Wednesday, June 30, 2010

An Affair To Remember

So. Most of the stories on this blog have been HORRIBLE, right? Well...my life isn't just ONE horror story after the other. I have had some amazing romances sprinkled in there. I figured it was time for one of those:

I was embarking on my first cruise. The Mexican Rivera Cruise, on the Sapphire Princess. I was nervous, but excited. The ship was huge and shiny, and the ocean scented the entire experience like a balmy, romantic perfume.
He was the first person I saw on the ship. Asst. Cruise Director, who we shall call Ax for personal reasons. He was tall, dark, tan, and had a luscious Aussie accent to top it off. He looked at my passport, his fingers skimmed mine as he allowed me entrance and his brown eyes swept me in. I knew something happened then. And I knew I would be seeing him again.

Two nights later, I did. Karaoke night. He was hosting, and he picked me out of the crowd. "And would this beautiful blond sing for us?"
Never one to be put on the spot I said, "If you will."
He laughed, and nodded. "Fine, fine."
So I sang. And he sang. And I figured that was that. It was his job to schmooze me, right?
When I stood to leave however, his voice came over the speakers. "Would someone stop that beautiful blond? You're not leaving yet, are ya love?"
Um. Nope. Not with that invitation. I sauntered over to the DJ booth and sat with him.
And we continued sitting. And talking. Looooong after everyone cleared out. He pulled out a piano and we sang and played music together, and talked for hours. In this conversation I came to find that it was forbidden for staff members to have 'relations' with passengers.
Shucks.
Well...forbidden never stopped Jack and Rose. And it didn't stop us. Pretty quickly we developed code, secret ways that we just had to see each other.
"Do you need to charge your ipod?" He would ask. Naturally that met meet me by my booth. And then we would duck off into secret cruise quarters and just...talk. NO...really.
Four nights into it he pulled me into the staff hotel and we giggled like sneaky teenagers as he grabbed his guitar from Barcelona and we then ducked onto the ship roof, and he played for me under a blanket of stars that made me feel like I was in a Whole New World with my very own Aladin.


Formal night I thought would be THE night. He would see me looking gorgeous and kiss me....regardless of the RULES.

Well...I had spent an entire day in the sun. And hadn't eaten or drank alot. As I made my grand entrance to his ballroom Ax was dj'ing, I felt slightly light headed. I attributed it to his intoxicating presence.

Nope.

Not his presence. It was too much sun.

I fainted.

That's right. I fainted at this guys feet. Literally.

So he turns all Cruise Director on me and calls the medics and I get WHEELCHAIRED off...not exactly what I had in mind.

The next night was our last, and I was so humiliated I avoided him all day. Well...the end of the day comes around and he asks me to stay with him when he cleans up his station. So I did...feeling silly after the other night.

He turns to me then, and and asks me to dance. We were the only ones in the room...the old French tune dipped me into another world. A world of old fashioned romances and affairs at sea and then....yep... he kisses me. Right there. Right in the middle of the ballroom. Right in the middle of the ship in the middle of the ocean in the middle of my heart.

And I left my heart at sea that day. Not regretting any part of my sea fairing romance.