05:56 - Monday, Feb. 20, 2006
gather round the campfire, kitties.....
its time for a strange but true bedtime (or coffeetime, depending upon your perspective) story! i dunno if i ever told this tale here, if i did, i dont remember.
the story you are about to read is true. no names were changed, because i dont remember any. it was a long time ago! gimme a break!!
the ex had given me the heave ho, and i went to canada and got a job on a farm up north of calgary. it was a good job, too; learning how to take care of horses, and learning farmwork. i was staying sober, and was making good money. after awhile, the old couple that took me in convinced me that i should try and get ahold of the ex, and see if she wanted to come up here, and i thought that would be a novel idea.
i had told her not to bring everything, but just a few suitcases, but what did she do? she brought EVERYTHING but the kitchen sink!!! well guess what immergration canada thought? ha! so, they were sending her back to port of entry, which was denver. free plane ride for her, i paid for mine, and had to leave a good job. i wasnt gonna let her goto denver all by herself. although i should have.
so, we get to denver, and find a flophouse to move into.
she got a job as a waitress, and i got a job scamming money. its what i did back then. things were ok for a while, then she got pregnant and near the due date, she wanted to go back home. so, we got a used car from someone, and i got a wooden crate and some tie downs, and all the junk went into the crate, it was 2 and 1/2 feet tall, and took up most of the roof!!! and away we went!! what a sight we must have been!!
we got as far as limon colorado with the car when we got our 1st flat. there was a service station nearby, and i went to get a tire. all along the way, we got flat tires every 200 miles or so, and i always managed to get anutter tire. paying no more than 15 or 20 bucks for a used tire. and panhandling at truck stops was a gold mine! one look at the belly-hi ex, ready to burst, and people just handed over cash.
the daughter and the baby and the ex never complained. suprising, having been holed up in the car for hours at a time. the oldest son was just a year and a half, and daughter was 5 and a half.
we get to effingham illnois, and her water broke!! i had no idea where the hospital was!! thank god for those blue H signs with the arrows!! i drove like a cop in pursuit!! its a wonder we didnt get pulled over!!
so the hospital we get to was a catholic hospital, and i pulled up to the emergency room, and we got her inside, just in time.
they gave us a room in the hospital which was like a motel room, and newborn baby and the ex was in the maternity wing. they were good to us, for real. we ate in the cafeteria, and could have anything we wanted. free.
one day, we were in the cafeteria getting lunch, and i gave daughter a chicken patty with gravy with mashed taters and peas. when i gave her the plate, she looked at it, and i shit you not, all of a sudden, she blurted out. "whats this shit?" in a loud and embarrassing voice!!! all i could do was sit there and smile, all the employees and nurses were in there and heard it all. i wanted to smack her. but, if i did, i just know that child services would have been called, and all hell would have broken loose. so, i just sat there and smiled, gritted my teeth, and explained to her it was a chicken patty. she had never seen a chicken patty before. she threw a temper tantrum. looking back on it now, i can laugh about it, but, at the time i was embarrassed, and felt like everyone in there was staring at me to see what i would do. like daggers pointing at my head. waiting to strike. all i did was smile, and got her a hamburger and fries, and she calmed down.
we stayed there for a week, they didnt want us to leave unless the car we had was in good shape. it needed belts and hoses, and tires, and a distributor!! well i told them that i had no money for that, but guess what? the TOWN paid a mechanic to get the car in shape!! woo!! it got all it needed, and then some, a tune up, and 4 brand new tires!!!!
we got to her parents house a week later, and as i pulled up into the driveway, i hit a curb, and the A frame broke!!! right there!! well, the car wasnt gonna be moving anytime soon, but the ex didnt care. she was "home" and the friggen inlaws made me sleep in the car. assholes.
eventually, i got the car fixed, and i got a job as a security guard, and soon was able to get our own place. this is the part of the story where it should say, "and we all lived happily ever after" but, that wasnt the case.
long story short, she got pregnant again, threw me out of the house, tired of my boozing and gambling, and all the bullshit that i was pulling, then, i went to reno, hung out and made money gambling, passed out, and ended up in detox, and finally stopped drinking. she gave birth to steven, and in april of 1986, just 3 months sober, she took me back, and steven died in july, and by february, 1987, i was out of the house forever. and you know the rest.
FACT OF THE DAY
The islands of Orkney and Shetland became Scottish territory today in 1472, when they were annexed to the Crown as part of a marriage dowry to King James III. Both have strong links to their previous owners, the Norwegians, as can be seen each year in Shetland at the Up Helly Aa Viking winter festival or in the numerous ancient sites that dot both islands.
WORD OF THE DAY
titivate: to smarten up; to spruce.
