Simon, the Canadian host, joined me at the dinner table. We were previously acquainted from another ship. We had some mutual friends and also, he was the lover of a close friend of mine.

He’s very talkative, very zany and wild but still good company.

The conversation began like this:

“Nikki laughed when she heard you’re on the Europa with me. She sends her regards.”

“Oh, how’s she? I’d love to have her here with me.”

“So you really liked her huh?”

“Yeah, she was sweet and nice. Great sense of humor. I really respected her. Does she have a boyfriend now, or is it the same one?”

“Yeah-the Engineer.”

“Still the same fucking Italian?”

“Yeah man.” Laughs. “Anyway, yesterday you said you wished to go back to Asia to join your girlfriend. Who’s she? Which one?”

“Girlfriends I mean.”

“Alright man, way to go. From the ship?”

“Well, just all over. I’ve got this Malaysian girl that I’d see every time the ship docks at Kota Kinabalu. Met her in Brunei actually. She told me she was from Kota Kinabalu and I said, no way! My ship goes to KK every fortnight…maybe we can hang out! I’d take her back to the ship, go get food at the buffet and then spend the whole afternoon making sweet love. After a bottle of champagne of course.”

“Wow, Titanic literally. Did the porthole fog up?”

“Heh, you bet. Yeah and then, there’s Yuko, the Japanese chick I met in Hong Kong. Really hot.”

“Hmm.”

“And yeah…wow, come to think of it, I’ve slept with so many girls from all different countries. Hmm…it’s been 5 days now…wait Ying, where are you from?”

“Malaysia. You’ve slept with a Malaysian so I’m off the list. Phew!”

“Awesome. I went back to Canada after I disembarked from the ship and I hooked up with this Guadeloupian. She’s real choice.”

“Hahah. Another box to check.”

“Yeah.”

“Don’t worry. The ship has a buffet of personalities for you to choose from. I’m sure you won’t be sexually deprived.”

“I don’t know, man. This ship…”

“Oh, so you’ve checked it out?”

“Of course, are you kidding me? Did you see the two dancers sitting at the table next to us? They’re hideous! Could be potentially interesting…though I doubt so.”

And so the conversation proceeded to us counting the amount of women he slept with, the nationalities involved and with whom he was involved with (in regards to the previous ship we worked on). Yes, it was all gossip. I feel awful indulging in it but it was nonetheless lighthearted and hilarious. I don’t know if he detected the hint of sarcasm in my tone.

Having said that, I think he deserves credit in being non-pretentious. It was refreshing to see someone so honest about his sex life. He wasn’t in any way bragging but more like throwing it out on the table as if it were casual facts. I like the fact that he could talk about it so easily and seemed to appreciate these girls that he had been with. I don’t know if he was a heartbreaker but whatever it is, I’m not in the position to judge him. Why the moral uppity? He wasn’t asking me to condone his behavior; neither was he trying to preach the benefits of being sexually active.

He merely shared and I listened.

“ So what are you doing later tonight again?”

“Don’t even think about it.”