Tropical Excursion by John Kiste
The noon sky above me was the brightest I had ever seen . Of course , that was the very reason I had caught this particular cruise ship ; it was sailing to tropical waters . I wanted to take in the sun , see its glorious blaze in the day and its fanning crepuscular rays at twilight . I wanted to feel its beams dancing over my body , so I lay basking in its warmth all through the summer afternoon . Never had I felt so at one with the delights of an equatorial climate .
Some youngsters approached me about playing shuffleboard , but I politely declined . Most others did not socialize with me . I could not blame them . I must have seemed an odd sun worshipper who only wanted to boil in the heat , and I imagine I reeked of the coconut oil I slathered on my arms and legs and chest and even my swimming trunks each morning , before taking my spot in the Adirondack chair on the aft deck .
The other passengers were also not enamored of my habit of dragging that chair around the area to find the sunniest spot . Always the sunniest spot . Someone eventually made a complaint to the purser , and one afternoon he politely asked me to join him in the lounge .
It was quiet there . Lunch was over and most of the tourists were swimming or preparing to go ashore for shopping when we docked at one of the local islands . I did not mind the quiet . It was also , unfortunately , very dim inside . Half the lights were down and I immediately missed my place on deck . I began to shiver almost at once .
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