Sally and l sat in the car for about half an hour with few words passing between us. We didn't touch, tho l half-expected her to put her hand on my knee and say something like "Are you happy, Gideon?" (This wasn't the first time l wound up "on the beach" with one of Laurie May's charges.) Not Sally, tho.She was the perfect lady, soaking up the broad spectrum of sounds (from sizzling to thundering) of the surf, saying not much besides "beautiful".
One of us suggested a walk. We did that for an hour or so. At some point, as she stumbled over a small piece of driftwood sticking out of the sand, l took her hand. She didn,t object. No objection combined with no outward approval is a mix l can't resist. lt rarely happens and when it does, it's most likely poor eye-sight that causes it, but l consider it a legitimate opportunity without shame. When you're near the irresistible there is no good reason to delay action. You are going to make your move, so why waste time? Go right to the point. "No"is the worst thing that can happen:
"Uhhh, Ma'am, er uh Sally, would you uh marry me? (in my thickest dip-stik mimic).
(After an involuntary burst of laughter) "But aren't you already married?, l am, you know, at least 'til the twenty-seventh of next month".
(After an involuntary burst of laughter) "But aren't you already married?, l am, you know, at least 'til the twenty-seventh of next month".
Yes, l am. But not for long, l'm sure. How about this; what say we get naked, jump in the bed together, start humming Ravel's "Bolero" and see what develops".
"Well, that seems innocent enough".
Sally was the only guest in Laurie May's guest house, making the use of a motel unnecessary. But it was necessary to drive thru the middle of Mill Valley to get to her place. We passed a policeman, who was just completing a citation. He fell in behind us and almost immediately engaged flashing lights.lt was just an equipment stop (brake lights) but running my lD revealed parking tickets gone to warrant in an amount exceeding $180. Sally had a valid Ca DL so was allowed to drive herself from there. The next day two of our members drove over to Mill Valley, picked up and delivered the car to the shop, for repair.
l did not, as is said in "Monopoly", collect $200. l went directly to jail. Marin County Jail. At that time located in the big, ugly building on 4th st.,in San Rafael that held the main county offices. l would spend the rest of the night there and, in the morning be moved to San Francisco (tickets' origin). ln fact, all the prisoners in that jailhouse left there that day, as well. Permanently.
OK, the new Marin County Civic Center, to which many county offices had already been moved, opened the jail section after some construction delays that involved the architect's (Frank Lloyd Wright) reluctance to be involved in more than a general way in the design of the jail. He only saw the jail as an open space tacked on to the ass end of what l see as a long people-unfriendly ergonomically incorrect group of spaces, each displaying The Great Man's graphic theme;circles and long rectangles. All unknown to me then since it was unnecessary to go to MCCC even to check out,and only seen (by me) years later.Released from MCJail, l was taken to SFJail and told that because it was Friday and because prisoners must spend one nite in jail before appearing in court, l'd wait 'til Monday for an appearance (and probably release). But, by the time the court appearance, the jail check-out and the actual release were behind me, so was almost all of Monday. l first told the cabby to take me home but stopped him a few blocks short of that at a local bar with a few very private phone booths. l called Laurie May, hoping to connect with Sally. She had left for Alamo Saturday Morning.l sat for an hour or more shooting the bull with some of our neighbors before walking home. There was a couple still up in the shops so l spent some time with them,'til they left for the night and then sat in front of a running Kinetic Light Sculpture and listened (earphones) to a James Taylor tape. Next thing l know, Bob is waking me. There is an impromptu meeting going in flat#1 that,he thinks l might want to attend.
"l'm tired, Bob, and about half drunk. Could you just tell me about it? Maybe it can wait 'til tomorrow?
"Maybe. We got word yesterday that Bro. Ivy's gift to us, along with the rest of the shipment, a total of some 6500 pounds, had been intercepted and confiscated".
"Word?"
"Huh? Oh, a suit who said he was Jack's lawyer was here Sunday, said there was a bust in Mississippi. Somewhere on the gulf coast.
"Did you get his name?"
"Oh, yeah, it's like that actor, what's his name, uh Robert something. RobertRedchevy!, that's it. But the lawyer's first name is Patrick. Oh, here, his card's with this stuff".
He handed me a manila envelope containing a bunch of newspaper clippings from a few Mississippi rags. The story is in the pictures: Two BESTRANS vans on the shoulder of US Hwy 49, a few miles north of Gulfport. Doors open, cargo, still in large crokus bags, is on the pavement, stacked against the backs of the vans. Troopers Kleven Gusgrez and Gary Quilfarge "can be seen with their quarry"...they are standing in front of the bags, each with a boot resting on a bag, as though the bags were bagged game. What little l read, said that something suspicious led them to stop the van in the follow position and when the guys in the lead van reached the first planned stop at a specific rest stop and waited a half-hour for the van which shouldn't be more than ten minutes behind them, they thought "vehicle trouble" and turned around. When the follow van came into their view, they slowed almost to a stop before recognizing the cars parked nearby as un-marked police cars.
"Hey, this is too bad but no action is required on our part. Those meeting upstairs may not agree with me and will probably spend the rest of the nite keeping everybody up there,up, so l'm going to throw a sleeping pad on that beautifully flat and comfy carpet table right there and be fast asleep before you can get back upstairs. When you do though, please tell them it's not a big deal. We don't need it. We'll do just fine without it. l didn't really think it would happen anyway, did you?"
"l hoped so, but l guess l knew it wasn't likely to."
"Exactly where l'm at. Have a good nite, Bob".
"You too".
End of Visit with Rastas in Jamaica 12
