"It's my first time too," Jason replied, shaking Deepika's hand.  Sadie had pestered him to take her on a cruise.  But while she was the sociable type who loved being around others, he wasn't too keen on being on a ship full of people and knowing he couldn't get away from them until the ship reached a destination.  So he kept putting off her plans for a cruise.  She was the extrovert and he was the introvert.  But she was starting to draw him out of his shell when she died.<br/><br/>"My sister talked me into taking this cruise to get me out of the house.  I just hope we can dodge the storm that she says is headed our way."  Since he'd never been on a ship, Jason wasn't sure if he was prone to seasickness or not.  But gazing off at the storm clouds in the distance, he had a feeling he was soon to find out.  "Deepika.  That's an Indian name, isn't it?"  She didn't look Indian, but her husband did, so he made an assumption about the name.  He nearly jumped out of his skin when a loudspeaker nearby crackled to life, interrupting any response she might have made.<br/><br/>"This is the captain speaking.  It appears a squall is headed our way.  But no worries.  I'm confident we can make a detour around it.  In the meantime, everyone is invited to a meet and greet on the lido deck, where the activities director and his staff will familiarize passengers with all the activities and facilities aboard the ship.  Drinks and snacks will be provided and the bars will be open.  Dress, of course, will be casual.  First officer, report to the bridge."<br/><br/>It didn't sound like the captain was all that concerned about the storm, so Jason relaxed a bit.  He was tempted to offer her an arm as her escort to the lido deck, but that was probably going beyond the boundaries of courtesy.  Besides, there was no reason to head directly to the lido deck and get caught up in the crowd of people headed that way.