'Merry Christmas, darling Arnold.'
This was the first thing he heard the next morning, and he felt himself growing tumescent as Hermione lightly chewed on his ear below the blankets. He still had his eyes closed but could feel the boat gently vibrating below him so he guessed they were still travelling. He felt the boat moving slowly in the swell and when he opened his eyes he could see a clear horizon to the West. They were heading for Tripoli in Libya and weren't due to dock there until Boxing Day morning which meant they would spend the whole of Christmas Day on board ship. They made love in a lazy fashion and saw it was already past ten.
Hermione reached for the phone and dialled Lucy's room:
'Happy Christmas, love. Club Lounge for breakfast in half an hour? See you there.'
They got up and showered together, it was something Arnold particularly liked doing. They'd started the habit in the autumn and Arnold liked to wash her body feeling her contours in the water jets with his soapy fingers. Now whenever he showered alone it felt awkward washing his body himself rather than feeling her exploring fingers doing it. He really believed it to be a luxurious pastime and was sure he should be feeling some guilt enjoying it as much as he did.
Hermione explained she and Lucy always exchanged presents over Christmas Day breakfast, so Arnold went to his case to gather up the presents he'd brought. He was surprised to see Hermione with two small, wrapped boxes. He thought the cruise itself was her Christmas gift to both him and Lucy, but on considering her generous character he knew it wasn't enough to stop her giving them more. The Lounge was empty being so late in the morning and when they'd sat down and ordered coffee Lucy went first. She offered Arnold a neatly wrapped, thin, square packet and gave Hermione what looked like an envelope. Arnold was next and gave Lucy a packet that looked like it could have been a book and gave Hermione a box about a foot square. Finally Hermione gave Lucy a soft, square packet and Arnold a thin box about a foot long, and there was much tearing of paper and tape as they discovered what they'd received. Arnold had always enjoyed the ritual of giving presents as it struck him as a genuinely Christian act. He liked the anticipation and the unexpectedness of a present popping up out of the blue.
He'd never heard of Al Green, and there were two CD's in Lucy's packet, not one. One was called 'Still In Love With You' and the other 'Call Me'. Lucy said they were supposed to be his best albums and explained he was a soul singer who'd become a priest, even founding his own church. Arnold was curious to hear what it sounded like and asked if he could put one on in the Club Lounge, and he was pleasantly surprised at what he heard.
In the other box from Hermione there were two ties from Iran, woven from shot silk. One was in light blue with an intricate embroidered design, and the other was a patchwork of different coloured diagonal stripes. They were the most beautiful ties he'd ever seen.
'I'm so glad you like them. I found them on the internet, they've come direct from Tehran.'
Lucy gave her mother a year's subscription to the Daily Telegraph and Hermione bought her some clothes. Always a safe bet, she said, when they were unwrapped. Lucy carefully inspected them and gave her approval.
Arnold's choice of presents had occupied a lot of his time and as the departure date had drawn ever closer he sensed a dread of getting it wrong. Over the years he'd received presents from people in Corsham but he'd never been close enough to anyone to consider giving anything back. He'd been advised not to enter into that sort of connection with his parishioners outside of family, of which he had none, so he found himself stressing as he wandered past the shop windows in Bath looking for ideas. Then one day he was wandering past the Kitchen Shop on Quiet Street and in the window saw a pasta-making machine. Ideal, he thought, for Hermione. He couldn't recall ever seeing anything like it in her kitchen, so he'd taken a chance with it. He was relieved Lucy had taken an interest in Archaeology as he'd bought her a Baedeker on Greece in Waterstone’s that same day. It contained detailed knowledge of the sites they were due to visit at the tail end of their trip. He breathed a sigh of relief when they both hugged him, thanking him for perfect choices. Lucy was now slightly taller than her mother and he noticed how easily her head fitted into the gap in his shoulder blade. When Hermione did it she had to stand on tiptoe but for Lucy it required no effort at all. He felt Lucy holding on to him a little too long and he had to think of something to say in order to break the moment, so he said:
'I've got an idea, why don't we take a stroll around the ship? We can see exactly where everything is and it could give us some ideas about what to do later. I've got a map in the cabin.'
They both thought it was a grand idea so they finished their breakfast and gathered up their presents. Once back inside their cabin Hermione gave him a generous kiss:
'Arnold, thank you so much for taking the trouble to get me something. I know you're not used to all of this.'
'Well,' he whispered, 'I hope you don't mind me saying this, but I'm beginning to feel like part of the family.'
He really enjoyed leading them around, clutching the map in his hand. He thought it would be best to start on the lower decks and that way they could end up outside on top in time for lunch. He made sure they walked along every corridor the passengers had access to and it became clear just how large the ship was. The vibrations from the engines grew louder the further down they got inside the hull and he was relieved they weren't having to sleep in any of the cabins on the lower decks. As they walked by passengers or maids would come in and out of cabins onto the narrow corridors and sometimes they would have to turn sideways in order to let a particularly large person through. As they climbed up the floors the engines got quieter and the corridors became wider, and after about an hour and a half they'd got up to their own floor. There were lifts to the front, middle and rear of the ship but they found it quicker and more fun to use the stairs. Every floor had a different scene being enacted by an ever-increasing cast list and they began to wonder just what they would find around the next corner. There was one floor that looked like the reception area of a hotel, and another that was just like a shopping mall complete with overhead, piped background music. In fact, Arnold noticed there was music everywhere, something he wasn't too pleased about. He wondered what it was about modern life that necessitated a lack of silence? He realised it was something he missed from his days at St. Tobias's. It all seemed such a long time ago....
Another thing he noticed was the lack of animals and he was glad about that. He tolerated cats and detested noisy dogs, but was happy with most of God's other creatures. The higher decks had theatres, bars, a casino, even a health spa, and they finally emerged outside into the sunshine and gazed out at the blue sea that surrounded them on all sides, and could see there were no other ships or land in sight. There were a few seagulls flying along by the side of the ship's furrows and Arnold wondered if they lived on the boat decks, or if they came and went using boats like buses to get from one bit of land to another. There were a lot of people outside on loungers around the two swimming pools and several laughing children were holding their noses, jumping in and out of one of these, sending splashes over the side. Arnold studied the faces of the people as they read their books and drank their cocktails and thought they all looked rather exhausted. In fact, it was the weariest-looking group of people he'd ever seen. What had made them look so worn out? Could life be such hard work? He began to think perhaps in a way he'd been lucky tucked away for all those years in Corsham, sheltered and protected from the rampant chaos he was beginning to notice outside in the world. The struggles and hardships raising families, being pulled this way and that by changing economic winds and being subjected to the cupidity of vainglorious politicians playing out their personal fantasies. Here was evidence that most people actually endured their lives rather than lived them, and the realisation shocked him.
'Actually, shall we go down and get something to eat in the Lounge?' he asked the other two.
They both said they were hungry and followed Arnold back downstairs, still clutching his map, and he wondered if they'd had the same thought as him up there on the main deck, amongst the loungers.
After lunch they took a rest in their cabins and Arnold sat outside in the sunshine and read some more of his book on the Inquisition. Hermione had an appointment in the spa for some beauty treatment, a 'present to myself' as she had put it. Arnold was enjoying the time being alone when he thought he heard a faint knock at the door. He went to open the door and Lucy was standing outside:
'Hi, Arnold. Where's mum?'
'Oh, hello. She's gone to the spa. Anything I can do?'
'Oh, no, not really. I was just bored and wanted to talk to somebody. Can I come in?'
He stood aside so she could enter the cabin and they wandered onto the balcony and sat down in the two chairs to look at the passing waves. A couple of seagulls flew by quite close squawking loudly and made them both jump in surprise. They laughed and Arnold asked if she wanted a cup of tea.
'Oooh yes, that would be nice. Got any biccies?'
Arnold put the kettle on to boil and found several small packets of chocolate chip cookies. A few minutes later he emerged onto the balcony holding the tea tray and put it down on the small table between their chairs. Once they were settled and had attacked the cookies and sipped their tea, Lucy said:
'I think it's great about you and mum. I can't remember when I last saw her looking so happy. Thanks so much.'
'Well, thank you for saying so. But I assure you, it's your mother that's been so wonderful to me. I don't know what life would've been like without her to be there as she has been. I can't even imagine it.'
'You know, she'd like you to move back to Corsham into the house with her. I don't know if she's mentioned it to you, but I know that's what she wants. She asked me when I got back from Durham what I thought about it.'
'No, she hasn't mentioned it to me. What do you think?'
'I think it would be grand. I'm away most of the time anyway, so it won't affect me. But I know that's what she really, really wants. Besides, I think you're a very interesting man...'
Arnold remained quiet, but attentive. He was curious to find out what Lucy thought of him. In the pause that followed he continued to look out to sea hoping she would say something more, but she didn't. He looked at her and caught her staring at him, which made him blush.
'Would you like some more tea?' he asked her.
'No, no thanks,' she said hurriedly, being polite and she got up, and he thought he should too. They stood for a moment facing one another, and she stepped forward to gently rest her head back inside his shoulder blade as she'd done earlier that day. He awkwardly curled an arm around her and clasped her waist for a second before she moved away from him and walked back into the cabin. She left without saying another word and Arnold felt slightly confused about what had happened.