We stayed at the loft only long enough to introduce my friends from home to my friend Mike. His room-mate Dennis had become increasingly paranoid during the time I was there and before my friends arrived he told me in no uncertain terms that they would not be welcome there. I felt this to be somewhat rude but since i was a guest i could say nothing and we had to find a hotel room for the night. We found a place downtown and after a nice bite to eat in the restaurant we were ready to hit it hard. We bar-hopped the night away, hitting at least a dozen different bars ana even a pool hall along the way. When we got back to the hotel at bar-time, Scott and Colleen were ready to call it a night but Brian and I were still ready to party. We started playing poker and dipping in to Scott’s bag of goodies and before we knew it, Scott and Colleen were waking up and it was time to check out. Things got a bit tense when Scott asked for his bag of goodies back and Brian and I informed him that we had done it all. He was not too happy with that and he let us know it, but once I explained that it would be silly to take the risk of carrying that back to Wisconsin and Brian agreed to pay for it once back there, he mellowed back to the cool cat I was best friends with and all was good. They drove me back to the loft and I thanked them for an incredible night, giving each of them a big hug not knowing if I would ever see them again.
Mike’s big furniture contract was nearing completion but with only a few days until we left, it was going to be close. I helped out as much as possible and for the next couple days we worked non-stop using caffeine and cocaine to keep us going. It worked, we finished around noon the day before we were to leave and there was only the task of delivering it. Mike rented a moving truck, we loaded it up and we were off to the customers house. It was about 40 minutes from Mike’s place in a very well to do part of the city, the houses were all multi-million dollar mansions and the one we were delivering to was no exception. We were greeted by the owner and his wife when we arrived and they invited us in. I was shocked by the opulence of the place, way over the top and enough space to house about 30 people. They even had two kitchens and when I asked why they said that one was for meat and the other for dairy. When they saw the confused look on my face the wife told me that it was a Jewish thing and I just shrugged my shoulders thinking it was weird. Mike asked the husband for the remaining money due on the furniture and he told him he would have it ready after we unloaded it. That seemed reasonable so we spent the next two hours unloading and placing the furniture for the wife, when we finished and Mike once again asked for the money due, the husband says “sorry i can’t pay you now because the sun has gone down and I can’t do any business now that the sabbath has started” What a crappy thing to do! This guy knew Mike was leaving for a holiday the next day and that he would not be able to collect until after he returned, it would give his wife plenty of time to see if she liked the furniture or not. Another case of rich assholes taking advantage of the working man, but there was nothing Mike could do about it so he reluctantly agreed. Unfortunately Mike was depending on that money for the trip and on the ride back to his place he said that he may not be able to go. He said he would try to get his parents to float him the money but on such short notice even that may not work. Panic began to set in as I thought about what would happen if he couldn’t go. I was convinced that I would not get through alone with the passport I had, but staying was not an option either. I found myself praying that his parents would come through. The smile on Mike’s face after talking to his parent’s said it all and I knew the universe had answered my prayer.
Our plane did not leave until four in the afternoon so I was not the least bit worried when Mike headed out at ten to get the money at his parent’s house, he said he would be back in about an hour. The anxiety was rising fast when after two hours he was still not back and when he finally did return at two, I was a nervous wreck. I was packed and ready to go but Mike had not packed a thing and still wanted to take a shower as well. I could do nothing but wait as he fiddled around until finally he was ready at about three. We now had only an hour until our plane left and we were looking at a 45 minute train ride to the station, needless to say, I was feeling sick. On the way out the door Dennis pulls Mike aside and says something to him, I could not hear what but on the train Mike informed me that he had said that he ‘thought there was no way the passport I had would work and if by any small chance I was able to escape O’Hare, then I would not be welcome back at the loft’. The knot in my stomach tightened as now with the thought that we might not make it in time, I also had to contemplate the thought of where to go if we didn’t. My nerves were in tatters but I somehow had to get it together, and fast. .We rolled up to the airport with about 15 minutes until our plane left and lucky for us there were only a few people in line at the ticket counter. As fast and as polite as possible, we explained our situation and the folks were very cool letting us go ahead of them. When we presented our tickets to the counter person, she looked at the time and said ‘we were too late to make it’. My heart sunk but only for a moment as then she said ‘wait, the gate you leave from is the first one behind the counter and that we might be able to do it. I handed over my passport and with the rush of it she did not check anything but the name and handed it back, she did the same with Mike’s and then we were off, trying not to draw attention to ourselves by sprinting through an airport but moving very fast. When we got to the gate, we saw the attendant beginning to close the doors and we yelled to hold it for one more, she opened it back up and we were the final passengers on, within minutes the plane was backing out and heading to the runway. I had an overwhelming sense of relief come over me as the plane took to the air and I knew I had made it. The feeling only grew stronger when after a couple of hours the captain comes over the speaker and says “ladies and gentlemen we have now officially left United States airspace”. I was so relaxed I slept all the way to London.
We had a two-hour lay-over in London and since we had to go to a different terminal, we had to go through customs. I thought it would be a small formality but when I handed my passport over, the lady instantly changed her demeanor and started scrutinizing it hard. She asked why it was in such a bad condition and I explained how it had gone through South America in a back-pocket. She accepted that and the stamps confirmed it, she said she would let me through this time since I was only passing through but that I would have to get a new one if I ever wanted to come into England. I thanked her and was on my way but now I had a new anxiety growing, What if the French are the same and they refuse me entry? Time would tell but it would be a very tense plane ride from London to Paris. When we arrived in Paris I was definitely nervous but I felt like I had good answers to any questions they may ask. So imagine my shock and surprise when I go to hand the lady my passport… she gives me a look like I was bothering her and waved me straight through. That was it, I was now in France and through the joke they called customs, I couldn’t help but crack a wide smile as we headed out the door.
A Continuing Story About Life On The Run