5. My new home

I look around and suck in the sight before me. Warm terracotta colours welcome us as we enter into what must be the main lobby. There are large and expensive looking sofas set up casually around a room that is easily bigger than Iona's landscaped garden. The lounge area was spread out in front of a highly polished walnut reception desk. There are officers dressed in Black and White uniforms lining the desk. As I wipe away the gathering beads of sweat off my forehead. Some of the officers behind the desk look over at us as we pile in the lobby. They recognise someone in our group and wave over while giving them the thumbs up.

I am distracted by the sound of running water and cannot believe my eyes for there in the corner is a real live fountain. Out of nowhere a string quartet strikes up and fills the lobby with it’s sweet sound as passengers slowly start to enter the lobby from another entrance and immediately start to line up at reception.

Each officer is wearing his or her galaxy cruise smiles. A glass Elevator is gliding its way down from god knows where into the centre of the lobby in time with the music.

Last year Iona and I had taken a weekend break to London. We visited some of the sights and had gone over to the west end to watch one of the shows. As a special treat to ourselves we stayed in a swanky four-star hotel in one of the better parts of the city, but compared to this our little four start looked like a hen house.

Four large pillars mark an area at the other side of the ship where there is a Patisserie. How can something so grand look so welcoming and cosy yet undoubtedly luxurious? I am lost in Canon in D, a particular favourite of mine when Sue is back with a bunch of keys and a pile of worn looking blue booklets. I have seen people like her before, give them a bunch of keys and you can create a monster. The girl in charge of the vending machines at work used to have that look about her. She clipped all the keys to every machine in the building to a chain to her hip, thus making sufficient noise to gather attention as she moved about. Every key saying look how much responsibility I have. I know this because I used to do the same with a piece of paper. It always made you look like you were on a mission of some sorts. Power.