Ruby's Island (Watty awards 2011) (complete)

Get-A-Way

Ruby lay on the deck, warming her bikini clad body under the suns rays. With cocktail in hand, she smiled at the gulls circling the clear blue skies above her, then sighed deeply.

She had been planning this trip for eighteen months now, doing all the overtime she could at work, saving hard, even missing out on life's luxuries like the new shoes she had wanted out of “Ambers shoe store”

She had been upset at the time as the little gold sandals would have gone perfectly with her black party dress and gold handbag for her friend Rachel's 25th Birthday party.

But she had not given in to temptation, she had glanced once more longingly at the pretty sandals then walked off.

Boy, how she wished she could have patted herself on the back for that mean feet, she had thought to herself later when she had arrived home.

It had all been worth it in the end though, because here she was, the first day of her three week holiday to the Caribbean lying on the decks of the renowned “M S Northern Star” Cruise ship.

The ship definitely lived up to it's reputation Ruby had thought earlier as she had arrived at the docks.

Looking up in astonishment at the sheer size, she had gasped in awe.

It stood,19 decks high and 1,112 feet long, housed 1,500 crew members and carried up to 4,000 passengers at any one time.

All though mainly a brilliant white, the top deck housed two very large red funnels that stood 75 feet in the air, making this the highest ship in the world. A staggering 235 feet high from hull to the top of the funnel.

The words M S Northern Star accentuated in red across the front bow.

Ruby had walked across the gangway and onto the ship.

The Captain, a chubby man in his 50's with greying hair and a ruddy complexion was there to greet her and the other passengers onto his vessel.

Various other crew members stood around him, smiling warmly as they boarded.

A steel band began playing, setting off the motion of grass skirted dancers that began to sway past the passengers, placing flower necklaces over their heads and onto their necks. Ruby had smiled in delight at the warm gesture, and even wiggled her hips in time with one of the dancers, mimicking their moves, almost to perfection.

She had been blessed with a supple body that moved easily, as she had found out when she was five years old and started ballet classes. Everyone thought that she would become a professional ballet dancer, her Mother mainly, had high expectations of her.

But Ruby had other ideas.

The long hours of practice, the near starvation that she had to endure, and the painful bumps and bruises she had to put up with was just too much.

She gave up her dancing career at sixteen and decided to become a beauty therapist.

“You what?” her Mother had screamed at her when Ruby had told her about her plan for a career change.

Ruby had looked down sheepishly at the ground, nervously moving her foot backwards and forwards.

She hated the wrath of her Mother, after all she was a very strict woman, having been bought up in a convent most of her life.