Chapter 11: A Day at Sea
The next day was spent sailing from somewhere West of Helsinki towards the straits between Denmark and the rest of Scandinavia. The final mainland European port of call was to be Aarhus on the Eastern coast of the mainland of Denmark. After the clear conditions before midnight, a layer of cloud had obscured the sun and promised rain later in the day. In fact, the forecast was for a period of heavy rain in the evening and overnight. Hopefully, the sun would shine on the visit to the Danish city of Aarhus, the next day.
After the activities of the previous three days, both pairs of parents were looking forward to a peaceful, relaxing day on board, much of it spent either in the cabins or in one of the several bars around the ship. JJ and Grace, however, had other ideas. The only 'fixtures' were the briefing on Aarhus and Ireland in the morning and the talk about opium and its derivatives in the afternoon. All three main meals would be enjoyed in the Waldorf restaurant as time was not a driving factor. In any case, the atmosphere was more relaxed in the Waldorf. In Marco's, the incentive was to collect food, find a table, eat, and move on. Also, David felt that he needed to discuss the rapidly developing close relationship forming between Grace and JJ with Edward. He felt that this would be better done either over a leisurely meal, or over drinks in the pleasant atmosphere of a bar.
As they had been getting up early on the previous three days, they were in the habit of rising early. Accordingly, everyone was up and ready for Breakfast before eight o'clock. Since there were few activities planned, the group enjoyed omelettes with various fillings, but with few other 'extras'. They did, of course, have cereals and coffee. Between breakfast and the Aarhus talk, there was time for a stroll around the decks. JJ explained the statue of Rudolf Nureyev to David and said how much he was looking forward to the visit to Cobh in a few days time. Grace looked on, smiling, as she was pleased with the friendly relationship developing between JJ and her father. With their wide knowledge of different subjects, it was obvious that they were 'talking the same language'. Although it was David who wanted to initiate the discussion, it fell to Sonia to find out a little more about the intensifying relationship between her daughter and JJ.
"Well, Gracie," said Sonia, as they all reached the open space ahead of the ship's bridge, "How are you feeling now we're coming towards the end of this cruise?"
"Really, so happy." said Grace, "Thank you for such a wonderful holiday."
"I guess meeting Jeremiah helped?" added Sonia.
"Yes," said Grace, "I'm surprised how he's affected me. I feel relaxed and happy when he's around me. Being alone with him seems so natural. It's almost as if we were fated to find each other."
"What about you, Jeremiah?" asked Sonia.
"I don't know whether I dare say this," said JJ, "But I think your Grace is exactly the kind of person I needed to meet. When she first encountered me, I was feeling so uneasy, so stressed. Although I was enjoying the new experience of a cruise, emotionally, I was almost at breaking point. When I heard her voice and looked into her eyes, I felt a wave of complete tranquillity wash over me. I don't know how she does it. She's a totally wonderful person. Yes, I will say it. I'm falling in love with her."
"Thank you, Jeremiah." said Sonia, "I believe you've just told me what we've both realised. I know from talking to your parents that she's had a dramatic effect on you. Don't blush when I tell you that you've had almost as major an effect on Grace's attitude to life. She's happier than I've ever seen her, and it's all due to you."
"I'm flattered." said JJ, "I knew Grace was happy, but I assumed that was her normal state."
"Far from it." said Sonia, "When we embarked on this cruise, she was deeply depressed. We couldn't even get her to smile. However, when she returned to the cabin at the end of the first morning, it was obvious that something really nice had happened to her. She was beaming. I hadn't seen her so happy for a very long time."
"I didn't realise I could have such an effect on anyone." said JJ, "All we did that morning was told each other our stories. The fact that she knew who I was did help, I suppose."
David was listening to this conversation with some interest as he wanted to find out whether JJ's feelings for Grace were genuine. It was clear from his expression that he was satisfied with JJ's honest answers to Sonia's questions.
"Well, Jeremiah," said David, "Not many boys would have been so open about their feelings, but you've been completely honest. I like that. Anyway, it's getting on for ten o'clock. We'd better be making our way below decks if we want to learn more about Aarhus."
With this, the group made their way to the Marco Polo lounge for the talk about the final two destinations on this particular cruise. Once the audience had settled, the guide explained that Aarhius was a relatively new destination for this particular cruise line. Since the visit was only for four hours, only three excursions had been arranged. He appreciated that, since only one of them was a tour in the normal sense of the word, most bookings had been for the Aarhus highlights. He went on to describe the Aarhus on foot and the Aarhus biking tours. Celia and Edward had booked the Aarhus highlights, but JJ had persuaded them to cancel his place on the tour as he wanted to spend the time with Grace and her parents on the Aarhus on foot guided walk. The different spellings of the city's name were explained including the fact that within Denmark it was still rendered as "Århus". he also mentioned that the name of the city was pronounced "Orhus" due to the effect of the 'Å', or the 'Aa' in the international spelling. Once he had dealt with Aarhus, he went on to outline the shore excursions available on the final port of call, Cobh in Ireland. Again, there were only three trips on offer, two of which visited the city of Cork. No-one in either family had yet booked an excursion for this day, so what the guide told them was useful information. Having gleaned the details of each of the three tours, the two men, David and Edward, opted for the "Cork highlights and old Jameson distillery" tour, while JJ himself chose to join Grace, Sonia and Celia on the "Panoramic Cork and Blarney Castle" trip. Grace did remark that JJ didn't really need to kiss the Blarney Stone as, once he started talking, it was hard to stop him. He responded by saying that getting started had always been his problem.
The next call was to the excursion desk to change the Aarhus bookings and to reserve places on the two Cobh tours. This process went smoothly. No-one was more pleased than JJ and Grace, who would now be spending even more time together. The young couple held hands as they accompanied their parents to the 'Captain's Club' bar. Once they had settled, David ordered a round of aperitif sherries and proposed a toast.
"Let's drink to young love!" said David, as everyone raised their glasses.
Everyone clinked glasses, although JJ and Grace were a little embarrassed by David's actions. After this, the six people settled down to enjoy their pre-lunch drinks. The main subject for discussion was the forthcoming lecture on drugs. JJ remembered the first of the series and conjectured that some of the same ground would be repeated. He mentioned that opium was probably the oldest narcotic in existence.
On the way to the Waldorf restaurant, Grace had a question.
"Daddy," she said, "What on earth inspired you to propose that toast just now? I found it just a little embarrassing."
"Sorry if I embarrassed you," said David, "But you two seem so comfortable and natural together, that I can see your relationship lasting a long time."
"Thank you." said Grace, "I have the same feeling, don't I, JJ."
Grace kissed JJ's cheek and, once again held his hand.
"You certainly do." said JJ, "I think we've found the perfect partner, for each other, and I truly believe we're in love. Long may it last!"
Grace smiled and nodded assent.
When they reached the dining room, JJ and Grace sat next to each other. David consulted the wine list, ordered a bottle of claret and filled all six glasses. Once again, JJ and Grace selected the same starter, a thick, creamy mushroom soup. They followed this by ordering the roast pork with stuffing, apple sauce and all the trimmings. JJ looked very contented. It was washed down with the claret.
"What are you thinking?" asked Grace.
"I'm just imagining us two being together in our own home and having this for our Sunday lunch." said JJ.
"You obviously feel quite at home with me." said Grace, "You also seem to be relishing the Brussels sprouts."
"I am." said JJ, "They cook them perfectly here. They're not bitter, and they've got just the right amount of texture. I suppose the quality of the sprouts themselves contributes a lot to the taste."
"Grace, you're a miracle worker!" commented Celia, "We've always had some difficulty getting Jeremiah to eat sprouts, although I must admit these do taste exceptionally good."
After the main course, everyone enjoyed the profiteroles, served with double cream. Since they still had plenty of time in hand they indulged in the cheeseboard and coffee before adjourning back to the 'Captain's Club' for their after-lunch drinks.
The lecture didn't disappoint. The subject of the talk was opium and all its more recent derivatives. As JJ had anticipated, the speaker did go over some of the ground covered in the first lecture, but, this time concentrating on opiates and opioids. He mentioned that people had been using the latex from opium poppies as a painkiller and as a mind-altering drug since at least as long ago as 5,000 BCE. He went on to mention again the writers, musicians and artists who had used opium or laudanum, particularly in the nineteenth century. The speaker also mentioned that laudanum was available widely as a patent medicine until the early twentieth century. 1906 was the year that the constituent parts of medicines had to be printed on the bottle labels. He said that, coincidentally this was the same year that Coca Cola removed cocaine from their beverage. The talk continued with references to morphine and codeine as painkillers still in use in the UK today. Codeine, he went on to say, was probably the only opioid drug generally available without prescription, usually in combination with other painkillers such as ibuprofen or paracetamol. After discussing the various derivatives of opium, he went on to mention their addictive properties and the 'recreational' use of heroin. The next talk, he said, would be about 'legal highs' and the 'catch-up' game the authorities were engaged in attempting to control them. He would also cover the unintended consequences of prohibition. The subject of cannabis would be covered in the final talk.
"Well, that was enlightening." said David, as they emerged from the lounge, "I suppose I've led a comparatively sheltered life, but I never realised that what we would now regard as narcotics were available over the counter as recently as the beginning of the last century. I need some fresh air after that. Let's have our pre-dinner drinks at the poolside bar."
With this, the little group made their way astern to the open air bar, where they occupied a table near the bronze statue of Rudolf Nureyev. Fortunately, the forecast rain had not yet materialised, although it was fairly overcast. They all enjoyed medium dry sherries. The discussions over the drinks were mainly about the lecture they had just attended.
"Of, course," said JJ, "What we're drinking now contained what was considered an illegal drug in the USA during the twenties. Our speaker could well touch on that in the next talk. If nicotine and alcohol were new drugs, they'd probably be class 'A'."
"If I remember my history," said David, "Prohibition of alcohol handed distribution and supply over to criminal gangs."
"Yes," said JJ, "That's why America in that decade was such a violent place. I think that was one of the unintended consequences of prohibition."
"Does anyone want a refill?" asked Edward, as a waiter approached their table.
Their glasses recharged, the discussions arising from the afternoon's lecture continued. David asked JJ what illicit drugs were in use in Roundview College in his AS year.
"Without telling tales on anyone," said JJ, "Obviously alcohol was one of them. That was illicit because some of us were under-age. A few people smoked skunk, but I don't recall anyone using cocaine in my two years at the college. I didn't dare indulge because of the many prescription drugs I already had to take."
"If you don't mind me asking," said David, "What is skunk?"
"It's a more powerful form of cannabis." said JJ, "It has a higher concentration of THC."
"What's that in English, rather than initials?" asked David.
"Tetrahydrocannabinol." said JJ.
David looked more puzzled.
"It's the principal psychoactive constituent of cannabis." continued JJ, "Judging by what he said in an earlier talk, I think we're going to learn a lot about cannabis in the final talk."
Once their glasses were empty, the two small families made their way to the Waldorf restaurant for dinner. Having indulged in full breakfasts and a three course lunch, everyone chose salads with white wine. After dinner and before that evening's dance show, they adjourned to the 'Captain's Club' bar for after-dinner drinks. Outside, the rain had started. Edward and David had brandies while Celia and Sonia had port. JJ took the opportunity to introduce Grace to a particularly smooth single malt whisky from Islay. To his surprise and delight, she enjoyed it. In fact, she more than enjoyed it, she relished it.
"I have tried whisky before and didn't really like it," said Grace, "But this is different. It's so smooth, and I so like that smoky taste."
"That's a feature of several Islay whiskies." said JJ, "I sometimes get to wondering whether J K Rowling's 'firewhiskey' in Harry Potter was something like this. After all, 'There's no smoke without fire.'."
"That's a possibility." said Grace, "I wonder which 'muggle' drink was the basis for butterbeer?"
"Ginger beer, I suppose." said JJ, "I can't think of anything else at the moment. Some sweet, fizzy non-alcoholic drink anyway."
By the time they had finished the drinks, it was nearly time for the show, so they made their way to the Marco Polo lounge and found a group of six seats. JJ and Grace sat in the middle with their parents on either side. The show was a showpiece for various kinds of dance, including vigorous demonstrations of tango, samba and tap. The show ended with some Irish line dancing, which with tap shoes was quite noisy.
"I think we need to go somewhere quiet after that." said David, as they left the lounge, "Those Irish dancers had my ears singing."
As they emerged into the lobby between the lounge and the 'Captain's Club', the faint sounds of the pedal steel guitar could be heard from the bar.
"I think that decides where we'll spend the rest of the evening." said JJ, "I find country music relaxing."
"And danceable." added Grace.
JJ and Grace spent the remainder of the evening until midnight enjoying each other's company and dancing to the country rock selection being played in this particular bar. They were now completely relaxed with each other and believed they had a promising future as a couple. On the first part of the cruise, they had felt the affection growing between them. Now, after St Petersburg, it could be said that they had come from Russia with an all-embracing love for each other. As a result, JJ and Grace were changed people. Grace felt a deep and serene happiness that was a new experience for her. Meanwhile, JJ was at peace with himself and was not displaying any of the symptoms of his Asperger's syndrome. For the first time in his life, he felt comfortable in his own skin. Thus reassured about their feelings for each other, and their parents' approval of the relationship, JJ and Grace enjoyed a deep and refreshing night's sleep. All their worries were behind them and their minds were at peace. Their parents could also enjoy their sleep as they knew their children , against all odds, had found something they needed in each other.