Mai Tais, Mafia, and Mayhem

By Carol Carey

The moment 19-year-old Carol Carey first set foot in Hawaii with her girlfriends in 1971, she knew that she was destined to call it home. A year later, she packed her bags again and boarded a plane for Oahu, where she quickly found a job as a camera girl. Armed with her camera and a thirst for new experiences, she immersed herself in the sights, scents, and sounds of Waikiki. A brush with the Samoan mafia, encounters with celebrities, and run-ins with Scientologists shook her world, but each day also brought new adventures and a sense of belonging. Mai Tais, Mafia, and Mayhem is a light-hearted memoir that will transport readers back to the white-sand beaches, breathtaking scenery, and vibrant culture of 1970s Hawaii, capturing the memories that have lasted Carol a lifetime.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Carol Carey
• Release date: May 12, 2021
• ISBN: 9798201328139

Book preview

MaiTais_Final_Cover_CMYK.jpg

Mai Tais, Mafia, and Mayhem


Copyright © 2021 by Carol Carey

First paperback edition published in May 2021

Mai Tais, Mafia, and Mayhem is a work of non-fiction. Some names and identifying details have been changed.

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, now known or to be invented, without permission in writing from the author.

ISBN 978-1-7776587-0-0

Cover design: Sean Thompson (seanthompson.crevado.com) 


Ebook conversion: SpicaBookDesign (spicabookdesign.com)


Editing: Tara Avery (taraavery.com)

Behind the Book


behindthebook.ca

To all the carefree spirits seeking their way in life: 
Bon Voyage!

Contents

Foreword

1. Hawaii, 1971

2. Camera Girl

3. Hurricane Doreen 
and Markets

4. The Lunatic JC

5. Hawaii 5-0, Here’s Johnny!

6. Christine and Melissa

7. The Hut

8. Christmas, Elvis, 
and Jasmine

9. Social Security Card

10. Brush with Death

11. Joanne

12. Scientology

13. Lindy’s Arrival

14. Queen of Casseroles

15. Nightly Adventures

16. Air Mattress Surfing

17. The Sailor Situation 
and Cher

18. Tavana

19. Samoan Mafia

20. We Are Going to Jail

21. Goodbye Honolulu

22. Back to Vancouver

23. Marty

Afterword

Acknowledgements

Foreword

It was 1971. High school was over, graduation was complete, and the time had finally come to close the door on a chapter of my life I couldn’t finish fast enough.

I was the only girl in a family of four brothers. I was sheltered from just about everything and wasn’t allowed to do many things or go to many places. My brothers could virtually come and go as they pleased. I felt wronged by this and questioned it constantly. The reply was always the same: You are a girl, and it is in your best interests. And that was the end of it.

But now, I was off to celebrate on a vacation that I liked to call my release from captivity. I even talked my girlfriends Lindy and Haylee into coming with me.

Hawaii, I thought, here I come!

Finally, the day of departure arrived. I didn’t know it at the time, but I was about to board a plane to a destination that would dramatically change my life forever.

This is that story.

Ready? Let’s begin.

1. Hawaii, 1971

Lindy, Haylee, and I were at the airport. I had never flown on an airplane before, which added to the overwhelming excitement of the day. The air buzzed with anticipation.

I was lost in thought when, bouncing with eagerness, Lindy said, What do you think it will be like in Hawaii?

Better than anything we have ever known, I replied.

Haylee cut in with her usual wit, saying, I don’t know about you two, but I am already planning to take surfing lessons so I can meet those gorgeous surfer guys. I can’t wait to get there.

Lindy rolled her eyes. We could both predict the outcome of that scenario.

Haylee had a habit of picking out a cute guy and somehow managing to arrange a date. It never lasted very long, and when it ended, we knew she would be down in the dumps, making us miserable, until a new guy appeared on the scene. This familiar pattern was waiting to be played out in Hawaii.

I thought the plan was to have fun together, I reminded her.

Oh, for Heaven’s sake, Carol! I don’t plan on spending every minute with you and Lindy. I’m going to have a real good time.

Wow, so you think we can’t have a good time, I fired back at her.

She made a face. You know what I mean. It’s just that I don’t want to be the typical tourist. The itinerary is crazy! You’ve included so many places that are nothing but tourist traps.

As I recall, you helped in the planning of it. Do you forget how excited you were?

I haven’t forgotten, but I have changed my mind on some of it.

Typical! Lindy piped up.

What does that mean? asked Haylee.

Lindy stared at her. You know exactly what it means. The worries I had originally harboured about Haylee coming on this trip haunted me.

I had known Haylee for six years. For the most part, we got along great. She could be a lot of fun, but she also had a less pleasant side. Sometimes she did very heartless things. For example, if she knew I liked a guy in high school, she would be sure to arrange a date with him and flaunt it in my face. Haylee had dumped me so many times when we had gone out to hook up with a guy.

Lindy would get so mad and say to me, You know she’ll do this every time, so don’t go along with her.

I always believed that Haylee would change, but it never happened.

Haylee was about to speak, but before she could say anything, she was cut short by the boarding announcement for our flight. We gathered up our belongings, waved goodbye to the families that had come to see us off, and proceeded to the airplane. Even though I had my doubts, as it had taken some convincing to get these two to come with me, as we settled into our seats, I was struck by the reality of the situation.

After graduation, it seemed as if most of our friends were travelling to Europe. I had no desire to go there. I was set on Hawaii. And now, here we were, en route.

After a few minutes, the captain came on. Ladies and gentlemen, he said, prepare for takeoff.

My heart pounded as I looked out the window. I had no idea what would take place on this trip. The feeling inside of me was like that of freeing a bird from its cage to live its life as it was meant to do.

Don’t get me wrong, my life was great—except for one thing. My wonderful family loved me, and I had lots of friends, but from a young age, I had experienced rumblings of discontent. I felt sheltered in my family life, and for years, I thought only about getting out and living my life. I had a strong aversion to bad authority and unjust rules. I didn’t understand this strong sentiment, as I was not a rebellious person—just a carefree spirit. I believed I had a kind and caring soul, but the ever-present state of captivity was making me crazy. All through school, I kept these emotions and thoughts to myself, knowing that one day it would all change.

Haylee looked sheepishly at Lindy and said, Hey, let’s forget all that stuff I said and enjoy the trip. We can do lots of the planned stuff together. It will be fun. Haylee could make light of everything when she wanted to. The lightness in the air was a much-needed relief; Lindy had been put off by Haylee’s outburst.

Carol, did you bring your pink bathing suit? The one with the white trim? Haylee asked.

No, I didn’t. I want to buy a new one in Hawaii, I replied. Oh, I love that pink one. I’m sure it would fit me if you didn’t want it, she said with enthusiasm. She was quick to add, What colour are you thinking of getting? There’s so much to choose from.

I have no idea. I guess I’ll know when I see it.

Lindy wore a look I understood well. She said, I was thinking of buying a new bathing suit too. One can never have too many.

Our conversation remained lighthearted for the rest of the flight as we all forgot about the earlier upset.

As the Islands came into view, we found ourselves circling the island of Oahu, preparing for landing. My heart felt like it was beating outside my chest. I could barely keep from exploding from the many thoughts swirling around in my head. The landing seemed to take forever, but before I knew it, I was standing on the top step of the ramp that led down to the tarmac. I stood there, soaking in the intense heat of the sun and, at the same time, enjoying the strong breeze that whipped my long dark hair all around me.

At this precise moment, a clear and completely joyous thought entered my mind and said, "Welcome! You’re home." It was as if the weight of the world had lifted off my shoulders. I didn’t have to think or say a word, I just knew. From that point on, my life changed, filling with overwhelming happiness. I can’t explain it, but that feeling was as real as you are. Lindy gave me a funny look but didn’t say anything. We proceeded down the stairs and made our way inside the airport. Everything seemed amplified to me. The fragrance of the flowers, the soft Hawaiian music playing in the background, and the welcoming committee in the brightly coloured long dresses and Aloha shirts who greeted everyone with a flower lei all contributed to the unexpected sensory overload. It was like a switch had been flipped inside of me, solidifying my absolute desire to move to Hawaii more permanently.

For many years, I had felt a strong pull to Hawaii, even though I had never been there before, nor did I have any knowledge of the Islands.

This state of being was having a dramatic effect on my soul. Lindy was calling me to join her in the luggage area. What’s going on with you? she asked. Are you all right?

I quickly recovered and replied, I’m fine. Just let me get my luggage and we can go.

The vacation package we bought included a shuttle bus to take us to our hotel. Standing in line to get on the bus, Haylee said, Look at all these guys! I hope they’re staying at our hotel. As it happened, several of them were staying at the Napualani Hotel.

We finally arrived at our hotel and proceeded to our room. Upon opening the door, we came face to face with a collage of brilliant yellows, oranges, pinks, whites, and greens all merged into a massive floral pattern on the walls. Wicker furniture sat on top of an intensely bright orange carpet. A large sliding door led out to a lanai with a marvellous view of Diamond Head and surroundings. We were only a block away from Waikiki Beach.

This was perfect! Lindy and Haylee collapsed on the sofa and floor. It had been a long day in many ways, and the heat of the Island was already affecting us. Lindy laid there and said, I can’t move. Haylee did the same.

I was also done in, but I said, I’m going to clean up and change so we can go out.

I put on one of my favourite short dresses. It was a soft shade of yellow with tiny white polka dots, sleeveless and cool. When I returned to the living room, I declared, Let’s go! We’re in Hawaii! There’s no time for lying around.

Protesting weakly, they slowly started to get up. There was a knock at the door. One of the guys from the shuttle bus stood on the other side. He asked if we would join him and his friends’ downstairs for a cool drink. Suddenly moving a lot more quickly, Haylee smiled and said, We’ll be right down.

We had a nice visit and were surprised to learn that they lived only a few miles from us. Crazily, there were two sets of twins. Dan and Doug resembled each other a lot. The other set of twins, Mike and Chris, did not look that much alike. They were all nice, and we promised to meet up again.

After an hour or so, we said goodbye and headed out for a look at Waikiki Beach. The sun was starting to set, casting an incredible glow over the water. It was remarkable how big the sun looked, almost as if you could reach out and touch it. It slowly melted into the sea. Tiki torches lit up everywhere, and Hawaiian music floated on the air along with the scent of exotic flowers. I stood and stared as if time had stopped. I felt as if part of me was somewhere else. Once again Lindy pulled me back to reality. Hey, aren’t you coming?

I looked at her and said, Of course! I’m starving; let’s go.

We had a wonderful dinner at the Sheraton Hotel on Waikiki Beach. Later, we wandered around to take in the sights and sounds around us. It was all fantastic.

Finally, exhausted, we returned to the hotel.

In the morning, we dressed quickly and went down to the restaurant in the hotel for a quick breakfast. We headed out onto Kalakaua Avenue, the main street through Waikiki, directly across from the beach. Our minds were boggled by the number of shops and everything we had to choose from.

We walked into this cute little shop and it had a lot of lovely Island dresses and bathing suits. The contents of the store were a massive colour explosion. Crocodile Rock by Elton John was playing inside, and as I stared out the large windows and watched the waves roll in on the beach, I was immediately transfixed. It all seemed perfectly normal to me, as if I had done this before. A sense of complete happiness washed over me. I ended up buying a new orange bikini and a long Island dress in beautiful shades of blue. Lindy bought a bathing suit in pinks and purples. Haylee bought the same one, which didn’t sit well with Lindy. We spent a few hours at the beach and enjoyed watching Haylee strike up a conversation with one of the surfing instructors. When she came back and sat down with us, she said she would return later in the week for a surfing lesson.

We had a busy schedule for the next few days. We had planned tours around the Island; a luau; visits to Sea Life Park and the Pearl Harbour Memorial; a trip to downtown Honolulu, including China Town; and tours of famous homes, such as the one used to film the original Magnum P.I. show. After those jam- packed days, we wanted to relax and enjoy all the local Waikiki attractions.

We spent a day at King’s Alley, a shopping area designed to look like England. Shops there sold wares from that country along with local Island products. We also spent time at the International Market Place. A person could get lost in it. It was fabulous. We tasted local food in many different restaurants. We also spent a lot of