CHAPTER ONE:

THE STORY BEGINS

Written by Rick and Marla Archer 

Rick Archer's Note:

Although The Wedding Cruise is a sequel to Gypsy Prophecy, it is unnecessary to read my previous book to enjoy the further adventures of Rick and Marla Archer.  That said, a brief recap of the Gypsy Prophecy as well as my dance career is in order. 

Starting in 1978, I created a Houston dance studio named SSQQ (Slow Slow Quick Quick).  SSQQ was so successful, I was able to carve out a 32 year career as a teacher and studio owner.  We taught social dancing in subjects such as Ballroom, Swing, Latin and Country-Western.  At its peak, 1,400 people a week walked through our doors, a remarkable total.  Along the way I helped build a thriving Houston dance community kept intact by a network of close friendships.  As we shall see, Marla played a key role in this development.  In fact, her work will be a major theme of this book. 

Slow Dance leads to Romance.  That phrase served as the lynchpin of my successful dance studio.   Right from the outset SSQQ was an amazing hotbed of romantic activity.  It seems the moment a man learns how to properly place a woman in his arms, his charm increases dramatically.  Since women love to be held, the combination of dance music and a journey across the floor represented an irresistible magic. 

Assuming a man has just met an attractive lady he does not know, asking her to dance is a surprisingly effective way to get her in his arms.  With a legion of energetic dancers meeting one partner after another in dance class, my studio became Cupid's playground.  Given 700 partners to choose from, people could pick the one they liked, then let the potent dance chemistry go to work.  Once the spark was lit, countless love affairs were spawned, many of which evolved into serious relationships.  Over the course of my career, SSQQ averaged one new wedding per month.  I considered SSQQ to be the closest thing to a 'Wedding Factory' ever invented.

2001 DANCE CRUISE: RICK AND MARLA MEET

Throughout my dance career, I faced a dilemma.  Whenever I was miserable in my personal life, I dealt with loneliness by spending more time with my dance students.  For example, I would often join them for dancing at a club after class at 9 pm.  On weekends I would join the gang at someone's house for a party or meet them for dancing somewhere.  The studio always flourished due to my increased involvement.  However, whenever I was in a relationship, I preferred to spend my free time with the woman I cared about.  Inevitably the energy at the studio would diminish somewhat. 

On Christmas Eve 2000, my wife Judy asked for a divorce.  Since she was willing to split custody of Samantha, our only child, I agreed.  So here we go again.  What I do when my personal life is miserable?  I get more involved in the dance studio.  Which is what I did.  I booked an August 2001 dance cruise for the studio, then set about promoting the trip.  I did a good job.  100 guests signed up.  One of those guests was Marla.   Although we knew each other at the studio before the trip started, it was little more than "hi, hello, how are you?"  Marla wasn't looking.  She had a steady boyfriend of six years.

Unfortunately for Marla's boyfriend, he made a critical mistake.  Never let a girlfriend with Marla's looks go on a singles cruise alone.  By the time the trip was over, Marla had exchanged the old boyfriend.  Connecting in a powerful way, before the trip ended we agreed to take our promising relationship as far as we possibly could.  We have never been apart since. 

2002 DANCE CRUISE: THE GYPSY PROPHECY

Walking off the ship hand in hand, Marla and I spent the following year getting to know each other better.  Recalling the events of our 2001 trip with great fondness , Marla and I arranged a 'Same Time Next Year' cruise for August 2002.   Sailing aboard a Royal Caribbean cruise ship known as the Rhapsody, one night we went to the corner of a dark lounge to celebrate our first anniversary.  As we talked, Marla suddenly remembered a long-forgotten conversation she had with a Gypsy.  One night in March 2001 (18 months ago), Marla had met a group of SSQQ dance friends at a club.  On a trip to the restroom, Marla noticed a Gypsy sitting by herself way in the back.  On a whim, Marla decided to sit down and have her fortune told. 

"The Gypsy handed me a deck of Tarot cards and asked me to shuffle them several times.  She asked for the cards back and proceeded to lay the top five cards down on the table.  After studying the cards, she took the palm of my hand and examined it.  For good measure, she put my hand between hers and closed her eyes.  When the Gypsy was ready, she opened her eyes and told me my fortune.

"These cards do not tell what will happen, they tell what might happen.  You have a choice between two paths.  You are in a long-term relationship that brings you sorrow.  However, there is a good chance this relationship will work again if you nurture it.  On the other path, I see you are considering a certain journey.  If you take this journey, your life will be changed forever.  On this journey, you will meet the man you will spend the rest of your life with.  One more thing.  If you take this journey, you already know the person you will meet."

As one can guess, this was the Gypsy Prophecy.  Although we were stunned to say the least, I handled it better than Marla.  Due to a lifetime filled with unusual experiences, I had developed a deep interest in Fate long before I met Marla.  However, Marla's revelation took the cake.  A woman who was a complete stranger had anticipated that Marla was interested in taking a trip.  Which was true.  The Gypsy had said Marla already knew the person she would meet.  This was also true.  But did Marla think of me when the Gypsy said that?  No.  My name never crossed her mind.  Most important of all, the Gypsy said Marla would meet the man she would spend the rest of her life with if she took the journey. 

So, was this the reason Marla signed up for the trip several days later?  One would suppose, but Marla said no.  When she got back to the table where her friends were sitting, they dismissed the Gypsy's prediction as total rubbish.  Embarrassed, Marla found herself agreeing with them, so she forgot all about it.  However, now that the subject of 'a journey' had come up in conversation, her friend Sherry used the opportunity to persuade Marla to be her roommate on the August trip.  Thinking about it on the way home, Marla decided to come on the trip as a way to make new friends and establish a world of her own outside of the boyfriend.

During the August 2001 cruise, Marla and I fell in love, partially validating the Gypsy's prediction.  Keep in mind we had just met, so neither of us were thinking in terms such as 'the rest of our lives'.  But here is the strange part.  As our romance developed on the ship and afterwards, not once did Marla recall what the Gypsy had told her back in March 2001.  As a result, Marla and I spent the next year totally unaware of the Supernatural overtones that had foreshadowed our whirlwind love affair. 

One night during the 2002 Cruise, Marla's memory came back as we spoke of last year's events.  Marla was shocked.  She had great difficulty accepting that she had forgotten such a bold prediction in the first place.  In addition, it was spooky to think that Fate had brought us together.  Fortunately, I reassured her there was nothing to worry about.  Having spent the past 30 years thinking about Fate and its effect on our lives, I was very comfortable with the idea that a Gypsy had foretold our connection.  Given time to think about it, Marla grew comfortable with the idea that we were 'meant to be'.