Vagabond Sunset

The meaningless life story of a meandering vagabond from start to finish, and some of his adventures along the way.

*

Laying in the stark white confines of my Intensive Care Unit, with only the sounds of a ventilator pumping air through my endotracheal tube, and the visual of morphine dripping into my intravenous, my life seems to be at its end, but my life's story is much longer than that.

You see, the world as I once knew it was a vast amusement park and it had always been my playground. When it holds its big loving arms open, there is much to see and so many things to do. For any one person it would be impossible to cover it all in a lifetime. Having said that, I can honestly say that I tried my hardest to do just that.

I learned at a very young age that I wanted to see, touch and taste all that it held in store for me. My first memory was a trip to Grand Canyon when I was eight-years old. The untamed wilderness, the fresh, clean smell of the air and dirt, the raging river below, the sheer cliffs, the danger, and the spectacular views caught my attention. I was bitten by the bug right then and there. I was too young to know it, but on the my very first day at the park, my life had changed forever.

When we returned home from our family vacation, everyday became an adventure. Each trip on my bicycle was a little bit further and further from home. I wanted to see things that I'd never before witnessed.

By the time I was twelve, I would travel across the country on a Greyhound and spent my summers with distant relatives just because it was new, and they were far away. I travelled from Arizona to Buffalo. From Buffalo to Macon. From Macon to Eureka, I would have traveled anywhere just to be somewhere that I'd never been.

Just when I thought that the itch from my bite couldn't get any worse, along came the Summer of 1972. My mother thought that she was doing her 16-year old son a favor when she bought me a ticket to see Led Zeppelin in Tucson, when in fact she was putting fuel on the fire that was already growing deep inside of me.

High school graduation couldn't come soon enough for me. I had offers to attend university, but I declined all of those. Instead, on my 18^th birthday in 1974, I purchased a 1956 Chevy Nomad wagon for $500. I kissed my mother good-bye, shook my father's hand and headed east.

My old jalopy of a car burned as much oil as it did gas, but several days later, I arrived on the coastal shores of New Jersey and came to a stop at the home of an aunt, twice removed.

The Jersey Shores were a great place for any 18-year-old to spend a summer. It had a great music scene, along with the sun and surf. This is the time and place where my life started to come together. My days of childhood wandering were behind me. Ahead of me lay the real world.

It was during the mid-point of the Dog Days of Summer that I met Jane. Jane was a twenty something hippy. She was the daughter of my aunt's best friend and her free spirit culture caught my attention.

Jane took me to see The Grateful Dead at Roosevelt Stadium and after the show, she also took my virginity.

Her apartment was shared by a number of others. Jane's bedroom consisted of a mattress thrown on the floor and a large number of pillows shattered about. The walls were lined with psychedelic neon posters glowing under the black lights, along with concert posters of her favorite bands. I always reminisce back, thinking that Jimi Hendrix was watching as I got my dick sucked for the very first time.

Alone in her room Jane danced and stripped in a somewhat stoned stupor. The flower child didn't wear any under garments, just her bell bottoms and a tight leather vest with fringed cuffs that were laced to her wrists.

The swaying movements of her hips had me in a trance. Jane was a natural girl, with hair everywhere the eye could see. Her legs, her armpits and most important to me, her pussy. The large bush looked like an out of place afro. But even with slightly sagging breasts, wide, well used hips and hair everywhere, at that very moment, she was the most beautiful creature in the world.

I vaguely remember her stripping off my clothes, but I will never forget Jane wrapping her lips around my shaft. Her soft lips and wet mouth caressed my shaft with the expertise of someone who was not doing this for the first time.

Two hands held the cheeks of my ass as she swallowed me down her throat. I held on to her bobbing head and didn't know what to do when I was about to cum. I wanted to say something. I wanted to warn her, but she must have known or felt it happening. She mumbled something unintelligible and made a meal out of my semen.

Flopping back onto the mattress, she reached into an old wooden cigar box and pulled out a small bag of weed and rolled herself a joint.

"You can finger me if you want." I remember those words to this very day, because it was my first sexual invitation of the kind. I also remember the smell of burning marijuana filling the room, and me leaning in closer for a better look. Jane knew that I was a virgin, so she spread her legs giving me full access.

Using my left hand, I pulled back the hair and moved the fingers of my right hand closer. It was a weird sensation as my finger sank into the wet skin in front of me. Jane offered to share her joint with me, but I politely declined. I'd much rather play with her snatch than get high.

Moving my digit in and out, I placed another at her entrance and eased it in along side the first. A strong musky odor started to fill my nostrils. Jane's pussy was getting wetter by the second and I was once again rock hard.

Thrusting her tongue into my mouth, Jane pushed me back onto her dirty mattress and sheets and mounted my cock. Unceremoniously my virginity was no more.

It was the time of "Free Love" for Jane. Although that era was coming to an end, she grasped onto it with every fiber of her being. She rode me while trying to pleasure herself at the same time. Her words begged for me to cum.

When that time finally arrived, I felt light-headed. The world spun, my life flashed before my eyes and with a last and final thrust I filled Jane's well used pussy with my load.

The rest of the summer was much the same. Jane jumped from bed to bed, but she always found time to please me. Occasionally she would invite another of her hippy chicks into her bed to join us. That became a personal favorite of mine.

Being in the music circle that I was, I met people, and through a friend of a friend, I was introduced, to someone in need of some lifting muscle. With a solid frame and a willingness to work, I got the stagehand job, and in September of 1974, I became part of Bruce Springsteen's tour which started in Philadelphia.

Working on the tour was a dream. We played lots of large and small shows that covered every inch of the U.S. It was prime time for Bruce, he was playing and writing every waking minute. The groupies lined the halls waiting for a chance to meet The Boss. When they didn't measure up, many found solace with the stagehands. From these girls I learned much.

In November 1975, Bruce finished a leg of the tour in London England. Europe was nothing like Arizona. The culture and history begged me to stay.

Bruce left Europe the next day, I didn't.

April was a new leg in my journey, The Rolling Stones 1976 Tour of Europe was about to begin, and I jumped on board.

Working with the Stones was significantly different than the Boss. To put it bluntly, The Stones partied hard. Europe flashed by and from April until June, it was one city and one girl after another. I will always remember standing backstage watching the band work their magic. From 1969 to 1973 they had put out five of the best rock albums of all time, and to hear them play those tracks nightly sent shivers down my spine.

Other than the partying, the biggest difference between Bruce and The Stones was the fans. Bruce was American blue collar at it's finest, and on many nights the crowd looked the part. They could have easily just arrived at the show from work at any manufacturing plant in the world. The Stones were polar opposites. Their crowd, on most nights, contained some sort of European royalty. The parties sometimes lasted for days, or until we had to move to the next cities. Often, some of the lucky, would join the entourage of followers and hangers on, and move with us. To this day I am more than a little surprised that I didn't contract an STD.

I found myself sitting in a small café in Vienna the night after the last show, it was there and then that I put my life as a roadie behind me. Like Mick always says, "You can't always get what you want, but if you try sometimes, you might find, you get what you need."

The next twenty years of my life would be the envy of some people, but for me they seemed to fly by in a blurry flash of light. I stayed at villas belonging to the rich and famous. I had sex with countless women. Some famous, some infamous. Some I paid for, but most fell into my lap. I travelled until my money ran out. I saw all the Seven Wonders of the world. I climbed pyramids and Mayan ruins. I camped under the stars of Aurora Borealis. I ran with the bulls in Pamplona, and the list continues and continues.

When it came time to finally find a job, there wouldn't be the regular 9 to 5 for me. I worked on fishing trawlers on the Outer Banks. I was a Morochuco, a gaucho or Peruvian cowboy. How ever you look at it I was on horseback all day and stunk of manure. I lived on the beach in Byron's Bay, giving surfing and diving lessons to earn some cash. I was even a Gondolier in Venice for a short time. I loved that job, but my singing voice was for shit.

Other things that I did, I am not very proud of. Working as a mercenary is something that haunts my dreams still, and probably will until the day that I die.

Thailand.

Putting all of that behind me, the night after my fortieth birthday, I woke up between two naked Asian ladies on a beach in Phuket Thailand. I spent a solid year traveling around this exotic country, having my way with many women, both foreign and domestic.

When I finally came to a stop on the little island of Koh Pha-Ngan I found a piece of heaven that I had to own. The small bar and restaurant were directly on the beach and with some of the money I had earned from doing bad, I put toward doing good.

Knowing that I needed to change my ways, I turned to a celibate lifestyle. Everything was fine for just over 8 months until I met Anna.

I remember the first time that I saw her. She was a vision of loveliness. I watched her walking away from the surf, as she walked up the sparkling white sandy beach looking for a place to lay in the sun.

Toting a huge striped beach bag, she found her spot. The sun and sea backdrop framed her body and made the white lace sundress look as though it were on fire. Her blonde hair blew freely in the breeze as she pulled the sundress over her head to expose the black swimwear that had been carefully hidden beneath it. She was a bronzed goddess and anyone with eyes could see it.

Her and her trio of friends were undoubtedly here for the up coming Moon Party. It would be the last of the century. 1999 was coming to a close and this would be as big of an event as New Year's Eve.

Staring at her for the rest of the day would have given me great pleasure, but unfortunately work beckoned me.

We didn't have any direct contact, but over the next two days I noticed her around a lot. Buying drinks and water, along with the occasional meal. I came to learn that her name was Anna and like me, she was American.

Our first words were a drink order and from there we spoke often.

"Four Long Island Iced Teas, please."

"It's a long day. Are you sure that you don't want to start with a Pina Colada or something a little tamer?" Anna looked at me with a suspicious look on her face.

"Why Pina Coladas, are they more money?"

"Nope. In fact, they are less. But you tell me what you want, and I'll make it for you."

"We'll try the Pina Coladas." Anna watched me making the drinks. Using fresh pineapple and coconut juice, she was about to ask about the booze portion until I picked up two different bottles of rum.

I put the drinks into hard plastic glasses and loaded them with the usual fruit garnishes.

"Do you prefer Baht or U.S.?" She held two different currencies in her hands.

"On me. Enjoy."

"Really? Thanks. You won't get in trouble with your boss, will you?"

"He and I, are very close, so it shouldn't be a problem."

As per usual, Anna and her entourage spent the day at the beach. They made numerous stops at the bar but with it being a slower day, I took the opportunity to catch up on some paperwork, so I never had the chance to serve them again.

When darkness fell over the water, covering our little island with a black silky sky. The only light was the almost full moon. Tonight's calmness would be replaced tomorrow when the moon reached full status. With an eruption of partying and music to celebrate our ever-growing Moon Party, the island will be alive for hours.

I noticed Anna sitting alone. She appeared to be waiting for food as she sat at table closest to the beach. When her order was ready, I took it over with another Pina Colada.

"Shrimp and fries?"

"Yes please, but I didn't order the drink though."

"I know, but you didn't complain to management about the first one, so I made you another."

"When you say management, you mean you, right?"

"Yeah, something like that."

"Is it hard for an American to own a business here?"

"Not really. You just need to know the right people and have the required funds. Greased palms go a long way. No friends tonight?"

Anna looked up and down the beach as if trying to find an answer. "No. They bailed. Met some guys from the Netherlands and I haven't seen them for a while."

Not wanting to be too pushy I changed the subject. "I'm Joe by the way."

"Anna."

"So, Anna, where is home in the good old U.S. of A? I haven't been there in a while, tell me what's changed"

"Depends when you left. It seems to change daily. Nevada. Born and raised. I go to UNLV. Taking business, so when I saw you doing your books, I figured that you must own this place."

"Looks like we're neighbors. I was born and raised in Arizona. A little place called Paradise Valley. I guess it's been ten years since I set foot on home soil."

"Do you miss it?"

"I miss the desert. I always loved the solitude of it. I'd go out into the hills and camp all by myself for days on end."

"Me too. I go to Havasu Falls whenever I get enough money saved. Do you know it?"

"I'm not that old. You might say that I've been there once or twice. Love it." My memories of desert travel through, Nevada, New Mexico and Arizona came back to me with a rush.

"So, how did you know that I was American?"

"It was a couple of things, but the give away as the New York Yankees hat."

"You can get those anywhere."

"True, but yours looks like it's been worn with pride for a lot of years.

"Very observant. I've had it since I was 12."

"That's something I miss about home. Going to a Dodgers game, getting a dog and a beer, just makes the world feel right.

"Why did you leave when you went back?"

"Mother's funeral. Father and I have never seen eye to eye. He told me that I was nothing but a hopeless vagabond."

"I'm so sorry. It must have been hard."

"It was, but it's the life I choose. So, how long do you and your friends plan on staying?"

"Two of my friends are leaving on the twenty third so that they can be home for Christmas. Stacey and I plan on being there until January twenty forth. That way we will see the lunar eclipse. Plus, if we stay, we'll see the last eclipse of this century and the first of the next. Not many people will be able to say that."

"True." The lights lowered behind me letting the patrons know that it was last call and the bar would be closing for the night. Anna reached for her beach bag and wallet.

"It's my pleasure. I enjoyed the conversation and it's the least that I can do for a fellow desert rat. You okay getting back to where you're staying?"

"It's only a few blocks. I'll be fine." The young blonde pointed in the direction that I would be heading.

"Give me ten minutes and I'll walk with you." And less than fifteen minutes later, we were on our way.

"You married Joe?"

"No. I've never been worthy enough for that privilege. You?" Anna laughed and semi punched my arm.

"Yeah. I'm on my third husband already, and I'm fairly certain that you're worthy enough for marriage."

"That's where you're wrong. It's very well documented that my unworthiness is a guarantee, kinda like the salt in the sea."

"I don't believe that, so if I decide to move on to a fourth husband. I'll look you up." We stopped outside of the cheap, yet clean hotel where the girls were staying.

"Well Anna, get a good night's sleep. Tomorrow's a long day and the night is even longer. So, get your rest and have a big breakfast. You'll need your energy to survive the night." Anna gave me a quick hug, and a peck on the cheek as she thanked me for walking her home. I watched until she was safely inside and made my way onward.

It wasn't business as usual the next day. We had to bring in extra staff, extra tables and chairs. It meant extra work for everyone involved. These parties made our month, but the recovery time kept getting longer and longer.

The day passed by in a blur. All the beach goers were waiting for one thing, the moon. When darkness approached all the partiers hovered around like a swarm of bees. It was an orgy of music and dancing people. I swore to Christ that if I heard "Livin' la Vida Loca" one more time, I'd smash the sound system.

Shortly after eleven pm I noticed Anna. She was radiant, her hair tied back, and she was wearing her white sun dress with leather sandals. She looked like a beautiful swan surrounded by a mass of darker, uglier birds. Her only blemish was that it appeared as though she had been crying at some point during the evening. I am fully aware of how aggressive some of the young men can be when they have been partying all day, so I went over to check on her.

"Hey stranger, everything okay?"

"Not really. I thought I'd be spending the night with friends, but, well you know." I did know. I've seen it many times. Midnight was just around the corner and wanted Anna to have a good memory of her first Moon Party.

"Come on." I grabbed her hand into mine and lead her back to my bar. Passing by the many drinks, I picked up a bottle of Champagne and two glasses. Anna followed without question as we climbed three flights of stairs until we made it to the rooftop.

The music was still loud and clear, but the ambient lighting is much lower, so it showed off the sky which was full of nothing but stars and a big old moon.

Anna's mood had improved when I opened the bottle and poured us a drink. We danced and laughed. At midnight, Anna stared up into the sky and cried.

"It's so beautiful. Thank you for saving my day."

We enjoyed the Champagne and danced until almost 4:00am. The beach was mostly deserted when we started back to Anna's hotel.

"You must feel like you are living in heaven."

"Sometimes. Other times I want to pack up and leave. I'm well-travelled and I want to see every inch of the planet, so every so often I get an itch that can only be scratched one way."

"How long do you plan on staying here?"

"Unknown, but I love it here, so nothing is pushing me to leave." Hesitation stopped Anna from advancing forward. Looking up I could see people and hear music. I assumed that it was coming from her room.

"Your friends?"

"Looks like." She wasn't moving. I got the feeling that she wasn't interested in being a third wheel or the only one without a date.