SS Valentine

Penny wasn't sure about the dining room she had tried the night before, so they walked further and went into another one. The hostess was going to seat them when frank asked for a table by themselves. The woman started to say that they liked all the passengers to get to know each other when she seemed to realize that these 2 people were not the typical passenger she had been seating all evening. She took them to a table that did not have any other diners and Frank and Penny were relieved by this fact. As they sat and perused the menu, both felt the eyes of many other passengers on them. The feeling was uncomfortable for each, but Frank said just to try to ignore anyone else and they would concentrate on their own meal.

"That is easy to say, not as easy to do." Penny countered.

"Either we figure out how to block them out for the next few days or we will be spending our time in the cabin hiding out from them." Frank offered.

Penny nodded and tried to concentrate on what to order, but she still had a tough time not glancing around the room as she felt others watching them. They continued to be the only occupants of the table, so soon they found it easier to ignore the rest and just limit their attention to the table.

The waiter came and took their orders and left to have the food prepared. Frank and penny each started talking about work again, then soon moved to things in the old neighborhood. Both had grown up in Queens, and each still had family living there as well. Both thought it strange they lived 6 blocks apart and worked for the same company, yet had never even seen the other before this trip.

The food arrived and they slowed their talking and started on the dinner. Each was glad to try something better than the fast food fare that the grill had offered. By the time they had finished with dinner and dessert, most of the older passengers had left the dining room and they found themselves much more comfortable with the other than when dinner had begun. Penny realized that her fears about Frank, while not totally irrational, were unfounded by his actions. Frank decided his first impression about Penny had been more from the circumstances and that he could understand her position as a single woman traveling on her own.

After finishing their dinner, Frank and Penny started to walk back to the cabin when Frank suggested a drink. The night was still early for bed and he wasn't about to head for the casino. He wasn't sure where else to suggest and really didn't want to sit in the room for the next 2 hours just watching TV or some other moronic pursuit. Penny didn't have any objection, so they made their way to the bar that Frank had scouted out the day before. A few tables were occupied, but there was no one at the bar, so that seemed a safe place to sit. The bartender noticed Frank and seeing Penny, smiled as he said "I see you found someone closer to your own age. What can I get you?"

Frank looked at Penny who said "How about a beer, whatever you have on tap."

Frank said to make it 2 and the bartender said they would be right up.

Penny looked around and even though some of those in the bar had checked them out as they entered, was happy to see that no one had paid any real attention to their presence.

They continued to talk, each having another beer as their first disappeared. The subject of work and neighborhood had been exhausted and now they had a friendly debate over which was better, the Mets or the Yankees. Frank was the Yankee fan and Penny had followed the Mets for years. They did not come to any great conclusions, but their talk had lasted long enough they decided that they could head for the cabin and get sleep without interference from their time schedules.

Back in the room, uncertainty reared again. Frank was just ready to get some sleep, as was Penny, but she had not had time to build her clothing wall. Thinking about the afternoon, she decided they could make do without a physical barrier. Still, she was uncertain about her sleeping attire. Frank had not been concerned about her seeing him in his underwear and Penny remembered her own father wandering around the house in boxers and undershirt without concern. She remembered how uncomfortable she had been trying to sleep in her clothes, but wasn't going to put on her new baby doll outfit in front of this man. But, what to wear? The baby doll showed a lot of skin, but wasn't see through. Maybe she could get away with wearing it if she kept her bra and panties on underneath. The bra had been the most annoying item of clothing she wore last night and she was ready to get out of it now. Could she dare sleep without its protection tonight? She didn't want to do anything that might tempt Frank, but last night he had fallen asleep very quickly and although she did not want to admit it, he did not even seem to check her out.

Frank was waiting for Penny to do something as she pondered exactly what that would be.

"I don't think we need to put the clothes on the bed, but I still expect you to stay on your side." Penny started.

"No problem." Frank added. "You can get changed first, then turn out the lights and I will follow."

Penny was still uncertain about what to wear, but unpacked the baby doll nightie from her bag and took it into the bathroom with her. She took off her blouse and shorts and with a bit of hesitation, removed the bra. She hoped she wasn't making a mistake, but she had made the decision. She came out and quickly got into bed, pulling the covers up to her neck.

Frank had noticed the difference in sleepwear, but Penny had been so quick that he did not have much time to get a good look at anything other than the fact she was wearing a night gown rather than the clothes she had slept in last night. He took his turn in the bathroom and emerged from it in his boxers and undershirt just as last night. Penny had turned out the light as he was inside changing, so he felt his way to the bed and got into his side.

"Good night, Frank." Penny said.

"Good night, Penny. Pleasant dreams." Frank replied before slipping off to sleep.

*****

When morning came, each of them was on the proper side of the bed with no incidents in the middle of the night. Frank awoke first and getting out of bed, retrieved some clean clothes from his suitcase and headed into the bathroom. Penny heard him moving around, his movements waking her from her sleep. Once he had closed the door behind him, Penny got out of bed and found some clothes of her own to wear today. She did not have any idea of what they would do, but the usual blouse and shorts would probably cover any activities they might participate in.

Frank came out of the bathroom a few minutes later and was surprised to see Penny sitting on the bed. She was wearing the baby doll nightie he had seen her wearing last night, but now he was able to get a better look. He didn't want to appear to be staring, so took quick looks as he was putting away some of his things. He was pretty certain Penny wasn't wearing a bra, the top didn't offer much material that would hide the straps if she was. Before he had a chance to check it out any further, Penny had gone into the bathroom for her own shower. Frank sat waiting for her to come out so they could decide on what they might do for the day.

When Penny came out of the bathroom, she was wearing the same type of blouse and shorts she had been for the past 2 days. She busied herself with putting away her own items and straightening up various things in her suitcase.

"What do you think about breakfast?" Frank started.

Penny looked up from her task, "I really didn't think much about it. Do you have any preference?"

"Want to try the dining room? I am getting a bit tired of the grill food for every meal. We managed OK last night."

"OK. Just have to be sure we get our own table again." Penny offered.

She went back to her housekeeping and Frank took a look at the activities brochure as she was finishing up.

"Damn!" Penny exclaimed.

Frank looked up and noticed she was looking at a spot on the top of her breast that looked to be a quarter sized blob of toothpaste. As he was checking it out, Penny started unbuttoning her blouse, and then took it off before going into the bathroom to try to rinse the stain out. Frank had noticed her lacey bra as she turned away from him. He wasn't having any fantasies about Penny, but wondered what her new attitude was from.

Penny came back into the cabin after hanging the wet blouse over the shower curtain rail to dry. She was looking in the closet for another blouse to put on when she realized that she was standing there in front of Frank without a shirt. She turned red for a minute and offered "Sorry. I wasn't thinking."

Frank just nodded, he thought that if he tried to say it wasn't a problem she might think he preferred her unclothed. He had thought her first threat of mace was a bluff, but wasn't sure enough to take any chances. Penny turned away long enough to put on a different blouse and then she asked if Frank was ready to try breakfast. Frank was ready and wanted to get out of the room that had suddenly seemed warmer.

*****

Frank and Penny had a nice breakfast in the same dining room they ate their dinner in last night. The other diners did look at them, but Frank thought their presence did not attract the same attention this morning as it had the first time. They again sat at their own table and the food was good and filling. Afterward, they decided to try walking about the ship, but Frank warned Penny to keep a sharp eye out for the walkers. They had spent more time in the dining room this morning than each had devoted to the grill sandwich yesterday, so the hour was later and all of the mall walkers had disappeared by the time they took their own walk.

As they walked around the decks, Gerard found them.

"Good morning. I have spoken to someone in the home office and they have agreed to refund your cost of the cruise to each of you. They wanted me to offer sincere apologies for any mix-up."

"That is a good start." Penny suggested.

"Yes. We still do not know if there will be any free cabins after we get into St. Thomas tomorrow, but in any case, the line will pay for flights home if you choose also. I do, however, hope you will decide to finish out the cruise with us. We will do anything we can to make your voyage more enjoyable."

Neither Frank nor Penny was inclined to stay aboard any longer than they had to considering the treatment they had received from the other passengers. Still, each decided to wait until tomorrow to make the final decision.

"So, what do we do for the rest of the day?" Penny asked Frank. "Seems like a shame to spend our day in the theater or the bar. I really wanted to get some sun, but with all these seniors around, I'm just not comfortable doing that."

"Maybe we can find a place that is less crowded or else somewhere these people don't like to be. Let's do some more exploring and maybe we can find that place." Frank said.

They walked for several hours more, avoiding large groups of the old folks when they came to them. Neither felt that they were attracting the same attention as they had the first day or 2. Maybe the old folks had gotten used to them or maybe they were just more relaxed after 2 days on the ocean. Perhaps there was power in numbers even though they were just 2.

After the walk, Penny said she was starting to get hungry.

"I really don't want to have a big meal in the dining room, how about if we just get sandwiches and go back to the room?"

"Fine with me. Want to do the grill thing again?" Frank asked.

"Sure. Their food isn't that bad I guess."

Just like they did yesterday, Penny carried the bag of sandwiches and fries as frank handled the sodas in a cardboard carrier. Coming to an intersection of corridors, Penny almost collided with another woman as she rounded the corner. Stopping long enough for a quick apology, Penny and the woman looked at each other for a few seconds before each realized simultaneously that the other woman was not one of the seniors. She was not wearing a crew uniform and must have been another passenger.

"O my God! Are you passengers too?" the woman asked.

Finding her voice after the initial surprise, Penny answered "yes. Are you tourists ...I mean you are not the crew just out of uniform, right?"

"My husband and I are here and until now we thought we were the only ones not yet over the hill. These old people are the meanest, nastiest folks I have ever seen."

"I know what you mean." Penny offered. "We have been trying to figure out what we can do that won't piss them off so much."

"I'm Niccole, by the way." The woman stated, offering her hand.

Penny shook it and introduced herself and frank.

Frank offered "We are headed to the cabin to eat lunch. How about if we get together with you and your husband in a couple of hours if you don't have any plans. We have found that there seems to be fewer problems if we stick together. How about the bar?"

"I'll talk to Jerry, but it sounds good to me."

Frank gave her directions to the bar he had found the first day and they parted so each could take care of their own tasks.

Inside their cabin, Frank and Penny ate as they discussed their discovery.

"Maybe there are some others on board who might be young enough to spend time with. At least now we know that we are 4. Maybe with a few more we can find some place to hang out by ourselves that will offer some relief from the old folks." Frank started.

"I hope so. If we find some more people like us, we might even be able to have some fun here yet."

Penny had spoken before she gave any thought to their cabin arrangements. She still hoped that the cruise line would be able to find a free cabin for Frank once they arrived in St. Thomas and hopefully someone got off the ship. She didn't want to voice that thought, but it did nag at the back of her mind.

*****

About 3 o'clock Frank and Penny were sitting in the bar and just ready to order something to drink. Niccole came in with a man that each assumed was her husband Jerry. After introductions all around, the bartender came over to get their drink orders. Still not feeling the tropical vibe, Frank and Penny ordered beer as did the other 2. Before he left to get the drinks, the bartender commented that now there were more of them the same age. Niccole and jerry each appeared to be about 10 years older than Frank and penny, but right now 10 years was a lot better than 60.

"Have you figured out if there are any others of us here yet?" Frank asked the bartender.

"You 4 are the only ones I have seen myself and from what I have heard from the rest of the crew, are the only ones."

"Damn!" Frank exclaimed. "We hoped there might be more of us."

"Do you work for Global Underwriters too?" Penny asked, directing the question to Niccole and Jerry.

"No, why do you ask?" Jerry answered.

"We both do and I just wondered if any others did, that's all."

"No, we run our own business but things are pretty slow this time of year, so we signed up with a ticket consolidator to see if they had any cruises available. When they called, nobody said anything about the ship being a floating geriatric center."

"Same here." Frank offered. "We've been looking for things to do to keep away from them, but haven't found too many. This bar seems to be a good place, but we can't spend the entire week in the bar. Yesterday we saw a movie that killed some time but again, we didn't come here to stay inside the whole week."

"I know what you mean. We have been looking around too. We didn't think of the movie theater or the bar, though. We found an observation area a couple of decks up that is not too crowded and even so, it is not so large that there won't be many others there anyway." Niccole chimed in.

"That sounds good. I wanted to get some sun and to read the books I brought along. I didn't have much luck on the main deck yesterday, though." Penny said.

"What about the night club or the casino?" Jerry suggested.

"Stay far away from the casino, I found that out the hard way." Frank replied." I hadn't thought about the night club. Maybe it will be too much for the old folks. We could try it out later this evening. It can't be any worse than the casino and maybe they will have some good music."

They continued to talk for another 2 hours until Niccole decided that it was time to get ready for dinner. They really did not need to dress any more formally to eat in the dining room, but she said if they were going to try the night club, they wanted to get a little more dressed. Frank and Penny left to clean up themselves and agreed to meet Niccole and jerry half an hour later in the dining room they had been using.

In their cabin, Frank asked Penny how dressed she was planning to get.

"I think I will just put on a skirt, this blouse is good enough I think." She answered.

Frank thought a minute, and then found one of his new Hawaiian shirts and a pair of long pants. Penny went into the bathroom to change, so Frank took advantage of the time to do his own changing. He noticed That Penny had not fully closed the door and although he could not see her directly, he got a view of her pulling her shorts down in the mirror. He could only see her panties from the back for a few seconds until she pulled the skirt into place, but he thought it different that she had not even closed the door fully. The first day, she made a point of locking it and now she was obviously more comfortable with him in the room. He did not think she was trying to give him a show, he just attributed it to their friendlier relationship. Penny did a few things with her makeup and then they were ready to go. Frank had made sure not to be seen watching as she went about her chores in the bathroom and penny had not noticed the attention he had given to her changing.

Niccole and Jerry were waiting for them as they got to the dining room. Inside, the hostess was surprised to see now 4 younger people together, but led them to a table out of the way that was not occupied by anyone else. The other diners watched them as they were seated, but soon went back to their own dinners.

"This is different. Last night everyone was watching us and I was really uncomfortable. Looks like they are getting used to us being here." Penny said.

"I know what you mean. We thought we were the only ones here that were out of place and the feeling was really weird." Niccole responded. Soon the meals arrived and they gave their attention to eating more than to conversing. The food was good and after all had eaten way too much, they spent some time with small talk before Frank offered "Ready to face the old folks in the night club?"

The others laughed and all stood and headed to the door. Outside the door, Frank and jerry looked at the map Frank had brought with him to figure out how to get to the club. They weren't too far away and after a short walk were in front of the entrance. With a few apprehensive looks at each other, Frank took the lead and pushed open the door whereupon the others followed him inside.

The night club was not quite what they had been expecting. The flashing lights and thumping music was missing, replaced by brighter lights and the sound of the 30's and 40's big bands, just like in the bar the other evening. There were tables around the perimeter of the room and a dance floor in the center that had a number of couples dancing to the tunes. Frank saw a table that was empty and not right next to the dance floor, so he motioned for the others to follow. After they had seated themselves, they took a minute to check out the surroundings. As before, their presence did attract some attention from the older clientele, but once they had given them the once over, most went back to what they had been doing before the quartet arrived. Soon a waitress came by to take drink orders. The women each asked for one of the fruity tropical drinks with little umbrellas floating on the top and jerry asked for a Scotch. Frank wasn't a hard liquor drinker and wasn't sure about beer now, so decided to take a chance with another of the fruity drinks. When the drinks arrived they spent time with more small talk, watching what was going on with the others in the club.