February 4, 2012
The day started at midnight. Of course, strictly speaking every new day starts at midnight. But generally, most of us aren’t up at that time to greet the turning of the calendar. However, February 3rd was an exception. After two smooth flights (not a common occurrence for me) I arrived at the Richmond, Virginia airport just before midnight. Moments after the start of the new day Dani and Rosie pulled up in front of the arrival terminal to collect me.
Although I had only been away from home for just under a month, it felt like forever since I had seen family. It was great to catch up, but it quickly underscored the transformative nature of this experience. I felt a need to recount and share my shipboard experiences yet realized that there was not a common point of reference for them to understand the intense activity and deep friendships that form almost instantaneously in that contained community. It was an odd feeling of being an ‘outsider,’ even with my family. However, the weekend would quickly restore those bonds.
We spent over an hour catching up at the hotel, but with the long day of work and travel, I called it a night (or a new day) at about 1:30am. The next morning Dani had to work, which allowed Rosie and I to run errands, the most important of which was picking up my tux for Ring Dance and then making a shopping run to Target. It is the little things that one misses while living on a ship, and the convenience of the vast choices at a major department store is one of them. My list of necessities was simple, but important. To be able to buy bar soap, shoe polish, file dividers, batteries, and black socks, all in one place and at a reasonable price gave me inexpressible delight. Ah, the things we take for granted! That afternoon Dani joined us for lunch at Topeka Steakhouse followed by a trip to the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts, where we especially enjoyed a display of Faberge eggs. (Interestingly, our ship now has a special guest lecturer on the history of Faberge. Is a Faberge renaissance in the offing?)
That evening we dined with Lane, Dani’s friend and Ring Dance date, whose sense of humor was truly in keeping with the finest Camous family sarcasm. The next day was the big day, and flew by in a hurry. It seems like we spent most of the day in restaurants. Despite being on a ship with excellent exercise facilities, I have not had the chance to work out once in the first month. So, it was with great pleasure that Rosie and I awoke early and took advantage of the YMCA facility connected to the Omni Hotel at which we were staying. Our next stop, after showering, of course, was for a leisurely breakfast at Starbucks, also connected to the hotel. How I miss Starbucks! With endless topics for conversation, we frittered away the opportunity to fit in any serious sightseeing that day, but did have a nice walk along the James River. Soon it was time to meet Dani’s friend Kate and her parents for lunch at a great little restaurant right near the campus. After lunch we realized the time to prepare for the big event was nigh. Dani dropped us at the hotel and went back out for her hair appointment at 4pm. She was confident that there would be plenty of time to get her hair done, return and get dressed, and be at the Jefferson Hotel by 5:30pm for pre-dance pictures with friends. She would have been right if the hair stylist had been able to take her right at 4pm. However, she did not get into the chair until 4:35pm which now created a mad rush. Realizing that preparations were now about to get tense, I put on my tux and headed down to the lobby to have a drink with Lane and stay out of the ladies’ way.
With a flurry of activity, and little help from me (sorry Dani and Meghan for not coming out to get the car . . . but, seriously, Lane and I had just received our drinks!), we left for the Jefferson right at 6pm. We quickly checked in for the procession and then Dani led us on a veritable sprint in formal attire up to the room for quick pictures. Then back down to the foyer we hustled, and lined up to be part of the third group entering the ballroom.
Despite my lifetime of experiences, I had never been part of an event like a Ring Dance. One at a time over 350 ‘rising senior’ women of Westhampton College at the University of Richmond processed down the Grand Staircase into the Ballroom at The Jefferson, escorted by their fathers, while they were announced by name and degrees, all majors and minors listed. There is no question that this is a group of exceptional young women. At the bottom of the stairs we were met by the Dean of the College who presented the student with her school ring, and thanked the father for his support (i.e. ‘thanks for paying the bills, Dad, now please go away’). The ladies stayed on the ballroom floor to form the letter W in honor of Westhampton, and the dads tried to find the rest of their party in the mod surrounding the dance floor. The entire procession took about 100 minutes. Formalities concluded and picture taken, we returned to the hospitality suite hosted by one of Dani’s friend’s parents, shared some food and libation, and then the students returned to the function area for a night of dancing to a live band. The parents dispersed shortly thereafter. Rosie and I headed back to the Omni, and wanted nothing more than room service and a good night’s sleep.
For tomorrow would start much too early, and with it a flight back to the Caribbean.
The adventure continues . . .
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