My ship had been commissioned by the US military for service in the Pacific. It arrives in Honolulu to await its first assignment.
Far away from the problems I had experienced with my interrogation and assignments in Aden and Bombay I settled down to enjoy my new found exotic surroundings.
One place I had always wanted to visit was the Royal Hawaiian Hotel also known as the “Pink Palace” because of its pink painted exterior and also Waikiki Beach, which were both prominent in my mind from the films I had seen.
Arriving at the hotel, I walked through the surrounding gardens filled with palms and brilliantly colored flower beds, then on to Waikiki beach, the most famous beach resort in the world.
The scenery, looking across to Diamond Head was breathtaking, and I stood there for some time taking it all in. The weather was brilliant, a clear blue sky with a slight sea breeze. The sun was hot but not overpowering. It was late morning, but there were very few people on the beach, which had the finest white sand, stretching in a long curve towards Diamond Head.
After the scene had been implanted permanently in my mind I walked back to the front of the hotel. Once inside, its decor was luxurious and I wandered through the downstairs until I finally found what I was looking for. "The world famous "Coconut Grove Bar".
Ordering a drink, I found a table near the back of the room which gave me a full view of all the comings and goings.
There were quite a few people, mostly military personnel sitting at the bar and tables but it was far from crowded. The chairs were very comfortable so I relaxed back to sip my drink and observe the scene.
Glancing along the bar I noticed a young man wearing white trousers and a bright floral shirt, a characteristic dress for Hawaii. He must have been looking directly at me and our eyes met. Not wanting to be rude and look away I nodded slightly, and within seconds the he was making his way over.
On approach, I noticed that his walk was light-footed like that of a female, his features were fine, with a perfect complexion and his grooming immaculate. Reservations were building up inside, but it was too late for that now as he was standing right there in front of me. A nervous smile came over his face as he spoke.
“Hello, would you mind if I sat down?”
“Be my guest.” He sat down, and then utter silence continued for some considerable period. Looking across the table it appeared that he was extremely nervous and totally incapable of starting any conversation. As each second ticked by, things got more embarrassing. Reaching across the table I extended my hand.
“My name is Will Bonner.”
His hand was thin and the handshake floppy, not firm. “I know your name, and I know who you are.”
I flinched, and taken completely by surprise. “How do you know my name? I don’t know you, what’s your name?”
“My name is Gerald,” he replied, with an intonation that I now recognized.
This man is homosexual, what is he up to? The silence returned and an atmosphere of tension began to intensify. Gerald’s nervous disposition was increasing, his eyes rapidly looking up at me, then down on to the table. As he lifted his glass to take a drink his hand was trembling slightly. Completely at a loss and unable to read his intention, I got up from my chair and picking up my drink prepared to leave. “For God’s sake, please don’t go.” he pleaded.
His face had turned, from a look of nervousness to one of fear, and he furtively looked around as though to check if anyone had overheard his last remark. The look on his face compelled me to sit down and wait for a response, there surely must be one? He finished off his drink and placing the glass back on the table his hand still quivering, he looked across at me, and struggling with the words he spoke again, this time quietly.
“I know that you’re with the organization and I’ve been asked to contact you.” I felt at a disadvantage. My mind flashed back to ferret man, the correspondent, Omah and Blyth, but this man was completely out of character.
“ I think we should get away from this bar, let’s go on to the beach and sort things out.” As they walked out of the hotel and on to the beach, I felt the impulse to keep my distance. If any of the crew spotted me with Gerald, seeing his unmistakable walk, they would never let me forget it for the rest of the voyage.
Keeping to the edge of the beach and under the palm trees, I resumed the conversation. “I’m not part of the organization, but you are.”
Gerald hesitated, signs of nervousness showing again. “Yes, I am,” he blurted out, “and I do know that you have been involved also.”
“Yes, but I’m not an agent,”
“Are you going to ask me to do something for you here?”
“No, I need you to do something with me.”
This was certainly a turn of events!
“Look Gerald, don’t push me into anything. You’ve taken me by surprise. Give me some breathing space. I’ll meet you again right here tomorrow around 11 a.m. and we’ll talk things over.”
Gerald’s face took on a scared look. “You’re not going to let me, down are you? If you do, we’ll both be in a lot of trouble.”
I paused before speaking. “I’ve been threatened with reprisals before, but you can count on me being here.”
As I walked away, the scenic splendor of Waikiki beach took second place to the recent happenings. My mind was now fully preoccupied, trying to come to terms with the fact that here I was again under the influence of British Intelligence, even though I was on the opposite side of the world!
My change to another ship may have been a bad mistake.