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

on the San Francisco peninsula. The Alaskan cruise had been intended to be Millie’s first foray into the travel world, but of course, that trip to Italy and the Tuscany cooking school really became her first big adventure. And Millie enjoyed it immensely, in spite of the fact it turned out to be more adventurous than she ever imagined. But that was something she never talked about, especially not to her daughter.
    So now the Alaskan cruise, scheduled and paid for, was going to be another travel experience and one all four ladies were looking forward to. They expected to be totally pampered while their senses were assaulted with the beautiful scenery of Alaska.
    “You know, I’m quite excited about this cruise. This ship is much more luxurious than I expected.” Lucy looked around as she sipped her drink. “I think this is going to be totally different than my trips to England. I’m so glad you called me, Claire.”
    “Oh, oh, I can see the title now,” Claire swept her hand across her forehead, “Gardening Amongst the Glaciers.”
    Lucy wrote travel books about England and specialized in English gardens. Claire had originally met her when she lectured on England at Claire’s bookshop and subsequently, they became good friends.
    They all chuckled, imagining a new line of books for Lucy, as they sipped their drinks and glanced around the lounge at the other passengers already having a good time.
    Millie and Ruth had been excitedly discussing this trip all summer. Then, three weeks ago Millie’s travel agent had mentioned the cruise line was offering half fares to fill their remaining openings. Millie, remembering how envious Claire and Lucy had both been about the pending cruise, decided they should all go. When Claire passed the information on to Lucy, Lucy not only agreed it was too good an opportunity to pass up, but she convinced Claire to go too. The cabin they shared was inside on a lower level with no window, but the travel agent assured them they wouldn’t even notice. They would have a TV hook up with the camera on the bridge so they could see what every other cabin saw and, she explained, they wouldn’t be in their cabins much anyway. Somehow they were persuaded.
    “My goodness the fog is thick. I hope the captain can see where he’s going.” Millie’s forehead was deeply creased as she peered out the window at the dense gray.
    “Don’t be silly, Millie, they use radar just like the airlines do. They don’t have to see to see.” Ruth spoke a little sharply. She sometimes became impatient with Millie’s worries.
    “Of course, of course, I know that. I wasn’t really worried.” Millie straightened up and looked around, lowering her voice. “Except that lifeboat drill kind of spooked me. I mean what a way to start a trip. I just look at those tiny lifeboats and shudder. They sure didn’t look big enough to hold everyone.”
    “Mom, every time you fly they give you a safety demonstration just in case. This is the same.” Claire’s voice was soothing, as she tried to convince her mother to forget her worries.
    “Don’t you just love to wonder who all these people are and who’s with whom?” Ruth changed the subject.
    “You mean who’s sleeping with whom?” Lucy responded, eyeing the crowd eagerly. “Before we get back I’m sure we’ll know quite a few of them and can probably answer that question with some accuracy.”
    “Well, at least Mom will be able to,” Claire said. “You wait and see, she’ll know most of them before the first week is over. When I caught up with her in Florence last May, I swear she knew everyone staying at our hotel, and it was a big hotel.”
    Ruth laughed, nodding her agreement, while Millie just shrugged.
    “I can’t help it, people just talk to me. So of course, I have to be polite.”
    Then she joined them all in a giggle. It was true. She loved people, talking to them, hearing about their lives, even looking at endless pictures of grandchildren.