Tour of Duty: London - Part 2

Weeks passed and the only people I knew were those that I worked with at the Communications Station. Most of the work mates only wanted to go drinking. I was never one to hang out at bars, or in this case, pubs. I tried going to local churches but I discovered the only people that went there were very old or very young. I went to the movies alone. I shopped alone. I dined alone. I cried alone.

One evening, I went ice skating at The Queen's Ice Arena. I tried everything I could to smile at others while I struggled to skate with some aptitude. Meeting people has always been difficult to do for me, but I had to do something. I noticed how everyone there at the arena seemed to have someone to skate with. Loneliness seized my heart again as I watched everyone around me having fun. I sat down to sip some hot chocolate; wanting to take off my skates and go home. Get back on the ice! Keep trying! I told myself. The session was almost over so I dragged myself back to skate the final hour.

Suddenly I heard this yell as I stepped onto the ice. A young man came at me and the two of us almost collided. We clasped hands trying to hold each other up and laughed about it. He seemed very friendly and after awhile, we started talking and skating together. When the session ended I thanked him for his company. It was then I noticed his dark eyes and shy smile. He looked so pale like most of the English people I met.

"'ow would you like to be walked 'ome by a propah English gen'leman?" he asked playfully, exaggerating his accent. At last, my first British friend. His name was David and that young man changed everything for me from then on. He walked me home that night and I gave him my number. The next day he called and we began to see each other frequently. The loneliness I wad experienced was gone and I saw London in a completely different way.

David introduced me to his flatmate and friends and my evenings were filled with companions to go to the movies or sightseeing. My new English friend showed me the little things one needed to know to get around better in London. I learned about standing on the right side of an escalator so that people in a hurry could walk past me on their way up or down. David how to use the ticket machines and the map for traveling on the tube (underground railway). He explained how many stores in London stay open till 7:00 on Thursdays while others closed as early as 1:00. And with his help, I was able to get a Cheque Guarantee card and he warned me against using Bureau de Change offices when converting dollars to pounds.

One day, he took me home to meet his family who live in the county of Kent. Kent is known as "The garden of England" possibly because of its natural beauty. I experienced the small town atmosphere, learned about 4:00 English Cream Tea and Snooker. There was a Snooker hall there and I learned about the popular billiard game. Our friendship turned into a romance as we continued to learn from one another throughout my tour there. David taught me so much about the English and in particular, the Londoners. I learned Cockney slang and developed a taste for local English cuisine. I introduced him to American hot dogs, peanut butter, sushi, 8-ball, and military life.

When the queen of England celebrated 25 years as the reigning monarch (her Silver Jubilee), David took me to the crowded parade and hoisted me up on his shoulders so I could get a glimpse of the queen as she rode by in her golden carriage. Later that year, I invited him to navy's formal Christmas Gala at the exclusive Dorchester Hotel. It was a glamorous event and everyone went dressed in their finest attire.

Those three years flew by so swiftly. Together, we explored the London and several parts of England and France. We traveled to many cities, toured palaces and country villages. I was able to add an extra year to my tour easily but during my last year there, I began my phone calls to the navy detailer again, begging for more time. The answer was no. The navy determined it was time to come home to the states for awhile. When January 1980 came, I was sent back to the United States for my next tour of duty in Monterey, California. The navy giveth and the navy taketh away.

I was inconsolable for several months and it affected my training at the new duty station. My room at the barracks looked almost like an English souvenir store. I continued to stay in touch with my English and American friends I left behind, especially with David. I will never forget him, and I will always cherish my sweet memories of being in love and stationed in London.