NONFICTION
New Year’s Eve Party 1969 in Victoria
In Search of the Magical Other — 24
The swimming was ditched as most of us hadn’t thought to bring bathing suits. It was a tired group as we sat in the sauna with towels wrapped around ourselves. The heat of the sauna and the long day of work had reduced us to silence. When Linda announced that she’d had enough and was going to bed, the others were quick to echo their good-nights.
We walked down the hallway wearing just towels to our rooms which were just across from each other. Just before going into our room, Derek called out Betty’s name. As she turned, he dropped his towel and mooned her. Everyone, including Betty laughed.
The second day was busier than the first day, but for some reason, when we gathered at the hotel in the evening which was New Year’s Eve, there seemed to be a lot more energy than there was the evening before. After we had eaten, Derek had ordered beer for all of us including Doug, and toasted the New Year.
Because we were to leave even earlier the next day in order to drive to Parksville where two stores would be inventoried. There weren’t any plans to go out on the town later for New Year’s Eve. Betty took her turn and ordered a second round of beer.
I wasn’t able to finish a glass of draft by the time the group had decided to give the sauna a second go. Derek, Linda and Betty took a third glass of beer with them to the rooms. The doors to the rooms were left open while we stripped off our clothes and wrapped towels around ourselves.
Derek and I crossed the hall and entered the girls’ room where the girls were opening cans of beer while laughing. Caught up in the revelry, I took a can and drank from it. It was a good twenty minutes later, just after eleven when we noisily went down the hallway to the sauna.
The heat and reduced inhibitions thanks to alcohol had us drop the towels as we flopped onto the cedar benches, sweating. There was no sense of our nudity being anything other than innocent relief.
It was Jacqueline who brought up the idea of cooling off in the pool. The heat and the beer had left us more than a bit tipsy as we tried to cover ourselves again with towels before exiting the sauna. With a whoop, Derek jumped into the pool only to have his towel fall off as he hit the water.
Jacqueline was in the water with her towel still in place as the other two girls struggled to enter the pool with their towels. I stood looking at the group deciding if I would enter into the pool when Jacqueline got out of the pool, pulled away my towel and pushed me into the water. Then, demurely, she dropped her own towel and dived in after me.
The noise of our partying in the pool attracted the attention of a private New Year’s Eve party taking place in the convention room next to the pool. When the door opened giving the party goers a view of the five of us, naked in the pool, several of the male guests decided to jump into the pool with their suits on.
The raised noise level soon brought in hotel staff who demanded we get out of the pool as it was closed. Strangely, no one protested. Wrapping wet towels around ourselves, we returned to the rooms where we then threw the towels into a tub.
Sitting on the beds and on the floor along the wall, we toasted the New Year with a final can of beer. And then, as if by agreement though nothing was said, there was no exchange of New Year’s kisses. We were laughing when we left Linda and Betty’s room and called it a night.
“That was some New Year’s Eve party you guys had last night,” Doug commented with a chuckle as they drove up Malahat Drive towards Parksville. “It’s a good thing we are at a different motel tonight.”
Still wearing big smiles, we all agreed with Doug’s statement.
“Did you see that blond chick in the green dress push that guy in, you know the one who was pretending to be disgusted while ogling Betty’s boobs?” Linda asked.
“Well, Betty, you do have big boobs,” Derek confirmed. “I know from first hand experience. I had more than one good look last night.”
“You’re a pig,” Betty complained. “At least they’re not little like those peanuts you have for balls.”
“Ouch!” Jacqueline quipped. “She got you there, Derek. Your balls are small, like your dick. Now, Robert’s, well that’s more what I’d expect a real man should look like.”
“Bullshit!” rebutted Derek. “Who are you to make statements about a real man? Not much in the way of boobs in your case, is there?”
The bantering continued all the way to Parksville. Just as we entered the small city, Doug told them the keyword for the inventory, “Backslider”, which had us all laugh as we caught an unintended sexual connotation to the word.
The day passed quickly and we were able to eat an earlier supper than usual. Doug had recommended the clam chowder which we decided was worth a try.
After a few mouthfuls, I pushed my bowl away and ordered a plate of fries. “Ugh. Well that was a waste of good money,” I muttered.
“Pass it over here if you’re not going to eat it,” said Derek. “You’re right, Doug, this clam chowder is delicious!”
After the meal, Derek and I went for a walk along the shoreline beside the motel.
“I like the work and the girls,” I began. “I haven’t had so much fun in a long time.”
“I told you beer was good for your health,” laughed Derek. “It makes the world a better place, a lot more fun as well,” he added. “Yeah, it’s pretty cool. I see that Jacqueline has the hots for you”
“Nah, she’s got a boyfriend in Vancouver. She was telling me he lives with her in her basement suite. Besides, I’m not interested in having a girlfriend, yet. I just want to work, earn enough money to buy some nice clothes and get myself a new guitar.”
“Same here,” admitted Derek. “Except for the guitar part,” he added with a laugh. “Let’s head back and see what the girls are up to.”
Like the hotel in Victoria, the motel had a sauna into which we soon found ourselves. Only Linda and I had bothered with towels. After a bit of friendly teasing, the towels were set aside and used to wipe the sweat off our faces. It seemed strange to me how non-sexual it all was, being naked together in the sauna. Even Derek had left off talking about sex.
My worries about getting an erection and having everyone see it and laugh at it, soon vanished. It wasn’t as if we didn’t see each other’s privates, or that we were deliberately trying to avoid looking. Rather, we were seeing each other naked and accepting that nakedness as natural. Each of us were much more than nude bodies, more than exposed skin. Curiously, we began to see who we were beneath the skin, to see each other as we really were.
After the initial comments were made, we just sat there in the heat, falling into a comfortable silence. We disappeared into our own inner worlds. Tired, we finally made our way to our rooms for the night.
Doug started the van as we climbed in. The ferry had docked and the gate had opened with cars and trucks already beginning to leave the ferry. It had been a long stretch away from Vancouver. I had managed to save enough from eating as cheaply as possible and had avoided stupid expenses such as smoking and beer.
After the New Year’s Eve adventures, I had steered clear of taking another drink. I didn’t do well with hangovers. Derek managed to save only a few dollars over the ten days due to his need for alcohol. I was beginning to think he was becoming an alcoholic.
Previously
Thanks to Author, D. Denise Dianaty, Sarah ✨, Chris Floyd, Robert, Carrie, Mariana Busarova, Love, K.B. Silver, RogueWorldTraveler, Alberto Ocando, Mallikarjuna and all my other incredible readers for reading and engaging with my story.