Total pages in book: 30
Estimated words: 29279 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 146(@200wpm)___ 117(@250wpm)___ 98(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 29279 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 146(@200wpm)___ 117(@250wpm)___ 98(@300wpm)
“Good morning, Miss,” he says, whipping out a steaming steel pitcher. “Coffee?”
“Yes,” I say gratefully. “Thank you.”
He nods at me and smiles, and his teeth gleam brightly.
“It’s a pleasure to serve, Miss. What can I get you for breakfast?”
I bite my lip and look down at the extensive menu.
“I would love some French toast, please. With berries and hash browns, if you have them?”
“Certainly. Excellent choice.” Then, the waiter nods and heads off to put in my order. I lean over the table and watch him walk away. The waiter is tall, handsome, and certainly too good-looking to be working on a cruise ship. Then again, he was probably hired in part because of his handsome features. Wow, this is going to be a fun trip.
But I shake my head to clear it of my inappropriate thoughts. Maybe Simona’s right, and I’ve been wrong all along. Why don’t I want a permanent relationship? A lot of women my age are hell-bent on finding a man, but for some reason, I’m not on the war path. Maybe it’s just the way I’m wired.
The gorgeous waiter comes back over with Simona skipping behind him. She looks refreshed, with bouncy curls and a cute sundress. She thanks him and watches him walk away with hungry eyes.
“I love the Caribbean,” she sighs. “If all men look like Josea, then this is going to be the best vacation I’ve ever had.”
I grin.
“Me too, and wait till you see what Josea can do with a coffee mug!” I say, laughing. She grins again, and we eat our breakfast, enjoying the food and drink. The joe is amazing on the ship and I end up having two or three cups before I even realize it. Finally, we’re finished.
“Come on,” Simona says, patting her lips with her napkin. “Let’s get out of here before you drink all the coffee on the ship before noon.”
I laugh and we go up to our rooms to grab our stuff before heading off the boat. The water sparkles a deep turquoise blue, and the sand is a gleaming white. There’s a group of four with us who look to be in their twenties. When Simona tells them I’m a professional photographer, they do what normal millennials do in the situation, which is beg me to take their picture. I oblige but internally, I roll my eyes. I don’t understand the appeal of being all over social media. That’s the beauty of having an assistant. Miriam handles all my PR and social media, so that I can concentrate on taking beautiful pictures. I snap a couple photos of our companions doing silly faces and remember why I only take pictures of animals.
“You’re so cynical,” Simona says as we start walking again, a little behind the other group.
“What are you talking about? I took their pictures, didn’t I?”
“Yes, but I could see you rolling your eyes in your head. Even if they didn’t notice, I can sense when you’re being a jerk.”
“I wasn’t,” I say with mock-offense, but my friend knows me too well.
“Keep it under wraps,” she whispers in my ear while taking my arm. “It’s not nice! I know you’re an artist, but you have to be friendly on this trip.”
I nod.
“I just don’t get social media, you know? Why do people want to put their entire lives on-line? Who’s that interested in someone else’s life anyways? It’s weird, right?”
Simona links her arm in mine, and we walk together towards the beach.
“Girlfriend, I just spent all night stalking hot men on Instagram. I’m interested in other peoples’ lives, even if I’ll never meet them for real. It’s fun, so why not? Now come on, it’s time for our snorkeling lesson.”
I sigh as we walk down the dock to where the lesson’s taking place. Again, maybe Simona’s right. After all, she has a lot of friends and is so popular whenever we go out. By contrast, I’m kind of a shy introvert. I feel more comfortable with animals than people, and I can become paralyzed when it comes to social interaction with my own species sometimes.
However, now it’s time for snorkeling. Our instructor, another good-looking Caribbean man, reviews the important rules. It’s pretty straightforward, and Simona and I take to it quickly. Soon, we’re in the ocean having fun. We’re in a cove, so there aren’t too many waves, and the water is remarkably clear. I feel like I can see forever, and the turquoise blue of the sea beckons.
It’s sunny and relaxed, and soon our entire class is splashing about. We snorkel, looking at reefs and fish, before coming up for air. The aquatic life doesn’t even seem to be afraid of us because they peep out when we swim by, as if to stare at the aliens visiting their habitat.
Everyone gets tired, and so after a while, I’m swimming by myself even though I’m not supposed to. When I come up for air, I see Simona waving and pointing, and I wave back. Her waves become even more frantic, and I look around. Ah, there it is! I turn and see a pod of dolphins only a few yards away. Excitedly, I try to follow them for a bit, even though they’re much too fast for me.