Wednesday, April 27, 2016

Cruise Part 4

There was a special bit of the cruise for me alone. The head of the hotel on-board is a very nice, very outgoing person. He was in the lobby one morning, talking about his hotel being the best (the sleeping quarters of the ship is called the hotel). I told him it was good, but could be better, to which he gave a shocked look and asked why I said that. I told him that there was no chocolate on my pillow -- and the best hotels, the 5-star hotels, always put a chocolate on each guest's pillow. He laughed, asked me my room number, then wished me a happy day touring the venue.

Sure enough, that night there was a piece of chocolate on my pillow -- and every night thereafter. The next morning, he was standing at the gangplank as we departed for the day, holding a big basket of candy pieces. He gave me a wink and a big smile, and I thanked him nicely for his kindness.

Throughout the week, he kept finding me to ask how the cruise was going and how well I was enjoying my hotel accommodations. I always told him it was perfect -- especially the piece of chocolate on my pillow each evening. He laughed, winked, and went about his duty.

The last night aboard, everyone got a piece of chocolate on their pillow, and he gave me a quick wink as one of the guests mentioned it specifically. As I left the ship to return home, I gave him a small box of chocolates and a thank-you note for his kindness.

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