The Cruise of a Lifetime

By N.F. Wolfe

Amid a sun and fun-filled vacation on a Caribbean cruise, a sinister plan is uncovered to keep an insurance company from failing. Follow the Parkers and the Strickers as they embark on their first vacation together from the French Quarter to Cozumel and Costa Maya and back to Louisiana for a tour of the US World War II Museum and see how they foiled the plan.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Covenant Books, Inc.
• Release date: Jan 9, 2024
• ISBN: 9798891121256

Book preview

Table of Contents

Title

Copyright

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Chapter 6

Chapter 7

Chapter 8

Chapter 9

Chapter 10

Chapter 11

Chapter 12

Chapter 13

Chapter 14

Chapter 15

Chapter 16

Chapter 17

Chapter 18

Chapter 19

Chapter 20

Acknowledgments

About the Author

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The Cruise of a Lifetime

N.F. Wolfe

ISBN 979-8-89112-124-9 (Paperback)

ISBN 979-8-89112-126-3 (Hardcover)

ISBN 979-8-89112-125-6 (Digital)

Copyright © 2024 N. F. Wolfe

All rights reserved

First Edition

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods without the prior written permission of the publisher. For permission requests, solicit the publisher via the address below.

Covenant Books

11661 Hwy 707

Murrells Inlet, SC 29576

www.covenantbooks.com

I dedicate this book to Ronnie, my beloved husband of thirty-eight years, who passed away August 4, 2022, and to the family and friends who stood by me during that dark time. To my son, George Burns, and his wife, Bett, who visited frequently and made sure I was so tired I would rest that evening before they would leave (in spite of the circumstances, we laughed at Bett's question: Are you tired yet?). To my grandchildren, Ian and Amy Burns, Kayla Burns, and Grace Burns, who held me in their hearts as they, too, dealt with the loss of their Pawpaw. To Pat Higdon, my sister, who came from Halls, Tennessee, to console me and share her wisdom, having lost her husband ten years prior. To June Kelley, Vicki Allen, and Kristy Taylor, all friends and long-time coworkers, and to Larry and Melba McCullar who rushed to provide emotional support and food. To my sisters-in-law, Marilyn Hugger, Brenda Clements, and Janice Creley, who have included me in all of their great and funny texts and almost weekly phone calls to check on me. To our friends Randy and Barbara Morris who stand ready to fill the gap when I run out of emotional resources to deal with the void that Ronnie has left behind.

But my greatest and most profound gratitude and thankfulness is to my merciful and loving Heavenly Father who wrapped me in His arms and carried me through that deep valley.

Chapter 1

Fifteen-year-old Rudy Parker was awestruck as he walked across the gangplank to board the massive cruise ship. This is like a floating city, he said. Shannon, his seventeen-year-old sister, was busy taking pictures and sending them to Bill back in El Paso. Bill's and her relationship had become closer after he confided to her about his brother's drowning death in their backyard swimming pool. Although she was excited about this cruise, by the end of the trip, she would be looking forward to getting back to El Paso to see Bill.

Their father, Todd Parker, a thirty-six-year-old, five-eleven, stately man with sandy blond hair and bright blue eyes, followed them across the gangplank while five-five Debra Parker, their mother, a slightly overweight woman with high cheek bones, dark brown hair, and kind brown eyes that crinkled when she smiled, pulled a rolling bag behind her as she boarded.

Debra and Todd, along with Francie and John, were left to wrangle all of the luggage to check in. This being everyone's first cruise, they were all excited. John Stricker, a fair-haired, five-eleven, muscular Secret Service agent with alert hazel eyes had suffered from PTSD after he was injured by a car bomb in France. This was his first trip after being released from the hospital several months earlier. Francie, his wife and Debra's sister, was a five-six, slender woman with jet-black hair and big brown eyes set in a beautiful olive complexion. She was looking forward to a week when she, as an immigration officer for the Department of Homeland Security, would not be dealing with daily reports of escalating illegal immigration on the southern border.

Todd Parker, an attorney with the El Paso, Texas City Attorney's Office, and his wife, Debra, a retired nurse, had not had a vacation in three years.

The two families had agreed to meet in New Orleans and spend the night before leaving on the cruise. They had chosen Louisiana for their departure point because of its rich history. Louisiana was claimed for France in 1682, and New Orleans was founded seventeen years later by two French brothers, Sieur d'Iberville and Sieur de Bienville Le Moyne. Louisiana was purchased in 1803 by the United States and became a state in 1812.

The Parkers and the Strickers had reserved rooms at the Hilton New Orleans Riverside so they could spend the evening enjoying some of the flavor of the city. They chose Gumbo Shop, known for their delicious local seafood dishes, for dinner. After a sumptuous meal, they walked east on Decatur, crossed Toulouse Street and Wilkinson Street and arrived at Jackson Square, which was renamed from "Place d'Armes in 1815 after the Battle of New Orleans. As they walked through the French Quarter, the music of local jazz bands in the various bars wafted out onto the street.

What is that beautiful statue? asked Rudy.

That is an equestrian statue, erected in 1856, of Andrew Jackson on a horse. He was the hero of the Battle of New Orleans and became the seventh president of the United States, replied Todd who had studied the history prior to the trip. The United States achieved its greatest land victory of the War of 1812 at New Orleans, preventing a British effort to gain control of a critical American port. This victory elevated Maj. Gen. Andrew Jackson to national fame, Todd continued.

Several Confederate statues have been removed and relocated to Confederate cemeteries or to museums. A few were taken to private properties or to local historical societies and organizations with ties to the statues, he said.

Why were they removed? asked Rudy.

Some people saw them as an explanation into New Orleans' history and culture. Others felt they celebrated the Confederacy and were offended by them. It was a time of division, and the compromise was to remove them from the public square and relocate them, said Todd.

As they continued to walk through Jackson Square, Todd continued to recount what he had learned as they passed the historic St. Louis Cathedral, the Presbytere, and Cabildo, previously the governor's mansion, now part of the Louisiana State Museum. The Pontalba Apartments formed two sides of Jackson Square. The matching red-brick, one-block-long, four-story buildings were built by Baroness Pontalba between 1849 and 1851 and are the oldest apartments in the US where retail shops, museums, galleries, and restaurants are located on the first level. While they were being built, Todd explained while laughing, "the baroness would frequently wear pants and get up on a ladder to help with the work. From time to time, she would see General Jackson who refused to tip his hat to her until she put on a dress. When the center of Plaza de Armas was completed, she helped finance the bronze statue of Andrew Jackson with him tipping his hat and had it placed facing her apartment, tipping his hat to her every day. Sounds like it was retribution, but it is rumored they had a secret affair and that he was actually the love of her life.

There were local artists in the park who created drawings and painted portraits and caricatures. Many of them were placed on an iron fence erected by Baroness Pontalba when she redesigned the park. Some of the paintings have been there for years. Adjacent to Jackson Square was the French Market, founded as a Native American trading post predating European colonization. It is the oldest of its kind in the United States and spans six blocks in the French Quarter.

As they returned to their hotel, Debra said, I wish we had allowed more time to spend in New Orleans. I would love to tour the French Market.

So would I, said Francie.

"Maybe we can schedule another