A Cruise with My Granddaughter

I traveled around the country for the rest of that year and most of the next without seeing my granddaughter. I talked to her on occasion when I would call, but only for a brief amount of time. In my paranoid guilt, I imagined that she was having second thoughts about our last encounter and I kept an eye out for that day when a cop would either pull me over or come to my door with an arrest order.

When I did talk to her, nothing was ever said about our time out on the road, not even a hint of any impropriety. It was as if it really didn’t happen, like I had had a very wonderful dream. I loved that dream, I felt close to someone again. Someone really loved me. I was not alone. But here I was, alone in a campground, sitting in my 45’ pusher diesel wondering what I was going to do today.

It was late winter when I received the call from my daughter asking me the favor. I was planning my move from Arizona, through Texas, over to northern Florida, around Pensacola, to a campground I had discovered a few years back. I had made this trip for two years now and was really looking forward to it. The people were nice, the weather was perfect at that time of the year, the fishing was fantastic and it gave me something to do.

When the favor was asked, at first I was excited, but then I was apprehensive. My daughter had been give a cruise to The Bahamas as a gift from her company for “Outstanding Achievement” but after she had booked the cruise, they sent her on another trip to Chicago for a meeting. Some reward, so she asked, if she made the necessary changes, would I consider driving down to Ft. Lauderdale, Florida, meeting my granddaughter Kristy and using the cruise tickets in her place?

It was only a three day cruise and in was no big deal if I didn’t want to go, but since she had the tickets anyway and since I hadn’t seen Kristy for over a year, I decided I would take her up on it. Kristy was a sophomore in high school this year and she was old enough to get her driver’s permit. I just couldn’t believe she was getting that old.

My instructions were to meet Kristy at the pier before embarkation, as the cruise line had made transfer arrangements for her. I waited around for awhile then a thought crept into my brain. I didn’t know the size of the cabin we were to share or if she got her own cabin or the sleeping arrangements or anything and I didn’t know how she felt about sharing a cabin with me. I was in a panic, so I thought I had better check it out.

I went up to the check-in desk and asked the agent about our cabin. After checking, she said we had a single cabin on deck 5 to be made up in a twin configuration. I thought for a moment and then, making a snap decision, I asked the agent, “Is the “Owner’s Suite” booked on this cruise?” She looked and said, “No, not on this cruise.” So I said, “I’ll take it instead of the other one,” and broke out my American Express Gold Card.

After securing our cabin, I went back out to the loading area and waited for the bus to arrive from the airport and waited and waited. I asked one of the porters about the delay and I was told that they were waiting on one more transfer bus to arrive from a flight from Kansas City that was delayed for an hour or so. If I was waiting for someone from that flight, I might as well go aboard and wait for them there. I told him that it was an under aged girl, my granddaughter I was waiting for and I didn’t want to abandon her. He asked for her name and a brief description of her. My gosh, what does she look like?

I gave him the best I could and went on board and straight to the bar to clear my mind and wait for her arrival. After I had my third Captain and Coke, I heard my name paged over the ship board intercom and headed towards the purser’s desk to meet my grand daughter. When I first got a glimpse of her, my heart skipped a beat.

I saw her before she saw me and the vision of her burned into my mind and will be the last thing to ever leave it. It will be a vision that I will cherish until the day that I die and I hope that that day is a long way off. But if is happened today, I would have an angel to guide me to heaven.

For you see, I had not seen Kristy in better than a year and I did not realize the changes she could make in that time. She was, in a word, beautiful. She had matured into an angelic vision that took my breath away; from her long blondish hair that she was wearing in a pony tail, to her fair, perfect complexion, her knock dead body, she had the complete package. I stood there with my mouth agape, sharing at her until she slowly turned and saw me and then she made a mad dash to my waiting arms.

“Gramps,” she yelled as she jumped into my big hug and a kiss. “I’m so glad to see you. I didn’t see you down at the pier like Mom told me you’d be. That darn plane was late getting here and then we got here and you weren’t there and …well anyway I found you and now we can start our trip,” she exclaimed all in one breath.

“I’m glad you made it and you found me, now I’ve got a surprise for you so let’s go see our cabin,” I said enthusiastically.

Off we went to the elevator and up to the 9th deck and to our suite. Opening the door, I led her in and watched her mouth drop open.

“This is for us?” she asked disbelievingly.

“It sure is,” I answered proudly.

“Mom never told me that we would have a suite,” she exclaimed.

“Your mother doesn’t know we have a suite.” I told her. “I thought that maybe you’d want your own room,” I added, testing the waters.

She stopped and the look that came over her face told me volumes. “But Gramps, don’t you want to sleep together?” she asked almost with a tear in her eye.

“You mean you do?” I asked hopefully.

“Don’t you? I’ve been looking forward to this for a year and a half. Now you tell me that you got me a separate room because I would want my own bed? Gramps, I want to sleep with you so we can…ah…you know, make love. I got some pills so I won’t get pregnant and everything. Oh Gramps, this weekend will be special,” she said excitedly.

“Kristy, I just thought that maybe you had changed your mind or something.