It was shortly after the first acid trip that life began to spin violently out of control. I can not pin down the exact moment when the spin began but it happened sometime on the Fourth of July when Jayson, the girl and I took acid in the city of Lahina. If I told you we tore shit up it would mean little.
The Son and I woke up on the beech with the intent to hustle and everything was going our way. Hitch hiking from Paia to Lahina may have taken more time if we drove. The time it takes to start a car and get out of a parking lot would have been a greater amount of time than the time we spent with our thumbs out on the side of the road. After we got to Lahina we made friends with homegirl and spent our day at that 5 star hotel on the beach. We bring up the idea of homegirl taking acid with us and soon after we are sucking paper under the banyan tree.
Heavy dose of reality, a whirlwind of faces, insights, conversation, and street theatre staring the three amigos. Power trippin hard was I. Nothing was beyond my grasp. It was at the end of the night that we stumbled into old aunties Fourth of July party. After our hostess filled our plates with stale chips and cold ribs I found myself berated by a cackle of drunken aunties. The conquering attitude of which I walked into the party with was taken from me as I said farewell. It was in the last section of our walk did I make a move to kiss homegirl only to find my balls swiftly smashed, figuratively. The deep rooted jolt to my personal security began to express itself and sour the night. Homegirl left. Jayson and I were agitated with each other but in that strange way we had become brothers. We fought and made up and fought only to find that our mental fortitude had been utterly sapped by the events of the night. In the morning I left Jayson asleep under the bush that we passed out beneath.
A feeble attempt at rebuilding took place over the next week. A seemingly impactful experience with a warrior guru and a trip into the junk food sections of the super market. The downward spiral had begun and a blind eye I had turned.
A night that I had nothing to do Jayson had no trouble convincing me to head to Lahina for round two. Again we sat under the banyan tree keeping the handshake under our tongues. This time was different. This time was strange and I was unprepared for a disturbed reality. I watched helplessly as my friend grew in stature to take the lead. Knowing the rules of engagement I followed the brave fool throughout the town knowing that for this man there were no limits and that jail was a real possibility, however he had something that I did not, he had strength. It was a wild blur of a night climaxing as we borrowed a canoe and attempted to take on the ocean only to tip ten feet from shore.
Back at my jeep, all of our stuff wet, Jayson’s phone unable to turn on, as the sun was rising we finally had rest. Tired as we were it was here that we made our fatal mistake. We left Jayson’s backpack leaning on the outside of the car. All of his possessions were in that pack. When we awoke it was gone. He was destroyed.
I can be cold and even crewel at times but for a true friend I will sacrifice body and mind. Buying lunch was nothing. I invited him along as I did daily errands to keep him company as he went through his darkest moments. “Now everything must be take” I remember him saying. We traveled across the island to an old job to pickup a moped I had left in their possession. As I exchanged pleasantries with my ex coworkers Jayson invaded the lunchroom. Behind their backs I saw him go through backpacks and empty wallets. I excused myself and addressed Jay about the theft in private. “Put it back or walk from here” I told him. He walked. I was left to deal with my coworkers. At this time most of them still won’t talk to me, some of them want to fight me, and never did I get the moped back.
The word broken is when one should be angry but due to fatigue or even hopelessness the anger is not present.
I slept in the back seat of my jeep that night. The next morning was tour guide training and the team was meeting up to hike the legendary Haleakala creator. Seeing the team I forgot all about the nights before. We split into two groups. The boss’ group started from the top to hike down the mountain while my group started from the bottom to hike up the mountain. The idea was to meet in the middle so that we could exchange car keys and meet back up at the end, but we never saw the other group. Near the end of our hike I decided to sprint ahead with the keys so that I could hitch down the mountain to the car and bring the car to the top to pick up my friends. I did all of this before they finished their hike. Once we had all joined forces in the car we then needed to decide what to do about boss. I convinced my friends that because we had no idea if the boss was even on the mountain that we should go to the nearest bar and wait for him to call us over a beer. No one said no and I had the keys so we went. Half way to the bar we get a call from the boss. I whip a shitty and drag race to pick him up. It still took about 20 minutes. Pulling into the parking lot I can see he is mad. As I get closer I can see that he is beyond mad. My mind takes control and I go cold and rational.
Boss- Where the fuck have you shits been, and why are you driving?! (Pointing at me)
Me- I’m sorry boss, we didn’t know where you were.
Boss- You are so fucking stupid I can’t even believe and you know what, YOUR FIRED!
Me- In that case you owe me 140 dollars.
Boss- I don’t owe you shit, get out of the front seat.
I slip into the back seat as he gets I front.
Me- Technically and legally you do.
Boss- Don’t fuck with me, I will kill you.
Me- You don’t have the balls.
Boss- Get out of the car!
Me- No
He gets out and attempts to open my door while I hold down the lock. He runs to the other side of the car, grabs my backpack and whips it into the street. I still do t get out. He starts the car and drives over my back pack and as we are about to leave the parking I open the door to leave. As I get out of the car I front kick his tail light (my one slip from sagacity).
Boss- have a nice ride asshole.
I am left in the parking lot on top of a mountain with nothing but my backpack.
Flash forward to a dream of a boy working on a great Roman war ship. The boy and a crew of men are commissioned to draw in a statue of the general which has been placed on the bow of the boat. The men pull the rope as one while the boy pulls whimsically. The boat is getting closer to shore and the statue is in danger of breaking on the rocks. Moments before the statue is smashed the boy gives a great pull in a show of strength that outdoes all other men and statue is safe. One of the men in the crew takes the boy aside and with a club smashes the boys skull in.
Flash forward, I walk somberly down the mountain. With my thumb I asked passing cars for a ride down the mountain. It was not long before a man pulled to the side and I got in. We exchange the basics and soon I relate the story of the enraged boss who left me on top of the mountain. It was here, through the man who drove me down the mountain that I learnt to climb once again and the downward spiral was stopped.
The man who drove me down the mountain turned out to be a master in Kung Fu and even offered classes (much to expensive for me) on self defense. Kung Fu, he explained, is about avoiding negative energy. Not only negative energy in the form of a fist flying at your face but also other sorts of negative energy such as a vengeful ex girlfriend or whatever. It’s all about redirection and reflection which is less tiring what with not having to take on everything that comes your way. There are times when you will be cornered he said, and these are the times when we do what we were born to do. These are the times to kill he explained.
I left his car and returned to my jeep. I decided then that it was time to start a different kind of life on the other side of the island in Lahina. It was in Lahina that I met Fred.
premis3 