Martin Inn

The sad day came when I said good-bye to my family. I knew I would miss them and I certainly did as the next few months dragged by. I started out my bachelor days house sitting for Neil Klassen and his family while they were on holidays. He was an instrument mechanic and was also one of of the few families attending our little church group. I did not enjoy staying in the big house by myself, but again, managed the day to day affairs of living, well enough. I knew I was not cut out to be a bachelor. It was just too lonely not having people around and living in the same house. I thought those hippies in those communes were pretty smart. No loneliness there! When the Klassen's returned, I took my few belongings and checked into the Martin Inn. I remember that it cost me very little money to stay there. I was assigned a room on the third floor looking out over a parking lot and beyond to my old house now standing empty up on the hill. My alarm clock kept me regimented and scheduled. Work, eat, sleep. One consolation was the good food in the cafeteria. I could simply charge my meals to my employee number and it would be deducted from my paycheck every two weeks. I could even pick up a bag lunch for work. It was a necessity because my room had no kitchen facilities or refrigerator. It was a typical hotel room with a bed, desk, dresser of drawers, and a bathroom. My linens were changed every few days and it was reasonably quiet as there were few residents and indeed, a large section of the hotel was closed off. One other thing I remember well was the lounge with TV. We only got one channel, sometimes, so there was no arguing over football versus hockey and most times, the guys just hung out and talked or played cards. It was a decent atmosphere, but I was so glad it was only temporary. July was around the corner and I was heading to Vancouver again.