Day 14: (at sea) Lecture Lady

So here's a story.

While we were touring Alhambra, there was a woman who stuck by the tour guide's side like glue.  She asked so many questions that at one point the tour guide had to give her the calm down hand and asked her to allow others to ask questions.  To me, she just seemed a little quirky and really wanted to know everything she could learn about the place.  

I was in my own little zone looking at all the pretty pretty.  As I do often, I held my camera out to take a picture of myself...and with an iphone that has a front camera, it's because practically impossible to take a bad self-portrait.  Lecture Lady saw me taking my own photo and offered to take it for me.  I let her, just to appease her, and went right back to my little prettypretty zone.

 Later, in the garden, I was taking a picture, not of myself (I already had one), but of the garden, when she asked if she could take a picture of me...with her camera.  I thought that was weird, but well, she didn't seem normal, so why not?  I think she realized it was weird, and offered, after clicking the picture with her camera to take one with mine.  So here I am.  I then stayed clear of her the rest of the time we were at Alahambra.

Well, on the boat, they offer lectures about the ports-of-call, and various other topics for those who are interested in going.  Mama and Papa G decided they wanted to go to the first one.  At lunch, they reported back to us that is was so boring, and that the woman who taught it was all over the place, chasing rabbit trails, and was just really hard to listen to.  I decided from that, to not go to the next lecture.

A few days later, I was flipping through channels on the TV, (they always replay shows and lectures from the boat, as well as some other things on board for you to watch from your television), when I stumbled upon the Lecture Lady.  "CRC!  That's the kooky lady from Alhambra!"  thecamelridingcowgirl looked at the telly and agreed with me.  "That's why she was asking so many questions...she was going to have to teach a lecture about it once back on board!"  We kind of laughed about how it made sense to us that the kooky lady from Alhambra was the boring Lecture Lady her parents later told us about.

Well..(yes, it goes on).  One of the things I did not enjoy about the boat was that every breakfast and lunch, I had to make small talk about where I'm from (a question I hate as a third culture kid who still lives overseas as an adult) and what I do (a question I'm uncomfortable with in my line of work).  Over and over and over again having to talk to people I don't know and will never see again.  Where were the Bridge Buddies eating?  Where were our dinner dining table mates eating?  Couldn't I be put at a table for four with the rest of my group instead of at a table for 12?

After several extremely unpleasant meals with some overly obnoxious people, thecamelridingcowgirl had had it.  We found her parents and the Bridge Buddies and practically begged for a table for just the 8 of us.  It was the final meal that I'd have to possibly eat with strangers and I really just wanted to enjoy myself.  No unpleasantries.  No awkward.  No kooks.

So all of us are laughing and enjoying one another when I notice past thecamelridingcowgirl's shouder the Lecture Lady is at a table just past ours.  Oh no!  I thought I'd dodged that bullet once and for all.  I was about to whisper to the CRC about Lecture Lady when I see that she (LL) is looking at our table and pointing me out to her table.  I started to tell the CRC that, when oh no!  Lecture Lady gets up.  As I'm whispering that she's headed our way, I see that its even worse.

She's bringing a terribly awkward looking smiley man with her.

She approaches us and says hello, and how she'd been looking for us again ever since Alhambra, but never saw us until now, on this last day.  "Why didn't you dine at the solo traveler's dining room?" she asked.

"Because I'm not traveling alone.  I'm traveling with these friends of mine.  So I dine with them."

"Oh."  Kooky awkward moment of silence.

"Well, this is _________."  (I honestly don't even remember his name.)  "He's from England.  And I just thought, you both seem so nice."

Incredibly kooky awkward moment of silence.

"Well, nice to meet you."  At this point, I think the Bridge Buddies were trying not to laugh and make it worse.

I can't even remember how the awkwardness ended, but they eventually walked away.  Mama G said--"That's why she took your photo.  To show it to him."

ACK!

Note to self: Never, ever, ever let strangers take your photo.  There's never a time it's not weird.  And really...just because I'm single and he's single and we're both on a cruise does not a happy couple make.  But thanks for trying.