On to Morocco Part One

for reasons i won't go into here at the age of four i became an adult...this will explain how i managed and was allowed to do some of the things i did.....

when i was nine years old, almost ten, my adventure of a lifetime began....my father was in the navy......usually when he went overseas we did not go......ah but this time he had orders to morocco and we were going..... africa, i was going to africa....wow.....

our trip, my mother, sister and i, began by flying from norfolk to maryland.....from maryland to new york city....

we arrived in new york city, my mother with our money fastened in her bra......when we got a cab my mother told the driver we needed a room for the night and not a real expensive one.....oh my, that was a mistake....our room that night was an adventure all of it's own..... the room was below ground level.....the windows were at the level of the side walk....the room was different from any place we had ever laid our heads down in....

my sister and i were not very happy......mother told us to be quiet and make the best of it...oh we did alright....not.... in bed .....lights out.... we started.....first me then my sister..... something is biting me....me too, my sister chimed in....finally mother had to stop telling us to be quiet because something was biting her too...... on went the lights....we didn't see anything but we sure knew something was there......we sat up all night staring at the bed..... bedbugs, it had to be bedbugs.....we were so glad to see daylight.....

as soon as daylight arrived we left.....got another cab that took us to the ship that was going to take us to morocco.....with much excitment and mother with the money still in her bra we boarded the USS Gieger....this was a luxery liner converted for dependent transportation....

our cabin had four beds in it.....since there were only the three of us another lady shared the cabin with us....... our suit cases put into the cabin we headed back up on deck.....we were about to sail.....oh what a moment....

i remember as we sailed by the statue of liberty i felt as if i could almost reach out and touch her.... i still get goosebumps when i think about....lady liberty is beautiful...

the more we sailed the more people became sea sick....i am lucky in that i do not get any kind of motion sickness.....one morning it was only the ship's captain and i having breakfast.... he came over and sat with me..... i was quite a talker then....i mentioned, about ten times, lol, that my 10th birthday was the next day.....

my mother was speechless when the next morning the captain announced that it was my 10th birthday.....that evening i even had a birthday cake and all the passengers and crew sang happy birthday to me.....my mother asked how could the captain have known......oh, i had breakfast with him yesterday.......mother just looked at me wide eyed....it was typical me....

i would stand on the deck a lot during those seven days..... i loved the ocean....the deep blue color of the water.....so beautiful....as i stood there looking, my imagination going wild as always, i knew why my father loved going to sea......

the time on ship passed quickly for me......soon we were docking in casablanca......mother still with the money in her bra..... i was about to begin a wonderful three years....