Unexpected Pleasure

Being caught on an island during a category five hurricane isn't my idea of an ideal business trip. My name is Jerry Houseman and I spent two weeks in June of 2019 on the island of Martinique performing a survey to see if replacing part of a causeway to their airport would be cost-effective. Being an engineer with some geology in my background and part-owner of a bridge, design, and building company, I was the ideal candidate for this survey. I used local labor to set up and perform the geological survey and had to rush to finish the work before the weather went bad. A hurricane was barreling through the middle Atlantic but was expected to pass to the east and north of the island. Some rain and winds were expected but nothing like the hurricane itself. When the track changed and the island authorities were notified they recommended all tourists leave. I was so engrossed in preparing the report and proposal that I missed the warning and didn't leave with the majority of tourists. I had transmitted, via the internet, my proposal to the Martinique Roads and Bridges Authority and then went to the lobby. The concierge was the only hotel staff in the lobby.

"Where's everyone?" I asked.

"Monsieur Jerry you should have left with the rest of the guests the last flight left over an hour ago. Hurricane Justine is going to hit us with full force. You should now go to the kitchen and get a couple of the sack lunches prepared and go to your room. We should be alright here because this is one of the strongest buildings on the island." I had to listen closely, as Jock's French accent was very pronounced.

I did as Jacques the concierge said and went to my room. The clouds got thicker and within an hour of the first outer bands hitting the island, electricity was lost. For a full day that hurricane beat the poor island mercilessly causing local flooding, broken trees and roofs to be ripped off. When it finally subsided I checked with the concierge about a flight back to the States and was told that the airport was closed due to damage and would be for at the next two weeks at least. The storm surge had eroded much of the runway and it must be reinforced.

He said to me, "Sorry Monsieur but the damage was severe thanks to Hurricane Justine."

"What about electricity and phones?"

"Phones are still working but electricity may take as long as two to three weeks. Our generators are being repaired as we speak but parts from one must be used to fix the other, so we will have only power to the first floor. "

I handed him a fifty-dollar bill and said, "Please, please see if there is anyway off this island and back to the States. I need a drink; this is too much for me." I was close to panicking with the thought of being stuck for another two weeks or maybe more.

"Sorry Monsieur, the hotel bar and restaurant are closed due to employees not getting here. I live at the hotel or I would not be here."

"Well, shit. I think I'll take a walk around and see if any place is open." I knew that there was a liquor store a block and a half from the hotel. Maybe they still had some stock I could buy.

Leaving the hotel and walking toward the liquor store I couldn't believe the damage I was seeing. Debris everywhere, limbs, parts of roofs, and even a motorcycle lying on its side in the middle of the street. When I got to the liquor store I saw that most of the front was blown away and the owner was trying to clean up some of the broken glass and shelves that had blown over. "Man, this is bad; your store took a hit. I hope you have insurance."

"There's no insurance here Monsieur. Everybody takes their chances," he said while still sweeping.

I stepped inside and was going to offer to help when I saw three one-liter bottles of Jack Daniels on a shelf attached to the wall. "How much for the three bottles of Jack there on the shelf?"

He looked up at them almost surprised that they were still there, "They usually go for thirty Euros a bottle."

Thirty Euros is about thirty-seven dollars, a little high but these folks were going to need a lot to fix the damage so I offered more saying, "I'll give you two hundred dollars for all three."

He set the broom aside and got the three bottles, "I have no paper sacks Monsieur."

I slipped my backpack off and handed it to him saying "Put them in this." While he put them in the backpack I pulled two one hundred dollar bills out of my pocket and held them out to him. He said grateful for the sale, "Merci Monsieur." I took the backpack and thanked him and headed out. I wandered around Fort-de-France for another two hours and watched people getting started on putting their lives back together. A little dismayed and discouraged, I headed back toward the hotel with my bottles of liquid courage to see what was happening there.

I entered the hotel and saw that power had been restored to the first floor. I saw Jock at the front desk and went there.

"Ah Monsieur Jerry, I have some good news and some news that you may not feel is so good. As you can see we have power, but only on the first floor so the bar and restaurant will be open tomorrow. But that is not the good news I have for you."

I'm not sure Jacques doesn't have some Italian in him cause he talks with his hands a lot, "What is the good news, Jock, I could use some."

Waving his hand he said, "I have found you a way off the island. A cruise ship will stop outside the harbor and their shore boats will retrieve supplies they have stored in concrete warehouses at the port. Some of their supplies will spoil from no refrigeration if they do not get them soon. I had been in touch with their man at the port about you and he contacted the ship by radio. Their man at the port said the ship's purser radioed back saying you could have a room on the ship. They only have larger balcony rooms left and they are extra expensive, $5,000 for the rest of the cruise which will end in Jacksonville Florida in seven days."

"That's great Jock," I said!! "But what's the news I won't like so much?"

"It is an LGBTQ cruise. Shall I contact their man and tell him yes or tell him no."

I was taken aback a little; I never even thought such cruises existed. I never thought of myself as homophobic before but wasn't sure I wanted to spend a week cooped up on a ship full of gay men and lesbians. I mean, I can be open to new ideas and I fully believe in "live and let live". I said to Jock with a little whine in my voice, "Jock, is there nothing else available?"

"I know $5,000 is a lot but that's all I could find."

"I'm not concerned about the money it's the other thing."

Jacques just hunched his shoulders up and held his hands out to the side saying, "What shall I tell their man at the port?"

I resigned myself to the fact that there were only two choices; stay here in a room with no lights and only one place to eat for another exorbitant cost or spend seven days wondering about the people around me so I said to Jock, "Please tell them that I will take the balcony suite and pay the $5,000."

I didn't mind the cost, it wasn't like I was poor, but I had to get back and start the contract negotiations for the work here on Martinique assuming that they would still need the bridging work done.

"Very well Monsieur Jerry, I will call right away. You have approximately two hours to pack and get to the port to meet their supply boats. I will try and get you a taxi in the next half hour so please pack and we will settle your hotel bill."

I turned and headed to the stairs. Packing was a short duration event because I travel fairly light these days. Returning to the desk to settle my account I saw a slightly puzzling look on Jock's face.

"Jock, what is it, they didn't change their minds did they?"

"No Monsieur Jerry, but when you get to the port you must take a blood test," he said.

"Blood test! What the hell for?"

"The man said it is to test for STD," Jock said reading off of a sheet he had taken notes on. "They will prick your finger and put a drop of blood on four test strips to see if you have any STD, if it is all negative the room is yours, if not you will have to come back here and wait for the airport. A taxi is on the way and it is the only one close working and it will cost extra today, Jock looked up at me and smiled.

"Shall we settle your bill for the time you have been here?" Jock said sliding a sheet with the cost of my stay printed on it.

I signed the sheet leaving the cost on the company credit card, my copy I folded and put it in my computer case. I handed Jock another fifty-dollar bill saying, "You saved me Jock and I want to thank you. By the way, what is the name of the ship?"

Jock looked at the sheet he had taken notes, "It is called Booty Bay."

"What, let me see that," I said perplexed as Jock handed me the notes.

"Jock, that's the Botany Bay, not Booty Bay, you scared the shit of me. Stop leaving your n's out when you read," I said.

Laughing at me, Jock said, "Have a good trip Monsieur Jerry and I hope to see you back here when your company does the work."

I waved to him and picked up my two bags and backpack and walked out to the taxi.

At the port, everything was as Jock described. A drop of blood from my middle finger was placed on four strips taped to a sheet. A small amount of reagent was then squirted on each strip and we waited for three minutes.

The man at the port said, "All are negative Monsieur. You will be in suite three one five on the port side." He placed a baggage strip on my two bags with the suite number and handed them to the waiting crew member. "Once aboard Monsieur, go to the Guest Services desk on the main deck and the Purser will arrange for payment and provide you with a key to your suite. Please get to the supply boat, your bags will be taken and placed outside your suite. There are several more boatloads of supplies before the ship can depart. Bon voyage Monsieur"

The boat ride to the ship was smooth and there were plenty of hands to help me aboard and get my bags. I went to guest services and checked in, paid the fare, and got my suite key. As I was walking down the passageway to my suite I saw a pair of middle-aged men walking side by side holding hands. I hugged the wall so we could pass and watched the two move farther down the passageway. A steward standing in the doorway to one of the suites said, "Do not worry Monsieur, it will not rub off onto you if you do not wish it to."

"It didn't bother me as much as I thought it would."

"You are in suite 315, yes?"

"I am, are you the steward that takes care of the room?"

"Oui Monsieur, my name is Louis."

I handed him two twenty-dollar bills and asked, "Is this enough to see that my ice bucket is full and fresh bottled water is in the cabin every afternoon?"

"Oui Monsieur water will be delivered shortly and, I will see that your ice bucket is filled right now and every afternoon you are aboard"

In my poor French, I replied, "Merci Louis" and unlocked my cabin door. Louis followed me in and retrieved the ice bucket and returned with it full of ice several minutes later.

When I was alone in my cabin I poured myself a couple of shots of Jack I had brought aboard and proceeded to my balcony to relax and unwind before It was time to eat the evening meal. The dining schedule provided said my assigned dining room was at the stern on the promenade deck and would be serving from five o'clock until ten o'clock. It was five-thirty now and I was beginning to feel hungry since I hadn't eaten anything but a sandwich all day. After about half of the drink, I began to look forward to seven days of no demands and relaxing, despite the circumstances that had brought me here and the type of cruise this was.

I showered and changed clothes and proceeded to the promenade deck and aft to the dining room I was assigned to. The sign over the entrance to the dining room read "The Sea Chest Fine Dining" and the greeter directed me to my assigned table. The table could seat eight but there were only two couples there, two gay men and two lesbians were just finishing up their desserts as I sat down. We introduced ourselves and made small talk until the waiter came and handed me a card with the choices for the evening meal on it. I choose the fish and white wine with peach cobbler for dessert.

Some small talk followed and all four decided to leave at the same time. Even though it is an outdated custom I stood as the two women left their seats and departed saying, "Good night."

They both gave me a strange look but said, "Good night Sir," as they walked away. I don't believe they expected anyone to stand as they left.

Alone at the table with only my glass of wine I looked around the dining room and saw a waiter heading toward the table with a young woman in tow. She was dressed in a print summer dress showing a modest amount of cleavage. She had pale skin and auburn hair with blue eyes and pouty lips and a nice figure standing about five foot four inches. I thought that she was very good-looking and the waiter led her to my table and pulled out the chair opposite of mine. I stood as she took her chair and as I returned to my seat she held out her right hand saying "Hi, I'm Carla."

I took her hand and replied, "Hello, I'm Jerry, it's nice to meet you, Carla." Her hand was warm and soft and her grip firm and I liked the fact that I wouldn't be eating alone.

The waiter took her wine order and said he would be right back to take her order for dinner.

"So Jerry you must have come aboard today, this is the first evening I've seen you at dinner."

I thought about her question for a couple of seconds, "Yes... The storm wrecked Martinique Island including the airport. It would be at least three weeks before flights can resume and I need to get back to my company."

"So how did you get reservations after the cruise started?"

"The concierge at the hotel I was staying at managed to arrange for the cruise line to accommodate me. I may get off at one of the stops if there is an international airport and I can get a flight out, even though I've paid for the suite for the remainder of the cruise."

"Why the rush, is it that important to get back to work? Sometimes Nature tells us to slow down a little," she said with a smile revealing perfect teeth that were blazing white. I was attracted to Carla more than I should be and then I reminded myself that this was an LGBT cruise. She was alone so possibly she was a lesbian whose partner couldn't accompany her or, even better she was thinking of going AC/DC.

.

"My company builds bridges and Martinique Interior Agency asked for a bid to build a bridge directly to the airport rather than the long-existing causeway. I have all the surveys done and need to get back to the legal department so they can draw up contracts and formally offer a bid. Martinique is going to need lots of work to get back to normal"

The waiter returned and she made her choices from the daily menu offering. After the waiter left we continued with casual chit chat and the more I talked with her the more attracted to her I became.

After we were served and had eaten she said, "Jerry, can I buy you an after-dinner drink? There is a bar just a little way back down the promenade."

I didn't need to think about it and said, "That would be good; I'd like to get to know you a Carla." She took my arm and we strolled out of the dining area and walked along the promenade toward the bar.

"So, Carla you asked about me so what do you do to keep the wolf away from the door?"

"I'm an information technology type. I keep the servers and computers in a modest size company in Jacksonville operating. It's a moderate-sized financial management and accounting firm. Not very exciting really, but it does pay the bills and hopefully the experience will give me a chance later to move to a bigger firm."

As we approached the bar she asked, "What would you like Jerry?"

I thought for a few seconds and replied, "Rum and Coke is a good after-dinner drink."

"Ok, I think I would like one as well," she said "but what I would like is a double shot of Jack Daniel's sipping whiskey. Do you know there isn't any Jack Daniel's at any of the three bars on this boat?"

Since we were still arm in arm I squeezed her arm to my side and asked, "Can you keep a secret?"

"I have been known to keep a secret, do you want to tell me one?"

"Yes I do but it must remain between us," I whispered.

She whispered back, "Easy enough to do, what's your secret?"

"I have three one-liter bottles of Jack Daniel's in my cabin. I bought them from a wrecked liquor store a few blocks from the hotel I was staying in. I paid three times what they should have cost but the owner is going to need every penny he can get to save his business. It's only a secret because only one bottle of liquor can be brought aboard but no one checked when I got aboard due to the circumstances of my getting on this cruise."

"Excellent! Let's get some Ice, go to your cabin and have a drink. Your secret is safe with me," she leaned toward me as she whispered as we started our walk toward the elevators and she squeezed my arm to seal the pact.

"My ice bucket is filled each day by my Steward, and one bottle has been opened and several milliliters of Jack is gone but that won't interfere with us having a drink. Will it?"

She chattered about the cruise as we reached the elevators and waited for one to take us up to the third deck where my cabin was. I looked at her and thought to myself how lucky was I to meet a beautiful woman that was at least nine or ten years younger than me. At the same time that was a little troubling in that this was an LGBT cruise. Was she a lesbian that didn't have a partner or was looking for another? If she was a lesbian I had high hopes of converting her.

We arrived at my cabin door and I used my key card to unlock the door and held it open for Carla to enter. The cabin was two rooms; one was a small dressing room separate from the bedroom that also concealed the door to the bathroom from the bedroom. The bedroom had a writing desk and a sofa. A sliding door led to the balcony that had two lawn chairs and a small metal table on it.

"This is much nicer than my cabin," she said.

"The cruise line didn't have a lot to offer and I didn't want to feel claustrophobic, so I took it, even though it cost more than I expected," I told her as I took the bottle of Jack I had removed from my backpack when we entered the cabin to the desk where the glasses and ice bucket were. Carla set on the sofa as I poured the amber liquor over the ice in the glasses. I stepped to the sofa, handed her one of the glasses, and set it down beside her. We touched glasses in a mock toast and took a sip.

"Aha... that's what I've wanted for the last three days," she said.

I looked her in the eyes and said, "Carla, I don't understand why you are alone on this ship, this being an LGBT cruise. I would have thought that you would have brought a partner aboard or connected with someone that was already aboard by now."

"I don't have a partner, and you are the first person I've met that I would even consider spending the rest of this cruise with and it isn't because of the Jack. The propaganda the cruise line mailed when the reservations were confirmed recommended coming aboard with a partner or meeting someone and hooking up for the length of the cruise. The rules said no sex in public spaces and group sex required a reservation for one of several larger rooms."

"Group sex is encouraged?

"I don't think they encourage it but it is allowed with proper notification to the crew. I've accidentally stumbled on two different gay men group sex parties because they forgot to lock the entrance to the room. One had about eight and the other a dozen men all naked and engaging in various sex acts."