Contraband

Concealing small dogs on a ferry is no easy task (no, not mine….my cousin’s), especially with my family……on the way west we were reprimanded for having dogs on the passenger deck….the dogs and their owners were promptly banished to the car deck, even though they had those ridiculous dog carry-on bags (completely legal on planes and public transit….but apparently not ferries)

On the way back, we had the genius idea to actually put the dogs IN the carry-on bags... hilarity ensued……picture 6 adults: 4 in their 20’s and two parents of those in 20’s…… sitting on a ferry….covered in coats and bags even though the boat is a hothouse and we are quickly ripening tomatoes…….picture wincing, cringing, and ever-so-subtle neck jerking whenever ferry staff are in near proximity……imagine exuberant full-fake coughs covering the whimpering of luggage…….and the ever-popular “whine whine whimper” “whose cell phone is ringing?” “oh, I just downloaded that ring”…..yes, sly CIA (or CESIS) agents we would make…….especially when the contraband in question manages to escape and run down a hallway while we all fumble through the paraphernalia we have used to disguise the fact that there are creatures on some of our laps and proceed to look under chairs where no dogs are found……smooth indeed…..