Claire Gulliver #04 - Cruisin' for a Bruisin' Read Online Free Page B

his head. Mrs. Bernbaum nodded. “Of course I sailed before. On the Luraline. What a wonderful ship. It was so sad they disbanded the company. But things change and that was long ago. I’m not even sure cruising is the same now as it was then. This ship appears to be lovely. It is certainly large.
    Millie laughed. “Well, Mrs. Bernbaum, you are our resident expert and we will look to you for guidance on the protocol.”
    “Good evening, my name is Pedro and I am honored to be your waiter for this trip.” His smile was warm as he passed out the menu cards. “Here are the selections our chef has chosen for the first night of our voyage and while you’re deciding on your choices perhaps I can bring you a cocktail? Will any of you be having wine tonight?” He nodded at the response. “I will send our sommelier over as soon as you’ve seen the menu. I think you will find we stock an extraordinary wine cellar.”
    Pedro was back with the drinks in very quick order, took their meal selections and left them to get acquainted over their drinks, promising the sommelier would soon appear.
    “What did you order, Mom?” Claire leaned forward to talk around Lucy.
    “Lamb chops. I couldn’t resist.”
    “I decided on the Turbot in parchment. It sounds divine.” Lucy smiled in anticipation.
    “Ruth ordered the Turbot, too. What did you order, dear?” Millie asked.
    “I ordered the Pork Roast in Apricot/Orange Glaze. Doesn’t that sound good?” Claire could almost taste it. “I hope the food is at least half as good as it sounds. Wouldn’t it be awful to be stuck on a ship that served mediocre food?”
    “Oh no, that won’t happen, not on this ship. We checked carefully. It’s our first cruise, you see. This ship is rated very high in the food categories. That’s why we chose it over all the rest.”
    “Well, one of the reasons,” Harold clarified Pearl’s comment. “We chose itinerary first, then food, and then we had a whole list of categories we compared before selecting a Call of the Sea cruise.”
    “So, have we selected the best?” Ian asked.
    Pearl nodded. “You bet! This ship was voted best in last year’s Conde Nast Readers’ Poll. That’s a really big endorsement.”
    Claire was having a hard time following the conversation at the other end of the table. The noise in the dining room seemed to be increasing in direct proportion to the rounds of drinks served. And, while Mrs. Bernbaum had finally released the grip on her arm in order to examine the menu card, she now was leaning toward her, grabbing at her again. Clearly she had something to say.
    Claire fought her inclination to turn to Lucy on her other side and graciously bent her head close to hear the old lady.
    Mrs. Bernbaum had probably never been big, but she looked as if she had shrunk as she aged and now she was wizened and wrinkled. Her hair was unfortunately thinning, so her pink scalp showed through the white curls covering her head. Her dark blue dress had been fashionable about thirty years ago, and it had probably fit her then. Now it was too big. She had a large patterned scarf draped over her shoulders and fastened to her dress with a large, garish pin, made up of a large red central stone, slightly irregular in shape, almost heart shaped, surrounded by alternating white stones and lime green stones. The entire pin was outlined in small red stones, their color matching the large central stone. It, like its owner, looked a little shop worn, as if the gold luster was wearing off and the stones were slightly dingy. Claire realized Mrs. Bernbaum had made a valiant attempt to dress for dinner and felt ashamed for being so critical of her. She told herself sternly she should be admiring her spunk for taking this trip at her age instead of being so irritated for getting stuck with her as a dinner partner.
    “I’m on a life quest,” Mrs. Bernbaum announced firmly. “That’s why I’m going to Alaska.” She saw the puzzled look on