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

“We didn’t do anything wrong,” Savin got out in between calls for Ralph or Rolph somebody.


I love how you can find things out if you just make enough innocent comments to the right people. However, no matter what you say or how carefully you say it, people can still take things the wrong way.


We left the boys to it and went back to my cabin. I wanted to talk to Herb about something that had happened at dinner, and I didn’t know how he’d take it.


“I have to talk to you,” I started after we’d sat down together on the couch. I reached out for his hand, but right then he had to scratch his ear, which didn’t help as I felt a bit offended even though I knew it wasn’t anything personal.


Chapter 31