It has become a new tradition in my immediate family to take cruises to different places in July. This year was going to be the best for me since we were heading to San Juan, Puerto Rico, St. Thomas, St. Martin and Nassau. We had all our excursions picked out and for once everybody was going to do something that only I wanted to do. We were going to take a walking tour of Old San Juan and see all the forts and cathedrals that were built when San Juan came about, but a problem that would occur that day could keep me from enjoying the day I had been looking forward to my whole summer.
Sunday July 22, 2004, my family and I were getting ready to head down to Florida to get on our cruise ship, “The Explorer of the Seas.” We got up at 6 in the morning and already I was having problems. I broke my sunglasses the night before and was not able to get another pair. We got to the airport, stood in the lines, where I had to be searched because I set off the alarm and then I got on the plane. A two hour ride from Baltimore would take us to our destination Miami, Florida were we would stand in line again to go through all the checkpoints and retrieve our room key that would enable us to go to the club, play at the casinos, travel on and off the ship and let the people who want to drink, drink.
It was Tuesday, Steph, my cousin, was in and out that night bringing random guys into our room. See we share a room together so then we don’t have to deal with the grownups and can go to sleep whenever we want. By six she was ready to go to sleep but complained she was hungry. She woke me up just so then she had someone to go with her while she ate. I really did not want to move but knew that if I didn’t, I would never hear the end of it. So I told her to hold on while I got up and got ready. I went got dressed, brushed my hair and teeth and walked out of the bathroom just to find her passed out on her bed asleep. I became very upset because I only had four