Chapter Three.
Mike and Kelvin took the canoe out almost every afternoon, but Mike did notice that Kelvin was not as enthusiastic as at the beginning, and there were days when all he wanted to do was go fishing a little further around the creek from the boathouse, he had met up with some local fishermen, and together they would sit on the wall overlooking the water and fish for most of the day. This was 1957, and fishing in Malta was so much different than fishing in England, for one thing, in Malta you didn't do it for a hobby, you did it to feed your family, and the rods used, were very long bamboo poles with a length of fishing twine attached to the end, this was one and a half times the length of the pole, then on the other end was a hook, well, to be honest, four hooks joined together, then some twelve inches above that a float. The Maltese used bread for bate, with something mixed with it that was very smelly, but the fish seemed to love, and the bread mix was pliable and was put around the top of the hooks, once the fish were seen around the hooks, the pole was jerked out of the water and the fish was caught, not in the mouth, but anywhere on its body, once in the fisherman's hands, it was placed in a bucket of creek water with the rest of the catch, and Kelvin would join these men and fish most of the afternoon, then when it was time to go home, he would offer his catch to the fishermen for a small renumeration, sometimes money, sometimes extra bate. Mike, on the other hand, would take the canoe out alone with homemade sandwiches and a bottle of homemade lemonade, which he put in a canvas bag that he kept in the canoe behind the seat, in the bag was also a towel, torch and a £5 note, money enough for a drink and an ice cream, and the fare home on the bus, if anything untoward happened to the canoe.
As the weeks rolled on and it was getting near to the summer holidays, Mike could only think about the six weeks of no school and what he planned to do with all that time on his hands, during this time, without their son's knowledge, Dorothy had decided to take driving lessons, a little birthday present from her loving husband, he had tried to teach her, and with Mike and Kelvin in the back listening in to the huge arguments going on, indicate, change down, watch that car in front and your too close to that lorry, Mike knew that when it came to driver teaching, he was the worst, worst than Mr Ward, and that was saying something, both Mike and Kelvin had seen their mother stop the car in the middle of the road and walk to the nearest bus stop and go home on the bus, and this became, for a while the norm, mother would start driving, dad would shout and scream at her and the car would stop and the driving lesson was over, again.
So every Tuesday mother would take herself into Sliema and for two hours would be taught to drive properly, by a proper instructor, and it must have worked, because one day Mike came home from school and noticed the car parked up in the side road, he, of course, thought his father had come home early, but on entering the flat he found his mother waiting for him alone. "wheres dad," Mike asked, "he's at work, I took him in this morning, you and I have to nip into Valletta and do some shopping, then we will pick him up." We both waited for Kelvin to turn up and then the three of us drove into Valletta, Kelvin in the back and Mike alongside his mother. The trip into Valletta was fantastic, mother seemed to drive better than father, there was no slamming on brakes, beeping on the horn and shouting out of the window, it was just a very nice quiet run into Valletta where we went into the N.A.A.F.I. to pick up bread some evaporated milk and salad veg for dinner, then it was back towards Manoel Island to pick up father, Mike moved into the back seat and dad sat in the front passenger seat, "how well did she drive to Valletta Mike," dad asked, "she was great, no horn, and no shouting at other drivers," father sat quietly just watching out of the windscreen saying nothing, mother parked the car in the side street and with the food went up to the flat.
So it was agreed over dinner that mother could have the car on Monday's Wednesday's and Fridays during the school holidays as long as she was happy to pick father up from work on those days, however, mother did end up keeping the car except for Saturday's as father was able to get a lift home with one of his work colleagues. Mother in the meantime was part of the Manoel Island wives coffee club and she had the transport to pick up wives on the way to the club, and it was quite normal for mother to have up to four women in the back of the car sat on laps, but as there were no seatbelt rules in those days anything was possible.
As the summer progressed and the holiday passed day by day and week by week, Mike was now going off in the canoe alone, Kelvin spent his days fishing and both Mike's mother and father were beginning to worry, as they all sat around the dinner table dad asked Mike if he was ok, he then asked Kelvin why he never wanted to go out in the canoe, but Kelvin was ready with his reply. "We have seen every creek, every inlet in this area, there is nothing else to see, and we are not allowed outside of the creeks, so what's the point. Anyway, I like my fishing and want to carry on with it, Mike likes the canoe, let him enjoy it without me. Maybe one day I might get back to using it again, but at the moment, I am happy."
Mike looked at his parents and smiled, "well I'm happy, I don't know what all the fuss is about, we, Kelvin and I are going our separate ways, both doing our own thing, so let's leave it at that."
Whilst on holiday Dave and Mike would meet up most Sunday afternoons in there best clothes and together they would make their way into Valletta, there was a sort of ritual that went on, all the young men walked along the main road on the left hand side, and all the girls walked on the right hand side, but never the twain should meet, and Dave and Mike joined in, not that it did them much good, Maltese girls only it seemed went for Maltese boys, but it was fun and both Dave and Mike enjoyed the spirit of the routine, and they fell in and out of love as the hours past. then it was down to some cafe or other for a cold drink and a laugh and a giggle over the girls they had seen and both bragging how one of the girls had made eye contact with them, of course, none of it, was true, it was just schoolboy banter.
The school holidays were coming to an end, the canoe had been out almost daily and the paintwork needed looking at, some was beginning to peel off and even though Mike would wash off any salt when he got back to the boathouse, it was clear that the canoe needed a little T.L.C, so it was agreed that over the coming month's Mike would rub everything down in slow time and get her ready for the following Easter holidays.
Back at school, Dave and Mike told of how their holidays had gone and were soon joined by Chris, Heather, Amanda and Denise, Denise and Heather were as brown as berries, so it was clear what they had been upto during the holidays. Dave put his arm around Heather's neck and whispered in her ear, "any white bits," heather pulled away from him, "thats for me to know and you to...." "Ok class sit down," May Riddle had walked in to the classroom? Mike looked at her, then at Dave, May was a beautiful golden brown colour, her face, her shoulders, even the area where her white blouse showed just above her bust. Dave whispered, " mate, i bet she has no white bits," Mike giggled. May looked looked inthere direction, "whats the joke you two," she asked. "Nothing mam," Mike called back. "In that case," May said, "lets get on with the new term.
The new term was going to be tough, it was the winter term and school was back to working 9 nto 4, the Navy was back into blue uniforms, and the school was back into blazers and grey flannels. However with may Riddle as there form teacher life would be fine, of coarse they still had Mr Ward to deal with, but Mike found him a little easier going. He treated Mike like a young man since the headmaster had told him to back off, plus the fact Mike was was now finding maths a much easier proposition, he was able to get it to simk in and remember it.
At around this time, the school had a new art teacher, he was very good and had the ability to hand on his skills to the class, Mike was rubbish at art, he coldn't even draw a streight line to save his life, but dave, he was a total genius, with a paintbrush and canvass or a pencil and paper, he could produce some of the most fantastic works of art ever, the guy was a natural.
Sometimes the art teacher would organise a bus trip to Buskett gardens where there were a load of statues, trees and flowers, and with sketch pads and pencils the class would spend the afternoon drawing. Mike disliked this, he would rather be in a quiet classroom writing. Although Mike's spelling was terrible, he had the ability to put words on paper that shouted back to you, whether it was poetry, a short play or a three act special, Mike would attempt to put his feelings into words.
One day Mike and Dave were having a heated argument about the battleship King George V, it was to do with the sinking of the Bismark, anyway the argument had reached fever pitch, then one of the prefects came in to the classroom and dragged them both out. They had heard all the noise from there study two rooms away. With an ear in each hand Mike and Dave were dragged screaming into the prefects dorm, as they called it. Sitting the pair down he began to ball them out, then he said,"I am not permitted to cane the pair of you, worst luck, so here are two sheets of full scap paper, you will fill out all sides." He looked at Mike, "Palmer, I wast four sides on how a radar works." Mike took the paper. " And Falkner, you will do the same, but haw a sonar works." he handed Dave his paper. "I want," he said pointing the finger at the pair of them. "I want the assignment back on my desk within the next seven days, now back to your classroom and be quiet," he shouted
Both Dave and Mike returned to the classroom where May was waiting for them. "Where have you two been," she asked. They explained and then sat at there desks. During the dinner break they both sat talking. "I havn't a clue how a sonar works," Dave said, "and anyway, what is sonar," Mike squeezed his shoulder. " Don't panic," he said, "leave it to me," Dave smiled, " ok mate, you know best."
They carried on with normal lessons for the rest of the day, and just before they were due to pack up and catch there buses home, May called Dave and Mike to her desk, as she sat there looking at them, she shook her head and then smiled. "I have some imformation for you two. the K.G.V was not with the Hood," she said. "The K.G.V came up after the Hood was sunk. Both Bismark and the K.G.V went into battle with each other the followingf morning". dave started to speak, but was silenced by May. "I," she said, " have checked this out and have it on very good authority that in this case Michael is correct."
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