assigning me the wrong stateroom, because somebody had definitely goofed up. In my experience giving a guest an upgrade usually meant transferring them to a room with a coffeemaker, or a toilet that flushed. It never meant giving them the room with the baby grand.
I picked up the phone, hesitant to make the call, but knowing it was the only thing to do. The way my luck usually worked, I'd just get settled in when the real occupants of the room would show up at the door. And guess who'd be out on her ear?
"This is Emily Andrew in cabin fifteen-fifty-eight," I announced to the man who answered my call. "There's been a mistake. I'm not in the right room. This looks like the penthouse suite, and my cruise package basically entitled me to an interior cabin in the bilge."
I heard a flurry of clicks on a computer keyboard. "There's no mistake, Miss Andrew. Cabin fifteen-fifty-eight, which is our Royal Family Suite with balcony, is your new assigned cabin."
"But I didn't pay for a Royal Family Suite with balcony."
"The extra charges have been paid by someone else."
Someone else? "Does the 'someone else' have a name?"
More keyboard activity. "Your benefactor wishes to remain anonymous. Is there anything else?"
I had an anonymous benefactor? Uff da. Was this a scene straight out of Great Expectations, or what? "So this is actually my cabin? No one is going to kick me out? I have your word on it?"
"My name is Jason. If you have any problems, feel free to contact me and I'll take care of it personally. Although, you do realize that occupancy in our Royal Family Suite with balcony does entitle you to concierge service?"
I sat down after I disconnected, stunned. Was concierge service like having your own valet or butler? Someone to press your clothes and polish your shoes and draw your bath for you? Hmm. I wondered how they'd feel about styling my hair and blow-drying my shoulder bag.
I was gazing around the room, trying to guess how much this cabin had set someone back, when it hit me. Duh! This wasn't about the money. It was about all the intangibles I'd talked about earlier. Intimacy. Nurturing. Commitment. It was Etienne's way of making amends for his long absence!
I leaned back in my chair, accustoming myself to the opulence of my surroundings. Wow. He didn't do anything halfway.
Awash with excitement, I slid the phone over, read the printed instructions on how to make an overseas call, and punched in Etienne's number. I didn't care if the going rate was an astronomical $7.50 a minute. A surprise like this was simply too spectacular to ignor --
"This is Miceli."
"You are the sweetest man! This is the most incredible, the most romantic --"
"Please leave a short message," his voice continued. "I'll get back to you." Beeeeeeeeeeep!
I opened my mouth, disappointment spilling out in fractured phrases. "You're not...Shoot! Umm...I wanted...Never mind. Umm...Will you --"
CLICK.
Damn! Well, he'd know it was me. He'd call me back. But in the meantime, I couldn't keep my good fortune to myself. I punched up another number.
"You won't believe where I am," I gushed when Nana picked up.
"Emily? Are you all right, dear? We been real worried about you."
"I'm fine. Never been better! I'm in a cabin with a whirlpool bath, a baby grand piano, and get this, concierge service. And...I'm in love!"
"No kiddin'?" A pause. "Who with?"
"With Etienne, of course! He's talking about a ring, Nana. And commitment. And he surprised me with this unbelievable room upgrade. I could burst!"
"How nice for you, dear. Is that fella Jonathan there with you? We was frettin' about him, too."
"Jonathan. Oh, my God. Wait 'til you hear about Jonathan." I gave her the blow-by-blow -- from boat mishap, to rescue, to ambulance ride to the hospital. "They're keeping him overnight for observation, but I expect they'll release him tomorrow. So, did the bus driver wait for us at all before he decided to take off?"
"'Bout fifteen minutes, then he said he had to get us back to the ship 'cause he was on a schedule. But a couple a them outfitters stayed behind with a van to drive the three a you back once you showed up. I guess they have to make allowances for people bein' late when the wind kicks up like it done today."
"Three of us? Who else was missing besides me and Jonathan?"
"One a them Norwegians. The wiry one what wears his hair like Farrah Fawcett used to.