Alone at Sea, Day 2

Slept through the docking in Nassau at 10:00AM and chose to remain on the ship all day. What was I going to do in Nassau. Shop? Turns out I found the Serenity deck which was adults only and very uncrowded -- doubt that I’ll find the same tomorrow. I don’t know what the temperature is -- I’d guess in the low/mid 70’s. But with the ocean breeze it was truly ideal even though it was totally overcast later in the afternoon. I took my laptop and my camera -- which I have used for a paper weight so far -- and some stuff and camped out. It was overcast enough that I could use my laptop in the sun so I wrote yesterday’s blog in the blissful warmth. This is what a vacation is to me. Being warm and relaxed. Just chillin.

I was so exhausted from relaxing that I needed a nap. Soon it was formal dinner night and since I own my own tux, viola, I wore a tux. Didn’t see another guy who wasn’t working there in a tux. I looked pretty good. Regrettably the two Philips did not join me and the Golden Girls for dinner. I believe they were injecting or imbibing whatever it is they drink or inject. There was a small spat between the sister-whose-name-I-don’t-know and Erica-the-friend over where I would sit. Mercifully no cat fight ensued. The rest of the meal was unremarkable except that I choose to have turkey breast in white sauce with pasta -- really bad. The Girls all ate two servings of lobster tails. None of them are shy about packing it in. I learned from the sister with no name that there was a well known flamenco guitarist on board who was hosting a private tour group. She told me twice that she tried to upgrade their free tickets (sister Linda won two free tickets to the cruise) but the rude agent wouldn’t agree. I smiled politely.

After dinner, a show! Wow, just like being on Broadway. I asked the Girls to save me a seat and I quickly adjourned to my room. After a brief look at email I headed to the casino to try to continue my unlucky streak that’s been going on since, let’s see . . . Forever. Would you believe it? I was successful -- my luck is unwaveringly bad. Off to the show. When I found the sister with no name there the theatre was hosting a bingo game until the “real” entertainment began. It’s one thing to play bingo, but watching bingo is just there with watching someone pump gas. Mercifully it was over quickly and the show began -- Living in America. I was expecting something pretty amateurish and through the first half dozen numbers I was thinking a decent high school music department could do this. Of course, I doubt the show girls would have butt floss bottoms in high school like these girls did but who knows. The energy level really skyrocketed from there. Being an addictive people watcher, I never watch the show -- I watch people. She’s got a gut. He’s out of sync. She’s bursting with energy. I wonder how old that girl singer is. How’d she get here? On the way down or never made it at all? I wonder how many of these kids are still trying to make it big. It’s fascinating to me. All in all the show was very entertaining.

But it really, really made me miss the lovely M. I know she would say that it’s my fault that she wasn’t with me -- and she’d be right. But it’s just the kind of thing that’s 100% better when you’re with someone that you’re excited about. And she really excites me. At the moment I am trying to convince me to give me yet another chance at love. So I must be very careful that I express myself clearly. For example, M agreed to meet me to talk on the day before I went on the cruise. Now I knew a genie was not going to pop out of a bottle and grant me three wishes, but if he did my first wish would have been that she would come with me -- just like that, on the spur of the moment. Of course reality plays havoc with such fantasies, but I gave it a shot. {You have noticed I’m alone, haven’t you?} But we talked for almost two hours and she really let me have it -- and it was a revelation. Once I turned off my defensiveness and tried to listen and imagine how my behavior these past couple of months looked to her, I really felt like a light bulb went on and yet again I really learned something about M and about me too. I’m pretty sure I now understand what it will take on my part to understand her and to re-claim her love. Here’s the place where I could write pages about M and my feelings for her and my insights into her and how she became the woman she is now. But that’s not for the reader. So watch this space in the future to see if Jimi boy can stay true to his word and win back his dream girl. My children must cringe when they read this stuff.

After the show I said good night to my companions -- whose only memorable remark the entire evening was “You sit here, Jim. A rose between two thorns.” BTW, what was the name of Bea Arthur’s character on Golden Girls? I know she was scary and I couldn’t understand why her character would be attractive to any man. She looked like a man-eater, meat-grinder, sore-loser. I returned to the casino. Made a small deposit. And returned to my luxurious cabin to sleep.