Chad The Whore Junkie (People1)

Chad The Whore Junky.

Earlier in the year Chad and I were in the Johor dock bar which is set up in the corner of a musty old warehouse inside the dock complex at Johor Baru.

It is the ships chandlers depot who provides the duty free booze and fags to the various vessels that dock there.

There are three raggy old blue vinyl sofas, a selection of dodgy old plastic chairs and stools, in faded red, yellow and white, that look like they have been reclaimed from the dump, and some upturned barrels cut in half and painted blue that serve as tables.  

It is known to the vessel as the 4 Ringgit Shop because that’s how much he charges for tin of a cold Tiger beer.  (about 80p)

Most seaman enjoy a beer and as the town is about 40 minutes in a taxi and is notoriously dangerous he saw a business opportunity and bought some big fridges and a huge cool box and set up speakeasy bar in his warehouse space.

It is a great spot just to pop in have a few cold ones being only walking distance form the ship. It is good to just let the booze loosen the tongue with some shipmates or seafarers from other vessel from around the world and “swing the lantern”. ( A seamen’s phrase for swapping tales of ships shipping companies and runs ashore)   

One of the best things about it for me is that it is inside the dock complex so it isn’t infested with the working girls who make going up the road for a beer a pain in the arse in most places.

It is very difficult in many ports to find just a simple bar where you can sit and have a few beers and a yarn, without some scantily clad young thing hustling you either for drinks, or sex for money, all to the over amplified cheesy dance or pop tracks blaring away in the foreground.

If you look hard you can find simple quiet bars but in some places it is not easy.

  

The single blokes, and sadly the married ones who don’t care about cheating on their wives, would disagree with me, however, some pretty young desperate thing, in high heels, a mini skirt and in her late teens early twenties offering me a blow job for 10 dollars or love me long time for 40 bucks just doesn’t do it for me.

30+ years ago as a single young man was a different story, but as time rolls along responsibilities, and sensibilities change.

They did for me as soon as I met my future wife and realised that she was the one I was gong to get old bones with and there was no need for anyone else.

  

Not everyone shares my opinion on absolute fidelity to the one you love and that is up to them, as they have to live with their own value system as I live with mine. 

A few trips ago, one of the older blokes (married, who a week earlier had been telling about his 23 year old daughters degree) got decidedly upset with me when he told me he was off trawling the girly bars for some sex, and I suggested to him that having sex with someone younger than your own daughter was just a form of paedophilia by proxy.

I thought there was something decidedly sordid and just plain wrong about the whole thing. He became almost violent when I asked how happy his wife would be if he gave her a dose of clap or even worse, how his daughter could explain to her mates that her mum died of AIDS, that she caught from her husband, who wanted to have sex with teenage prostitutes in Asia.

Still I digress as this is about Chad.

  

 Chad is a single, childless, Australian in his late 50’s and is the vessels head rigger.

When on board he is a quiet, calm, unassuming and engaging chap  who looks dapper with a close cropped neat grey beard, deep blue eyes and an engaging smile and manner that make him easy company.

He is a whore junky.

I don’t mean he is the sort of bloke who goes ashore everywhere seeking out the girly bars for a short time or an all nighter, that would hardly be cause for comment. No, it is different for Chad. He falls in love.

We were sat in the 4 Ringgit Shop and I had been waxing lyrical about the house renovation and what it was like living in Brittany as opposed to Britain, when I remembered my wife’s wise words of “Bentley other people have stories to tell as well and if you stop talking sometimes you might hear them” (She knows me so well)

 I asked if Chad lived in Aussie and he said no he was currently living in the Philippines with his girlfriend.

“Was she an ‘internet’ meet?” I asked.

“No, I met her in a titty bar in Manila and we just sort of hit it off and ended up together” 

It turns out that after her “turn” he had bought he some drinks and they ended up spending the night together. (A business arrangement)  

In the morning (yep I know) he told her he was planning on renting a house in Manila and did she want to set up with him. Although 25 years younger than him she said she did want to live with him as he was a “nice man”.

I asked if she still worked in the titty bar and he replied that she didn’t need to but it was up to her, however when he was home she didn’t.   

I was a bit “raised eyebrow” about the arrangement but decided he was old enough to know what he is doing and left it that, although I did mention the age difference. He said it didn’t seem to matter to either of them.

I moved the conversation to actually day to day living in the Philippines and health care banks and stuff like that, and it was an interesting insight.

For 700 yankee dollars a month he had a large house with pool garden and a live in housekeeper. Health care was pay as you go and for someone on western wages not expensive. Normal living expenses were minimal. Basically he was living exceptionally well on l500 bucks a month.    

I asked how long that had been going on and he replied it was about 8 months, but he said she was becoming a bit demanding and complaining about him being at sea half the time.

He was on the verge of moving her out and when he went home the next time he was considering letting the rental go, getting rid of his stuff, selling his 4X4 and saddling up his Harley and just having a tour on his own for a while.

When I asked about the woman he said she would probably find someone else but he would give her the opportunity of mellowing out, but that he didn’t ask for, or want earache in his life.

A couple of trips later I bumped into Chad again as our rotas meant we hadn’t sailed with each other for a while.

I asked how it went when he got home, he gave a sort of cross between a gallic shrug and a sheepish grin and said “ She got in first and wiped me out.” She had emptied the house of every piece of furniture (that was rented and came with the house), had cleared off with about 35,000 dollars worth of jewellery including his Rolex etc she had emptied 40,000 from the joint bank account and taken his 4x4 and his Harley and disappeared.

All he had was what he was stood up in. (although he has property in Australia and a well purchased art collection also in Australia that he accumulated when he was younger)

He had been to the police and they managed to find the Harley and reunite him with it, but the girl and the goods have long gone, and his chances of him ever seeing either again are none.

I said, “Bloody hell you must be gutted”

to which he replied that no he already had another girlfriend and he was about to set up house with her.

She is 24.

“Where did you meet her?” I ask

“In titty bar in Batam” says he.

I didn’t know what else to say apart from tell me the story next time we are in the 4 Ringgit Shop.

I have since found out that this has been a regular occurrence over the last 20 years or so and despite of advice from old friends it is his pattern and he doesn’t seem that bothered by it.

I hope I have not come across as judgemental about him as that is not my intent he is free to live his life how he sees fit however it does add credence to the saying that “there is nothing quite so strange as other people” eh?