Written By Brad Harness
I was standing there watching as the police cruiser drove off. Francine was standing next to me, quite close, in fact. She was visibly upset, dabbing away tears with a tissue, smudging her mascara as she did so.
“Let me help you with that, Francine,” I smiled, taking the tissue and gently dabbing away the smudge.
She smiled weakly in reply. “Merci, Bobby, you are a nice guy. I am tres sorry you were dragged into Henri’s petite plan…”
The Entertainment Manager was waiting for me inside Gangway 4, and his impatience was obvious, as he walked in small circles, glancing at his watch.
I motioned for Francine to go through the security screening, which she did, and I followed. Our identity tags now scanned, and we were back aboard the Caribbean Princess. We were safe.
I steered her towards the correct doorway with my hand on the small of her back. She turned back, leaned over, and kissed my cheek.
“Again…Merci, Bobby.” Then she was gone. I turned back towards the Entertainers Manager.
“John, I don’t know what to say about this mess. Guess I should have been more alert…”
John was a seasoned cruise ship officer. “Bobby, this is not the first time I have seen problems like this. That’s why we have rules about crew not becoming involved with passengers. Now, you’d better head to the piano lounge as you are due on in an hour. I will brief the captain!”
“Excuse me, John, but I am off duty today.”
“Yes, but the on-duty act fell ill, so you will need to fill in the hole in the entertainment schedule, alright?”
“Yeah, sure, alright, John. Consider it done.”
I made my way to my cabin to change clothes, use the facilities, before walking through the ship. She’s a lovely long vessel, over 900 feet overall. Once I was back aft I took the elevator from Deck 5 - the crew deck for me - to Deck 15, and the Sunset Lounge. I was apparently filling in for the piano man, who had taken ill. The crowd was small, but appreciative, applauding lightly as I took up my microphone and tested it.
“Is this thing on?” I began tapping it, with a mischievous tone. That got a few giggles. I took a deep breath and thought for a moment.
“What’s with all those guys onboard in white uniforms and all those shiny buttons…?!”
Next Week: Part 8
