Chapter 23

We dressed for dinner and went with Karen’s parents to another wonderful meal.

After dinner, we returned to our suite and sat on the balcony watching the water go by. Benjamin was acting as our bartender while the four of us sat out.

It was getting late and I said, “Benjamin, please make up a pitcher of the non-alcoholic Pina coladas and call it a night. We’re going to sit out together and enjoy and it’s been a long day for you.”

He smiled, “I can do that, Sir. Thank you for your consideration.” He mixed the pitcher after making sure all four of our drinks were topped off. “Good night to you all. Trevor will be back on duty in the morning.”

Mister Mason said, “Thank you, Benjamin. Have a good night yourself.” Benjamin left the suite leaving the four of us alone.

We watched the water from our balcony for a while before going inside. The wind was noticeable and chilly. Inside, we watched some television from shipboard showing the show for tonight. We then saw a schedule for the coming day in Georgetown. Shopping and the beach were the two primary activities suggested. Talking about it, we decided to shop and forgo the beach. We had had plenty of swimming activities over the last two days and touring Georgetown sounded like a pleasant change of pace.

After breakfast, we toured the shopping areas with Trevor leading us. He knew everyone. We met Elena and Marco while out and they joined the five of us. We went into a jewelry store that Trevor had recommended as honest and reasonable. Once inside, I found an emerald ring that fit Karen’s finger and that she truly liked. I didn’t have enough cash but did have my fancy Visa card issued by Community. It was accepted and the charge went through with no problem.

I noticed that Marco’s eyes widened at the cost and that he noticed that the card was mine. We continued to shop but found nothing else that anyone felt they wanted. We ate lunch together at a small cafe that Trevor recommended. I paid cash for our meals as did Marco for Elena’s and his. We left to return to the ship.

We went into our room and Karen said, “Let’s go up to the pool wearing red.” I smiled. “We’ve worn those suits enough that I should be comfortable in that much skin on this trip.” We stripped down and I watched her every move through putting on a cover-up that truly was as advertised. With her beautiful body covered, I quickly dressed and we were ready to go.

Karen’s mother and father were going to sit out on our balcony and waved at us as we left for the pool. We arrived to see Elena and Marco lying out side by side holding hands. Karen went to them and said, “May we join you?”

“Of course.” Elena’s voice was low and friendly.

Karen sat in the lounge chair next to her and I chose the one next to her. We removed our outer clothing to our red thongs and lay back. We had a good layer of tan from wearing those suits at home.

Karen turned half toward me and said, “Brad, we really need to talk about a pool for our home. I really like this and when we get too hot, we can take a dip to cool off.”

“Love, we will have to talk about it. There is a lot of upkeep involved in a pool. I don’t want to become a slave to one.”

“Brad, we can hire a service to handle maintenance. It can’t be too bad.” I shrugged.

Elena looked over. “Karen, you own a home?”

“Yes, Elena. We bought it a few months ago. It’s close to our college though still outside of our little town. We like it and share space with our former roommates who married with us in a double wedding. Brad’s sister lives in another bedroom though she’s getting married soon.”

“I thought you were just college students, Karen. Now, you have a house.” Elena left the statement there.

Karen blushed. “We won a lottery so have some funds. We found that having a house was less expensive than apartments and dorms. We will live there at least through college. If we can find work without a move, we will stay there. It’s a nice town and a great house. The idea of an ‘Uncle Rudolph’ is a joke we started to cover our use of winnings. We have most of the money put away in safe investments. We are frugal persons most of the time. This cruise is a splurge for us and for my parents. Mom and Dad were very supportive of our romance and of me before then.”

Elena smiled. “That makes more sense. However, one thing is perfectly clear. The two of you love each other.”

Karen was less tense. “Yes, we had that love and our marriage before the lottery. We entered it on a lark each week as cheap entertainment. It was exciting to win. We still buy an occasional ticket. It’s still good, cheap entertainment.”