A Reunion In Barbados . . .

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One of my really good friends from my last contract on the Legend was Ben, the fitness instructor, from Australia. Like so many friendships made on the ships, when we said goodbye it was so sad not knowing when, if ever, we’ll see each other again when we live scattered all over the globe. Another guy I hung out with a lot on the Legend, Darnell, is here with me on the Destiny too. It’s been nice to have a familiar face and friend here. A couple weeks ago, Ben was transferred to a new ship and we discovered that our ships would be in port together in Barbados. Today was the day and we’ve had it marked in our mental calendars for a little Legend reunion.

This morning I got up to do my work for Quentin, the shopping specialist. I was at the gangway handing out information when one of the nurses came to me and said I had a follow up appointment today. I hadn’t known about it, the ship’s infirmary had not known about it, but the agent was there to pick me up. I had to go. Work was dropped, I frantically called Darnell to say I couldn’t meet him & Ben this morning and suddenly I was in a Barbados taxi headed back to the hospital. I won’t lie, I was not happy. In tears in fact. I didn’t know what they were going to do to me, I did not want to be back in that hospital and I kept thinking about where I was meant to be instead.

Well, I got to the hospital and then had to wait 2 hours to see the doctor. When I finally got in, he asked if I had any pain. No. Any problems? No. Then he said he’s see me in two weeks for a follow up test (one I did know about). That was it! Then I waited over another hour for the ride back to the ship. It was such a complete waste of time. I was fuming mad, just a big cloud of negative energy.

I finally got back to the ship, checked into the infirmary and was off. I got in a taxi and headed it to The Boatyard, a beach club that is popular with crew members. I only had two hours there before I’d have to leave to get back to the ship, but I was determined to erase the fraustrations of the morning and have a great time. And I did.

When I saw Ben I jumped up and hugged him and he squeezed me tight and we just stood there hugging and hugging. Darnell commented that he didn’t get that sort of greeting when we were reunited. We laughed and headed off down the beach. Ben & I just walked, talked, laughed, so happy to see each other again.

This afternoon was one of the first times I’ve felt really socially at ease with nearly everyone around me. I spent time with Stephanie and Logan, Terri, Lonnel (dancer) and “Tully” (showband musician). At Boatyard, it is quite the party! Music pumping, drinks flowing and bikini contests non-stop. At one point, a bartender walked along the bar with two bottles of liquor and just poured shots into people’s open mouths standing on the floor below. It was quite the scene.

Later, Ben and I jumped off the pier into the ocean and swam a bit. We climbed up onto one of the floating trampolines and just laid on it, floating on the water, in the sunshine. We talked about the last 6 months since we’ve seen each other and how happy we are to be back on ships. How different things have happened cause they were meant to. We realized that the first time he & I met was my first cruise (his second) and it had been there at The Boatyard in Barbados. Our ships will be meeting up every other week as long as I’m on the Destiny, so we’re happy about that. Then we jumped back in the water and swam back to shore.

Those two hours on the beach were so uplifting and healing and joyful. They were exactly what I needed.

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Comments

[swills82]

Power of Friendship
Amazing how much a friend can rejuvinate us, fill us with hope, or bring a smile to a frustrating day. Keep smiling babe. Miss ya.