”I left Oklahoma ,driving in a Pontiac, just about to lose my mind . I was goin’ to Arizona maybe on to California ,where the people all live so fine .”
Tulsa Time by Don Williams
It was October of 2010 when I packed up my pride and all my belongings into the trunk of my red Pontiac Grand Prix. I set out to come back to the dreary state of Washington to reunite with my family but most importantly my 5 year old baby brother. I 40 became; HWY 89 ,I 15 ,I 84 and alas the familiar I5 North. When I got back I thought going back to Hooters would be easy but I was such a truant employee when I left 2 years prior , they were reluctant to hire be back . So here I was , 20 years old coming back home with my tail between my legs , jobless and driving a car that was a ticking time bomb . I needed a job and I knew one place that would hire me back whether I was a Leper or a Nun. Good old De’ Javu , the scummiest strip club I ever stepped foot in …legally.
Of course I assume most peoples rock bottom soup contained the same savory ingredients as mine ; drugs, vanity, vagabonds, strippers and manipulating the ARMY tuba player to pick up baconators from Wendys. Working in the titty bar wasnt that bad aside from having to lie to my family about having to leave Christmas dinner because I had to “work” at 9 o’clock at night .I met some interesting well rounded people but with the sweet comes the sour and the sour clung to me like fleas on a junkyard dog. Of course it wasnt a sexual thing when I became friends with Steve or ” Spider” as he liked to be called . The man had more tattoos of tarantulas on his body than teeth in his head. He was in his 50’s , heavy set , balding and had a blue tooth device in his ear at all times. I have always been vocal about my past especially with people who I consider friends and in no way a love interest . Safe to say , it was my delicate way to friend zone people. I just never would have imagined he would retain the information to later manipulate me and have me fearing for my life .
Spider was insane , he was convinced that he was a bounty hunter that had ”big brother” connections and that his job was to protect me from this conspiracy that my dead mothers ex boyfriend was trying to find me ,mate with me and kill me and my family. In reality he was just a meth addict that created this delusion in his mind and drug me through the scariest time in my life .With help from friends who I let know what was going on I was stored away for a couple of days on a military base while it was sorted out. I think he was a sex trafficker , and my 20 year old opioid drenched little body was worth something . I never knew what became of him . I guess there are just bad people out there and in the end they get what they deserve.
Memoirs of a Bartender 