Daphne bolted upright in her bed, her heart racing like mad as she struggled to focus against the dim light. The gentle rocking motion was a sharp reminder of where she was, and when she looked out of the window, reality hit her full force yet again. For she was no longer in the arms of the man she had had planned on spending the rest of her life with. Instead she was alone in a beautiful stateroom on a cruise designed for singles that were looking for romance. The tears came again and she clutched her pillow, wishing so desperately that she had someone to hold.
But instead she had no one.
It was truly pathetic. She'd fallen asleep after sobbing into her pillow and had dreamt about the man who had shattered her heart, but yet she had awakened in tears as well. She could just imagine the fun that the other passengers were having and truth be told she longed to get out of the room and explore a bit. Not to mention that she was starving.
She swung her feet around and shoved them into the plush slippers provided by the cruise company sighing deeply. The colorful cruise brochure lay on the adjoining nightstand and she picked it up, glancing at the massive array of activities. It was hard to believe that so many things could be done in the space of a cruise ship; even one the size of a small city.
Her stomach rumbled, reminding her once more of how famished she was and her eyes fell to the bottom of the page where the words Lavish Buffet jumped out at her. Although lavish could easily be translated to "high calories", for she was certain that there would be endless deserts like chocolate cake, cheesecake, fudge brownies and more. And then there were the entrees… freshly baked breads, loads of pasta with rich sauces, salads with every topping imaginable and butter-laced vegetables. The thought made her mouth water.
There was no doubt that eating so richly every night would result in the addition of many extra pounds that she couldn't afford to gain, but her appearance no longer mattered to her. She had no one to be thin for and it was pointless to watch her weight. But she couldn't just sit here alone in her stateroom crying her eyes out.
Hesitating only for a moment, she changed into her shoes and crossed the stateroom to grab her purse. Within seconds she was in the hallway, to begin the long journey to the Sea Coral Buffet. If nothing else at least she'd be surrounded by people and perhaps wouldn't feel so alone.
But somehow she sensed that the loneliness was inevitable.