Friday, May 28, 2010
Thursday, May 27, 2010
a summer recollection
-
For some unknown reason I was attracted to
Mike's friendship - probably more the lifestyle
he and his mother lived than anything. It was
bizarre. Mike's mother operated (is that the
proper word?) a whorehouse in a hotel
on the corner of Shoshone and Second
in my hometown. It was a shoddy hotel back
then and remains so to this day. I've driven down
the alley and the red light has been removed.
Although I was only about 12 years old, I hadn't
necessarily led a protected life and I understood why
men occasionally came through the back door, below the
red light, stopped at the top of the stairs, second floor.
They'd ring a bicycle bell screwed to the railing
and wait for Mike's mom to usher them down a
hallway wallpapered in red paisley. Mike and his mother
lived on that floor - I think his mom must have owned the
place. She acted like she did. Mike frequently liked to
shake things up, and would throw firecrackers down the
hallway after some guy had started what he had
come after. To this day I don't know if Mike's
mom was a servicing prostitute or just the madam
but she beat the crap out of Mike more than once.
Mike and I loved to hang out on the roof of the hotel
in the evenings when things got pretty hectic inside.
We'd spit on the shady characters who were always milling
around outside the hotel, or throw water-filled condoms at cars.
One evening Mike hung his penis over the edge and pissed
on a couple of guys. Mike had balls, I'll say that for him.
Across the street was a Chinese restaurant and I loved
the smell of egg rolls and fried rice mingling with the
smell of asphalt in the early summer breeze. Weird
combination, I know, but it's the stuff memories are
made of. And I suppose it contributed to the
mystic I felt about the Madison Hotel. I lost track of
Mike over the years, wondered if he still lived with his
mother in the Madison Hotel. A few years ago I heard
Mike was killed when he got drunk and fell from a window
of the hotel. I could just see him leaning over, pissing
on some old man. Yep, Mike definitely had balls.
For some unknown reason I was attracted to
Mike's friendship - probably more the lifestyle
he and his mother lived than anything. It was
bizarre. Mike's mother operated (is that the
proper word?) a whorehouse in a hotel
on the corner of Shoshone and Second
in my hometown. It was a shoddy hotel back
then and remains so to this day. I've driven down
the alley and the red light has been removed.
Although I was only about 12 years old, I hadn't
necessarily led a protected life and I understood why
men occasionally came through the back door, below the
red light, stopped at the top of the stairs, second floor.
They'd ring a bicycle bell screwed to the railing
and wait for Mike's mom to usher them down a
hallway wallpapered in red paisley. Mike and his mother
lived on that floor - I think his mom must have owned the
place. She acted like she did. Mike frequently liked to
shake things up, and would throw firecrackers down the
hallway after some guy had started what he had
come after. To this day I don't know if Mike's
mom was a servicing prostitute or just the madam
but she beat the crap out of Mike more than once.
Mike and I loved to hang out on the roof of the hotel
in the evenings when things got pretty hectic inside.
We'd spit on the shady characters who were always milling
around outside the hotel, or throw water-filled condoms at cars.
One evening Mike hung his penis over the edge and pissed
on a couple of guys. Mike had balls, I'll say that for him.
Across the street was a Chinese restaurant and I loved
the smell of egg rolls and fried rice mingling with the
smell of asphalt in the early summer breeze. Weird
combination, I know, but it's the stuff memories are
made of. And I suppose it contributed to the
mystic I felt about the Madison Hotel. I lost track of
Mike over the years, wondered if he still lived with his
mother in the Madison Hotel. A few years ago I heard
Mike was killed when he got drunk and fell from a window
of the hotel. I could just see him leaning over, pissing
on some old man. Yep, Mike definitely had balls.
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