Cheryl is an administrator in a big hospital, in an English city. She is 34 years of age and has been divorced for 3 years after 9 years of marriage. The marriage had started well but then her husband slipped into depression when his career faltered. Their sex-life dwindled until there was no action at all in the final two years. He seemed incapable of making love although she discovered he visited an "escort" from time to time. "That's a prostitute or hooker, to my thinking," Cheryl thought to herself
That realisation was even more of a disappointment and a shock. Before they got married an aged aunt had taken Cheryl to one side and said, "Look dear, you're a nice young lady and that is the way to appear in public. But be a whore in bed. Men like that. I can tell you from experience of two marriages."
So what, Cheryl wondered to herself, did these "escorts" offer him that she didn't. And she had been learning more whorish stuff over the years and was happy to degrade herself for him. She knew and had perfected many sex positions, had a large collection of toys and ropes and stretcher bars, and plugs, and sexy clothes. She had learned to suppress her gagging reflex and had become accustomed to walking around for hours, all day sometimes, plugged up and vibrated. Anything he ever asked for, she had provided for him in sensations and situations and roles played.
It was her husband, himself, that suggested the marriage was over. And so it was amicable in that sense but Cheryl felt cheated and only her work prevented her from becoming depressed herself. All her women friends are married with children; and seemed to distance themselves from her
Recently, Cheryl decided to "see the world" if life was going to be so boring and unfulfilling. She booked a cruise for herself. Fly from London to Naples; a few days there and then a Mediterranean cruise for 10 day. Lots of the scenic and historical coastal sites in Italy, Spain, the Balearics, Malta, Alexandria, Haifa, Cyprus, Patmos and Greece. It was her first cruise and she was excited by the prospect; and did the shopping to be prepared for a warmer climate and a new social environment with strangers.
At Naples, she was collected from the airport and taken to the port; and installed in her modest cabin. For the rest of the day, until a welcome party at 7.30 in the evening, she slept and unpacked and generally relaxed in her cabin and wandered up to the promenade deck. She was there when the liner left the port and met a few of the other guest. Then it happened.
From behind her, as she leant on the rail, a deep voice said, "Hello. I know you, Cheryl."
She turned to see a man, taller than herself, maybe the same age, still dressed in his airline travelling gear. She peered into his face and tried very hard to recognise him. Any memory or recollection eluded her.
"Really?" she queried, "I'm sorry, I don't remember."
"Wensley Road, Reading; last year; the traffic accident you saw," he prompted her.
"Oh, yes," it came back to her, "you were the policeman who took my statement."
Suddenly, all the details came flooding back into her memory. A bad head-on crash with one car driving down the wrong side of a service road. People hurt. Ambulances. And this nice policeman who took her to his car and sat in the back seat to take her witness statement.
"Yes. I'm still a policeman and my name is Andrew. Call me Drew," and he held out his right hand.
"Hello Drew. I'm Cheryl. Are you on this cruise as well?" She shook his hand and then realised what a stupid question it was. Why else would he be on the promenade deck of a cruise liner at Naples?
"Errr, yup," he joked with her, "hope you don't mind travelling with a cop, Cheryl Beaton," and he gave her a wide grinning smile, "See, I remember your name."
"Sorry. It's just a surprise to see you. It was a few minutes talk we had, almost a year ago," and she smiled back at him.
At that moment, a whistle blew and a cruise manager spoke loudly to whoever would hear on the deck, "Meet up in one hour for nice free drinkies and a little intro to the cruise. In the cinema salon." And then she spun round on her heels and disappeared down a staircase.
"Right," said Cheryl, "I'll go and get ready. See you there. If I can find the cinema salon! If I can find my cabin," and she giggled at him.
"Yeah, me too," he replied and turned to go down to his cabin.
But they turned together, in the same direction, the same staircase and Cheryl thought to herself, "He'll go off somewhere soon and I'll try to find my cabin again." No joke this time; her sense of direction was always a bit suspect.
But he didn't turn off and it became clear to them both that they had cabins close to each other.
In fact, they were in adjacent cabins.