Preface
It all began on a typical summer day. As I did most days, I spent much of it lying in the sun in the backyard and reading one of my romance novels. My brother left earlier to play ball with his friends in a park near our suburban home. Mom and Dad both worked.
I turned eighteen a week before. My brother would be nineteen in a month. Glen and I graduated from high school a few weeks earlier. We were in the same grade because my brother failed the fifth grade. Then he buckled down and did well.
Mom and Dad's twenty-fifth wedding anniversary was coming up. They married when they were eighteen, right out of high school. Mom and Dad went to college together. Dad received a degree in accounting. Mom finished her degree in business management while carrying me. Glen was born in August, I was born eleven months after my brother.
My brother Glen and I were typical siblings. We got along but weren't what you'd call close. He had his group of friends, and I had mine. Both of us did well in school. We weren't on the honor roll, but we maintained good grades. Glen swam and was a member of the diving team in high school. I also swam, but I didn't dive.
Mom came in from work at five-thirty. She changed out of her suit, putting on shorts and a top.
"Megan, come help me with dinner, please," Mom said.
I put on a pair of shorts over the bottoms of my two-piece bathing suit. Mom asked me to make a salad when I came into the kitchen.
"What did you do today, Meg?" Mom said.
"I just read and sunned, Mom. Kathy and Donna are on vacation. I spent most of the day in the yard," I said.
Kathy and Donna were my best friends. The three of us spent most of our free time together. Like most girls our age, we went to the mall and talked about boys. I had a boyfriend, but we broke up when he pushed me to have sex with him the night of our prom.
I wasn't a prude and didn't mind him feeling me up when we made out, but I didn't want him trying to get into my pants. Donna said I was being childish, and if I wanted to keep a boyfriend, I would have to let him fool around. Kathy was like me and didn't let boys go too far.
"Where's Glen?" Mom asked as she placed a meatloaf in the oven.
"I think he's playing ball at the park. I haven't seen him since this morning."
Mom and I talked while preparing dinner. She told me about her day at work and filled me in on some of the gossip going on in her office. I talked about my plans for the summer.
At six, Dad came home. After saying hello to me, and kissing Mom, he changed his clothes, grabbed the newspaper and sat in his chair. As he flipped through the paper, Dad carried on a conversation with Mom.
Glen came home as Mom, and I placed dinner on the table. He washed his hands in the kitchen sink and sat in his seat. I sat down across from my brother and began putting food on my plate. Mom and dad sat across from each other at the square kitchen table.
"As you kids know, Mom's and my anniversary is coming up. We have booked a cruise," Dad said. "We'll fly to Fort Lauderdale, board the ship, and cruise the Caribbean."
"That's cool, Dad. What are Meg and I going to do?" Glen asked.
"We've decided to take you with us. The ship is large, so we can have our privacy when we want it. There are many things to do on the ship. I don't think you two will get bored," Dad said.
"When are we leaving?" I asked.
"We leave a week from tomorrow," Mom said. "We'll go shopping this weekend to get a few new outfits for the trip. We have to dress up for dinner. The rest of the time, the dress is casual."
I loved shopping with my mom. She let me buy stylish clothes and shoes. Mom and Dad never said anything about the mini-skirts, short shorts, or midriff tops I wore.
On Saturday, Mom and I headed for the mall. We bought shorts, tops, skirts, sundresses, sandals, new bathing suits, and undies. Mom allowed me to buy a bikini. I asked her about the skimpy suit as a joke, but she said it was okay to get it if I wanted it.
My mom and I could wear the same size clothing. Her bras were a cup size larger than mine, but we could exchange almost everything else. Some of the things Mom bought surprised me. She usually dressed conservatively, but the shorts, tops, and skirts she selected were anything but. I made a comment about her clothes, and she laughed.
"I figure we're going to be on a ship where we won't know anyone. I want to dress nicely for your father," Mom said.
I wanted to ask if she was trying to dress sexy for my dad, but I didn't. The things she bought were sexy.
Dad and Glen went shopping too. When we got home, we all showed each other what we bought. Dad gave Glen and me new suitcases and told us we could take whatever would fit in them.
Day 1 – Surprise Surprise
Time flew, and the next thing I knew, we were flying to Florida. We landed at seven o'clock in the morning and took a shuttle to the pier. I couldn't believe the size of the ship, or the number of people lined up to get on it. Dad told Glen and me the cruise ship wasn't one of the larger ones. He said the cruise catered to families with older children.
Looking around, I noticed there were people of all ages. I saw people who could be my grandparents as well as young couples. There were kids, but not many.
A woman took us to our staterooms. When she opened the door to the room my brother, and I would share, I gasped. There was only one bed. The woman smiled and showed Glen and me how to change the large bed into two smaller beds. The woman gave us a card with the code to our door on it. After Glen and I dropped our suitcases in our room, we went up a level to our parents' stateroom. Mom and Dad had a suite.
"This is really nice, Mom. Look, you guys have a balcony," I said.
"Our room has a balcony too, sis. Didn't you see it?" Glen said.
"No, I was too busy worrying about the bed," I said. "I like you, but there was no way I was going to sleep in the same bed. I thought you'd have to sleep on the couch until the woman showed us the bed changed into two beds."
The woman left after telling us about the room and several of the services offered by the cruise line. Once she had left, Mom told Glen and me to sit down. I sat on one end of the couch, and Glen sat on the other. Dad and Mom sat across from us.
"We didn't want to mention this until we were on the ship. This cruise is a little different than most cruises," Mom said.
"What's the difference?" Glen asked.
"This cruise is clothing-optional." Mom paused to let what she said sink in.
I felt my mouth fall open as I thought about what Mom told us. She and Dad sat quietly and smiled as they looked at the shocked looks on my brother's and my face.
"It means some people will be naked some of the time. You two don't have to go naked if you don't want to, but if you decide you do, it's alright with your mom and me," Dad said.
"Um, are you and Mom going to go naked?" Glen asked while diverting his eyes.
"We plan to, Son. Mom and I have talked about this for several years. We decided we would take a clothing-optional cruise for our anniversary," Dad said.
"Why didn't you guys leave us at Grandma's house or something?" I said. I didn't want to be naked or see other people naked.
"We talked about it, Meg. Dad and I thought we would give you and your brother the opportunity to go on this cruise with us instead of leaving you at home. I know we've been deceptive, but we thought it would be best to inform you this way," Mom said.
"There's a pamphlet in your room. Why don't you take a look at it and then make up your minds? We have to muster on deck to make up the lifeboat teams and get the safety instructions. We can talk about this later," Dad said.
I felt numb. While we listened to the lecture about the lifeboats and such, I couldn't help looking at some of the other guests and wondering who would be naked later. However, I was somewhat curious. The only penis I'd seen was my ex-boyfriend’s, and only for a few seconds.
He pulled it out and tried to make me suck it on our last date. I jumped out of the car and ran. The small Speedo suits the boys on the swim team didn't leave much to the imagination, but they were covered.
After the ship cast off, Glen and I went down to our stateroom. I found the pamphlet and began to read. It told about the different activities. The brochure explained when it was proper to be nude and when it wasn't. Most of the events were outdoors and by one of the pools. There were several places inside where dressing was optional. As I read the information aloud, Glen sat next to me and listened.
"I'm not going around naked!" Glen said.
"Neither am I! I can't believe Mom and Dad brought us on this cruise. I'm going to stay in this room until we get back. I might go out to eat, but that's all. You have to wear clothes in most of the dining rooms," I said.
Glen glanced at the pamphlet and said, "Um, only the main dining room, and then only at dinner." He continued to read and then laughed. "Look, it says we should carry a towel to sit on if we're naked."
"I'M NOT GOING TO BE NAKED!" I yelled.
"I know, neither am I. I just think it’s funny," Glen said.
My brother and I sat in the stateroom and watched television. An hour later, there was a knock on our door. Glen opened the door for Mom and Dad. I sighed in relief after seeing they were dressed.
"We're going to look around the ship. Would you kids like to come with us?" Mom said.
"Not if I'm going to have to look at naked people," I said as I folded my arms across my chest.
"You don't have to look at them," Dad said.
"What do you mean, Dad?" Glen asked.
"If there are naked people, don't look at them. I'm sure there will be other things to see on this ship. Look, kids, there's a difference between glancing, seeing, and staring. If something bothers you, look away," Dad said. "You two shower with other naked kids at school. Do you stare at them?"
"There aren't boys in the shower with us," I said.
"Okay, suit yourselves. Mom and I are going to take a walk. If you two want to spend the trip in this room, it's up to you," Dad said.
"I'll go with you," Glen said. "I guess I can always come back to the room if I feel uncomfortable."
I gave in and went with the rest of the family. As we walked down the passageway, I kept glancing around. I wondered if we would see anyone naked. What my dad said made sense to me. I never felt uncomfortable when I showered with the other girls on the swim team or after PE. Chuckling under my breath, I thought about all the times the girls would joke about raiding the boy's locker room.
Like most healthy girls, I was curious about boys. The line drawings in my health class textbook didn't really provide any details. I had seen a video at a sleepover once, but it didn't seem real. I covered my face and screeched along with the other girls at the pajama party. We joked about it, but at thirteen, we didn't know what we were talking about.
As we walked around, we saw the shops, the casino, the dining rooms, the nightclub, the arcade, and many other things. What we didn't see were naked people. The people we met along the way smiled and said hello. My brother and I began to relax and responded to them. Dad led us outside, and I became anxious again.
We went to one of the pools. People were relaxing around the pool, and every one of them wore bathing suits. When I noticed my brother gawking at some of the women in the skimpy bikinis they wore, I nudged him in the ribs with my elbow.
"Hey, why’d you poke me?" Glen said.
"You're staring," I said. It was fun making my brother blush.
We reached a small pool, and I started to laugh. I saw my first naked people on the trip, and they were all of about six or seven. Two girls splashed and frolicked in the shallow water in their birthday suits. Sitting on the edge of the pool was a woman I assumed was their mom.
The first adult I saw was a woman who looked like she was Mom's age. She stretched out on a reclined lounge chair, and she was topless. I quickly diverted my eyes, but then I looked again. My brother got jabbed in the ribs again.
"Stop it!" Glen said low enough so only I could hear him.
"Stop looking at her," I said.
We continued exploring the deck. When I saw a man and woman, both of them naked, Glen poked me in the ribs. We chuckled and walked away quickly.
"Honey, I want to change into my suit. It's nice out here, and I want to get a tan," Mom said to Dad.
"Okay, hun. I'll change too," Dad said. "What are you kids going to do?"
"I'm going to go to the room and read," I said. I wanted to ask Mom if she was going to be nude, but I couldn't gather the courage.
"I guess I'll go watch television," Glen said.
My brother and I went to our stateroom. I grabbed one of my books from my suitcase and went out on the balcony. Pulling a chair into the sun, I sat down and opened the book to the place I'd marked.
