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The cruise employees inside the banquet room’s entrance checked our names off their list, and Asher led us to the table that corresponded to our rooe to think that such a big space was confined inside a ship, itself another big space And that together, ith those spaces, were hurtling over the ocean I hadn’t really gotten a sense of our movement yet, and I looked around for cues The chandeliers overhead were brightly colored ornate glass affairs, like the tops of tropical trees, colass birds, all fixed so as not to swing, and the chair Asher pulled out for ainst the low carpet underneath So far the only indication I was even on a ship was the waves I could see out the , three tables down
A crowd of people pushed in and slowly filled every chair Kids too young to be back in school just yet, a few lucky though sullen teenagers whose fa the, a lot of older adults who could afford to take teeks off work, and lastly us I felt very syers just then
An oldera suit jacket pushed a woman up in a wheelchair to join us She had a blanket covered in pink-and-purple paisley tucked around her legs He was barrel-chested, one of those old ed, betrayed only by the pull-tabs of his hearing aids just barely poking out of his ears But she had aged even better than hi behind her librarian-style half-lenses and short hair ses, and as a nurse I was forced to be more aware of my mortality than e well, and it was clear she fell into this happy category
He positioned her at the table, put on the wheelchair’s brakes, and then sat down beside her I inhaled to ask her why she was in a wheelchair, then stoppednosy was practicallyrandom people rude questions about their health doesn’t make you many friends--and makes you seem a little creepy
Despite my attempts not to stare aardly at her wheelchair, she smiled "Car accident"
"Oh I’m sorry" I backpedaled--this was a vacation, after all "Is this your first cruise?"
"No Yours?"
"Yes I’ood excuse for my rude behavior, and it wasn’t that far from the truth "I don’t really like the sea"
The cant of her left eyebrow rising over her glasses’ fraht this was an odd vacation choice for iven heron one a year for the past forty-five years On our anniversary"
"How nice," I said and gave Asher a side-eye look, hoping he could rescueover his shoulder and not currently paying attention He’d seemed so pleased with himself when he’d planned this trip for us I couldn’t help but wonder just what traditions we’d create together or where we’d be in the next forty-five years
Asher stood suddenly and gave ht back," he said, and he walked quickly across the room without another word
"Are you all needs?" the wheelchair woht red
"Unant by him Way to stay classy, Edie But peopleworked out, it wasn’t a ht? This wasn’t 1887 anymore Or even 2007
"Hal--" she chastised
"If we’re at the same table here our cabins are probably next door I just want to know if I should takeist, with horror, and felta Technicolor shade of red
"Hal, shush!" she said with a laugh atdisconore hiht I had the lock on aard questions "Ha ha," I forced out
She leaned forward and gave me a confessional look "Don’t let anyone ever tell you not to have a good time when you can, dear Married or not"
"Thanks I’ll re to not discuss my sex life with the elderly "I’ et me out of this ave me a nod and a jowly s to the table About time
An Indian family of four sat down in a rush at the far side of our table before I could ask him where he’d been The couple was a little older than Asher and ether, as evidenced by their two children, a boy, ten, and a girl, lasses over wide-set eyes and her face was cherubically round Both the girl and the wo black hair--the e diairl’s trailed down her back in one thick jealousy-inducing braid