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Hector was the doorman at an upscale Condo in Rosedale Park and worked from nine at night until six in the morning. They were mostly long, boring shifts so he spent much time thinking about one of tenants who he suspected of being a drug dealer. Almost every evening around midnight a man would come to visit carrying a suitcase that Hector thought was full of money. Lots of it. But, he also knew if he took the money Big Ed would not be happy and when he wasn't happy someone usually dies and ends up floating in the Detroit River. Still, Hector wanted that money and he just had to figure out a way to get it. He'd have to leave Detroit. He'd have to change his name and if he got caught he was dead. Right now Hector was dead broke and Lila liked money more then she liked him. Hector was a tall, thin man who resembled Freddie Prinz but wasn't half as funny nor half as dead. Not yet. He'd been born down by Tiger stadium and never met his father and ran with the gangs after dropping out of Pershing in the 10th grade. Hector wasn't dumb by any means but he had a problem knowing right from wrong. He'd done time in Jackson for stealing a Porsche and leading cops north on 75 to almost Flint. It had been followed live by a TV6 chopper and Hector became a hero to the other inmates who treated him like a king. He did three years learning to be a better criminal. He'd met Lila at the revolving restaurant atop the GM headquarters building which was the showcase of Detroit's skyline. He'd been following a mark like he always did and had to check his funds before entering the restaurant. If he drank slow he would be all right. With uncanny street smarts he stalked his prey for days before swooping in for the score. On this night, he was sitting at the bar sipping on an eight dollar beer when Lila came in the door with a dude in sunglasses and flashy clothes who looked like one mean s.o.b. Hector read people well and these two were having a heated argument, well, at least the dude was. Then he saw him open up a check book, write a check, hand it over to Lila (who smiled) and then he stood up and left leaving this beautiful woman alone. How much was the check for? She captivated him leading him to totally forgetting his Mark. A couple minutes later he noticed he was gone too. Hmmm. Oh well, thought Hector, as he turned back to the girl again. He stood up, adjusted his clothes, checked his fly and put a hand to his mouth and blew to check his breath thinking of his best opening line. When he got to her table he gazed into her eyes and it was all over. Hector was in love again and all he could say was, "I'm sorry. Was that man bothering you?" That was a year ago now and it still hurt. Hector sighed thinking of their love affair that had lasted that whole summer and into the fall. He'd never met anyone like her nor would he. But, as quickly as she loved him she didn't. Sometimes he thought she was using him and that might be true. It was hard to tell with Lila. Men rarely understand women and when it came to Lila no man did. For this up coming score he had told her little. Only that a lot of money was involved. Hector figured that he could use the money to win her back. He didn't realize just how easy that would be as long as he had the money. And, could he trust Lila? Sure he could. He paced back and forth in the lobby getting his courage up. It was almost midnight and if he was going to do it it was now. He called Lila on his cell phone and told her to meet him at the White Castle off of six mile. He figured he could walk there with the suitcase in five minutes and with it dark he could avoid any quick responding police cars. Hector put his phone in his pocket and took a deep breath as he saw the silver Lexus pull up into the driveway. It was show time.....
I hope you have enjoyed hese two installments. They are fun to write. I'm tryiing to gauge if this might be a book. The next installment and others will be in my 'No Publisher Author" group. I hope you will follow me there....
Easy....
Lila Deshon was the real deal with a body that had left one man dead and another wounded. She was so hot she'd melt ice cubes. She was smart as a whip and if you didn't behave she would use one on you. Her problem was being too smart. Analytical to the point of boring. Like the sun, life revolved around Lila and she loved every minute of it.
She'd grown up in northwest Detroit between Outer Drive and Six mile. After graduating from Cooley high in 67 she went out to San Francisco with a flower in her hair and disappeared for a long time. Now Lila was back in town. Some say she married a rich guy who made movies but others said she spent some time in prison. Either way she an enigma. When she was around you couldn't wait to see what she would do next. You couldn't take your eyes off of her. Men feared her and loved her. All wanted her but were afraid of what would happen next. They'd die trying...
Lila loved to read. She could quote Socrates and swear in Finn. Her dad, Ralph, was a big drinker who always had a sceme but passed most nights at the corner bar off the Highwaymen's motorcycle club on six mile, east of Greenfield. Once he'd knocked a bike over stumbling home and was later found beat up in the alley down by Gilchrist. After Lila went west Ralph moved away and a few years later he had been killed in a fight outside a bar. Who'd have thought? Lila came back for the funeral looking slick with a husband in black shades and sailing clothes. He talked like John Kennedy did but no one liked him half as much. He was boring and it befuddled all that Lila was with such a loser. A beautiful loser. Lila's trademark line was anything from Bob Seger. She was anything but a beautiful loser. Everything came up roses for Lila down on main street.
On this night, she was waiting for a call from Hector. He had a score brewing and Lila had a car and a history with Hector. A short affair had brought them together but now they were just friends. Lila was the brains and Hector was on the streets of Detroit searching for the perfect score and now tonight she would find out how good Hector was. She thought of ways she could take care of Hector if the money came in but no sense worring about that until Hector held up his end. She puffed on her smoke looking out the window at the cold Detroit streets. So many memories here, she thought. The older she was the worse they were and she thought of some place warm. Some place safe. A place where she could get off the bus and settle in. Maybe a small town. But now, he hated the cold and hated waiting for Hector even more. Little did she know what was to happen running against the wind.
Her cell phone rang and it was Hector and while she was talking she put the Mustang in gear and headed for Rosedale Park which was the one black affluent neighborhood in Detroit. She thought of the fear but she wasn't afraid. She was never afraid. She was calm and relaxed as she obeyed the speeds and sped off into her next adventure. She loved adventures and already she had visions of places she wanted to go. A million dollars would go a long way.....
More to come....
One of my first cars was a 49 Ford Coupe. Fifty bucks cash. This rust bucket had as many issues as I did at 17 but basically the brakes didn't work so well. The seats shifted while I accelerated, a side window was cracked and I wasn't supposed to drive it until my dad had time to fix it but by that time I would be 18. A car makes any young man look more handsome and when he says anything stupid a girl will overlook it because she can listen to the music on the radio and won't have to walk home. This is what happened to me.... At school one day I'd managed to say in all my classes, "I have a car", (I'm no dummy) and when I was walking out the door three giggling girls asked me to give them a ride to another high school down the road a bit. Their names could have been Larry. Moe and Curly for all I cared. I said, in my best James Dean impression, "sure". I took the back streets beeming in my new found popularity and catching glipses at the three figuring which one I would drop off last. You know? This was going great. Gene Plankey had arrived.... and then.... Bamm. Ding. Bump. phhhhssss.... I tried to stop at that corner but couldn't and a car to my right hit my front fender and turned me off into a tree I hit which stopped us right quickly. Oh man.... I thought as I could hear the radiator hissing. We were all ok but I went from Frankie Avalon to Tiny Tim faster then super glue can dry. I went from handsome to ugly....ugly quick. After the girls had left and after the police had left and after the wrecker took my car away I started walking home. Four miles. Life and its great expectations were over in a flash in the pan. Oh my.... Head down with dreams gone. Car gone. Love life gone before it started. Long gone. One foot in front of another and I almost bump into three different high school girls. I look up, excuse myself, and mention I'm bummed for wrecking my car. Typical man act. Getting pity is gold. Suddenly, I took a second look at one of the girls. Wow. What was Cher doing here and where was Sunny? I guess I could say that one of my worst days was also one of my best. When we think that all is lost we are found. LIfe changes fast and we should never think it is not going to get better. It will if we let it and give it time. Time solves all....... That cute 15 year old Cher look alike was Karen; The lady I married a couple years later and we were together for over thirty years.... When the light was behind her I can still see the beautiful brown hair glistening aainst the blue sky and so clean it smelled like a heaven scent... She had a grin that always made me smile... Her faith blew me away and her dedication to God was foremost in her mind...She encouraged me...She prayed for me.... Her patience was never ending when I gave her so little to hope for... I miss her terrible... Easy....
I'm sitting in the cafeteria at the VA while my dad is getting another blood transfusion and a fellow vet asks if he can sit at my table and I said, sure. We exchanged the usual; branch of service, where we served and why we are here. I never tire of it. Andy also has Leukemia with a recent bone marrow transplant and is doing great. With much emotion we tell our own story like we are best buds. We laughed and we might have cried. We prayed. Out of all the tables and all the vets, he picked my table and it was no coincidence. It was meant to be... I'm sitting outside Tom's home sneaking a smoke and it's late and it's cold. What I really like is the quiet. It reminds me of home I already miss in the three days I've been on the road. I think of Tom sharing the inside of myboomerplace as we talk of the site and it's future. We talk of my future as a writer and how I need a manager. We toss around names and idea's that I take back home to the cabin to figure my next move. A new book? Another printing of TFC? Then or than? And when we got into politics the rest was a blur and I went to sleep in a bed fit for a king..... I'm sitting next to my moms bed and her hair falls down over her eyes and she looks disheveled. Her white hair is always combed just perfect but not today. A serious case of shingles has taken it's toll in the last two months and combined with the demands of taking care of my dad she has her hands full. It pains me to see my parents getting old. I hold her tight and I pray.... I'm sitting with my oldest son Jeff and he's gained a lot of weight in the last year. I'm uncomfortable thinking of what to say to my first born son I barely know. He doesn't let me inside his mind and guards his words carefully. He does smile and laugh about the old days. He tells me of when he was about 10 and he lost a dollar and a neighbor girl found it and returned it to him. He said that I went over to thank the girl and gave her a five dollar reward. I don't remember that part but it is something I would do. I pray Jeff continues on the right path....
I'm sitting on the couch talking to my gifted protegee Sean who is now going to college. He's aced all his classes so far but struggles with social skills and I've been mentoring him for over 5 years now. I'm trying to be the 'Ralph Williams' who was my mentor long ago. He helped edit my book and is probably the biggest fan of Trout Falls Chronicles. I've signed a contract with him allowing him to do a movie on my book someday. I keep such lofty thoughts in prospective but who knows. He is gifted and I am blessed to have such a nice lad as my friend... I'm sitting at the table with Janet and looking out the window at the concrete streets of Chicago. She looks great as usual and I wonder if all men are out of their mind for not 'finding' her. I guess I may be biased I and we spent many great times at this table; planning our future and then unplanning it. We prayed together before every meal. We shared our lives and our hopes and dreams. It still hurts me some thinking of those excellent days we had but if I keep thinking oif the past I am doomed. I must look to today and put those memories in a special place for a rainy day when I need them..... I'm sitting on a park bench and Pippen is patiently waiting to comtinue our walk. I'm in my glory now. And so is he. Me and my dog. Lol. Janet's dog. Back when, I'd bring Pippen here so he could run and so I could pretend I was home for a bit. No cars to run me over and no people to bump into. Just me and Pippen watching planes fly over from Midway takeoffs. Pippen seens indifferent at times and that's just his way. He knows it's me and I see it in his eyes. I get on my knees and I give him a big hug. I say lets go and he takes off running out all the leash. I have my pooper scooper but I never had to use it. Almost as amazing as Pippen is..... I'm sitting in the examination room waiting for my blood counts. This is the worst time. The waiting. It's the first time I am alone. No Jim. No mom and dad. And no Janet. It hurts a bit. The Doctor comes in and I try to read his face. He's smiling and so do I. All numbers in the normal range but he does say my white cell count is a bit high but not to worry about it. I won't. I'll turn it over to God.... I'm sitting in McDonalds near the Mackinac bridge with my brother Jim and waiting for Burner to arrive and take me home. I'm ready. I'm tired and exhausted. Jim looks at his watch and says, "It's 11:30". That's the time Burner was due and I look out the window and there he is pulling into the parking lot. Burner never lets me down. I tell Jim it's time to say goodbye and we hug big time. He has so much pressure in his life with Mom and Dad and I feel guilty for leaving again. But, I do, and I look through the back window and give him a last wave.... I'm going home... Easy...
Kris is gone for the day so I thought I'd stop by one more time before I leave. It's more then hectic around here with ice fishing gear in every corner and his stuff getting mixed up with my stuff in room as small as a cracker Jack box. I'm feeding two instead of one and a weird odor permeates through the cabin but I know it's not me. Could be the minnows flapping in the bucket or did I miss one when I spilled it yesterday? They call me 'squeaky clean' for my sauna every other day and I've taken so much steam the Doc is going to ask why I've lost weight and my face is red. I've never felt better, I'll say. But, today, I have to clean up some. Maybe do something about the Pike Kris has caught that are slopping around in the fridge ready for the slaughter. No one has caught a pike in three weeks and Kris shows up and he has three already with one a nice 30"er. The freezer will be loaded with enough filet's for many fabulous meals on the round table looking out on the frozen lake watching deer pass by like it's the John Deere freeway..... I have all my rides and my train reservations lined up and all that is missing for a John Candy movie is a plane trip. On conference call I have synchronized our watches (ok. my phone) and if I pull this off...I will be surprised. I still don't have a place to stay for one night but I think if I stand outside the train station in Ann Arbor a nice family will take me in. That reminds me I have to do something about my long hair and beard. I have that I've been in the woods all winter look that is a cross between a short Paul Bunyan and Red Green. Ha..... Spirits are good. I get knocked down at times but I learn from my mistakes and keep moving forward to Ann Arbor and beyond. I'll go at Gods speed. Kris thinks I should be perfect and I tell him I almost am. I laugh. I am who I am and happy where I am. Inside, I have idea's of spring and building, my metal detecting and finding a way to do things that make me that happy man who always smiles. Smiles don't come cheap. We earn them and we give them. In this world today we need more smiles and it starts here... I think of all my friends here and what a blessing you are to me. I think of the new friends I've made like Hart and with an old friendship renewed with Active. I think of the friends I've lost touch with and wonder how they are. When I leave Sunday you will all be with me in my thoughts, my travels and you will be in my prayers. Especially WritterDeb on her loss.... I'm gonna take it ....Easy...smile...
Some of my best blogs are formed from a simple thought or a single sentence. I was watching a TV show the other night and I heard a Doctor ask, 'How well do you want to be?' and I shivered remembering when a nurse said that to me the day I had my stroke. Ok. I know that some of you may be thinking, oh boy, here he goes with another blog about his cancer. Ok. It's what I am thinking. Maybe your tired of hearing about it and I should just let it go and talk of other happy subjects and use my wit to make you laugh. I have a knack for that..... All I can say is that I just passed 13,000 views of my home page a couple days ago and that boggles my mind. I once kidded Pappa Tom that I had 5 times the views that he has and he said, "I'm not as popular as you are", and I laughed. Unknowingly, I have a bully pulpit of sorts and perchance one person who has cancer or has had a stroke may gain some wisdom from one that has been in the fight. I know I learned from others in a chemo lazy boy or in the physical therapy room and again I ask, "How well do you want to be?"..... I was once again in a hospital room after my stroke with Kris and my little brother Jimmy hovering over my bed like on a death watch again. Been there and done that. I was so angry but didn't know who to be angry at. It wasn't Gods fault and it wasn't my fault. I had dutifully finished six long months of chemo and the Doctors told me my cancer was gone. It was a new year. A year I could get my strength back and I could finally go home to Republic... I thought of my silent camp on Island lake with the snow falling in the front yard. I thought of the front deck with snow drifted halfway up the door that hadn't been opened in months. It would be cold inside; impersonal and quiet while a crow squawks over head but there is no one home to hear it. "How well do I want to be?" Well enough to go home.... I love all the nurses. God bless each and every one. I can't say enough about them and how they really care about their job and their patients and to them it is a passion and not an occupation. The nurse this evening was no different then all the rest and she asked if I'd seen the Doctor and I said, 'yes'. I lamented my anger and frustration and told her that I had promised the Doctor I would shake his hand when he came back tomorrow. She looked incrediulous. Only an hour before with Kris and JIm, I held up my right arm with my left hand and tried to move just one finger on my right hand. I couldn't. Not even a wiggle. I asked the nurse for help.... She pointed above my bed to a harness I could use to lift myself up with and she told me to put wrap my hand around that and use it as a pull up exercise and I might get some movement back. She left and I went to work. Up and down. Up and down; into the night... The next morning the Doctor came in bright and early and I was ready. I swung my right arm out and with the motion in the first finger again I caught his hand. And I shook it..... The point is, folks, were all going to get sick and face hurdles we must jump the older we get. It's a fact of getting old. One thing we can never do is give up. Ever. Nine days later I went back to my trailer in Detroit and found a computor in theliving room. I sat down and swung my right arm at it and with the one finger that worked I transformed myself into Easy. It was anything but. How well do You want to be?... Easy...
Age is just a number. Why else would I be on the roof of my neighbors sauna preparing to slide down the 'crippler' on a plastic sled flying out unto the ice? My mind doesn't want to admit I should stop acting like a ten year old but as long as there is a (safe) challenge I'll give it a go. I'm not afraid to tell you that a lady went down the slide before me. Some have more nerve then ten men. Especially Wisconsin biker babes. I leaned back and let er' go and I flew so fast I think I broke the sound barrier. Ok. Scaped my butt. It was a 100 feet in three seconds. I now am the oldest person to go down the crippler and I'm also the youngest at heart..... This morning everything is melting outside. In the snow I see things I lost a month ago and I use a hammer to find the wood on my deck again. Pudddles of water are forming on the ice of Island Lake and water drips from the roof outside my window. A mist resembling sauna smoke dances by like a white cloud in a hurry. Squirrels are out gathering seeds the've hidden, bouncing from branch to branch, enjoying the winter weather reprieve. If my daffodils weren't under three feet of snow they might be sprouting. I know it won't last but just another day closer to spring while I try not to think of it. Dreaming of things to come takes away from the dreams of today... My mind wanders thinking of my mom and my ex Karen. Mom has a terrible case of Shingles and I've had it twice and I know what she is going through. We've barely talked in a week. Karen passed out yesterday and shattered her right wrist and is in the hospital this morning in Florida. I wish I could do more but I'm so far away all I can do is pray. I find comfort in that..... In less then three weeks I head down to the Detroit area again for my cancer check up and I'm getting a bit edgy thinking of that world at the end of my dirt road. I have really found my stride these days and I detest rocking my proverbial boat but we all have commitments and dealines. Drat. I fear that my Leukemia has come back but it is not founded by the facts. I feel great considering the many years I've lived that pile up like weights added to an exercise machine. I know what I went through and I don'twant a second act. If it comes I am ready and I see it as a real challenge I am up for.... I will not diddle nor will I daddle in Detroit. I have no realistic place to stay and I don't want to pay for a Motel and am not sure where I will bstaying but that will work itself out. It always does.... What I am excited about is stopping in Chicago; my kind of town. I've missed Janet and I've missed Pippen more then I care to admit but I gues I just did. Were both settling back into our lives alone and remain close friends and if she needs her windows cleaned again, I'm the man. We all need one real good friend in our life and she is mine. When something exciting happens to me I call her. When I'm down and need guidance she is always there. I like to think I am the same for her. I hope you too have that one person in your life. Priceless..... Have a Ruby Tuesday my friends. Thanks for listening..... Easy...
He remembers the last time he saw his wife alive. She had argued with her sister and now she was taking it out on him but he wouldn't have aby part of that. She was going to town to work out the problem and he told her that the brakes were rubbing a bit and to be careful. She said she would and smiled. They kissed and said good bye...... We were sitting in the Club having a beer and Roy Orbison was singing 'working for the man'. The pool balls scattered off a heavy break with a crack while three snowmobilers were sitting together decked out in neon green and black winter gear and the matching helmets were lined up on a back table. He told me that they had been married for eight wonderful years and to everyone they were the perfect couple. Hardly ever had a fight. He rubbed his face with his hand and said, "I really loved her".... The back road to Republic winds its way through the pine forests and the police say she was speeding when she smucked a deer head on then lost control and hit a tree. Just like that she was gone and my friend was stunned to say the least. He was depressed for a couple of years and drinking bad but was able to keep his job after a six month leave of absence. It had happened over 30 years ago but I saw a tear in his eye as he stared off into the distance. In his own world; a life time ago... He was one of 18 children from two dads and one mom. It was typical for the finns in town who needed every able worker on the farm. I asked him to name them all and he did without a flinch or a lapse of memory. I guess I would too.... And now you know a little about my best bud Burner who is my driver and confidant I mention every now and then. We both had spent a year on Okinawa during theVietnam War. We never met but our stories carry a common thread. I feel his pain from the past like the pain I feel from mine. We all have our cross to bear in this life of ours. Time heals the pain and the adventure of the day goes on. Some just handle it better then others..... Easy...
I was called a hero the other day and thinking about it I was probably just stupid. My neighbor's son and a bud came up from Wisconsin and they decided to have a cookout in the vacant building that sits across the road from my place. No one lives in this old logging shack and I watched as they set up a propane grill for the burgers and fried potatos. All was good until the small propane tank caught fire and one of the guys screamed, 'it's going to blow up' and we went out the door like someone had yelled, 'fire' in a movie house... So, I'm standing outside watching the flames reaching up a foot or so and I got to thinking. I like my neighbors a lot. This shack is worth good money and by the time the fire department got here they could put out the basement it didn't have. I thought of J. and S. and the last thing I wanted to see was their shack burning to the ground on my watch. I call myself the Mayor of Island Lake and I take my duties seriously. Seriously.... As a writer I can take the time to explain whatever I care to while that tank keeps burning until YOU can almost feel the heat. Like a car teetering on the edge of the cliff. I could now tell you what a hero really is but it is much debatable. That pilot who landed in the Hudson is a hero. The soldier who falls on agrenade to save his buddies is a hero... All I did was to go back into the shack and wearing my gloves I unscrewed the tank staring at the flames so close it singed my beard. I got it off and bolted for the door and threw it into the snow where it sizzled and sent white smoke up into the night sky. Ok. A puff. Problem solved. As Easy as that.... My buds were most impressed but I wasn't. The story will be told over campfires for years to come. To me, it was a split second decision I don't remember much. I did it because no one else was going to do anything. Heck, these two yard birds were halfway into another county.... Life goes on but I wonder why I did it. I still can't figure it out.... Be safe. Be good and do good deeds.... Easy....
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