Page 21 of Too Far To Sea
“She is pretty, intelligent, and she’s nice. Nothing more, no lines crossed. Not going to cross them.”
“Nothing saying you can’t call her when you are back here. You could get her number.”
“Maybe. But we still have seven days onboard and I shouldn’t even think of it.”
A grin grew on Jen’s face. “Wow. I never thought I’d see the day.”
“There is nothing to see. Nothing happening.” He made a show of looking at his watch. “I should call Mom now.”
Jen laughed and waved goodbye.
McKay made it through his call with his mother, avoiding the topic of women and dating. Probably because his mother didn’t dare bring up that she was already planning dates for him, and she was more worried that he wouldn’t arrive before her surgery.
When the call was over, McKay laid back on his bed and closed his eyes. An image of Dana filled his mind. There was a dignity about how she carried herself even on crutches, even with her family basically shunning her. It was a quality he’d not thought of before in a woman. Perhaps that is what made her stand out. The last night of the cruise, he would ask for her number. Until then, he would avoid her. It was best for both of them.
7
The lineto the tinder boats wound down the hallway. For the first time since boarding, Dana was truly annoyed with her mother for switching her out of the premium suite. Her sister and the other bridesmaids had received VIP treatment and disembarked forever ago without waiting in the line. A crew member came down the line checking excursion tickets. Dana held out hers.
The young man looked at the crutches. “Come with me, please.”
He led Dana to a much shorter line filled with people on scooters. “Since you are using crutches, you can use this line. Can you navigate the stairs without help?”
“Yes.” A stab of guilt ran through Dana; this line was for those with limited mobility. Her crutches qualified? A minute later, she was at the front of the line, where a crew member took her crutches. The stairs down to the tinder boat moved with the waves. Dana gripped the rails tightly, glad that she could bear some weight on her injured ankle as she hopped down the short flight. At home, she would have ditched the crutches by now.However, she did not know how much she would need to walk today and erred on the side of caution.
The cramped tinder boat bobbed in the water. Passengers squeezed together like the proverbial sardines on hard molded benches. Dana hoped those facing her wouldn’t discover they were seasick now.
No one did.
At the port, a bus making the drive to Waterford waited. A large van, that had begun to pull out, stopped suddenly in front of the bus. The door flew open and her sister jumped out.
“Dana!” Cheyanne waved her arms. “Where were you? Come on!”
Dana hurried over at Olympic speed, if crutch running was a sport.
Cheyanne gave her a quick side hug as they found their seat on the bus. “I’m so glad you made it. Next time come up to the suite and you can leave with us. I asked about it this morning.”
From the seat behind them, their mother scoffed as the van began moving again and turned on to the main road. The conversation quickly turned to what type of crystal Cheyanne wanted. As they drove through the picturesque countryside of Ireland, Dana found herself lost in thought, wondering about the people who lived here for centuries.
Cheyanne’s excited squeal interrupted Dana’s daydreams. “Look! There it is!” Cheyanne pointed at a sign that read “Waterford Crystal Visitors Centre.”
The van pulled into a parking spot on the street and they all piled out. The visitors centre was bustling with people. A young woman who was checking group’s tour times approached them.
“Welcome to the Visitors Centre,” she said. “Feel free to look around and let us know if you have any questions before your tour.” The group wandered around the gift shop, admiring the sparkling crystal pieces on display.
As Dana approached the crystal saxophone to get a better look at the masterpiece, Sheila called out, “Careful on your crutches. I’m not paying for anything you break.”
Not wanting to cause a scene, Dana gave her mother a tightlipped smile and turned back to admire the glass cutter’s work.
Their tour was called, and their guide introduced himself as he led them into the factory. As a former artisan, his presentation was full of insight as he showed them the various craftsmen working on their latest creations. Dana marveled at the precision and skill it took to turn a raw piece of crystal into something so beautiful. Skilled woodcarvers created moulds for glassblowers to shape the red-hot glass. Others hand-marked the glass for the cutters to carve the intricate patterns into the crystal. Sculptors made some unique pieces by shaping the glass. Having barely mastered making snakes and bowls from children’s clay, the amount of skill required to sculpt a block of glass into a gramophone or other unique item awed Dana.
The tour ended back in the shopping gallery. Dana wanted to purchase some small item to remember the skill of those who worked years to make something out of glass. Cheyanne and her bridesmaids gathered to choose a set of champagne glasses. Dana wandered in search of something that better fit her style. Nothing too ornate, but a piece that would show off the craft and skills she’d witnessed. And most of all, something that fit her budget. After considering various Christmas ornaments, picture frames and clocks, she settled on a small crystal bowl that had heart-shaped sides.
The piece was beyond what she’d budgeted, but with the money Chey had given her she could splurge a little. Dana found an employee to assist her since balancing on her crutches and picking up a piece of crystal were not activities she was going to try at the same time.
At a nearby register, Sheila and Mitchell argued over how much to spend on Cheyanne’s gift. The bridesmaids rushed out of the shop as if they heard a fire alarm, leaving the maid of honor to help Chey. Dana followed behind.
“Hey Dana, want to go with us to the Viking tower?” Lindie, who had been Cheyanne’s roommate, pointed to the end of the street. “We have an hour before the van comes back.”
