Shipboard Characters
There are some characters you meet in real life that just have to go into a book. Last year my wife and I took a ten-day Caribbean cruise. On this trip we met two of the loveliest people of our life. David and Jane, they sat at our dining table. Jane was a gorgeous fun-loving gal of 92 and David was a smidgen older. I cannot even begin to describe this couple. Jane couldn’t weigh much more than the dining chair she sat on, and David was upright and had a full head of hair.
Apparently, Dave was a retired ship designer. We had several quite exciting and interesting conversations about the ships he’s designed. He has my full admiration. Jane on the other hand was a 92-year-old play girl. Her favourite drink was Canadian Club Whisky. She was so delicate that the waiter had to cut her meals into tiny pieces for her. On the island of Saint Kitts, they have a narrow-gauge railway train that chugs something like halfway round the island, fabulous view, magnificent scenery. Who did we meet on the train – of course David and Jane. It took three strong men to get frail little Jane off the train, but she enjoyed every minute, and the attention. Occasionally the pair would get lost on the ship and miss a meal. Sometimes we looked out for them and guided them to the huge dining room. It’s not that difficult to get lost. I found myself in the wrong dining room on one occasion. Our ship was over a thousand feet long and there were 2400 passengers. One day when I think I can do them justice I will model a pair of characters on those two lovely people.
