The Palm Reader - I see you living on a boat.

There is a first chapter of how I first had any notion that I would end up working in the Cruise Industry…and it all started in Piscataway, New Jersey.

My Mother informed me that herself and her two brothers; my Uncles Larry and Russell were going to visit family in New Jersey and asked if I wanted to go along with them. It was April, and we had all been through my Fathers passing. This sounded like a fun thing to do. But I had another idea in mind. I would drive down with them but meet up with my friend Trudy in Piscataway New Jersey and visit with her. That was my plan.

The drive down was nice and I got to spend some time talking with my Uncles. We met with Trudy at a convenient location along the highway and we parted company as my family went on their way to our relative’s home.

Trudy and I had met at a Club Med, where I had gone during a vacation break when I worked on the Trans-Canada Pipeline. We always kept in contact. She had been up to Canada a few times and I had visited her in New Jersey. It was Trudy who introduced me to the excellent restaurants on Mulberry Street in New York’s Little Italy district. She was a fun person to be with.

As this trip followed my birthday in March, Trudy bought me a session with a palm reader as a present. She was into that sort of thing and I had my reservations, but what the heck, I went. The Palm Reader looked like a normal person, as opposed to what I thought she would look like. You know, extravagantly dressed with potions and boiling caldrons and a black cat in the background, the usual. The first question I asked was, ‘what did Trudy tell you about me’? She replied that all she was told was that my name was Bob and I was from Canada.

She then explained that she would take an imprint of my hand and read from the imprint. She took a bright red lipstick and painted my whole hand with it. She then had me press my hand onto a white piece of 8 ½ X 11 paper. I was handed some paper towel and liquid soap to clean my hand. While I was doing this, my hand imprint was being studied.

For an extra $10.00 she would record the whole session and I would get the cassette tape to keep, to listen to at a later date and ponder what my future will be. Ten bucks, go for it, big time spender. The SUCKER light must have been flashing on my forehead. Then again she could predict the future, so she saw me giving her ten bucks. It was a no win situation for me.

…and we begin.

‘You are going through some rough times, but that will soon clear up, around June.’

OK, that was pretty general.

‘You have lost someone very close to you.’

That was pretty general too. I told her my father had lost his battle with cancer last month.

‘How old was your Father?’ “75” I said.

‘You will live longer than that’, I was told.

OK, that’s good to know.

‘I see you living on a boat.’

I had thought of moving to Vancouver and living on a boat at one time.

‘You are going to travel a lot.’

I did travel a lot when I was doing the in car video production work, but that was over. Another generality.

‘I see you going to Europe on a trip.’

Getting interesting.

‘You are going to meet an English woman who is in the Arts.’

Now we are getting interesting. You’ve got my attention.

‘You are going to make a lot of money in the next 10 years.’

Very interesting, also. Lots of money is good. (But did it have to end so quickly.)

‘I see you living in the south of England.’

Now we just went south. Not interesting, unless there are palm trees and it is 80 degrees every day. I had been to England and I didn’t believe that this was their weather pattern.

And with that, the session was over. I got in one last question.

I asked if Trudy will be the one that I spend the rest of my life with. She said ‘No.’

OK!

I got to keep the imprint of my hand and the ten dollar cassette tape. WOO-HOO! That was fun.

Trudy asked me how it went and I said it was very interesting.

The fun part looking at this today is being able to look back at what I was told on that day back in April 1997, compare it with what has happened to me in the last 12 years and where I am today.

I did live on a boat, actually a ship, the S/S Norway, for three years.

In my second month on the Norway we did a 30 Cruise to France, England and Ireland.

I did meet an English woman who was in the Arts, Sarah my wife of today. She came to the Norway from a theatre background.

I did do fairly well for the next 11 years, so the money thing was there.

So the only thing left is living in the South of England. Since then I have visited the South of England. Although I enjoyed myself, I don’t think the weather would work for me, but you never know what the future has in mind for us. It could happen…

Trivia & Facts: Do you know the difference between a boat and a ship? A ship carries boats on board, usually lifeboats. The Norway was unique as it was a ship that carried ships, and carried life boats also. The two tenders that sat on the bow were used to take the guests ashore in shallow ports. The tenders also had life boats on board, although they were small, but the tenders were still considered ships. So the Norway was a ship that carried ships…and lifeboats.

*Names may have been changed to protect the innocent!