It won’t be a novelty; we mostly have seen them all before
Prepare for the usual…
You should be aware of what’s in store
We’ve served them on the Baltic and the Oceanic, Olympic, Majestic and today’s the same there’s nothing changed
– Titanic: The Musical
Their tastes are simple; they simply want the best…
For three seasons I’ve done this cruise, and I’ve always felt grounded in myself and ready for whatever it might bring me. I know my place in the machine, and even though I’m a cog in a much larger system, I’m a strong one. I’ve always been able to depend on myself.
Now, going into my fourth season at it, I’m definitely missing that steadiness. I don’t feel even remotely ready. The carefully done make-up feels like a theatrical mask and not one that’s the kind of role I’m good at playing (I’ve always been more of a character actress).
I can still play the part of course. Every curl set, every stroke of mascara in place, if I work hard enough at it, I can even make my eyes sparkle. Not the same kind of sparkle as the real thing of course, but enough to fool most except Family.
But I don’t feel ready.
I just look ready.
And perhaps if I continue looking ready, looking like I fit in with the world flags draping the lobbies, with the the white gloves and the perfectly polished nails, the perfectly turned curls, the silk stockings and crimson-waxed smiles and everything else that goes with this voyage (and it’s a voyage, not a cruise)…then I’ll eventually feel ready.
Because ready or not, here they come…
Giving deference to their preferences is our chief art
We play our part in a perfectly working machine
You should ever be aware this is a privilege great and rare
A special burden that we bare in our respective lives…