James Rockton is ready to die. In fact, he plans on it. Having lost his life partner to AIDS, he books the South Pacific cruise Richard didn't live to share. James will spread Richard's ashes at sea, and then slip overboard to join him forever. He’s too old and too heartbroken to continue on alone.<br><br>But James doesn’t count on meeting a young man whose parents constantly put him down. Then there’s the obviously gay young art dealer who ogles a crazy young photographer traveling with an older gay man about James’s own age.<br><br>James and Herb begin spending time together, trying not to laugh too hard or get too involved with these young men, who circle each other in rapidly shrinking orbits. After all, James and Herb are old, with gray hair and less stamina. With time, talk, and martinis, will love manage to find them, too?

Fade to Gray

Two servers held his arms with their muscles bulging as the old man became dead weight. Not dead, you understand, just not able to help himself.


His wife came back and calmly said, “Just pull the chair back out and let him sit there. He’ll be fine.”


By the lack of color in his face, maybe this time he was not going to be fine, which turned out to be the case. I was ready to leave and tucked a twenty into the first server’s hand as I passed, thanking him for responding so quickly to the man’s aid. Also for keeping me from having to watch someone fall and bleed out or die while I was finishing my bacon.


However, later that morning, the Captain announced that shortly the ship would be stopping for a medical evacuation and a helicopter would be landing on the aft deck behind the Lido. The crew were removing chairs and tables as he spoke.


Chapter 11