In shock and disbelief, they just stood there. They could succeed with their plan; their true intentions were supposed to remain a secret. Nevertheless, there she stood. They had been caught in the act by the cruise ship cleaner; her evidence was enough to bring their plans to an abrupt halt. They were shown the evidence as she waved it before them.
As a matter of fact, she had much more than she needed. The laundry was given in the night before, and the stains were visible. “Can you explain this?” she asked, her bright blue eyes glinting with mischief. Those were the first signs that things were about to get worse.
It was highly embarrassing for the couple; before sending in their laundry, they ensured it was as clean as possible. There must have been an oversight when it came to cleaning this shirt. Since the incident happened the day before, they must have been so busy getting help that they forgot to clean up. Despite the couple’s best efforts, it appeared to be just an accident. Most of the time, they pre-washed their clothes. This didn’t sit well with the cleaner. The cleaner didn’t get upset because of the mess but because of something else. A sinister plot was afoot, and they were at the center of it.
The cleaner then revealed the proper intentions. Neither the clothing nor the mess associated with it bothered her. That was just something she was trying to take advantage of. Then, after discovering what the couple was really up to, she squeezed them dry. “This little mess will cost $5,000 to clean,” she said, waving a hand at the soiled shirt.
A total of 13 years have passed since the start of this entire situation. As the couple approached retirement age, they began to plan what they would do with their time. Initially, they didn’t think about it. However, once they tasted what it was like, their perception of it changed. Since then, they have continued to do so. This moment they had been years in the making for Diana and Roger Jones. Their retirement dream was to fulfill their dreams after they had worked hard and saved every penny. That day was just around the corner.
In preparation for their retirement, the companies where they worked had already begun making preparations. The couple would finally retire in less than a month. As soon as they received their checks, they could do whatever they wanted with their money and time. Then came the big question: what would they do? Now that they had been waiting for this opportunity for so long, they had talked about this day their entire marriage, and so much had been on their minds. However, there were some serious considerations to be made.
The money they needed for their last days on Earth had to be set aside before they went off gallivanting. They knew their time was limited and required to make the best use of it. It was contemplated by the couple to move into the house of one of their children. They had three children together. Certain things hindered them; however, their three children were all grown up and had their own families. Furthermore, the grandparents weren’t interested in interfering with their lives. That was not an option.
The couple also didn’t want to spend the rest of their lives alone. Even though they owned a house and had everything they could ever need, they knew one would pass before the other, and they didn’t want to be stuck in a position where the other was left with a big empty house and no one to take care of them. The next option was to go to a care facility, but neither of them wanted that, especially not at the age they were then. They still had a lot to experience, and they didn’t want to give that up for something they would only use later in their lives.
So, what was left? Would they keep the house as an investment for their future? Would they go to their children? Would they follow their plan? It was a touchy subject for the old couple. They couldn’t believe that the years had flown by in the blink of an eye. There was so much they still wanted to do and see, but now it felt like they were just too old. Despite still having a few good years ahead of her, Diana felt like her life was coming to an end.
But in an attempt to keep her life fun and interesting, she found herself in a risky situation. For all her life, Diana dreamed of visiting Europe and traveling the world, but she never got that opportunity. She got married straight out of high school, and her first child was born less than a year later. From then on, her life was dedicated to being a mother and a stay-at-home wife. She was so busy caring for everyone else that she never got to care for herself.
With their retirement hanging over their heads like a dark cloud, Roger could see the impact it had on his wife. Diana had always told herself that there would be an opportunity to see the world, but now she realized that she was running out of time. Roger loved his wife more than anything or anyone else in the world, and he was determined to make things right. It was up to him to find a solution to the problem. He decided to sit down and discuss the situation with his wife.
“I just feel like all we ever did was raise the kids and work. We never got to do anything for ourselves,” Diana cried to her husband. “I never got to drink wine in Italy, and I never got to sit on Table Mountain. Now I’m starting to think I never will,” she sobbed. Roger’s heart was shattering in his chest; he had to do something about this. It became clear to Roger that the most important thing for Diana was that she didn’t want to give up all the plans she had built over the years. They had given up all luxury for their family, and they didn’t want it all to come crashing down because they didn’t plan things properly.
But what could they do? They only had so many options. It was clear that the couple wanted to have fun; they wanted to experience new things and see places they couldn’t while they were young. They wanted to make the best of their retirement and get the most
out of the money they had. But now they realized that they should have started the process a whole lot earlier.
Diana, for one, loved to travel and see all the sights the world had to offer, and Roger wasn’t averse to that. But what he wanted most was to relax. He had spent his life in a high-level position, which meant that he had a lot of stress, and he wanted all the years of tension to be washed away. Roger thought about it for hours on end. What could he do that would give his wife the opportunity to see the world while he got to relax?
That night, while Diana was fast asleep in their bedroom, Roger found himself in front of the computer, looking for more options. It took a few hours, but eventually, he found the perfect solution. Roger couldn’t believe his eyes when he stumbled across an advertisement for a new affordable cruise ship in Miami. Curious, the old man opened the link. He couldn’t believe his eyes when he saw the prices. Staying on board the cruise ship would be cheaper than living in an old age home. He had to do more research.
That night, Roger spent hours looking up all kinds of cruise ships. But he discovered one problem: these ships did not sail the seas year-round. They would sail for a few months, then stop for a few months. This would leave the couple in a bit of a predicament. But would that be enough to deter them from the idea of sailing the seas for the rest of their lives? Roger didn’t know if they could handle something like that at their age. The cruising part would be fine, but it was the stopping that would lead to problems. Where would they stay while the ship was docked, and would they really be able to keep coming and going for the rest of their lives?
This was something he had to discuss with his wife because it could make or break the entire plan. But before Roger could speak, he needed to think things through. He didn’t want to ruin all of his wife’s plans by mentioning something on a whim. He had to get his facts straight. Only then would they be able to come up with a logical plan. So, Roger spent a few more hours smoothing things out. But in the end, he sat with more questions than answers. What would he do now? He wondered if it was even possible to live on a cruise ship for an extended period of time. He wasn’t looking to go on one or two trips; he was looking to live on these ships. And the more he thought about it, the more it seemed like his plan wouldn’t be feasible.
But Roger wasn’t going to give up just yet. He’d do whatever it took. Roger spent the rest of that night setting up a budget and calculating what it would cost the couple. He was crunching numbers until his fingers ached. But in the end, he came up with a conclusion. Roger didn’t even know if it was legal, but his plan seemed perfect, especially after he looked at what the numbers had to say.
The following morning, Diana awoke to find her husband passed out on the couch. He had spent the entire evening in front of the computer, trying desperately to plan their future. She awoke him with a gentle pat on the shoulder, and when he opened his eyes, his heart filled with excitement. He had to tell his wife about what he had discovered the night before. A broad smile spread across Roger’s face as he patted the seat next to him. He could see that his wife hesitated in her confusion, but after a second tap, she took a seat.
Diana was clearly confused by what was happening, but when her eyes fell on the laptop, she gasped. Could it really be true? Had he found a way? Diana sat beside her husband in front of the computer as he showed her picture after picture of the magnificent ships he had found the night before. When he looked back at his wife, she had a sad smile on her face. “What’s the matter, honey?” he asked, concerned by the sudden shift in her mood. She didn’t seem excited at all.
An eerie silence fell upon the room after Roger asked his question, but the old man couldn’t understand why that was. He thought his wife would be happy about this. It was everything they had ever spoken about, and they could afford it, so what was wrong? Why were there tears forming in her eyes? Had he misunderstood the situation? This all seems lovely, but we could never go through with this,” she sighed sadly.
Roger frowned, confused by her words. “We can’t just live on international waters. When these cruise ship owners realize that we are literally living on their ships, they’ll kick us out,” she explained. “Then we’ll have nowhere to live. It’s all just too risky. We’re too old to risk these kinds of things.”
Upon hearing those words, Roger’s heart sank. He had been looking forward to convincing his wife that they could pull it off. But after hearing her side, he couldn’t help but wonder if she was right. Was it really too much of
didn’t want to take such a big risk at her age. Days passed, and Diana couldn’t find the strength to stop thinking about Roger’s proposal. It was just too intriguing for her to let go of it. So one night, she decided to sit her husband down and hear what he had to say. Was there a way for them to do this without having to take such a massive risk?
They spoke for hours, and after considering all these options, the couple decided to take some time to think about their plan. They didn’t want to make any rash decisions based on emotions; they wanted to make 100% sure that the decision they made was not only the right one but also the best one for their final years on this planet.
Roger had a new task: convince his wife the risk wasn’t as big as she thought. He researched short-term investments for growth and liquidity. He booked a surprise cruise to show her what life could be like. At lunch, Roger sprung the cruise surprise on Diana, who was thrilled. Roger hoped this would sway her; he assured Diana it was just a short break before they considered a retirement home. Diana loved the idea of starting retirement with a cruise.
Two weeks later, they were ready to set sail. Diana was still unaware of Roger’s plan. As they enjoyed the cruise, Roger waited for the right moment to broach the topic again. The cruise rejuvenated them, making Roger rethink their retirement plans. He jokingly suggested living on cruise ships permanently. Diana agreed enthusiastically, forgetting about the risks. The idea grew on them, especially when they realized it was financially feasible.
Before committing, they went on another cruise to test the lifestyle. They found it sustainable and enjoyable. So they embraced it. Years passed, and they lived happily, cruising from one ship to another, ticking off their bucket list. Their lifestyle seemed perfect until an incident on a Caribbean cruise threatened their secret.
A cleaner tried to blackmail them, but Diana stood her ground and exposed the cleaner’s actions. The company apologized, fired the cleaner, and promoted them to VIP members, granting them free cruises for life. With their secret safe and their dream lifestyle intact, Diana and Roger continued to sail the seas, living out their retirement in adventure and joy.
