The Roy’s:Episode Seventeen
May 8th, 2008
Episode Seventeen
(No upset contributors here folks)
…she told me to come back another day.
And I did come back, on the very next one. I don’t know if they had a change of heart, or were merely doing the ‘right thing’. Either way, twenty four hours later I got to hold my son.
Naturally, he was way cuter than any baby you have ever held.
I attribute that previous statement to my complete lack of knowing what to expect. But, when I held my son in my arms for the first time it was instant water works. For some reason it really had never crossed my mind that this baby boy would look just like me; but he did, and it was absolutely amazing. I know, it sounds silly, but he was such a dead ringer.
Now there is one lucky kid.
I will give ‘the girl’ credit; she made it through, delivered the goods, and started protecting them immediately. I can’t take a single ounce of credit for that, I wasn’t part of the process. I don’t believe I was ever asked to be either.
Fair enough I guess.
Over the course of the next couple of months, ‘the girl’ and I almost made a go of it. I remember going over to her apartment complex on what was to be the first time we would ever be alone together with ‘the baby’. It is absolutely astounding to spend time with ones newborn, and that day was one of the most indescribable experiences of my life. We didn’t need to speak, a glance was all it took to say everything that needed to be said. We both were completely mesmerized at what we had created.
Totally and utterly awestruck.
Riding this rush of possible redemption, I knew if this thing was going to work at all, I needed to get a job and get one fast. Now I am about to tell you that I fell back on old faithful, which will in turn lead you to believe I went back into the pizza business, however, you would be mistaken. In reality, old faithful is what I have always considered to be my second home.
The DJ booth.
I started my career as a club jock at around age sixteen at little teen hot spot in Schofield called The Ultimate. It was run by ‘the owner’ a former sheriff’s deputy in his forties. I didn’t know anything about ‘the owner’ except he had opened up a teen bar in which I could shoot pool and smoke cigarettes while drinking large quantities of caffeinated soda in a entirely parent-less environment. It was filled with dirtballs and misfits, and wreaked with the fine odor of Marlboro Reds.
I was pretty happy about the whole thing.
In any case, I had a friend named Chris who was currently employed as the establishments’ sole entertainment director. I started hanging out with him in ‘the booth’ and the rest is simply history. To this day it is perhaps the one and only thing I have found, that I truly love to do. Leave it to me to love something that pays so very little. I also find it pertinent to add that being a disc jockey does not mean you pick out a song and press play. In fact, if you ever said that to me I would most likely have someone else punch you. Being a disc jockey is an art; just like music, just like painting, just like writing. It is about taking your audience on a journey, seamlessly, in an ever changing and demanding environment. It is about decision making, atmosphere, and a deep seeded need to find the perfect song. It is also polluted with as much trash as your local bookstore. Please don’t lump me in with the guy who busts out YMCA at midnight every Saturday. I loathe that person; I hope the construction guy sticks a steel-toe right up his Come on Eileen loving ass.
I own my booth.
I worked at the Ultimate for two years. It was a place of firsts for me. It was the first time I felt like I was bucking the system, it was the first time I smoked pot, and it was the first time I realized that being a disc jockey gets you laid.
A lot.
It was a trip from AC/DC to Led Zeppelin with a little bit of Michael right in the middle. Ultimately, (pun intended) ‘the owner’ got arrested for molesting underage boys. Yes, right smack dab in the middle of your fine town. He never did anything to me, although I slept at his house on numerous occasions. It was an absolute shock the day I found out. I was standing right next to him the day the police came and took him away. He had been a father figure of sorts, and personally denied the entire thing to me on many occasions. The detectives I was forced to visit with previously had convinced me otherwise. I hope he has asked for forgiveness.
I think he will need it.
Anyway, back to the whole needing to get a job thing. Like I said, I went back to my roots and got a job in ‘the booth’ at a little night club in Rib Mountain. The girl and I stayed relatively close. I got to see ‘the baby’ on occasion, taking care of him at ‘the girls’ house once in awhile, and generally trying to stick my head into the mix whenever I could. It went okay for awhile. But the romance, at least from her perspective, was gone. It hurt me.
Real bad.
While working in Rib Mountain I had met a girl named Carmen who was married to a guy named Kris who lived in Merrill with their daughter Kristine. They offered me a place in their home and I readily accepted the invitation. As ‘the girl’ slowly fell out love with me I saw less and less of ‘the baby’. Suddenly words like support and supervised replaced mesmerized and awestruck. It was uncomfortable and I didn’t handle it very well. I have run many a time from ridicule. This time was no different. Although we were twenty minutes apart, it might as well have been light years.
While continuing life in Merrill, I found myself opening up the paper one day to the strangest advertisement for employment I had ever encountered. I called, I got an interview, and I got hired on the spot.
You start tomorrow.
The next day I would be back in ‘the booth’ while at the same time finding myself smack dab in the middle of my first ever …
(Stay tuned for Episode Eighteen)
bozz_2006 said:
…party boat
May 9th, 2008 at 8:00 am #
Alex said:
Buzz. Please try again. You will love this next one, guaranteed.
May 9th, 2008 at 2:18 pm #
bozz_2006 said:
roller rink
May 9th, 2008 at 7:20 pm #
Alex said:
We shall all find out tomorrow, early afternoonish.
May 9th, 2008 at 7:42 pm #
Saper Winnipeg said:
Is that so
May 9th, 2008 at 9:51 pm #
son fell has large lump on the head said:
[…] […]
August 2nd, 2008 at 4:26 pm #