“And the second time, and the third,” Carl tacked on playfully.“I finally had to have a friend of mine intervene on my behalf.”
“I thought anyone as slick and as sure of himself as Carl Frank would be nothing but trouble.”She cast a sideways glance at him.“He’s proved me right every day.”
Now it was Carl’s turn to pish.It was about that time that the couple seemed to realize they had company.“I’m so sorry,” Augusta gushed.“We’re monopolizing the whole conversation.”
“I’m loving every minute of it,” Gilly confided.“It gives me hope for the future.”
“Me too,” Pippa agreed.“Did you all have children?”
“No,” Carl said quickly.“Not in this lifetime.”He reached across the table and took her hand.“But she’s all I’ve ever needed.”
“You old dog.”Augusta blushed again.She smiled at us.“You want to know the secret to forty years?Forty-three if you count the dating years.”
“I’d love to know the secret,” Gilly said.“I’m on husband number two, and I want him to be husband number last.”
Personally, I didn’t think she had anything to worry about.The way Carl looked at Augusta was the same way Scott looked at her.
Augusta leaned forward, drawing us in.“I wake up every morning and ask myself, am I happy?If the answer is yes, I keep doing what I’m doing.If the answer is no, then I figure out what I need to do to get back to happy, and I work it out.”
“That simple, huh?”I asked.
Her wide smile lit up her eyes.“And that hard.”She laughed.“But having Carl by my side makes it a heck of a lot easier.”
“Och- ocho!” the guy at the taqueria shouted out.“Eight-eight!”
“That’s us!”Gilly held up the ticket.“So nice to meet you both.Hopefully we’ll see each other at dinner.”
“I’m sure we will,” Augusta said as a farewell.“Enjoy your lunches.”
We retrieved our tacos and scarfed them down like ravenous hyenas...
“These are so good.”I was practically melting in my seat as the spice danced on my tongue.“I could eat here every day, and since the food is all-inclusive, I think I will.”
“We’re not going to eat tacos every day for lunch,” Pippa stated.
I gave her a bland look.“Maybe you won’t, but I’m good with eating lunch wherever you want.Then I’ll have second lunch at the Taqueria.”
She shook her head.“This world is your taco journey and the rest of us are just living in it.”
“That is correct.”I took the last bite of the birria taco, the spicy juice from the meat dripping down my chin as I finished chewing and swallowed it down.“I’ve been wanting to try a birria taco ever since I saw a social media chef make them.I wiped my chin with a napkin.“Totally worth the hype.”
“They are super delish,” Gilly agreed.
Pippa shook her head and frowned.“A little spicy for my taste.If we do this again, I’m swapping out for the shredded chicken.”
I called her out.“Weenie.”
“Wimp,” Gilly piled on.
“I have a delicate palate, you big bullies,” she informed us.
In the distance, we could hear music starting up.
“The Lido Deck pool party must be starting up.”The itinerary had a list of multiple events meant to keep guests happy and busy during the at-sea days.A familiar tune began to play.
Pippa let out a soft cry as Chappell Roan started singing Pink Pony Club.
“Aww, honey.”I got up and moved my chair next to her.Gilly did the same on the other side.“It’s okay.”
