Cruise Confidential: A Hit Below the Waterline by Brian David Bruns

Author:Brian David Bruns
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 978-1-932-36170-4
Publisher: Travelers' Tales
Published: 2008-09-01T00:00:00+00:00

After a few weeks onboard and socializing with Leo, I found myself immersed in a sea of South Africans who personified carpe diem. Even if they were sleeping, they would wake for a party. And with such an incredibly attractive and popular buddy as Leo, it was inevitable to have a following of the ladies. Needless to say, Calypso was completely smitten.

So one night after getting off as early as 2:30 A.M., I dove below the waterline and discovered a number of people hitting the sack. Calypso sat on the deck with her back to the wall, her fingers lazily sliding around the rim of a red wine glass. Her roommate Rhonetta danced next to a music box, while Leo sat upon the stairs that led nowhere, surrounded by empty beer bottles. Beside him, fairly clinging to his leg, was another paisana of theirs, Lorena.

Lorena was a dark-haired gal from Leo’s hometown of Pretoria. Aware that she was rather plain in appearance, she compensated by painting a thick black line on her lower eyelids to give herself an exotic look. She was an enigma to herself, one who hadn’t quite figured out who she was yet and who she enjoyed being around. She would cling to whatever group, or even male, was nearby.

“Brian!” Calypso called out happily, “Yay! Have some wine.”

“I’m so glad you’re here. Bogo was starting to talk psalm again.”

“I don’t know how you handle it.”

“He talks until exhaustion takes him, regardless if the lights are out and my curtain is closed.”

I slumped onto the floor beside her and took the offered glass. The Doors played quietly and Rhonetta spun before me, narrowly missing my outstretched legs. I watched Lorena slide her hand up Leo’s shirt.

“Leo,” I said, “when did you last sleep more than, say, three hours?”

“Hmm?” he slurred. His handsome eyes were bloodshot, but mercifully near to closing. He was oblivious to Lorena stroking his chest.

“Say, Brian,” Calypso asked, tearing her gaze from the absent affection beside us, “What have you done to upset Catalina?”

“Here we go,” I replied, still sour about the encounter two weeks ago with Gunnar and the food. “What did she say?”

“She demanded to know how long we’ve been sleeping together. She refused to believe we are just friends and obviously had an attitude about you. Is she another friend of Bianca?”

“Not that I am aware of. She seems too petty for Bianca to hang with. She caught me with some food a while back.”

“So?”

I shrugged. “Maybe she is just angry that I am ‘cheating’ on her paisana, regardless of their being friends or not.”

“More likely she’s mad you aren’t shagging her. So why don’t you and save yourself a lot of trouble?”

“I’m thinking about it. Say, look at that! Leo has a tattoo.”

We both viewed the action going on beside us. Lorena had completely unbuttoned Leo’s shirt and was sliding her hands over his trim waist and chest. She highlighted a tiny yin-yang tattoo on Leo’s stomach with a Vanna White-like flourish.

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