Delayed Honeymoon Pt. 01

"It's in your own interests, which really doesn't help, but, it's not all bad. Your trip insurance will pay for your flight home as a medical emergency, which it is, and we'll give you a voucher for one-half off of another cruise. It's a major disappointment I know, but financially you'll come out ahead."

I was on the verge of tears, of course, but Nick consoled me, saying, "That's right, honey. We'll go home now and get over all of this. We'll take that discount and sail next year in a real cabin! Thank you Miss Rutherford. I'm sure that you've done your best to help. We'll check back later and see what arrangements you have come up with. Come on, honey, let's go get some breakfast."

As we sat at a table in the breakfast buffet, my mind was in a whirl of conflicting emotions. I was devastated by, in effect, being ejected from the ship and the end of our fabulous cruise and "honeymoon." That crushing blow was balanced by the extraordinarily realization that my fears of incipient insanity could be banished. Even my claustrophobia seemingly was temporary and limited to inside cabins on a cruise ship. If the lines half-price voucher led to an even better cruise next year as promised, the balance seemed favorable. However, as I was coming reluctantly to that conclusion, Glenn sat down at our table with his own breakfast.

Unfortunately, he started to say "Good morning" when he broke off and gasped out, "Damn Judy, what on earth happened to you? You look awful!" I had seen my face in the restroom mirror when I dressed and I knew what he meant - eyes puffy from crying and a lack of sleep, no makeup, hair askew despite having been combed. The delicate balancing of good and bad in my mind crumbled and I broke into tears, gesturing to Nick to explain. For the next ten minutes or so, Nick described the situation to Glenn's unbelieving ears. "My God, that's incredible! And they can't find any place for you on the ship! They're right, though. You cannot go back into that or any other inside cabin. Of course, you can look forward to an even better cruise next year which is something. Damn it, I'll miss you two."

Somehow hearing that made me feel a bit better and I was able to eat a little as Glenn and Nick ate and talked. Suddenly, Glenn paused, put down his fork and getting up, said, "You two stay here. There's something that I want to check. I'll just be a minute." Nick and I stared at each other as he walked away, but we had nowhere to go anyway. His minute turned into fifteen, but he finally came back with what might have been a smile, saying, "Come with me. I've got an idea that might help." We went down a flight of steps to the next deck and followed him a short distance down a corridor until he stopped at a door with a medallion in the center. Inserting his key and opened the door. "Welcome to my not so humble abode."

We walked in and marveled at the suite. There was a foyer containing a buffet with a marble top next to a small refrigerator with shelves above holding wine glasses. A full bathroom with a bathtub, half the size of our cabin, on the other side! The main room had, on the right, a queen sized bed with bed side tables. Beside it was a built-in vanity and desk and built-in bureau. On the other side of the room was a small two-seater couch flanked by two chairs. The end wall was an 8-foot sliding glass door opening onto an expansive balcony with, I discovered, a double sized chaise and two deck chairs. We were awed by the luxury and, I'll admit, tremendously envious. That envy was compounded when he pointed out, "And I get all of this in exchange for a week or so of lectures! Now, let me show you why, other that cruel bragging, I'm showing you this."

He went out into the hallway and called "Louie." A young man, the cabin steward, followed him back in and he said, "Louie, would you open the couch, please." Louie went over to the couch, did something with a catch, and quickly converted it into a single bed. He thanked the steward and then said to us, "If you want it, this could be the answer to your problem. Unfortunately, the two of you won't be together and there won't be much privacy, but if that is acceptable, Judy is more than welcome to stay here. Why don't I go out on the balcony so you can talk about it privately?"

I looked at Nick in utter shock! I looked at him and the way his face had lit up, I knew his reaction. "Good god, Glenn, we don't have to talk about it! It's the most wonderful thing I've heard in years." Unable to contain myself I threw my arms around him and gave him a very hard and long kiss. "Oh, I can't believe it! I was trying to convince myself that I didn't mind leaving the ship and going home, but it wasn't working!" I went on like that while Nick extended his hand for a handshake and his own emotional thank you. I again had tears in my eyes, but these were tears of joy. We sat down in the chairs and talked, but I honestly don't know what was said. Eventually, of course, we ran down and suddenly, the tension of the night and morning got to me and I slumped down and almost went to sleep.

Noticing my condition, Glenn began to get things organized. I'll have Louie make up the bed tonight and, in the meantime, Judy, why don't you lie down on the regular bed and take a nap before you fall over. Nick, you could get Judy's suitcase and things and bring them up here and tell Miss Rutherford that you found a place for Judy to sleep. Now, I have a meeting to set up my lecture schedule and afterwards I'll stop at the desk and have another key made for Judy. Just leave the door unlocked and I'll have Louie keep watch.

I slept for a solid two hours, beneficial sleep with no nightmares, no walls closing in - just normal sleep! Oddly enough, I woke up clear headed and instantly aware of where I was. I lay back and stretched, suffused with happiness as I looked around the luxurious quarters and I knew that the crisis was over. Sitting up, I saw Nick sitting in the chaise on the balcony, relaxing in the sun. I pulled myself up and staggered over to the door, stepped out onto the deck and said, "Hi, honey. I'm back from the dead."

He looked up with a very happy smile on his face and raised his arms, beckoning me to his side. He embraced me as I slid in beside him and gave me a very loving, and relieved, kiss. "Welcome back. How do you feel?"

"Absolutely wonderful! It's as if a ton of weight fell off my back. I just can't comprehend what went through me yesterday and last night. I do know that there is no way on earth that I could have gone into that room again! How your mind can be so twisted to the point that you lose control is frightening. And just think, we were going to be thrown off the ship tomorrow morning if Glenn hadn't stepped in!"

"You're right. I hardly recognized you when you woke me up last night with your screaming. Your face was contorted with a really wild, wide-eyed expression absolutely desperate to get out of the door. I had to hold you back to keep you from running out into the corridor wearing nothing but your nightgown. I was scared because I had no idea as to why you were acting in that insane way. You fought me as I got your coat and shoes on you and as soon as I let go, you were out the door before I could dress. I never want to go through anything like that again!"

"I don't remember any of that. It's weird. I didn't see any monsters or, for that matter, any explicit threat but I felt a tremendous squeezing pressure that I had to get away from. Gods, thank heaven that's over. As I said, thank heaven for Glenn."

"You know, I've been sitting here thinking about that. It's hard to believe that yesterday morning I had never met him. You looked out the bus window and thought that you saw one of your old professors. Here we are, not quite twenty-four hours later and he literally is a best friend. Without thinking about it, we've acted that way. We automatically arrange to meet him to eat and talk as if we had been close for years. We're sitting there at breakfast and he comes over, gets the bad news and obviously is affected as a real friend would be. Then, beyond belief, he thinks of this solution and saves our cruise! And in a real sense, we both just met him yesterday morning! If you wrote a novel with that kind of situation, you'd be laughed at!"

"You're right. I was thinking about that at dinner last night, how he went from remote Professor Thomas to someone my husband and I treated as a person who had been a friend for years. You hear of people who fall in love at first sight. Maybe you can "fall in friendship" the same way. In any case, we were unbelievably lucky to find an instant friend in a time of major crisis. We really owe him."

All this time, Nick had his arms around me as we lay on that chaise and it felt wonderful. Finally, my internal plumbing made me pull away, saying "I've got to go to the bathroom. I want to clean up and change clothes and, then, I want us to go out and enjoy the first full day of our cruise without a big black cloud hanging over us!"

I took a quick shower in that luxurious bathroom and came out wearing a towel to select my clothes. Fortunately, I hadn't unpacked yesterday so everything was still in good shape except the things that Nick had had to stick back in when he got the suitcase. I dumped those things, including my nightgowns, out onto the bed to get at the folded clothes. Nick picked up that little transparent gown that I had on for a short time last night and reluctantly said, I guess you won't be wearing this again on this trip!" Then, laughing, "You'd better not let Glenn see you in that - he'd have a heart attack! How old do you think he is anyway?"

"You know, I'm not sure. When I was a freshman he already was a full professor and a very well-known expert on Shakespeare and you don't get to that level for years. He did say that he has two grown sons and, I think, one grandson. I don't know, probably in his mid or late sixties. His grey, almost white, hair would go with that."

"That seems about right, but he seems quite fit. He really is a nice person and, surprising to me, very easy to talk to. I never could talk to a professor in college about anything but course work and grades."

"Fortunately, Glenn is different. Where did you put my tote bag? I need my cosmetics - oh, there it is" I went into the bathroom and opened my bag and pulled out the things I needed. In doing so, I saw my diaphragm case and realized that the diaphragm was still in me. I quickly removed it and, as I washed and powdered it, I thought glumly, I probably won't have any need for this the rest of the trip. With me in this beautiful suite and Nick down in the cave that I certainly was not going to enter - well, my diaphragm would have a nice long rest. That was a real downer but it was a price we would have to pay. So much for our delayed honeymoon!

I finished dressing and, as we prepared to leave, I put my loose clothes back in the suitcase, saying, "I'll unpack later when Glenn shows me which drawers to use. Ok. I'm ready, let's go get some lunch. I'm famished - I just couldn't eat anything at breakfast."

Nick followed me out, talking as we walked. "I talked to Miss Rutherford and Glenn already had told her that you were going to sleep in his suite. She was there when he stopped by the desk to get you a key. Which reminds me, here it is. She was delighted and it was obvious that she really had felt bad about having to put us off. Even better, she already had put in a request for that half price voucher so we may still get that for what she listed as "unacceptable housing!" We may come out of this like bandits and the only cost was temporary insanity on your part. That's a fair trade!"

"Ok, big guy, next time you can be in the black hole of Calcutta. Here I was feeling bad because out delayed honeymoon will be sexless from now on, but, after that crack, there probably would have been no action anyway."

"Ha! After a few days you would have been panting for more of what we did last night! Seriously though, it's going to be hard with ten days on a beautiful vacation like this, but, while Glenn has been wonderfully generous with us, I don't think he would be pleased with us screwing on his bed. I guess we'll survive. Hey, maybe we can find a place on one of our island stops. Some nice secluded beach! It would be better than a tour!"

"Oh sure, I can picture that!" That's what I said, but I'll have to admit that I felt a tingle in my pussy at the idea!

We had lunch and just spent a very relaxed afternoon walking around the ship. We ended up on the swimming pool deck just lying back in the desk chairs with drinks as we watched the few brave swimmers using the pool. The air was much warmer than New York, but out in the open there was still a chill from the Atlantic. I was quite content reclining in the warm sun, sheltered from the breeze and just recovering from last night's trauma. However, I was uneasy in my mind from a completely different source and, I guess, I somehow displayed that unease to Nick.

"What's wrong, honey? You're been quiet for too long."

"There's nothing wrong. I'm just relaxed and don't have anything to say."

"Don't give me that. I've been married to you for ten years and I certainly know when you're concerned about something. I'm still kicking myself that I didn't pick up on your problem last night, but I guess I was too wrapped up in all the cruise stuff. Now I'm paying attention and something is bothering you. What is it?"

"All right Mr. Analyst, it's not a big thing, just a little worry. You were kidding me about not wearing my see-through nightie in front of Glenn and it made me think. I didn't bring a light robe or negligee, and my sleeping nightgown really doesn't hide much. I hadn't even thought of some of the practical problems of sharing a room with him."

Nick looked at me and grinned. "Are you afraid that you'll turn him on and he'll assault you?"

"Don't be silly! I'm being serious. I'm afraid he'll be shocked and I'm sure that I'll be embarrassed."

"Well, I expect that you both will adapt and you'll both get turned on." Then, with arched eyebrows and a satanic expression on his face, he added, "Maybe you'd better wear your diaphragm to bed!"

I shot up from my reclining position, spitting out, "Nick, for god's sake, what are you saying? He's old enough to be my father and, even if he weren't, I'm a married woman - married to you in case you've forgot!" I don't know why I reacted so furiously. I knew, or assumed, that he was kidding - which was normal in our relationship - but, somehow, his comment hit a nerve and I responded with disproportionate vigor.

"Ok Judy, calm down! Come on, calm down. You know that I was kidding."

I sat there, a frown on my face for almost a minute before I finally settled back and recovered my sense of humor. "All right, you joker! I'm sorry. I guess I'm still a bit wound up and I am concerned about my nightgown and I'm afraid other things will crop up."

"Well, we can always get off at Cape Canaveral. Since that's the only option if you don't sleep in Glenn's suite, I think that the nightgown problem looks pretty small. If you really don't want him to see you in it, we probably could fine a negligee in the women's store in the shopping area on Deck 5. Now, since this has come up, I want to be serious about things. Let's move over to a more private spot.

"Ok, this is better. Now, be quiet and let me talk. We have eleven days left on this cruise and you're going to be sleeping in Glenn's suite and, I wouldn't be surprised that at some time things will develop and you'll end up actually sleeping with Glenn or, at least be tempted to do so." My mouth had fallen open with shock and I started a vehement protest until his hand came up, "Wait till I finish! You never had sex with the men you dated because they just didn't interest you. You and I had chemistry almost immediately and you love having sex with me because of that chemistry and, of course, being in love. You are a very sexy woman in and out of bed, but I know that, if for no other reason than the background drilled into you about the evils of extramarital relations, you would do your best to fight off that temptation. So, your feeling for me and your engrained morals rule out any hanky-panky with Glenn.

"However, you're going to be in close contact with him for eleven nights, starting tonight. Normally, I would have absolutely no doubt that it would be a completely platonic relationship. However, with Glenn, unlike all your dates in school, you are interested. You like him now as a friend, but there's something more. This is a man you said you idolized and had a crush on as a student. He is an academician, which turns you on, and you share a real love for literature which also is a plus. It adds up to a very difficult situation for you - your moral beliefs and me versus a very strong appeal and propinquity. I don't know if you could call it chemistry, but that's a lot of appeal there." He paused and I didn't know where this was going. He thought for a moment and continued.

"I'm going to try to make it easier for you. The only thing worse than you having an affair, if you would call it that, with Glenn would be you having it and trying to hide it from me. I know you too well and you're just too honest. That would be destructive for both of us. Frankly, it's the cheating that would bother me, not the thing, itself. I know that you would be torn between wanting something on one hand and risking hurting me and our marriage on the other. The truth is, I will not be hurt or feel betrayed if you do sleep with Glenn. It's not a really big deal in this case. I certainly would be very jealous if I thought that you were having an affair with another man, but this is a unique situation. Understand, I'm certainly am not urging it or suggesting it and, quite likely, it would be better if you didn't, but for my part, I'm honestly not concerned.

"Candidly, if he were, say forty, I probably would feel different. I'd probably feel threatened, worried that you might get too serious with him. However, we're talking about a man who is between sixty-five and seventy! Now, there's most likely nothing to worry about. Obviously, he is more than old enough to be your father. There's a very strong likelihood that he's past the age of being interested in such things or even physically capable - not able to 'get it up' as they say. Maybe he sees you as a daughter or protégée that he is guiding along through school and will never see you in a sexual light. Any of these things would make this whole discussion, and, I guess, me, look foolish. Regardless of all that, I want you to remove me from the equation and let your feelings guide you."

I sat there, absolutely stunned. I looked at Nick with a completely different prospective trying to absorb what was undoubtedly the most loving thing he could have done - freeing me of the feeling of cheating or being unfaithful if something did happen. Finally, I answered, "Honey, I simply don't know what to say. All I was concerned about was that Glenn would see me in a very revealing nightgown. Believe me, I had and have no thought of anything else, but you are wonderful! I will admit that you have everything just right about my attraction to Glenn - my past fantasies, my passion for academics and, well, yes, my professors. However, those fantasies were ten to fifteen years ago and now I'm a settled-down wife and mother. Glenn is a very attractive man for his age and he brings back many of the memories and feelings I had back then. In addition, on the basis of a past professor-student relationship and a "friendship at first sight" connection, he has been unbelievably generous, but I want to keep that relationship platonic." Then, unable to contain myself any longer, I hugged and kissed him and simply said, "Thank you."