The cruise ship boarded at the Port of Los Angeles, and the next two full days would be at sea until the first scheduled port of call, Puerto   Vallarta.  Katherine was so hard to convince to travel without the kids, but he loved to travel and immerse himself in local culture and history.  In his book, Europe was higher on his list of fun destinations than the Mexican Riviera, but the cruise was certainly an easier sell to Katherine.

In the cabin, Katherine told Wyatt to go somewhere so she could fix up the place, unpack and make her little nest.  He gladly obliged, and found himself at the bar downing several beers and a plate of nachos.  But there was one cocktail waitress who caught his eye; long legs that went on forever and the way she bent over to serve drinks made him hope she would serve him personally in the near future, and heck, they had four days on the ship.  Katherine joined found him at the bar and they went to a more comfortable place to relax.

Warm Pacific breezes and calm waves greeted the couple while they lounged on their deck chairs in the bright sun. “It’s amazing how the ancient Mayan Indians were able to construct such an accurate calendar using mathematics and knowledge of astronomy, don’t you think?” Wyatt asked, hoping to engage Katherine in a conversation unrelated to the kids.

“I don’t know who the Mayans are, Wyatt.   Do they live on a reservation in Arizona?”

Wyatt paused, and then forced a smile and a respectful response.  “No, they were an advanced ancient civilization that lived on the YucatanPeninsula in Mexico.”

“There you go again, trying to make me look like I don’t have a brain.  Just because I didn’t go to medical school like you doesn’t mean I don’t have street smarts.  And no, I just tried to study a little high school Spanish, and didn’t master Arabic and Pasha or whatever it’s called.”

“Actually it’s Pashto.  Spoken by the Pashtu people in Afghanistan and some parts of Pakistan.  C’mon Katherine, I was just trying to make conversation.  Don’t be so sensitive.”

There was lifeless silence in the sun and Wyatt gazed pensively over the undulating ocean waves.  It seems like forever since I’ve enjoyed some stimulating conversation with an adult.

A young cocktail server sauntered gracefully to their table.  She wore a short yellow sundress and black halter-top that barely had enough material to hold her “Tropical Cruise Lines” host badge.  She looked briefly at Katherine and smiled politely, then concentrated her efforts on Wyatt.  His blues met her browns and his heart fluttered when he recognized those long legs and he briefly devoured the view of the server’s full red lips and soft dark skin.  She purposely bent down to Wyatt to show him her well-filled halter-top and asked, “What may I get you two to drink today?”

Katherine stared intensely at him and he pulled his eyes painfully away from the feminine paradise and said, “Katherine, what would you like?”

She hesitated, looked at Wyatt and said, “I don’t know, maybe a Tom Collins.”

The sultry server interjected.  “Ma’am may I suggest the Tropical Cruise Paradise?  It’s a fruity, rum based drink that women like.”

“Ok, sounds good,” said Katherine.

He couldn’t help but take a video of the woman’s legs with his eyes while Katherine ordered.

She smiled at Katherine respectfully, then broadened her smile and bent over gracefully to obtain Wyatt’s order.  His busy life studying had kept him generally naïve about women, but apparently, he finally figured out that his blue eyes and wide smile attracted women.

“I’ll have a Sam Adams lager.”

“Sorry sir.  We don’t have Sam Adams, but we have lots of Corona and tons of limes.”

“Sounds perfect.”  Wyatt loved talking to people from different cultures engaging them to learn about geography and travel.  Problem was, this girl was stunning and by definition, ridiculously dangerous.

“By the way, where are you from?” asked Wyatt.  He was hypnotized with her and tried to keep from drooling when he talked.

Katherine stared at Wyatt.  He didn’t notice the quiver in her twine-tight lips until it was too late.

SRC

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