buy the second round. That’s ‘bout all I’m good for at the time, but I’ll have plenty of money later.”
For twenty minutes Jimmy served as the lone barkeep. As he was turning the duties back to Eric, Glenn swaggered over and bought two beers. Jimmy followed him to the table.
Glenn fingered circles in the condensation on his glass and said, “So, John. What’s coming down? You been over in Vietnam?”
“Close enough. Too damned close.”
Jimmy shivered. Too damned close, all right. He had been off the coast aboard a tanker, a refueling ship. A target the enemy had tried its best to destroy.
Jimmy’s ship had sat in the middle of the fleet. You have to protect your fuel. Everywhere Jimmy looked he could see a ship. Until then he had never seen ships’ guns firing at sea. It had scared him.
“I was in the last one,” Glenn said. “Not just close, but in the son of a bitch. Came out of it disabled. There’s some work I still can’t do. What I can do though is find ways to make a living. Old G1-, Jay, might be a little short on cash, but that’s temporary. I’ll have money soon. Money and a chick. How about you? Got a lady to call your own or do you play the field?”
“Neither.” Jimmy shook his head.
“That’s one way to do it. But you need to have one you can fall back on at any time. As for me, I don’t want to be saddled day and night with no whining woman. I’ll just take ‘em as I need ‘em. Ain’t no trouble for old Jay to get laid.”
Jimmy listened without comment as Jay raved on and on about his conquests over women and his ability to make money without working. He was wishing Marty would come and take this old guy off his hands when he heard the word that captured his undivided attention: Seattle!
“What did you say about Seattle?” Jimmy asked.
“I’m thinking about heading up there. You want to go?”
“Seattle sounds good to me,” Jimmy said. Did it ever!
“Let’s get out of this town then,” Glenn said. “How you fixed on cash?”
“I got a little.”
“We’ll hit the road after dark. You ready to leave this place? Got something I want you to see.”
“Suits me.” Jimmy hurried to the bar and said to Eric, “Need any more help?”
“Naw, I can handle it.”
“I’m cuttin’ out then.”
“Better watch that guy.”
“You’re not my parents, man. Give me two six-packs to go.”
They stepped out into the afternoon sunlight. Glenn stopped to get his bearings, then said, “This way.” He led Jimmy to a white two-door Oldsmobile. “How you like this?” he asked.
Without really considering, Jimmy said, “It’s okay.”
“Okay, hell! It’s a beauty, man. I can get me a car anytime. We get tired of this one, I’ll get another.”
To Jimmy, this sounded like just plain bull from a man without money, but he didn’t comment.
Glenn keyed the door, climbed in on the driver’s side and unlocked the passenger door. “You still wantin’ to go to Seattle?” “Yeah, I want to go! I just need to pick up a few things.” The journey to Jimmy’s place took them through “Haight,” the name young immigrants had given Haight- Ashbury. It was a neighborhood filled with large Victorian houses once inhabited by the well-to-do and now by youth in torn jeans and mini skirts. Many of the guys had beards and ponytails. Their password was, “Freedom.” Some stayed; others moved on.
The community had certainly been transformed. Rock bands were plentiful. The Grateful Dead had bought a mansion here as had the Jefferson Airplane group.
As they drew near to Golden Gate Park, the atmosphere was charged. You could feel the excitement, sense the tension. Police cars cruised the area, hoping to keep the animals corralled. Young girls wore flowers in their hair and sold bouquets. Glenn visually undressed them all.
They decided to stop. Glenn parked, locked the car, and they strolled in. Jimmy carried both six-packs in a paper bag. As the fog closed in, they heard a ship’s horn out in the bay. Gulls cried as if trying to be heard over the raucous sounds from below. The birds were fighting a losing battle.
The two men entered the park and were bombarded by a cacophony of sounds. Individuals who thought they alone had found the profound meaning of the decade were shouting their messages. Some guitars played a soft melody; others blasted out hard rock. Jugglers vied for attention. A young girl with long brown hair sat beneath a tree, playing a sad tune on a flute. Many looked in need of a bath and a meal. Acid and grass were more available than was food.
Above the waist either sex might wear anything or nothing at all. Some girls, proud of their boobs, went topless. Some with tiny boobs went topless, too. Maybe the sunshine would help them grow.
As they wandered deeper into the park, they saw many couples embraced in the clutches of love, only partially concealed by bushes. It was as though the area had been set aside as a reservation and, so long as the inmates didn’t stray, they were left alone to satisfy what they considered to be basic needs.
Jimmy thought the park resembled a circus. Everywhere he looked, something was happening. There were jugglers and clowns, and music coming at them from all directions.
Glenn thought of it as a huge meat market. He was anxious to make a selection. Maybe a little rump roast, or breast of chick.
“Enjoy the view,” Jimmy said. “You don’t want any of these girls. There’s all kinds of disease down here. I don’t know much, but I know that.”
Glenn wasn’t ready to confide to Jimmy that he could spread a little infection around, too. After finishing one six-pack and starting on the other, they returned to the car. Glenn, who had done most of the drinking, was bug-eyed.
He opened the trunk and removed a brown bag. Inside the car, he glanced around to see if they were being observed. Satisfied, he pulled two revolvers out of the bag. Both were snubnosed. One was blue steel; the other a shiny chrome with a cracked handle grip.
Glenn pushed the shiny gun towards Jimmy. “This one’s got your name on it,” he said.
“What in the hell would I want with a gun?”
“Protection, man. Everywhere you look, there’s weird people. Never hurts to be prepared.”
“Where did you get it?”
“What difference does it make? Take it.”
Hesitantly, Jimmy took the gun in his hand. “Is it loaded?”
“I’ll load it for you. Ain’t no way you can protect yourself with an unloaded gun.”
Jimmy felt a certain amount of pride. This was the first pistol he’d ever owned.
