DON’T COUNT ON ME

I’m flying cross country to Seattle where I’ll be met at the airport and transferred to the Diamond Star for a fourteen day Singles cruise to Alaska. It’s mind boggling, exciting, costly and risky. I’ve been making plans for months and now I have only 12 days left before I go on my first big solo venture. The 12 day wait isn’t really 12 days as today is here and doesn’t count and I don’t count my arrival because I’ll be aboard. That leaves me 10 days to finish all I have to do. Yikes!

My closet is ready for me. The first hangers contain my sleepwear which I transfer to the end of the shelving. Be methodical, organized, Gal. Get started. I’ll need casual clothes, dinner, comfortable tourist outfits. Shoes, shoes. I need dress black, white and tan and at least two pairs of comfortable walking shoes, flats. I line them up along my bedroom wall, out of my way. Jackets. Which ones? Slax and shirts. Sweaters? It might be cold on board, at the glacier. For formal nights my pashima wrap should be perfect.

Testing them out in the two suitcases bowls me over. They are already full and I have barely started. Underwear, nitegowns, a robe, and/or a peignoir. Tomorrow, tomorrow, I’ll cut down. I’ll slash this. I’ll slash that, wear everything twice. Nobody will notice. Ho ho. Gal. Who are you kidding? But I do need those shoes, every single pair. The black ones I’ve worn thin and they look dumpy. Checking the morning paper I am lucky and find a two for sale at Mandy’s tomorrow. My time is running out but I have to stop there before I fill my gas tank, in case there is a hurricane while I am away. During the last big one all the gas stations were out of gas. None had generators. This time I will be prepared and I won’t be a lost soul.

From there I’ll stop at Sunshine Super Market. My next to last day home will be in the kitchen. That is a must. The freezer is almost empty and has to be filled, in case there is a hurricane. If I fill it and electricity is lost for 24 hours, I will come home and have a freezer full of warm water and spoiled food. If not, I have meals for a month.

On top of all of these concerns, I am up almost all night, worried, wondering why I am going alone with 2000 people I don’t know. Add staff and crew -2800.

Tuesday I have to go to the pharmacy to refill my sleeping pills and get whatever is tried and best for sea sickness, in case. At Barnes and Noble I’ll pick up a few cheap paper back detective stories and 2 medium hard crossword puzzles. Time is flying and so am I. Tomorrow! Yikes! But tonight Edith, Morgan and Dani are taking me out for a bon voyage pizza treat.

My 2 stuffed suitcases are zipped closed by the front door. Oh, my lord. I almost forgot a second pair of eye glasses. I grab them and throw them in my purse. My driver arrives at 6 a.m. He rolls my stuff to the elevator and the show is starting..

On the way to the airport, I remove a pen and small notebook from my purse. The rest of the dozen I bought are foil wrapped in one of the suitcases. Why did I bring so many clothes? Nobody knows me. I don’t know anybody. But then again, I might meet an adonis, rolling in money. And then again, why would such a person be going on a cruise like this? Most likely he’ll be looking for big boobs, nice white teeth, plenty of cash from her divorces. There will be a raft of available ladies. The gold-digger men will be bald, pot bellied and dull.. I tell myself to stop these lousy thoughts, stop worrying.

I’ll have fun., eat too much, see a new world, ice bergs, glaciers seals. It’s going to be great! But–I don’t listen to myself and start counting on my fingers. 1, 2, 12. I’ll be home in 12 days.