I openedmy eyes to see a leather thong tightly bound me to a hook that was attachedto a crane-type of device. I looked down as best as I could. I gu...ssed I wasa good 3 feet over the bed when the bed slid into the wall, revealing thework area of the basement. I heard the whir of machinery starting up, andthe crane lowered me through the floor. My feet found purchase on whatseemed to be a plastic bucket. I got my balance as the rope that loweredme gave a little slack for a few seconds, then. He had a thick Latin accent. He pointed to a small door at the end of the terminal."Thank you," said Dave absently. He headed into the air-conditioned building only to start waiting in a myriad of lines to get on the ship. He wondered why he even came on the cruise.Dave walked up the gangplank and felt a wave of anger wash over him. This was the second time he boarded this ship for an Anniversary Cruise without a wife. Dave got on the elevator and headed up to the Panorama Deck to the same room. Kyrie Etherial, a trance mix of Faure’s Requiem caught his attention, and she changed the music to early Gary Numan, as the conversation drifted toward the use of synthesizers in classical music. She held his hand while she compiled a playlist of music he hadn’t heard in years. While his eyes were on the screen, examining her music collection, her eyes studied his face. Yes, bishounen is the word she’d use to describe him. In the soft monitor glow, he looked almost feminine. Chryse’s wide gold. After a brisk scrub I dry myself, wiggle into a pair ofmy support stockings, and begin to dress for the day.My involvement in graduate school and the consultingwork I do rarely give me a day (except for weekends) toenjoy the luxuries of Victorian dresses during the day.So I choose less voluminous, tailored lingerie, whosebulk won’t show beneath my clothing. I usually wear “combinations,” a lovely garmentresulting from combining the chemise with the drawers.I always wear two.