Though summer was the most anticipated time of the year for school-age
children, it was also the time when we had no regular allowance. But
this did not pose a problem with us. My friends and I had several ways
of making a few pesos with our odd summer jobs.
One
of the odd jobs we did during summer to make some money was to work
as pin boys at the base's bowling center. Automated bowling was not
yet in existence at that time , so we had to put up the pins and send
the balls back manually. The enlisted 
personnel in charge was hesitant
to let us work, fearing that our parents might find out, but persistence and persuasion eventually made him relent.
Another
summer fun job was sidelining as tee-boys or caddies at the mini-golf
course. Aside from being able to observe at close range how the game is played, I also got to eavesdrop on some official and personal matters. Ha ha ha! Seriously, caddies can be sources of some confidential inside stories unheard of outside the golf course. [Look for a copy of Caddie Confidential: Inside Stories from the Caddies of the PGA Tour]
Of all our odd summer jobs, scavenging for
brass, copper, and lead, and selling it at the junkyard shop in the
city, brought in the bigger amounts. The base was the former ship
repair yard of the US Navy, and it was, and still is, the repair yard
facility of the Philippine Navy. So it was not totally surprising to
find brass metal tubes or fittings, copper wires, lead, and even spent
ammunition shells or casings just lying along the sea shores,
especially those nearer the repair facilities. Yes, folks, there's money in
junk, and it can be big business!
My friends and I kept these odd jobs we did on summers
from our parents, though there was nothing bad or illegal, or
something to be ashamed of, in what we did. We did not steal money
from anybody. Besides, I was not used to bothering my parents for money
as I was well aware that they had barely enough for all of us.
[Learning To Swim In The Open Sea]
