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QUEEN MARY
Private Notes
Private Notes
Notes
Strange Interlude Onboard the Queen Mary
Age 20, my first trip to Europe, 1965, a trip by myself
The ship left Manhattan and docked in Cherbourg, France
Like Alice in Wonderland
the steward guided me
to a white wall
took out a key
and opened a hidden door
I stepped from the plain world
of Tourist Class
To columns that reached
three stories
surrounded by walls
of exotic polished wood
carved and delicately lit
in an Art Deco style
And to the woman I was to meet
sitting alone
in the First Class Grand Salon
A waiter ushered me to her table
where she whispered her order
then delicately waved him away
A friend of a friend
she felt obligated
to invite me for tea
yet also seemed to enjoy
seeing someone new
on her voyage
The actor who had arranged this get-together
said she owned
a brownstone in New York
a townhouse in London
and a vacation villa on the Costa del Sol
Perfect skin
although middle-aged
and careful makeup
she was draped in
an afternoon silk dress
with afternoon jewelry
greeting me with a warm
but practiced smile
Leaning back in her chair
she carried herself
as though the weight of her wealth
were part of her flesh,
her hands and words
moving deliberately
as waiters stood silently
against the wooden walls
We chatted for minutes
before the tea and cakes were brought
but then I could not help asking
"Where are you headed, once you arrive?"
"I'm going on safari --
central Africa --
for a couple of months."
"Sounds marvelous,
you must be excited."
For the first time
there was a slight crack
the faintest hint of a sigh
"Well, yes, of course,
but I've been on safari twice already."
"And you, what are you going to do?"
she asked politely in return
"I'm going to Paris --
I've never been there."
"Oh my god,"
she brightened up a bit
but also added a tinge of condescension
"To see Paris for the first time,
how wonderful."
The next half hour was quite pleasant
but then I could see she had had enough
I thanked her, wished her well
and was ushered back
through that wall again
Adjusting to the now drab
surroundings of third class
I found myself out at the railing
where the Atlantic Ocean
stretched endlessly
and it hit me --
She had just given me
one of life's most precious gifts:
I would never envy people with money
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