#62 Dining with the Captain

Now don’t tell Kelly, but I have a crush on Captain Roman.

I’ve had a crush on Captain Roman since he was introduced to us at a meeting on our first day. We occasionally meet on the deck or in the passageway and I’ll always say something witty like “Good morning, Captain.” And he’d always smile and say “Good morning.” And that was the extent of our relationship.

Until last night. Kelly and I and about 20 other faculty and staff were invited to dine with Captain Roman. Drinks at 7:30. Dinner at 8:00. When you dine with the Captain, nothing’s the same. He eats after the masses have cleared the dining hall. He sits at a special table. His menu is a notch up from the norm. The server-to-diner ratio is high. The glasses of wine are bottomless. And shorts and t-shirts are nowhere to be seen.

I’ve heard stories of how he enjoys spear fishing and how he’s a native of Dubrovnik. And when I walked into the captain’s dinner and found my name card at the right hand of the captain, I knew that was no accident.

I suspect part of the job interview for being Captain involves demonstrating ability to conduct a first-rate Captain’s dinner. Based on his performance last night, I’m sure Captain Roman aced that interview. After each course was delivered to our table, "Bon Appetit" was his keyword to let everyone know it was time to dig in. The Captain lives in Croatia and has plans to announce our arrival as we pass by his seaside neighborhood on our way into the port of Dubrovnik with 1 blast of the ship’s horn when we pass his church and 2 blasts when we pass his house. The crush remains intact.

Yours in admiring a man in uniform,
Mary