Florida, 1979
Life’s a Beach and then You Die
PART SIX
I’m turning into electrified Jello when I spot the all important tavern sign.
The Sandpiper Lounge: faded, blue box with a big air conditioner sticking out a side window.
“Shall we?” I say like the fly to the spider, “I’ll buy you a beer.” I point at the fine establishment.
“Why not,” she says.
I park. We get out. We go in.
Behind the leather-covered bar is a bartender, a few beer signs and a lot of bottles. We have a couple beers each and get to talking. Then we get to laughing about things and teasing. You know how it is. Once in a while she puts her hand on my arm, real friendly and warm. I buy her a pack of Chesterfields (her “favorite” but they don’t have them everyplace, so then she has to smoke Winstons).
I get the change and realize I’m down to my last five bucks and have no idea how I’m going to get any more. A pang hits my gut.
“We’ve got to go,” I say, suddenly sober.
“You don’t look so good,” she says. “Is it me? You can leave me here if you want to.”
“No, it’s not you, Dorie, it’s me. I’m down to my last five bucks, but you’re welcome to share it with me.”
“Cheer up, sweetie, things’ll work out. Hows about if I drive? Never driven one of those hippie vans before.”
“No, I’m all right. I can drive, if I can do anything. I’m just not sure where I should drive to.”
“Don’t you have people? Didn’t you say you were from Clearwater? Why aren’t you going back there?”
“No place to go. Well, that’s not totally right. There are a couple of options. Say listen, five bucks isn’t going to get us very far. What do you say we blow the rest on drinks and then hit the road and see what happens?”
“It’s your party, cowboy. I’m only going a mile down.”
“Then where? You don’t even know, do you? You’re broke, just like me, aren’t you? Can’t you see it? You and I have been thrown together by the Hands of Fate. And I think there’s some meaning in that. I mean, what are the odds, for Christ sake? Two people find each other in the middle of Nowhere, Florida and get along famously like you and I do. What are the odds?”
“You are a dreamer, Keith Elton.”
“But I’m not the only one.”
I order us up two gin and tonics so at least we can enjoy our last few moments together in style. Five bucks turns to one and I leave it for the bartender. We finish the drinks in a hurry and walk outside into the bright sun and it’s the best I’ve felt for days. I take a deep breath and a premonition that doom is right around the corner hits me and I don’t even care. I have some food in the van and a million dollars worth of dope, why should I care?
Then I start thinking: what the hell, why not have a snort? Why not enjoy a little of the bounty that’s been dropped into my lap by the powers that be? I can sneak back there and grab a little without the girl even knowing what I’m doing. She seems to be the type of girl that might enjoy a little toot, though. Like a lot of people, these days…
I wrestle with the idea as we get back onto the highway. I’ve got a craving both for the drug and for the girl, or some twisted combination of the two. After five long minutes, with knots in my stomach and bees in my head, I pull off the road, unable to fight the urges any longer.
“What’s the matter?” Dorie asks nervously.
“I’ve got a little something in the back that you might enjoy. Well, at least I will. It’ll only take a minute. We’re out in plain sight of the highway, nothing to worry about. I have to get something out of the back.”
“I wasn’t worried about getting hurt,” she says. “I was afraid of getting dumped.”
“I wouldn’t do something like that. I wanted to have a little toot that’s all. Thought, maybe you might want to join me. It’ll take the fuzz out of the booze high.”
“Are you kidding? There’s blow in this bus? Jesus, I don’t know.”
“You ever tried it before?”
She looks around nervously, fidgeting in the sheepskin-covered seat.
“Oh yeah, I’ve tried it before. That stuff got my boyfriend killed. This is just too unreal. I run into a dreamboat and he’s into coke, too. I mean, that’s heavy… scares me a little.”
“Yeah, I guess. It is scary, I suppose. But there’s coke around everywhere these days, especially in this fucking state. It’s hardly rare. I’ve got a little bit. I just thought a toot would be a good idea, help to bring out the sunshine and ah—well, make it easier to drive. I’m kinda loaded.”
“Well honey, so am I. Just high enough to say yes, against my better judgment.”
I smile and feel the adrenaline crawling up my spine.
(To be continued)
