Ten Seconds to Midnight - Part Two

December 31^st 1999, 11:59pm, ten seconds to midnight…

“Ten!” shouted the crowded dance floor.

The DJ urged them all to scream the number loudly as it flashed up on the projector screen.

The Escape Cruise ship New Year’s Eve crowd at the Naughty Nineties disco obliged with gumption and glee.

Jamie moved through that crowd with purpose and precision. Sam was out there somewhere and deep down Jamie knew they were meant to be together.

As the crowd hollered nine Jamie thought back to that day when the new job began at that accounting firm and the introduction to Sam. It was that moment Jamie realized that the search for love was over.

In fact that night after that first day of work Jamie wrote Sam’s name on the calendar in the kitchen. It meant something, the beginning of the end of a very long love drought. Jamie had thought back then hopefully Sam felt the same way too. There had been a few drinks consumed that night.

Christmas Eve Jamie had overheard Sam talking to a few other staff about an Escape cruise. Jamie ducked into Dave’s office straight away. Dave was not happy but Jamie did not care.

“You have been with us for not even a whole day and you are already asking for time off?!”

“Yes Dave and you are going to give it to me,” Jamie answered back straight away, confidently.

“Well I guess it is our quietest patch of the year and we do not really need you until after the Millennium bungle has passed us by…”

Jamie nodded with a small smile.

“Just be back at the firm by the fourth or I will have no other option but to terminate you,” muttered Dave.

“Totally understand Dave, you are the boss after all,” stated Jamie, inside grinning from ear to ear.

“Yes I am, aren’t I,” said Dave as he turned his back and returned to the numbers on his screen.

Straight after that meeting with Dave Jamie used the company internet to book the cruise tickets. It felt like forever for the confirmation email to come through. The dot matrix printer took what felt like a hundred lifetimes to print but by the end of that shift Jamie had the papers required to get on board the great boat where Sam would be New Year’s Eve.

After that it was a challenge to keep things a surprise. Getting on board and then while checking out the Escape Jamie almost twice ran into Sam and Sal. There were a few moments when Jamie felt that disgusting jealousy welling inside, threatening to spill over but there were obvious signs that Sam and Sal were just very close friends. Perhaps a friendship started in childhood or maybe early high school. It did not really matter when. Jamie was confident that Sam was free and possibly felt the same way, in love, curious and eager for the loneliness to end.

“Eight!” bellowed the crowded disco floor. Jamie was snapped from the revere of fond memory. In front was a wall of bodies, hot and sweaty that somehow needed to be breached.

One for numbers and patterns just as much as Sam, Dave or any other accountant at the firm Jamie made short work of the required plan of attack to navigate through the humanoid barricade. Left then right and right again, through the larger couple and past the pair that looked like a duo of Emperor penguins.

At the cry of “seven!” Jamie’s way was blocked again and this time there was no way around or through. At that very moment Jamie spotted Sam. With a renewal of vigor Jamie ducked down low and crawled like it were life and death. Amongst the filth and grime the figure found a moment of consideration. How much was Sam’s love worth.

‘Crawl Jamie! Crawl!’… Sam was worth everything, even dignity.

“Hey!”

“Watch it!”

“Coming through!!” announced Jamie, leaving a wake of stumbling and fumbling dancers.

Jamie heard Sam and Sal both cry “Six!” together as the numeral flashed up. The DJ’s back track began building as the excitement of the entire room grew and grew. A quick tap on one slender shoulder and Jamie suddenly popped up between the two.

“Surprise!”

Jamie was relieved to see that Sam’s look of shock immediately melted into happiness. Sal’s though remained at perplexed.

“Sal, this is the person from work I was telling you about… This is Jamie…”

Jamie laughed as Sal gave a look of friendly scrutiny.

“Five!” cried the crowd, all but three.

“I’ll just give you two a moment…” suggested Sal.

Sam’s friend slunk away, headed for a man she had been locking eyes with since arriving on the Escape a few days ago.

Sam gave Sal a look of panic but Sal was already gone.

“Four!” cried Jamie with the rest of the crowd, catching Sam’s eyes and hoping to keep that gaze.

“Three!” they said together.

“Two!” Sam and Jamie only had eyes for each other.

Jamie could not wait for one.

As Sam began forming the word Jamie moved forward and the two locked lips.

Sam’s eyes snapped open, shocked at Jamie’s brazenness but then they slowly closed as the enjoyment of the smooch evaporated any fear.

“Happy New Year!!” cried the crowd that surrounded the couple.

The room went dark for a single moment and the dance floor gasped.

“Just kidding!!” cried the DJ, he had played a Millennium Bug prank on them all and pulled it off.

The mood lighting ignited again and that classic song of reminisce began.

“Should auld acquaintance be forgot, and never brought to mind?” lulled the room. “Should auld acquaintance be forgot, and days of auld lang syne?”

Sam and Jamie ignored them all, the kiss continuing, neither wishing for it to end.

“Hey you two… Get a room…” laughed Sal as she slow danced past.

Finally the pair broke apart.

“Happy New Year?” suggested Sam.

“I sure hope so!” laughed Sam before the pair kissed again…