Songs from Nowhere

Man on Deck, 2007 from the series CRUISE

All reproduction rights reserved Wm. Greiner

About to turn 90 in a month or so, he looked good for his age. He rambled around the ship with a smile, always telling people hello and chatting. An avid ballroom dancer, I would spot him in the nightclub after dinner, prowling the sitting area for dance partners.

I found out he had lost his wife a few years earlier, they had been married 62 years, he told me. A sadness in his eyes as he confessed this fact. In a minute the smile was back and he was talking about travel, dancing, and business.

He said he had to go, get ready for dinner and dancing afterwards. I never did see him again in that final week on board.