mcgrew's Journal: Ralph

Previously: Lightning fast

Breathe, breathe in the air
Don't be afraid to care
Leave, but don't leave me
Look around, Choose your own ground

Long you'll live and high you'll fly
Smiles you'll give and tears you'll cry
All you touch and all you see
Is all your life will ever be

Run, rabbit run
Dig that hole, forget the sun
And when at last the work is done
Don't sit down, it's time to dig another one

Long you live and high you fly
But only if you ride the tide
Balanced on the biggest wave
Raced towards an early grave

-Pink Floyd

When I got home, Amy was Extatic. I'd told her not to call him, that he'd be calling her, and I was right.

I'd forgotten to take my phone to work with me. With Amy in the house that was a BIG mistake; Amy reminds me of my late grandmother and oldest daughter when it comes to the phone - you can't get them to hang up to save your life. So the phone only had thirty minutes left on it.

Amy, Charlie, and I went to Felber's to celebrate Amy's fortune. Amy's BF came, and they left together, and Charlie and I went home and watched a Bruce Willis movie.

Two days later "Annie" called needing money - I was going to get lucky! Charlie made herself scarce for us. I'd not seen Annie for a while, and we had some catching up to do. She'd lost even more weight and looked damned good. Foreplay was fun and exciting, and I was about to put in and

SLAM STOMP STOMP STOMP SLAM

"What the fuck???" Annie freaked, jumped out of bed, and grabbed clothing. "It's my boyfriend!"

"No, it's Charlie, damn her! Son of a bitch! GOD DAMN IT, CHARLIE!"

I never saw a woman get dressed so quicky. Annie was out the back door in a flash.

FLUSH

"Damn it Charlie! You cost me that pussy!"

"I had to shit. I had to shit BAD!"

"Couldn't you go to a gas station or something?"

"Well you got some didn't you?"

"NO damn it, I was just about to stick it in when you came stomping through the house. Fuck! Damn, now I'm REALLY horney. I feel like crying, damn it!"

"You didn't...."

"No!"

"Oh hell, Jesus, steve, I'm sorry."

"Damn."

"I'll fuck you!"

"What?"

Holy shit, I couldn't believe my ears!

"I have to run an errand first, can I use your car? I'll drop you off at Felber's and pick you up when I finish."

Wow! I couln't possibly refuse her request at this point - I was going to get some from Charlie!

Wow!

Three hours later I was drunk, Charlie was still gone, and it was nearly my bed time. Damn! I started walking home, angry and doubtful - she had no intention of having sex with me.

I was about four blocks from Felber's when Charlie pulled up. "Sorry I took so long," she said. "Stuff got out of hand. Man, you're drunk!"

When we got to the house I asked her if she was really serious about her offer of sex. She assured me she was, but she said I was too drunk. "Can we do it tomorrow when you get off work?"

The next day at work was a really really REALLY long day. When I got off work she wanted to use my car again. "Well sure but first can't we..."

"I told him I'd pay him back by five o'clock! It will only be a few minutes!"

The place she was going was right down the street, maybe two blocks. I sighed, and said OK.

Half an hour later I decided I was being toyed with; she had no intention of having sex with me. I walked down, got my car, and started driving. I'd not gone a block when my phone rang. It was Charlie. "Can I use your car to get some cigarettes?"

"NO God damn it! I waited half a fucking hour for you and you're stalling more. I got the car and I'm going to Felber's, damn you!" I had a few more choice words for her. In fact I pretty much called her everything but a white girl. There's little I hate more than being promised sex when the promiser has no intention of following through. A thief is better - I'd rather be stolen from than cockblocked and prick teased. I was pissed off; the American pissed, not the British pissed.

As it was Friday I stayed out late. Charlie was still gone when I got home.

The next morning I woke up about six, and found her asleep on the couch.

I wasn't quiet; I had no intention of going out of my way to ne nice. She could get her lazy ass up. I was the proverbial "that far" from throwing her out. We argued some more, and she had a few choice words for me, as well.

Then she had the gall to ask to use my phone!

"Hell no, bitch!" And I stomped out, got in the car and headed to Farlies. That's the bar by the train station; and coincidentally I'm at the part of the HHGTTG series where Aurther takes Fenny to the train station, and Douglas Adams talks of how sleazy pubs by train stations are. Apparently sleazy bars by train stations are universal.

Farley's is the one bar that will let anyone in. Respectable women won't go near the place. The women there are all alcoholics, drug addicts, sluts, and whores.

I'd met my last girlfriend there.

Farlie's would have just what I needed - a whore and a cup of coffee.

There were no women in the place at all - I was batting zero. I asked the bartender for a cup of coffee.

"This is a bar, not a goddamned coffee house!"

"Well, it's to early for me to drink! You got any coffee?"

"Pot's over there," he growled. I poured a cup, drank it (surprisingly it wasn't a bad cup of coffee) and left. I even tipped the asshole. I headed to Felber's, where the people are friendlier - and I'd seen "snake" come in to buy forty ounce takeout beer on occasion. I was in such a bad way I'd even have sex with HER, and like I said, doing her is like fucking a snake. She's a skeleton with skin, with a big head and hair like Michael Keaton in the movie Beetlejuice.

Before I got there the phone rang - Linda. She was on my shit list, too. "Yeah?" I answered.

"Hey, I wanted to call you before Charlie did. Ralph died."

"What?"

Ralph is a good friend; we'd drink together, eat together, swap war stories (his were more interesting than mine), loan each other money.

Tears started streaming down my face. It hadn't been unexpected; Ralph was 86 years old, a WWII navy veteran. He'd had a burst appendix and had been in intensive care most of the summer. The last thing he'd said to me was "Steve, I don't think I'm gonna make it."

I drove home to see Charlie. I didn't want to fuck her any more; in fact, I didn't feel like fucking anybody right then. Our differences seemed petty now. She was walking down the street, crying, and flagged me down. Her friend Winney had dropped by my house and told her, and Charlie'd called Linda to confirm it.

We bought a newspaper and looked at Ralph's death notice. Then we went to Felber's. I bought us each a beer and shots of Jack Daniels, and I bought her some cigarettes. We sat in the bar and drank and cried over our late friend, our differences and insultes to each other forgotten.

The thirty five year old Charlie had lived with Ralph for the last eight years. She'd introduced me to him. I wouldn't have known Ralph were it not for Charlie.

Rest in peace, old friend.

This journal is dedicated to the memory of Ralph Weibe, born 1922 and died 2006. He was born in Oklahoma of Russian immigrants, who had immigrated to Russia from Germany before finally settling in the Unites States.

Ralph was six years old before he learned to speak English, having only spoken German at home.

I greatly miss my elderly friend.

Next: Uploading Amy's Parrot

Sorry for your loss

[dragonsomnolent]

McGrew, my sympathies on your loss.

Sorry too....

[Falconhell]

My sympathy too McGrew, how ironic you chose Pink Floyd song-I just heard Rick Wright ( PF Keyboard player) died of cancer yesterday-another great loss.

Regards

Dave

Re:

[mcgrew]

Ironic indeed, especially since I hadn't heard of Rick Wright's death. I didn't even know he was suffering from cancer. I got pretty drunk Saturday night, sat on the portch and listened to The Wall. That passage from Dark Side of the Moon popped into my head as I was writing.

Damn

[moronikos]

Sorry about Ralph. I felt I knew him a little through your writing.