Lost at Sea

My father loved ships. He would often go to the ports and just hang out there. He would talk with the crewmen and fantasize about the countries they had visited, the things they had seen, and the food they had eaten. He was a dreamer.

When he was 14, he pushed his boundaries. He was being raised by an elderly grandmother and would often disappear to go on adventures. He didn’t think about consequences, as most children don’t. There was very little danger back then. Society was much less threatening. This led to some interesting interactions in my dad’s life.

Dad got up early in the morning and hatched another hair-brained scheme. He had many. He got dressed and headed out to the docks, where ships from all over the world were moored. He met some people who thought he was charming because he was, and he could use it to his advantage.

One of the ships in port was coming from Brazil and heading back there. The crew was predominantly Brazilian, which was not a problem for communication. My dad spoke several languages.

A couple of the crewmen invited him up to the ship for a tour, then let him join them for lunch. He was in his glory, like a child with their favorite movie star or television character. He enjoyed the meal, chatted with the crew some more, and then disembarked. Or did he?

He did leave the ship, but then he had an idea. A dream.

Dad waited until the coast was clear of onlookers, then he stowed away. He knew ship layouts well, made his way to the cargo hold, and hid among the freight. He stayed quiet all the way to Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. It took several days to reach Rio. He had been smart enough to grab some snacks before the ship left port, so he ate. For restroom breaks, he carefully avoided the crew until he was discovered a day from port in Rio. He was in trouble.

Meanwhile, in Buenos Aires, his grandmother was frantic. Dad had often disappeared for the day, but never overnight, and it was now approaching four.

During that time, my father’s grandmother was going out of her mind searching for him. She located his mother, who was in the country at the time, and informed his father, who lived in the same city. Everyone was looking for him. Family and friends alike were searching for the missing boy. Can you imagine the hysteria?

Back in his day, child kidnapping was uncommon, but death was not unheard of. He could have had an accident and been mortally injured. Cell phones were not a thing in his day, and even home telephones were rare.

Back in Rio de Janeiro, the ship’s captain had been alerted to their guest. After the ship was securely docked, the guest was taken to the police station. There, he was interrogated, not in an adult criminal sense, but definitely as a mischievous troublemaker.

It took the authorities several hours to reach Dad’s parents. While they were relieved he was alive, they were not pleased with the adventure he had embarked on.

It would take a few days to get him back to Argentina. They were going to place him on the next ship bound for Buenos Aires, which would take another four days.

Dad was having a field day. The crew was generally a bunch of nice guys, and they found his tenacity and spirit amusing. The story was comical on some levels. So they chummed around with him, fed him well, and got him safely back to his country.

He was having the time of his life, living his dream. Until they made port, where two very irate parents were asked to pick up their son. Dad was in BIG trouble.

His dad spanked him first, and then his mom got her licks in. He had a sore behind for a couple of days, but oh, what a story he had.

He told me that the punishment he was given did not even register in his memory. He knew he had been punished, even aside from the spankings, but he never remembered the pain or the punishment he received. His memory was of the adventure and the amazing time he had.

Kids.

When Dad turned 17, he joined a crew on a ship in the Merchant Marine and left for good. He informed his family this time and was given permission to leave and to embark as a mariner. He traveled the world, experiencing adventures of a lifetime that he would recount time and again throughout his life.

Every part of the globe met my dad. From Asia to Europe, the Middle East, and Scandinavia, from North America to South America, and from Australia to the Pacific Islands, Dad saw it all. He would go from ship to ship and get along with crews. He loved travel and different cultures.

I think this is where I developed my love of cultures and the world in general. I wish I could travel more. I am not as adventurous as Dad was, but I can dream.

I dream because he dreamed. I love people because he loved them, and I learned languages because Dad instilled in me the desire to communicate with people in their own languages. My dad was poor all his life, but he instilled in me a love for this world and all humanity. Dad made the world seem small, as if a new country were a door away from home, and he brought it all home to us.

(Published by Write Your World on Medium, June 2026)

#Jealousy #humans #secrets #life #lifelessons #love

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