The Love Boat Part 1

THE LOVE BOAT.

By Charles Hustmyre.

"Aren't you excited?" Lucy asked, clapping her hands, then rubbing them together, giddy, like a teenager.

Dan put his arm around her as they walked up the gangway toward the deck. "Sure I am, honey." And he was, he just didn't like to act goofy in public. Ten days on a boat alone with Lucy. Alone that is, if you didn't count the other thousand or so pa.s.sengers, but that was all right, this was going to be the best vacation ever.

Once they found their cabin, he was glad he'd paid the extra three hundred for one with a port hole. They unpacked and got comfortable, very comfortable.

An hour or so later Dan was ready for a drink, maybe a run at the casino. He was feeling lucky. Besides, this trip was costing him a bundle, wouldn't hurt to win a little bit back from the cruise line.

He checked his watch, it was just past three in the afternoon. It would be another three hours before they cleared the mouth of the river and got out into the Gulf. No sense going up on deck to look at the muddy Mississippi River.

Coming out of the tiny bathroom, b.u.t.toning up his pants. "How 'bout checking out the casino?"

Lucy was lying on her back on the double bed, looking up at the ceiling. "I wanna go up on deck, look around some."

"Nothing out there but the river and the swamp. By dark we'll be out in the ocean. We can eat dinner on deck, let that salt air invigorate us." He grinned.

She got up, still naked, and looked out the small port hole at the river. Dan got a good look at her. Man, she was a sight! It made him think how lucky he was he could arrange this little trip. Lucky his job required a lot of travel. Lucky his wife was so trusting.

She hadn't batted an eye when he told her he was going to Honduras for two weeks. "Sorry, hon, no phones on the site but I'll call as soon as the job's over and we get back to civilization." He made sure he sounded mad. Even told her he was kind of thinking about getting into another line of work. Said he was sick of the travel, sick of the primitive living conditions in the field. Natural gas exploration, at least the field work, was a young man's game. He was thinking about a desk job.

She said she wasn't happy about it, but it was his job, and she understood. When he got back maybe they could get away for a long weekend. That Karen, what a trooper.

He'd need a long weekend to rest up from this trip. Lucy turned her head and looked at him, the grin still on his face. "I think you're invigorated enough. You don't need any salt air."

Not much of a crowd in the casino. Still early, most people were still probably trying to get their sea legs. Dan cashed a hundred-dollar bill. He was carrying around a big plastic cup, half-full of chips. "I feel like a little black jack."

Lucy snuggled up next to him as they walked toward the table.

He was lucky. First hand, Dan stayed on thirteen. Dealer was showing a five. The dealer took a hit, jack. He turned 'em over, an eight underneath.

Two more hands and he was up sixty. Betting conservative, twenty bucks a hand. Just loosening up, getting warm. Two more hands, one he busted, the other he won. Lucy was hanging on to him, standing at his side, occasionally whispering naughty things in his ear.

That's when it happened. Lucy was on his right and he felt someone slap him on the left shoulder. "Dan! What the h.e.l.l are you doing here?"

He recognized the voice before he even moved his head, then felt a huge ball of ice drop through his bowels. William Ratman. Dan turned, unsure what to say, now wis.h.i.+ng Lucy was a thousand miles away.

The look on William's face told him everything. He wasn't even looking at Dan. Instead William was staring at Lucy. They had kind of gotten dressed-up to come upstairs. Not feeling like shorts and a T-s.h.i.+rt, Dan had put on a golf s.h.i.+rt with a collar, khakis, and topsiders. Lucy a little more dressed, or less, depending on how you wanted to look at it. White cotton summer dress, split way up the side, low neck, lots of skin.

With his right elbow he tried to nudge Lucy away, but she kept her hands perched on his left shoulder. "Will," he said, trying his hardest to sound happy to see his old neighbor, "been a while, what -- six months?"

William pried his eyes away from Lucy. "Little over a year. How's my house doing?"

Dan turned back to the table and scooped up his chips, throwing them in the plastic cup. Lucy dropped her hands as he stood up. He saw her mouth open, but glared at her, willing her to keep quiet. Turning back to William, cup of chips in his hand. "Oh, the house is fine. I see Peggy coming and going. Boys are outside all the time playing." Cup in one hand, Dan clapped an arm around William's shoulders, forcefully turning him away from the table. "Let's go get a drink."

Turning toward the bar, he saw William glance over his shoulder one last time at Lucy, who thankfully stayed at the table. William asked, "Peggy seeing anybody?"

"No, not that I know of. Karen talks to her more than me." Rus.h.i.+ng toward the bar. "You say it's been a year since you two got divorced?"

"Little over that now," William answered. "I can't believe I ran into you on a cruise."

"Me neither," Dan said, meaning it.

"What are you doing on a cruise?"

They grabbed a couple seats at the bar. The bartender was down at the other end waiting on an old couple. Dan signaled to him, then saw him nod his head. "It's a work thing," Dan said.

William wrinkled his forehead. "Work. You exploring for natural gas in the casino of a cruise s.h.i.+p?"

Dan forced a laugh. "No. The new boss took a bunch of us on a cruise. Calls it a working vacation. We spend a few hours a day in meetings, then the rest of the time is ours."

As the bartender walked up, Dan saw William turn his head to look at the table where Lucy was still standing. Dan looked at the bartender. "Bud." William still looking at Lucy. Dan thumped him on the arm. "What you want to drink?"

William looked back. "Bud's fine." The bartender walked away. Then William asked, "Karen with you?"

Dan shaking his head. "No wives. Boss said we couldn't get any work done."

Nodding in the general direction of Lucy, William asked, "Who's the girl?"

Dan shrugged his shoulders. "Some barfly I guess. Started hanging on me soon as I won my first hand."

"Pretty nice for a barfly."

Dan shrugged again. "Tell you the truth, I think she might be a hooker."

William looked surprised. "No."

Dan needed to change the subject. "What about you? You with anybody?" The bartender dropped off their two beers. "I got this," Dan said, then signed the chit.

As the bartender left, William answered, "I'm by myself. Just wanted to get away." He winked at Dan. "Maybe I'll find a barfly."

What the h.e.l.l did that wink mean?

"You told him I was a hooker!" Lucy shouted.

Dan put a finger to his lips. "Ssshhh. Somebody will hear you."

Lucy paced around the small cabin. Dan sat on the love seat against the wall. "You think I care if people hear me." But she said it lower.

"I had to act like I didn't know you," he said. "You had your arm around me. What was I supposed to say?"

Lucy shook her head. "He's not even your neighbor anymore. You said he moved out a year ago."

"Yeah, he moved out, not his wife and kids," he said. "Karen talks to her all the time. That b.a.s.t.a.r.d'll spill the beans sure as I'm standing here."

"So what're you gonna do?"

Dan thought about for a minute. "We can't go out."