Claire Gulliver #04 - Cruisin' for a Bruisin' Read Free

Bay to make the most of every gust of wind. They looked like a flock of large butterflies fluttering over the water.
    Alcatraz Island seemed close enough to touch as they passed. In fact, she could see tourists lined up for one of the return boats. Angel Island loomed in the background, cutting off her view of the picturesque village of Tiburon, which she knew hid behind it.
    At Ruth’s nudge she turned around and posed with Lucy and Ruth while her mother snapped a picture, then with Lucy and her mother while Ruth snapped one with her camera, but then she moved away to position herself for their approach to the Golden Gate Bridge.
    She couldn’t believe how high it was. Somehow she thought the ship was so big she would be much closer to the top when they passed under. She could see the figures up there, just dark dots against the glare of the late sun. Ruth was looking for her neighbors, who had promised to bring their children down to wave good-by to her from the bridge. Claire didn’t see how anyone could recognize anyone from this distance. But people around her were waving and she could see the little ant-like figures waving back from their perch high over their heads. And then they were under the bridge, the big ship bucking through the treacherous current where the ocean entered the Bay. She grabbed the rail to steady herself and saw her mother beckoning her, as she and Ruth headed inside. The fog seemed to be loping toward them, the wind pushing it forward while the ship ploughed determinedly through the waves to meet it. She turned and carefully made her way to the door, noting that a few hardy souls were apparently staying until the last glimpse of land was gone.
    Inside, protected from the wind, Claire slipped her sunglasses in her pocket and held the rail to the stairway tightly as she fought the lurching of the ship while she ascended to the cocktail lounge at the front, top of the ship. They had checked it out earlier and decided this was definitely the place to have cocktails before dinner. She removed her jacket and ran her fingers through the tangle of her short hair as she made her way across the crowded room, dropping gratefully into the cushioned chair they had saved for her. The waitress approached bearing a tray of drinks.
    “We ordered you the special for the day, a Gold Coast Sling, all right?” Ruth asked, reaching for the gin on the rocks which had just been placed in front of her.
    “Great.” Claire eyed the tall golden colored drink wondering what it contained. Then remembering she was on vacation, she decided she didn’t care how potent it was. She could always crawl to her cabin if necessary.
    Millie, Claire’s mother beamed. “Well everyone, let’s toast to a great adventure.” She lifted her glass and gently tapped each of the others. “I’m so glad you both decided to join us for this cruise.”
    Millie, with Claire’s encouragement had signed up for a cruise to Alaska with her church group scheduled for last May. But then her bosses at Richman Cadillac had surprised her with a retirement gift of a cooking course in Tuscany. Unfortunately it was scheduled at the same time as the cruise. At first, it didn’t matter because Millie flatly refused to go to Tuscany. It was too far away and way too foreign for her tastes. But eventually Claire and Ruth had convinced her she couldn’t pass up the opportunity and waste the money the Richman brothers had spent. So Millie talked to her travel agent and found, while she couldn’t get a refund for the cruise, she could change the sailing date with no penalty. Ruth, who had agreed to go to Tuscany with her and even attend the cooking class with her to gain her agreement to go, was more than willing to go to Alaska with her in September. Ruth loved to travel and did so whenever she had the chance.
    Millie was the complete opposite, which was strange considering her daughter, Claire, owned and operated the popular Gulliver’s Travel Bookshop