preview’ on the buckets of useless knowledge that he possesses.  Chris remains a constant at the table, but his table mates change on a nightly basis.  Around the 3rd or 4th day of the cruise, 2 women end up sitting with Chris.  We’ll call them Perky Pamela and Invisible Ingrid.  Pamela is likely early 60’s and Ingrid likely a bit older.
Perky…er I mean Pamela, seems particularly chatty, read ‘flirty’ with Chris.  So no real surprise when Chris arrives for dinner the next night WITH Pamela and Ingrid.  It’s no longer a random thing.  It’s become planned.  This continues for the next few nights.  They arrive for dinner together.  They leave together.  Chris and Pamela are very chatty.  Ingrid is…well…just there.
Around the 5th or 6th night Pamela starts quizzing the waiters after a comment about how Chris has been coming to the same table for the entire cruise.  Pamela asks ‘with lots of other women?’.  We are now officially changing Pamela’s name to Possessive Pamela!
Fast forward to the final night…Chris arrives at the table alone.  There are 2 strange women sitting there and no sign of Pamela and Ingrid.  Trouble in paradise?  Obviously Chris isn’t hiding from Pam, cause he’s still coming to the same ole table. No hiding there. No avoiding.  So did Pamela sour on Chris?  It’s the last night…the last opportunity to ‘solidify’ what comes next.  Although Chris is likely doing a few more of these cruise contracts, but it won’t go on forever.  Anyway, just when we’re deciding that maybe Possessive Pamela is really Golddigger Gwen who’s found someone younger and wealthier, in she comes, with Ingrid in tow.
Pamela tells Chris ‘Sorry to keep you waiting’ and sits beside him in the chair that’sthisclose.  And then…well, this is where the story ends…cause we finished our meal and left.  Pamela and Chris, and Invisible Ingrid?  You’ll have to write the ending yourself!
                                     

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Comments

Linda Mac
2023-12-30

You are missing your calling - you are a gifted author and should write a book. You will make millions !

Bonnie
2023-12-31

Enjoyed your journal entries... but really... How can you leave us with such a cliff hanger? Could you not have ordered another drink? another dessert? Stayed a little longer just for your loyal readers?

2025-02-09

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