Starting Over ... Again!

Mom decided we kids needed some new “Hawaiian” clothes so they took us shopping. After all, we needed bathing suits for the beach. I don’t know how they found this one store but it was not the kind of store we would have gone to in Ohio. It was a drug store that sold clothes, shoes, beach towels and even food.

While we were in there I saw something I had never seen before in my life. There were two of them. They were very tall with muscular arms and legs. Heavy makeup, long hair and mini skirts couldn’t disguise the fact that they were men! I was so shocked at how they looked that I couldn’t take my eyes off them. It was creepy.

Mom bought Peggy, Susie and me some muu-muus with brightly colored flowers and pineapple designs all over them. She figured we would be really happy to have some new clothes for school. And Peggy and I really wanted to fit it with the locals.

We did get bathing suits that day. Why mom thought a fourteen year old would want to wear something that looked like a maternity top to the beach is beyond me. Now, I was rather busty for a skinny girl. Somewhere between the ages of thirteen and fourteen I sprouted a couple items that were close to the size of oranges. Mom picked out this bathing suit that had very little bust room and spaghetti straps. I don’t think it had darts sewn into the bra part so when I put it on it squished my boobs together so tightly I had cleavage half way up to my throat. Attached to the bra portion hung a drape of fabric down to my hips. Then there was the normal “bikini” bottom that covered me from just below my belly button to the crease line in my hip joint.  Apparently, mom wasn’t as concerned with anyone seeing my cleavage as she was with them seeing my belly. That was the bathing suit I wore for my first year in Hawaii.

Every weekend, the whole family, except mom, would go to the beach. I was amazed to see dad out in the ocean bodysurfing with us. I couldn’t recall ever seeing him having so much fun. Once in a while the waves would drag us into the shore so hard that our pants would be coming off. Now that was funny! Of course, the person it was happening to had probably swallowed so much water from being held under by the ocean’s current that they didn’t notice their pants coming off! Nor did they think it was funny. But everyone else saw the humor. We all had our turn.

The air in Hawaii always smelled so wonderful. Wherever we went we were encompassed with the scents of plumerias and gardenias. The island was full of greenery, plush bushes and flowering trees.

There was this really cool patio just off the living room of our apartment called a lanai. I spent many evenings out there people watching. That became one of my favorite pastimes. We lived there for about a month before dad found us a nice apartment to live in. It was located closer to the schools. In fact, it was right across the street from the grade school Chris and Susie were attending. The area was called Waialae Gardens. What a beautiful name.

Life was so different here. Our move took place in the middle of my ninth grade year. The schools were more like college campuses than the large single buildings they had in Ohio.

It had become a total eye opener for me. I was fourteen and a half and had never even heard the “F” word. But I sure was hearing it now!