It really doesn't matter where you
place your head on pillow, there is always the seedy side of town. Most
commonly referred to as south side of the tracks.
I imagine this is a result of the
early railroads which typically ran from East to West or West to East. I don't
know how the rails separated Mansfield, Ohio however the seedy side of town is
North and East of the main line.
Jeff Bloom, a traveling salesman tired
of being alone in a hotel room night after night decided to have a quiet
cocktail in the lounge at the Holiday Inn on the south side of Mansfield. Sitting
in the empty bar, a local woman Deloris Holmes sat a few stools down from Jeff.
Deloris was avoiding her empty
apartment taking advantage of happy hour.
A casual conversation started and
Jeff offered Deloris dinner in exchange for companionship at dinner. They
picked up their drinks and headed for a table in the restaurant. Jeff was
delighted to have company, Deloris was happy to be out for dinner.
Through the conversations, Jeff
learned more about Deloris and Deloris learned about Jeff. Jeff mentioned he
spent the summer of 1964 living in a small apartment in Haight-Ashbury. It did
not take long before the subject of weed, grass, or pot and free love came into
the conversation.
Both Jeff and Deloris agreed smoking
a joint would top off a wonderful evening. The problem; no pot, weed or grass
in sight. Jeff depended upon the knowledge of Deloris to help them place
themselves into the right spot to score a small bag. Their desire for joint
overtook their common sense as they jumped into Jeff’s car and headed to the
Northeast side of Mansfield. The clubs were grouped along a street with dim
street lighting accenting the neon glow of the clubs. They agreed, if they
could score they would head back to the comfort of the Holiday Inn. They tried
a couple of cab rides asking the driver to help them score. One recommended they
try one of the ladies walking the street near a local bar. It was around 10 PM
when they arrived, found a parking place and stated soliciting some of the
ladies with a proposition. They would offer the lady her rate plus the cost of
the pot.
It was not long before an older black
woman took them up on their offer. She jumped into the back seat and gave the
directions to her dealer. The price was $60 an ounce and was quickly agreed to,
and paid. Jeff, being of sober mind and not willing to be had, asked their new
friend for her driver’s license. Standing next to the driver’s door the
stranger told Jeff and Deloris she left her purse on the back seat. She continued, “it won’t take long, I will be
right back.”
Jeff and Deloris watched through
the windshield in the dim orange light of street light down the block as the
woman disappeared down a walkway between two apartment buildings. They could
not see what apartment was entered, if any. It really didn’t matter.
Jeff and Deloris sat in the car continuing
their conversation not paying attention to the lapse time. Seconds turned into
minutes and minutes turned into huge chunks of time. They were eager for the
lady’s return with the pot. Jeff looked at his watch and noted the time.
Deloris looked hard down the walkway not seeing any movement. “You know, she's
been gone a long time.”
“Your right, I think we need to be
a little more patient.” Perhaps she knew the drug dealer and wanted to get
herself a hit of something. Jeff and Deloris waited and waited for the lady’s
return. Finally, they looked at each other with a long stare. In unison, “did
we get had?”
“No way Deloris, we have her purse
on the backseat.”
After another fifteen minutes passed
and the reality was apparent. This just may turn into a bust. Jeff reached into
the back seat and grabbed the purse by the hand straps. “Here, you open it.”
Deloris opened the purse. “Wow, that’s
a surprise, we just paid sixty dollars for a two dollar purse.”
Copyright 2013 – All Rights Reserved – Edwin R. Ellis
That was a great ending.
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