Previous Challenge Entry (Level 4 – Masters)
Topic: BACK TO THE DRAWING BOARD (08/03/17)
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TITLE: Here We Go Again | Previous Challenge Entry
By Jack Taylor
08/05/17 -
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Playing the markets right and cashing in on his IT skills with the big tech firms had given him plenty of time to explore. Resting his forearms on the railing near the gangplank he eyed the boarding passengers and hoped that his luck on this Alaska cruise would be as good as the chance encounter he’d made in the Mediterranean on this same vessel.
The blond in heels, tugging at an overweight carry on, looked promising – until the guy with the build of a linebacker jogged up and took hold of her elbow. The brunette with the torn jeans sauntered slowly up the ramp before stopping to watch the whales in the inlet. When she turned back she glanced up and the eye contact with him was obvious.
“Are you preying or praying?”
“Not you again. Did you go back to the drawing board after last time?”
“I can see it hasn’t take you long. It’s only Sunday and you already have your harpoon out.”
Ben turned toward the ginger haired photographer now perched at his side. “Tim, she was looking at me, not you. Operation Portside is now underway.”
Twice, before she finished her climb, the tilting head, slight smirk, deliberate hair flick and extended eye contact of the brunette assured Ben this would be a good week. He nodded slightly as she handed over her passport to the steward, passed through the security check point, and disappeared into the ship.
“Now, your turn buddy,” Ben declared.
“This had better not turn out like Hawaii,” Tim grunted.
“I promise I will not steal another woman from you,” Ben declared. “Even if she begs me to set her free.”
All the other passengers seemed to be a part of groups travelling and none of the young women looked up at the watchers. “Guess I’ll have to cut my own filly out of the herd when the time is right,” Tim said. “Let’s position ourselves where we can’t be missed.”
Operation Portside was slow to materialize. The brunette didn’t appear topside as the ship sailed past Stanley Park and under the Lion’s Gate Bridge. She didn’t appear in the main dining room at dinner. She didn’t even show up in the evening shows or in any of the main lounges.
The cruise ship docked in Ketchikan Monday morning without any connection. Ben watched every passenger disembark and missed seeing her among the groups rushing for tours and shopping bargains.
Late that afternoon, through his binoculars, he did watch Tim laughing with a group of three girls at a nearby fish and chips shop. None of the other tourists matched his target.
Tuesday, he lay on an upper deck lounge chair taking in rays when a blond bombshell stretched out with a book on the chair beside him. “This isn’t taken is it?” she asked.
Ben pulled his eyes away from the tempting view and shook his head.
“Did you take in any of the sights on shore?” the woman persisted.
Ben shook his head again. “Kind of got busy. Not really into shopping.”
“I’m not really into shopping either. Did you understand how to even pronounce that island –Rev–ill–agig–edo? How can you not love the romance here? This is the salmon capital of the world. They’ve got totem poles, a red light district and they measure their rain in feet, not inches.”
Ben looked up when she dropped her book. He reached down to pick it up for her and that’s when he saw the brunette walk by. She gave him a glance, turned away, and disappeared through the poolside door. He made his excuses, rushed away from the blond but the object of his interest had vanished.
As he returned to his spot he found Tim happily engaged in a conversation with the blond. “Ben,” Tim called. “You won’t believe who I met. It’s Chase. She said she saw you on the Mediterranean cruise and couldn’t believe you were here again. I told her you were taken so we’re going out to dinner later. How’s Operation Portside?”
“I think I’m heading back to the drawing board.”
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We all met our mates in a variety of ways. Mine walked into a church service I was conducting with her family and her three small children. That was 56 years ago. For several weeks/months it never even occurred to me to think of her as someone to date. But one month after our first date, we were married.