Wombat Bill

When they got to the restaurant, Craig rang Daniel. “Sorry to bother you, hope you weren’t sleeping after a flight” “No, that’s fine, on down time this week and Rani’s still at the salon, so got time to talk” “Good, we are thinking of going to London and want some inside knowledge about which airlines are best and what to do in London” “No probs, I can do that for you. Do you want to meet for drinks at Deans some time?” “A good idea, but sometimes we like to get away from the

@Summerabbacat I heard that one from a gay Malaysia Airlines cabin attendant who was a friend of a friend in Singapore.

When they went to bed that night, Justin was still a bit cool towards Craig and turned his back to Craig. “Aren’t you going to kiss me goodnight?” Craig asked “Is that what you want?” “Of course, why not?” “It’s just that…you’ve been a bit distant today.” “Well, I’m not now. I’ve been thinking about your suggestion to go on a holiday” “And?” “I think we could do it. You’re right about our staff being able to run Poppys while we are away?” “So how do we go

It was a quiet night at Poppys, so Craig was able to join the others for dinner. Gran and Caleb were full of praise and excitement about the cruise. “So nothing special to report?” asked Craig “No that’s pretty much it, just relaxing and having a good time” replied Caleb. “Oh, there was one surprise we had. But before I tell you, you must promise me it goes no further than us” “Not sure I can do that Gran” “C’mon, I’m not asking you to lie on the witness stand, or

The following morning Gran and Caleb decided to have breakfast with Rodney and Olivia, to say their goodbyes. “It’s been a wonderful cruise” said Rodney “And even more wonderful to have met you Alice” “I feel the same” “Then would you be up to giving me your phone number or email” “I don’t have email, but certainly you can have my number” Then looking at Olivia, Rodney said “Are you going to ask for Caleb’s number?” “Mmm…what?” “Do you want Caleb’s number? Is

Better late than never

That afternoon had been the day for the old time dance event that Rodney had arranged. At the end of lunch he said Gran “The dance is on this afternoon” “Oh excellent looking forward to it” “So that’s a date then?” “Certainly is” “It starts at three, so I’ll pick you up from your cabin just before three” “No need for that, I can meet you at the ballroom” “If we’re having a date I’m going to do it properly” “Good that will give me an hour to rest before we

The following morning, Caleb was having his usual daily practice in the pool with the Barracudas. “You’re a fast learner” said Troy “Thank you, it’s great fun, and a great workout. You guys are very generous taking the time to teach me” “That’s our pleasure. New members are always welcome. You know, speaking of which, now that you’re an honorary member, I want to invite you to our cabin party tonight” “What’s the party for, someone’s birthday?” “No just to put a fun finish

That evening the four friends went to the live theatre show. It was a full house and the playbill out front of the theatre promised a variety of performances. As they took their seats Rodney made sure he was seated next to Gran, leaving Caleb the choice of sitting next to Gran or Olivia. As he chose the first option, Rodney said “Now don’t sit down there on your own, there’s a spare seat next to Olivia.” Caleb complied reluctantly. The show began with the compare introducin

Gran watched the Oceanic Princess slip its moorings and get tugged out to deeper water. Accepting the fact she and Caleb were now stranded there, she set about trying to find him. She stopped a port employee and asked where the nearest police station was. “It’s not nearby, you will need some transport to get there” “I don’t have any Vanuatu money” “What do you have?” “Australian dollars” “That’s OK most businesses and taxis accept Australian dollars” “So where will

“At dinner that evening, Gran announced that to avoid the problem they had in Fiji, she had been to the purser’s office and they were able to book them on a half day tour of Port Vila and surrounds. “We’ll go to the chocolate factory, Blue Lagoon and the turtle sanctuary.” “Sounds exciting” said Caleb “And they said bring your cossies, there will be swimming opportunities” “Wow Poppa, that sounds cool. Could we go too?” asked Olivia “Ok, I’ll go book after dinner” &

Caleb didn’t feel up to doing anything strenuous, so at lunch, he accepted Olivia’s invitation to watch a movie with her. Rodney winked at Gran, who knew what he meant but decided to let Caleb deal with it in his own way. As they finished lunch, Olivia said “The movie starts in 30 minutes, shall we go now?” “Sure, the cinema is at the other end of the ship, might take us a while to walk there. By the way, what’s the movie?” “I don’t know, but I probably won’t see all of it” s

The following morning, Caleb had recovered except for a mild hangover. Some headache tablets from the medical centre got him through the morning. He did find the Barracudas in the pool and sat on the edge to thank them for helping him. “It’s no problem for us, happy to be of assistance. You might also want to thank the women who alerted us” said Jack “Who are they?” “They’re usually sitting over….yes there they are” He replied as he pointed in their direction. “Do you know th

After lunch with their new dining friends, Gran said “I’m for a brief Nanna nap” “Could I ask you to join me on deck later for a pre-dinner drink?” asked Rodney “Certainly, say about five” “I look forward to it. G & T, is it?” “Yes, and what are you two doing this afternoon?” Gran asked the young ones. “I thought we could go to the pool again” suggested Olivia “Thank you, but I was planning to meet my Barracuda friends” Sensing Olivia might feel rejected, R

The events in this chapter, are pretty much what happened to us on our cruise visit to Lautoka. We were as surprised and disapointed as Gran. 😕