Working at Normal

After showering and readying myself for the day, I knelt and said my prayers. Then I sat on the bed for a moment, psyching myself up for the day. The rest of our vacation would be amazing. I was determined to make it amazing, which meant no more selfish thinking for me.

Having given myself a sufficient pep talk, I grabbed my key and left my room.

As soon as I knocked, the door opened.

"Good morning," Angelo said, drawing me into a hug.

"Good morning." I moved back and gifted him with a genuine smile, letting him know I was back to my normal self. "Are you ready?"

"Just let me grab my key."

* * *

After breakfast and another jaunt around the ship, Angelo and I put on our swimsuits and went up to the pool. There were so many people, we couldn't really swim. After a few minutes of floating in one spot, we got out and went up to sit in the hot tub. It was vacant, so we had it all to ourselves. We stayed in for fifteen minutes or so, then we lay out and dried in the sun.

As we were heading back to our rooms, we ran into Cara and Shaylee. I told Shaylee I would meet her at Club O2 after I changed. Since we were going to be hanging out for a while, Cara invited Angelo to go up and play a game of ping pong and I quickly encouraged him to go. He needed to do something fun while I was out.

When we got to Club 02, there was a group of teens participating in karaoke and another sitting around talking. Since the latter group was mainly guys, Shaylee made a beeline toward their table and I dutifully followed. They anxiously made room for us and each person introduce himself. The two girls said hello then went to join the karaoke group. With their departure, we were immediately made the center of attention. Shaylee reveled in the attention. I didn't. My mind was actually on another part of the ship with Angelo. I wondered if he was having fun with Cara. I wondered what they were talking about. I wondered if she was making him laugh.

I wondered why I cared.

Get a life, Ekaterina! The fact that my mind felt the need to scream this was a sure sign that there was definitely something wrong with me.

* * *

It was the first of two formal dress nights. Angelo had finished dressing before me and was soon knocking on my door. I quickly opened it and rushed back to the sofa to put on my shoes.

"I can't believe you beat me," I said in a playful huff.

"I can't either. But then again, women always need more time when it comes to playing dress up."

"You're right about that," I said, finally standing.

He whistled. "Wow, bella! You look incredible."

My face warmed and I looked down at myself. I was wearing a long-sleeve black gown. The top had a mandarin collar with silver woven through the material. The skirt was flared silk that fell just below my knees. The two-inch-heeled black sandals with rhinestone butterfly accents elevated my petite frame a little. I left my hair down, the black ringlets framing my face and shoulders. Because my lashes were so long and thick, I never used mascara, which shortened my makeup time. I only wore eyeliner, a hint of eye shadow, and lip gloss.

"Maybe I should go and grab my can of mace to fend off the ravenous teenage wolves."

"Angelo!" I laughed. "You're crazy!"

"We shall see."

"Well, you always look great." He was wearing a black suit with a deep blue dress shirt and a gray and blue silk paisley print tie. The blue shirt made the blue of his eyes even more vivid. I reached up and brushed the hair back from his forehead, softly touching the scar. I always did that. I knew Suzanne had always made him feel self-conscious of it and that was probably the reason he grew his hair out, but instead of the scar taking away from his attractiveness, it only added to it. Smiling up at him, I took his hand and we went to dinner.

That night, Cara sat next to Angelo again. The skin-tight, low-cut red dress she wore hardly left anything to the imagination. Shaylee's dress was almost identical. Glancing at Angelo, I could read the disapproval in his expression and my heart lightened. Finding a modest formal dress hadn't been easy, but I was glad I did. I watched Cara, keeping my expression blank. Angelo caught me staring and I quickly smiled at him and started talking with Shaylee about the fun afternoon we had. Shaylee joked with me about the attention I attracted from the guys at the club. She called me stuck up for not giving them the time of day, to which I responded, "I wasn't being snobby, I just have standards, and taste." Then we both laughed.

I watched Cara take a large gulp of her wine and scoot even closer to Angelo. She joked with him about his shuffleboard skills, placing a hand on his arm every now and then, and on his leg once, which made my insides clinch in anger. I suddenly wanted to slap her. I wanted to pull her hair from her roots. The violent thoughts were startling, and I quickly put myself in check.

Angelo looked uncomfortable and it was safe to say there would be no cruise ship matchup for him. Leaning toward me slightly, he draped an arm across the back of my chair, pressing a hand against my hair affectionately. I gave him a loving smile and continued bantering with Shaylee about the 'stalker boys' as we called them.

After dinner, we all went to the atrium to listen to a little live music until it was time for the comedy show. The early show was supposed to be family friendly and Angelo and I were looking forward to it. I could see there would be no need to invite Cara and Shaylee. They were inviting themselves.

There was a brother duo performing in the atrium. One was on the guitar, the other on the keyboard, and their vocals were great. They were performing a set of classic pop songs.

In the middle of the set, one of the brothers said, "Hey, we would like to invite a daring soul to come up and help us out with this next song. It's an old classic and one I'm sure most of us are familiar with. So, do we have any takers?"

The crowd stirred, but no one was moving toward the stage.

"Come on, I know there's someone with a great voice. Who wants to give it a try?"

I scanned the crowd again, wondering if anyone else would be daring enough to go up. Riding a moment of courage, I released Angelo's hand and moved toward the stage.

"Yes!" the singer said. "I knew there was someone willing to help us out." He asked me my name and age and where I was from, then he said, "Are you ready for this, Katia?"

When I smiled and nodded, he said, "Okay, guys, we're going to do an Ike and Tina Turner tune. Katia, you know Proud Mary, right?"

"Yes, I do."

"All right, we've got the words here just in case you need them."

"I'm good," I said.

"Okay, guys, looks like we've got a little pro here. All right, Katia, we'll harmonize with ya, but this is all you, so strut your stuff, okay?"

"Okay."

Holding the mike, I looked out at Angelo's wide eyed stare and gave him a cheeky grin. To say he was surprised was an understatement. Then the music started and I began to sing. Proud Mary has always been one of my favorite songs. The brothers' voices were soon soaring with mine, the three of us blending in perfect harmony. All around the atrium, hands were clapping, bodies moving to the beat. I couldn't believe I was really on the stage doing this.

When we finished, the cheers and applause were thunderous, and the crowd begged for an encore. The two men praised me and asked me to sing another song. I agreed and whispered my song choice. They nodded and I took a seat behind the unoccupied piano. One of the singers moved a mike stand by me and adjusted the height until it was perfect. They searched their tablets and found the sheet music to accompany me. I knew the song by heart and needed no sheet music.

I performed the classical-pop ballad, Broken Vow. Closing my eyes, I lost myself in the music, only this time as I sang it, I was driven by a new emotion I couldn't quite define.

As I sang the final line, I opened my eyes, and again the hall rocked with applause. Both the men hugged me and thanked me for singing with them, and I received congratulating pats on the back as I moved through the crowd, making my way back to Angelo. I grinned as he swept me up in a big hug.

"Well, you are just full of surprises, aren't you, Katoosha? When did this new skill develop?"

Drawing his head down, I whispered, "I took some online lessons to perfect my singing voice. I figured I would surprise you one day."

He chuckled. "Well, you definitely picked a fine time to do that." I laughed. "You were wonderful. I'm so proud of you."

"Thank you."

Cara and Shaylee told me how much they enjoyed my performance. I thanked them and we made our way back up to the lounge, hoping there were still good seats available for the comedy show. "Amazing," Angelo kept murmuring as we walked. I just laughed, holding tightly to his hand.