the reflective path…Cruise Junkies

Norm & Flora. The mental image you have in your mind should conjure up really hip parents of later born Baby Boomers; and they were.

At first Norm struck me as the kind of man who owned a Summer condo in Miami, and traveled to Vegas at least twice a year. He also seemed like the kind of man that would either own a chain of mini-marts or an oil field. First impressions aside, he was nice and gregarious and we struck up a conversation.

He made a few comments about the line we were patiently experiencing together. It was long because everyone was in formal dinner wear and wanted a nice picture for posterity sake.

I think Norm was wearing a white suit. His wife Flora was really sweet. She reminded me of Flo from that show Alice. After speaking with her though, it was clear my first impression was very wrong.

Complimenting Norm’s suit, Flora wore a dark blue dress made out of a really thin material. Two layers I believe. The top layer had shiny sparkles all over it. She wore a shawl to tie the ensemble together and constantly played with it as she listened to Norm talk.

“Is this your first cruise? How do you like it so far? Well just wait!”

“Wait for what?” I thought. I was barely able to answer these three questions with a simple yes or no. Obviously Norm wanted me to be having a great time. Between talking and laughing Norm would see other people he recognized from past cruises and say hello. That’s when Flora took over, hi-lighting, more personal bits of the conversation.

I asked Flora about her family, and how long she & Norm had been married. Flora told me she and Norm had been married over 50 years. That they were from Texas and had three kids. All grown.

“I have one daughter who is a Doctor!” Flora told me proudly. She left it at that. Or that’s how I remember it.

Sometimes it was hard to hear because Norm was speaking louder than everyone else in line. I figured out he wasn’t being obnoxious. He just had incredibly resonant vocal chords and used them effectively.

Flora had a soft voice and I’m sure I missed some important points about her other two kids. I guess they’re fine, and have good jobs as well. Flora struck me as a no-non-sense kind of woman. The kind that would say whether or not one of her children ended up in Texas prison. Thinking back on it now, I thought it was endearing how she referred to these grown professional adults as “kids.” I guess it comes with motherhood.

Norm’s side conversations ended and he re-joined us where he left off.

“We’ve been on over thirty cruises! And I’d say this has been one of the best!

Right Flora?”

“That’s right Norm, one of THE best! Because it’s Christmastime and it’s fun to be around all the kids.”

She continued to talk. I smiled, and nodded, while my mind dissolved in thoughts that went like this:

This cruise did have a lot kids on it. It was Christmas eve and the kids put out an electric vibe. Who could blame them? I’d be excited too if Santa was going to land his sleigh on a cruise ship. Even traveling at a whopping 6 knots.

I’m guessing by the looks of the parents, these kids belonged to couples my age and younger. I realized that the prospects of using my line about the ‘nightcap’ met diminshing odds. Most of the women I had seen so far were married with school aged children and husbands in tow.

Some men would be determined to use the ‘nightcap’ line anyway; married or not. Personally, I find that ill-mannered; though I know it happens all the time. However, I decided to shift my attention.

“I’ll be a concious observer,” I thought to myself. Remnants of sound began to emerge as Norm & Flora talked and music began to play.

My brain continues its dialog;
“I’ll be that guy that absorbs the decor, the suroundings, and participates in the endless schedule of things to do!”

Right then I let go of my idea of a glorious Pacific romance.

A lull in the conversation brought my full listening ability back. Norm’s attention had turned to people wearing Santa hats assembled on a stage below us. The focal point was a tall Christmas tree set up between two glass elevators and the crew had gathered in front of the Christmas tree for a round of caroling. Passengers lined the stairs that connected the 3rd through 5th floors. The stair railing was decorated with greenery and lights and the passengers began to sing with the crew. It was pretty.

And VERY surreal.

Some of the surreality was due to the aesthestics of a cruise ship in the first place.
It’s difficult to describe the overall decor. If pressed, I’d say that a cruise ship looks like a cross between an Indoor Mall and a 747.

“The Alaskan cruise was fantasitic! It was the best! Have you ever been to Alaska? You gotta go. It costs a lot, but it’s worth every penny!” Norm says, looking around my head for his next acquintance. Flora is nodding with her eyes closed as if remembering the best night’s sleep she’s ever had. She takes a deep breath, and says with a smile, “he’s right it was the best.”

Norm eventually gets pre-occupied in the caroling, he motions Flora to the railing to get a better look. Flora tends to her shawl and whispers that they’ll come back when the line is shorter.

I wait in line for my picture, thinking about what a great, happy couple Norm & Flora are together. The product of 50 years of hard work. They look like they go together.

Then I think how radically different this year has been than last. And wondered if I could allow myself to think as big as Norm’s voice.

I begin to contemplate a cruise to Alaska.

Thanks for checking in.

Stephen A. Thomas

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