After his heart attack and return to New York by plane from Bordeaux, Bob and Betsy rejoined the ship in Halifax to finish the remainder of the cruise. He had asked her from his hospital bed to marry him. Once in Bermuda, after pressure from almost all the passengers on board the ship, they agree to have a wedding at sea.
The planning was on in a rush. Marcia and others got together to make the arrangements including staff from the ship. Her favorite flowers. A facial and make-over at the spa. Picking out jewelry and clothes. The ship's orchestra practiced their song that Bob sang to her after his proposal; "Waiting For a Girl Like You" by Foreigner. Luigi, the Italian singer had not heard of the song but, looked it up and practiced it.
My part as Best Man was simple: Don't lose the rings.
It was a beautiful ceremony in the largest venue on the ship, the Insignia Lounge. This is where all the shows and musical performances were held. I think every passenger on the ship was there. It was standing room only. Everybody knew and liked both Bob and Betsy.
We all knew they would likely get married after the cruise but, this was so much better. They all wanted to participate and congratulate the couple. The champagne flowed freely and the camera flashed endlessly.
It was truly a storybook ending on the end of a six month cruise around the world. No one could have foreseen this, especially after all the health emergencies, flights back to the U.S. with an unlikely return. This couple, so different, met, fell in love on the ship and married on the ship by the ship's captain. Bob was a 71 year old bachelor and Betsy had been married 50 years before losing her husband to a heart attack while on a previous world cruise on this very ship.
You just can't make this kind of thing up. A very happy ending to a near tragic adventure.
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