“Aren’t you in orthopedics?” asked Alan as soon as the loudspeaker fell silent.
“No,” said Adam, relieved. Obviously the man didn’t know the real Smyth. “I’m OB-GYN. How about you?”
“Orthopedics. I’m with the University of California, San Diego. This your first Arolen cruise?”
“No,” said Adam quickly. “How about you?”
“It’s my second,” said Alan, turning suddenly. “My God, there’s Ned Janson. Hey, Ned, you old bastard. Over here!”
Adam saw a stocky, dark-haired man who was with one of the few women in the crowd look up. Seeing Alan, his face lit up with a smile. He took the woman by the arm and made his way over.
While Alan and Ned had a back-slapping reunion, Adam introduced himself to the woman. Her name was Clair Osborn. She was a handsome lady, about thirty, with a round, healthy face, and long, muscular legs. She was dressed in a short black-and-white skirt. Adam was enjoying himself until she told him she was a gynecologist.
“What’s your specialty?” asked Clair. “Orthopedics or OB-GYN?”
“Why limit the choices to those two?” joked Adam, trying to change the subject.
“It’s my brilliant intuition,” said Clair. “Plus the fact that this cruise is for orthopods and obstetricians only.”
Adam laughed nervously. “Well, I’m OB. ”
“Really?” said Clair with delight. “Then we’ll be going to the same functions.”
“That will be nice,” said Adam. “Is this your first cruise?” Adam wanted to talk about anything other than OB-GYN. He didn’t fool himself into thinking he could hold up his end of a professional conversation.
“Sure is,” said Clair. “It’s Ned’s first time, too. Right, Ned?” Clair yanked on Ned’s arm to get his attention. Hearing bits and pieces of their conversation, Adam understood that Alan and Ned had trained at the same hospital.
“Hey! This is great,” said Ned after meeting Adam. “Why don’t we all have dinner tonight?”
Alan shook his head. “The Arolen people do the seating. They consider meals an extension of the scientific sessions.”
“Oh, bullshit,” said Ned. “What is this supposed to be, summer camp?”
The man in front of Adam moved away with his boarding card in hand. Adam stepped up to the counter and faced a young man nattily dressed in a white blazer. On the breast pocket was the same logo Adam had seen painted on the side of the Fjord’s smokestack. On his lapel was a name tag that said “Juan.” Below the name and in small letters was printed “MTIC.”
“Your name, please?” asked Juan. His voice sounded as if he’d asked the question so often that he was speaking by rote.
“Stuart Smyth,” said Adam and fumbled with his billfold to get out the driver’s license. In the process his Arolen card dropped on the counter. Luckily, Juan was already busy entering Stuart Smyth into the computer so he didn’t see it. Adam turned around to see if any of his new friends had noticed, but they were busy talking. Adam turned back to face Juan, thinking that by the time this cruise was over, he was going to be a nervous wreck. Furtively, he slipped the Arolen card into his jacket pocket.
“Passport?” asked Juan.
After a moment of panic Adam found the passport in his inside jacket pocket and handed it over. Juan opened it. Adam felt a stab of terror, but Juan just looked at it for two seconds and handed it back, saying, “Here’s your boarding card. Please present it to the purser and he will assign you your stateroom. If you leave the ship during the cruise, be sure to have the card on your person. Next, please.”
Adam stepped aside so the man behind him could approach the counter. So far so good.
After Alan had obtained his boarding card, he, Ned, and Clair accompanied Adam to the Arolen desk. There they were given a package of “goodies” as Ned called them. The process starts, thought Adam as he took the gift, a leather shoulder bag with the MTIC logo on the side. Inside the bag were a Cross pen and pencil set, a legal-sized, leatherbound note pad, and a lecture schedule for the cruise. There was also an array of Arolen products which comprised a small pharmacy. Adam glanced at the loot with interest, but knew that he’d have to wait to examine it in detail.
The loudspeaker crackled to life and it was announced that the ship was ready to board. A cheer rose from the crowd as Adam and his newly made friends slowly walked outside. A uniformed policeman checked their boarding cards at dockside, and they all trooped up the gangway.
Stepping off the ramp, Adam found himself on the main deck. It wasn’t a new ship by any stretch of the imagination, but it appeared to be well cared for and certain sections seemed to have been recently renovated. The personnel were all dressed like the man at the registration desk, in white blazers and black slacks. Their uniforms were spotlessly clean and carefully pressed.
Adam was approached by one of the stewards who politely checked his boarding card and directed him to a desk to the right. Apparently, there were different colored boarding cards for those who had been on a previous cruise. Ned and Clair were sent to a different desk.
Adam was assigned stateroom 407 on A deck, which was the floor below the main deck. As he took his key, he noticed that the purser had the same monotonous inflection in his voice as the man at the registration desk.
Alan, who was right behind Adam, was assigned stateroom 409. As they walked away, Adam commented on the flat speech pattern.
“I suppose they say the same thing over and over again,” said Alan.
A steward approached Adam and relieved him of his small suitcase and his new Arolen shoulder bag.
“Thank you,” said Adam.
The man didn’t respond except by indicating that Adam was to follow him.
“See you later, Stuart,” called Alan.
It took Adam a moment to remember that that was his name. “Yes, of course,” he called.
The steward was leading him past a gift shop filled with Gucci bags and Japanese cameras. At the back were wines, liquors, and tobaccos as well as a drug section. For the first time, Adam thought about the possibility of seasickness.
“Excuse me,” he said. “When will the store be opened?”
“About an hour after departure.”
“Do they sell Dramamine or those ear patches for motion sickness?” asked Adam.
The steward looked at him with a blank expression. “I don’t know if they sell Dramamine or those ear patches.” The way he echoed Adam’s question didn’t invite further conversation.
Staterooms 407 and 409 were adjacent on the port side of the ship. Alan was nowhere in sight. Adam’s steward opened the door to 407 and led Adam inside.
To Adam, who’d never been on a luxury liner, the room seemed small. There was a single bed on the right with a night table. On the left were a small desk and a chair. The bathroom was a tiny affair with a shower, toilet, and sink crammed next to a narrow closet.
The steward stuck his head in the bathroom, entered, and reappeared a moment later with a glass of water, which he handed to Adam.
“For me?” asked Adam. He took the glass and sipped the water. It had a rather chemical taste.
The steward reached into his side pocket and pulled out a yellow capsule, which he extended toward Adam. “Welcome back,” he said.
Adam smiled uneasily. “Sure is good to be here,” he said, eyeing the yellow capsule. It became obvious that the steward expected him to take the pill.
Adam put out his hand and the steward dropped the capsule into his palm. It didn’t look like Dramamine, but how was he to know?
“Is this for motion sickness?” he asked.
The steward said nothing, but his unblinking stare made Adam acutely uncomfortable.
“I’ll bet it is for motion sickness,” said Adam, tossing the pill into his mouth. After a swallow, he gave the water glass to the steward, who returned it to the bathroom. While he was out of the room, Adam took the yellow capsule out of his mouth and dropped it into his pocket.