Four:Nineteen

Four: Nineteen
By
Tom S.

_____

It was sort of funny the way it all started really. I gotten into a
fight with my girl friend, Amber, over dirty dish's in the sink. It was
a common fight one that we constantly had at least once a week. It's
not that I couldn't remember to clean the dishes, or that I'm a slob
necessarily. In fact I'm not if your wondering, she was more of a slob
then I was, always leaving her fucking clothes all over the floor, in
the bedroom, in the bathroom, every were. In fact the entire time we
lived together not once did I see here clean up her cloths or anything
for that matter. It took me to finally do it, and by then all she could
say was, "Why did you throw all my clothes in a pile?" in her agitating
voice instead of, "Oh thank you for cleaning up." But that's how women
are. Anyways, As I was saying it started out with this terrible fight,
that reached the point of foul names and the typical "I hate you, your
bad in bed." type Bullshit, You know what I mean, I'm sure you've heard
it before. Anyways, I got really pissed off and stormed out of the
house to take a walk and clear my mind.

At the same time, my cell phone started to ring, I grabbed it out of my
pocket to check the number sure enough it was Jack. Jack was my best
friend, shit, still is, We exchange letter at least every month, since
we have so much time to write these days..
I hit the send key, and said, "Hey"

"What's up man?" Jack replied.
"Same old shit, another day, another fight."
"You and Amber, get into it again?"
"Yep."
"I told you she's trouble, man. I knew back when she was with smith,
and he used to tell me the craziest shit about her, I think she kind of
sucks personally."

"She doesn't suck, she just has a short temper."
She doesn't suck, in fact I'm sure deep, deep down some where I really
did love her, but at that very second, I wanted nothing to do with
here, in fact I would have been happy to have just walked away right
then, but of course I didn't. I never do, Even when I know that a
relationship is going nowhere, I still stick it out, hoping that some
where along the line that it will get better. It never does though; I'm
starting to think that it's me and not them, maybe I'm the one that
crazy, maybe I'm the one with "Problems".

Women troubles have followed me most of my life, I have had some crazy
girl friends. Like Lora, this Greek girl that I was going to school
with. It's kinda funny really, because I never had any intention of
asking Lora out in the first place, I wanted to go out with her best
friend, Yoli. Anyways, me and Lora, went together for like two years,
or the way I remember it, from my sophomore year till my senior year.
But she was an interesting, one, for instance, she would bring a bottle
of fruit juice everyday to school, with shots of Oozeo, a Greek Liquor.
I know, that doesn't sound so daring to some of you that went to public
school, but hey, this was a little private school, and shit like that
was cool to us. Even more interesting though, was her father, a postal
worker by night, he made me write an essay once on, 'The coloration of
Responsibility and a successful future', Bullshit is what I wrote him.
Then he tried to make me read that God awful book "The catcher in the
Rye", you know the book, that every serial killer loves. Well I read it
and I must say, I just don't get it. It had no FUCKING plot, the thing
was fucking unreadable, and I told him that, I told him, that 1984, and
Fahrenheit 451 are more important works, but he wouldn't have any of
that, he wouldn't have any of that at all.

Anyways I'm getting off the subject, I was talking to Jack,
"Look man I'm going up to Frisco this weekend, you wanna cruise?" Jack
asked.
"Yes, yes I do." I replied.

And I did, I really did, in fact I wanted nothing more then to get far,
far away from that monstrous bitch, I called the "love of my
life".

"I'll pick you up in an hour."
"I'll be ready." I said.

I turned and started for the door, at that point an hour seemed like an
eternity, one that I didn't think I would quit make it through. And
even worse, Jack was coming up the 101 and would most likely get stuck
in traffic. God, why did I move out here? I swear, Women can make men
do anything. Look at me I moved forty miles from my family and friends,
to live with this girl, why? Jack is the only friend who even bothers
to come out and visit me. I usually end up driving all the way to the
valley just to hang out with my friends. God, why did I have to move
this far from civilization, I guess that's sort of untrue considering I
live in Ventura and it could be worse, I could be living in downtown or
something.

I marched right back into my apartment and announced to Amber that,
"I'm going with Jack up to Frisco for the weekend."
"What? You're going to leave me by myself?"
"What do you care, you said you wanted to break up."
"So that's it, your just going to break up with me like that?"
"You're the one that said you want to break up."
"Your not sad or anything."
"Of course I am." And I was. "But it doesn't mean I'm not going to go
out and try to forget about it."
"Whatever, the least you do is show some fucking emotion." And she
walked way into bathroom, and turned on the shower.

It's funny to me, because men can't understand why women cry about
everything, and women can't understand why men don't cry, it's sort of
funny you know. Anyways, I packed up my shit, and waited outside for
Jack. It only took him about forty-five minutes, luckily I was ready,
and off we went into the traffic of the 5 freeway.

______

So the plan was, that we would drive straight through from L.A., into
Fresno, were we would stay with a friend of Jack's for the night. Then
the next day we would drive through to Frisco, and spend a few days up
there with Jack's other friends.

The drive was nice once we got past Los Angeles and up onto the Grape
Vine. From that point it was clear driving, which was nice, at this
point I pulled out my pipe and packed a bowl of the greenest chronic I
have had in a long time. I greened the bowl, and pasted it over to
Jack. He reached over and took the pipe from my hand. He fumbled a bit
with it but finally got it lit. It's so hard to light a bowl when your
driving, especially a stick.
As we cruised over the top of the Grapevine, I realized that I need to
use the bathroom really bad. Stupid me decided to drink four cups of
coffee, from a certain large multinational chain of coffee store,
earlier and now I was paying the price. I asked Jack to pull off at the
next exit, which he did.

Jack pulled off the freeway at the next off ramp, and made an impulsive
right turn, I say impulsive only because there were no gas stations or
establishments of dinning as far as the eye could see. So in my mind
Jacks turn was a bit impulsive if not foolish, considering we were in
the middle of fucking nowhere. Jack drove down this road for maybe four
or five miles before we finally came across this dingy old gas station.
It looked like the one from Easy Rider; you know the one were the
hippie buys the gas for the guys, and Billy freaks out because the
hippie might find their money?

Anyways, we pulled into this old gas station, I got out of the car and
headed inside to find a bathroom, only the problem was, the door was
locked, and no one was inside. So I decided to go around to the back of
the building and see if there was a bathroom back there. Of course with
my luck, there wasn't. So I decided that against all moral belief I
would just piss behind some bushes. I usually don't do that but the
fact was I had no other real option. I unzipped my fly and started the
procedure; just then a car came zooming past on the highway, causing
performance anxieties. I never have been really good at pissing in a
urinal, in front of other people, let alone out in the wide open space,
I don't know why really, I always get stopped up and can't go. I have
always been more of a stall man, so you can see how this situation was
a problem for me.

Anyways, I finished up and started for the car, when out of the corner
of my eye I saw a large figure moving towards me. I turned to see what
the figure was, but had no time to process the information, as he it
grabbed me by neck and dragged me along the ground.

"What are doing here?" A low and gruff voice asked.
"I, I needed to use the bathroom." I replied, still trying to see the
face of the figure that grabbed me, and was now dragging me
forcefully.
"This is private property, Yah all are trespassing, now I dun call the
sheriff."
"Wait," I said, "look I just need to use the bathroom, and the store
was locked,

What was I supposed to do?" Finally the large figure let me lose,
pushing me away from him. Finally I got a good look at him. He was
tall, probably 6'7, with arms as thick as tree branches. His hair was
long and curly, and covered most of what should have been his face.
Finally he let out another grumble, "I'm calling the sheriff, you
trespassing on my property."

"Sir, please, I just needed to use bathroom." I wasn't really worried
that the sheriff would come and give us tickets or something; my big
concern was really the haft once of pot I had sitting in my backpack.
You know how these Okays are out here; they throw city folks in prison
for farting the wrong way.

"Look, please sir, me and my friend we'll, we'll just leave,
okay?"
"I'm dun calling the sheriff." He bellowed.
"Look please sir, if you'll just listen?"

I didn't even give the guy a chance; I just took off running towards
the car, as fast as I possibly could, around the building, and towards
Jacks car. Jack saw me running, and started the car. He must have seen
the big guy to, because he opened my door, I jumped in, and Jack took
off. I looked back and saw the big ogre moving towards us.

"What the fuck was that man?" Jack asked.
"I think they are closed." I replied.

Jack hit pedal to the metal and drove as fast as his car would take us.
Jack got us back onto the free way and we were off.

__________

At or around three we changed onto Highway 99, I was feeling a bit
anxious over the whole, ogre incident and decided it was about time to
pack another bowl.
Now I didn't go over this in the first place so I will now. Packing a
bowl means to place marijuana into the 'Bowl' part of the pipe. Now
most of the time I use a pretty red and purple glass pipe. But since we
were traveling I felt that it only logical to use my grandfather's old
tobacco pipe, which I used, quit frequently when I traveled. The pipe
was also an excellent way to fool the cops because they just assumed it
was a tobacco pipe. Unless of course they saw you passing it back and
forth, in which case they would bust your ass. But Jack and me had come
up with the solution of passing it low, out of view from any other
cars.

Anyhow, I packed up the bowl with the chronic, and passed it over Jack,
he stuck the pipe deep into his mouth, lit the bowl and inhaled,
exhaling a large, brown cloud of smoke. He passed the pipe back to me,
and I did the same. There is nothing better then smoking a bowl when
you're on a long trip like we were. I mean I have heard some people say
that they might pop a beer or two, or maybe stop along the road at a
bar. No us, not me, shit I hate drinking.

I get so fucking stupid when I drink; I end up making a complete ass
out of myself. Like this one time when I was at home right? I had just
broken up with my girl friend Lora, the day before. It was Valentines
Day, and I was alone in the house, my dad was still at work, and my
mother was at one of those, stupid PTA meetings. I started with a few
shots of Vodka, moved onto to the gin, and finally the last thing I
remember is opening a bottle of Whiskey, with a pair of pliers because
I couldn't twist off the top. The next thing I know, it's 4 am, and I
Love Lucy is on. I got up out of my bed with a horrid headache, and
walked into the bathroom. I poured myself a glass of tap water, downed
it, and went back to sleep. When I woke up a few hours later, my
parents are asking my all sorts of questions about drinking. Turns out
I had attempted to go out side to smoke a cigarette and in the process
was unable to walk back up the stairs myself, plummeting down a whole
flight of stairs. So you can see, dear reader, why I prefer to indulge
my delights in marijuana rather then the excessive lifestyle that is
Drinking, clubbing, going to bars, etc. In fact I hate bar altogether,
they are so dingy and dark, and the people that frequent these
establishments, God, can you get anymore depressing. I mean really
depressing people, they look as if they have just given up on life
altogether, pour sad souls, waiting for there number to come up in the
big lottery of life. An end to the madness, they numb there minds,
stumble home, and start all over again in the morning. God, it's so
fucking sad, I never want to end up like them, I mean sad, and
depressed just waiting for it to all end, what a sad life that must be,
it's really fucking depressing.
Fucking A, there I go again with that, it's depressing shit, I hate
that about my self. I always let other peoples sadness rub off on me,
it's like I'm having an empathy overload, and I start to get really
depressed. There I go again, there's that word again, depressed, maybe
I should be on some sort of med or something, like everyone else. Drop
a pill and make life nice and happy, and make everything ok. FUCK THAT!
I hate that shit, it's horseshit, depressing, maybe, but it doesn't
mean I should be a fucking zombie like everyone else. Take a pill and
be okay, drug society so they don't have to cope with the problems of
the world. Oh, what am I saying look at me, I habitually smoke pot all
day long, I'm no better, really.

__________

We were about seventy miles south still of Fresno, and again I need to
get out and take a piss. I know, I know, I have blater like an infant,
go ahead say it. I asked Jack to pull off, at the next 'Rest Stop'. I
have always had this strange affection towards rest stops, I don't know
why, but for some reason, I have always preferred to stop at them. I
don't know why, maybe it's the easy access, on and off the highway.
Maybe it's the clean restrooms the states provide. I don't know.

Anyways, as we drove along I say a sign that said, "Rest Stop ahead, 10
miles" I pointed this out to Jake, who seemed to make a mental note of
it. I am sure that he didn't want to repeat the Ogre incident anymore
then I did.

At the same time a car of really beautiful girls slow passed us by on
the right hand side, my side, the passenger side. They were driving a
white Jetta, with Punk rock stickers all over the back, bands like:
Minor Threat, Black Flag, and The Dead Kennedy's. The driver, a gorges
blonde, with hair down to shoulders, wore glasses. I love girls with
glasses. I don't know why either, but I'm such a sucker for a girl with
glasses, and this girl was no exception, with deep green eyes, and
smile that just made my heart leap. The passenger was so, so, she
looked more like a punk rocker girl, then the driver.
She smiled at me, and waved, I smiled back at her and waved back. God
was she beautiful. Slowly though, her car, started to pass us and off
they went. Damn I wished I could have talked to her, God was she
gorges. I watched her car drive off into the horizon, till I couldn't
see it anymore. The 'Rest Stop' was upon us, and Jack pulled off the
highway. I quickly ran inside and did my business. We set back out onto
the highway, the traffic was light, and all I could think about was the
blonde girl in the white jetta.

____________

As the sun, set behind us, we pulled onto the highway 41 on ramp and
into the center of Fresno city. The traffic was light, as is always the
case with Fresno, and we cruised along listening to the radio. I
decided to roll down my window and and the hot summer air encompass my
body, and it did, real quickly. In fact I rolled that window back up
and told Jack to run the air. I adjusted one of the vents, and felt the
cold air blow onto my face. I closed my eyes and relished in the
coolness. As I did this, thoughts of the blonde girl in the Jetta begin
to cross my mind.

Who was she? Were did she come from? Were is she going? These are the
things that I wanted to know, not the only things of course, but a
start. I imagined her and me, cruising down the freeway in her little
Jetta passing the bowl back and forth. AS I though this, I wondered if
she even smoked pot? Maybe she didn't. Maybe she did. I didn't know,
and at this point there was no way of find out. Damn, I though, I wish
I could have talked to her.

As my mind trailed off, Jack finally saw his off ramp, and we got off
at Shaw, which is sort of the main street in Fresno, You were rest
assured that if you were on Shaw, you could get any were in
Fresno.

We got to Jack's friends house around six, the lights were all out in
the apartment. Jack tried to call his friend with my phone, but for
some reason I wasn't getting a signal. We decided to just walk up and
knock and see if anyone was home. Jack knocked on the door, but no one
answered. He knocked again, this time we heard movement, slow movement,
but something promising. We heard footsteps, coming towards the door. A
low voice said, "How's there?"

"It's us dude, open up." Jack said.
"Us who?" The voice replied.
"Dude, open the fucking door, it's Jack."

The door opened, and there stood, Frankie, Jacks friend from when they
were little kids. Frankie stood about 5'4, one of those short guys that
could never gain any weight. You know, the kind that got it even worse
then the fat kid did. He was scraggly and looked like he had been
tweaking for years.

"Come on in man." He said.

We both walked in, the place was a mess, now the whole tweaker thing
was so far fetched of an idea. The place was a one room. No furniture
in the living, just a TV, a video game system, and a plastic lawn
chair. A bong sat next to the chair, as well as dirty plates of
food.

"Come in, come in, man. Long time no see." Frankie said, giving Jack
five.
"Not bad, man, Frankie this Hunter." Jack said, referring to me.
"What's up man?" Frankie said.
"Not much, nice place." Is said, lying through my teeth. But to be
honest I couldn't think of anything else to say. I mean, isn't that the
usual greeting you give some one when you go to their house for the
first time. Even though both Jack and me knew, the place was a shit
hole, fuck, I'm sure even Frankie knows the place is a shit hole.

"It be better." He replied. "Sop Jack, you up for a night on the town,
man, girls, girls, girls. You know what they say about them corn feed
girls."

"Sounds good to me, Hunter?"
"Sure." I replied. All the sudden the blonde in the Jetta crossed my
mind, maybe she was driving up here. Maybe she went to school in la,
and was visiting her parents back in good old Fresno. Maybe, She was
visiting a friend down south and was now driving back home, to Fresno.
The possibilities were endless, all I knew is, there weren't many
places to go, on old highway 99. There were like maybe 4 major cities,
and maybe 3 or 4 scattered communities like Hanford, I was going to
find this girl.

As Frankie got ready, Jack and I stood in the living room. I packed a
bowl and we smoked, while waited, God I swear that guy took forever to
get ready. For such a fucking pig he sure as hell took his time to look
pretty, and I do mean pretty. He had his hair all up, and was wearing
some fucking Dockers, and a silk shirt that made him look like a
fucking fag. Not that there's anything wrong with that, it's just not
my scene, but does he have to look so, what do they call it,
'Fabulous'.

_______________

We piled into Jacks car and hit Shaw Boulevard, the street was packed
with every conceivable walk of life. You had your Teenagers out for a
good time, packed to the brim in their friends cars, hunting, stalking
the opposite sex. You had you typical family out for dinner, and maybe
if they were feeling adventures, they would head over to the local
multiplex and check out the last offering of shit, Hollywood had to
offer.

I chose to sit in the back, considering, Frankie is from Fresno, and
would be a much better navigator then I would be. And since I was
having the pleasure of sitting in the back seat, I was able to take in
the sights and sounds. What was of most interest was a carload of
young, males, driving along in a Honda Civic. Two of the boys had haft
of there body hanging out of the car, they were yelling at on coming
carloads of girls. I rolled down my window and heard what they were
saying, "SHOW US YOU TITS!" they chanted, like a group of drunken frat
boys. "SHOW US YOUR TITS!" they yelled again, at a group of girls. The
girls turning in disgust, not even compiling with what these
adolescents desired. I thought that was cool though, the fact that I
saw most of the girl turning away. Of course just when I get a little
encouraged, and think, damn we may have finally evolved a little. A
stringy little blonde girl stuck her body out of the sun roof of
another Civic. She of course, flashed the boys, and gave them what they
wanted as the boys cheered her on, and started to honk there horn, a
few other cars got in on it to and soon many car were honking for the
girl, as she flashed the other cars. It was sad, it mad me really sad,
in fact I thought, what would possess her to do something like that?
What would posses any girl to do that? Finally we got out of the hordes
of cars and pulled into crowded parking lot. We found a space, and went
into this bar, God how I hate bars.

(More to come.)