HEY.....the music stopped

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1957

Pete was 18 and Merv and I both 19....We were on our way to New Zealand .....a few days out of Vancouver and let the Chips fall where they may.....Little did Pete know he would live there for 27 years...
New years had just passed...Mervin had his passport stolen from his jacket at a club in San Francisco on New Years Eve....It was called the Monkey Inn.....people carved their names in the wall with a screwdriver.... San Francisco was the first port of call of the Orient Lines "Oronsay" a big time passenger boat from the stock of "The Orient Line"...I think there was about 4 or 5 ocean liners ....There was tourist class and first class fares on the Ship..tourist class was smaller and at the back of the boat, it had a small pool and a fair amount of deck room for games and laying around in the sun....not as swank as the accomodation of today but we thought it was wonderful.You could lean on the back rail and stare into that beautiful Pacific Ocean as the props stirred up a turquoise , blue and white wake to be seen as far back as the edge of the earth ..The second port was Honolulu.....that port was tremendously tourist trendy...there was at least 7 hotels on Waikiki beach......a hundred people were milling around but that was okay there was lots of grassy parks and nice lawn areas between the hotels....there were major stores like Woolworths and ....umm I remember Woolworths ... I bought a shirt there.....they took any country's money.We used the pound sterling on the English liner,Hawaii was not a state then. We rented a 54 chevrolete convertible...drove all over...swam in waves as big as a house...dive into them or expect a pounding....I learned that in a hurry......a hotel bar that evening...It was first time I had watercress....it was good.......Mervin bought a bottle of the most gawd awful drink....Sake.... Honolulu was beautiful...but we thought it was crowded (If only we had any notion it would get so popular)...the weather was perfect...hey, we had just left a crappy winter drive with our folks to Vancouver... bye mum, bye dad........ Okay off to Suva, Fiji.....
Its getting hot...whew...the rooms were to hot to sleep in..air was pumped in at outside temperature....so they gave us deck cots...set em up anywhere.....we usually went out on the side promenade decks.....we had formed an amazing group of friends by then and it was party night every night......sleep seemed like a good idea at the end of a long singing and drinking session, so out we go to the deck....I grabbed a cot and put my stuff underneath it and quickly went to sleep....wotta life....I woke up to the sound of sailors....hey let's go...we are washing the deck.....I looked ...yeah they were...ok, I will take this cot into the bar, right here through this door.....ahhh that's better....back to wonderful sleep.......later there is commotion around ....I wake up and realize the scene ..oh, okay...another morning, hmm .....where is the lavatory...BOING it hits me....my wallet..comb...where is it ...oh gawd,.... I left em on the deck...those sailors....jeez those underpaid sailors....I just bought that comb......now I feel sick...everything in my world is in that wallet....52 bucks and travelers cheques....what to do.....panic.....okay for a while anyway......so we talk it over ..what?......the cheques.....I don't know ...you will get the travelers cheques back....I think...I hope...it will take a long while?...I did not know but I knew I was broke ......I asked ranky sailors and tried the lost and found, I stewed and fretted...finally that evening I left the party and made my way to the sailors area.....hey, they were having a party...right in the pointy part of the ship........there was a lot of sailors...dancing..yeah...some had on wigs and lipstick...that looks like fun...the band was some guitars, ukuleles and a drum made from a tub.....they sounded pretty good...they looked pretty good ..haha....I was away above them...I climbed on the railings and ropes.....I could see everyone down there......I yelled out.....HEY.....the music stopped ...I had their attention.......then I went into a have pity story.....It's all I own in the world .....I'm so screwed......I told them all where I was and at what time it happened ,how would they feel if they were miles from home and ...they were miles from home...and Broke...I gave it my best.....and then I was done...If that does not work...why would it...just pick up the wallet ..pull the cash...throw it overboard........hmmm......anyway....back to our party ....we three were called the Chilliwacks.....I think it sounded to Kiwis and Aussies like the Maori language....Except for a few Scots and an Englishman, our new friends were returning Aussies and Kiwis....everyone was 5 or 6 years older than us.......that did not matter.
The next morning , I go to the pursers office as I had many times by now,...Wots up today?...........Is this yours...ohh.... WOW...I take it and slowly open the wallet......yep my travelers cheques are there...oh man.....450 dollars.....I'm not broke.....okay the 52 bucks are gone but my personal stuff is also intact......what a feeling........I cash a cheque and pay back the few bucks I owe.....ok, let's get on with this journey.....It took 16 days on board ship.....we were well looked after...good meals and entertainment every night or we made our own.....the group of people we hung out with were a terrific bunch...and we all became closely knit....many raved about that crossing as the best one they were ever on.....yep, that left memories burnt in our minds...we still talk about it.Many connections were made on that Oronsay crossing ...
The stolen passport in Sanfrasisco led to other adventures in New Zealand as Wellington was the home of the Canadian Council and Merv had to go there to get things straightened out. After reaching Auckland that was first on his to do list. Okay, I joined up and we decided to hitch hike to Wellington...that was about six hundred miles... its not that far?...yes it is if you take the east coast route like we did. Peter stayed in Auckland and went to work.