Chapter 4

Day Four - Thursday

Amazing! I woke up at six-thirty. This was like sleeping till noon. After fixing coffee and oatmeal I put the new seat on my bike. I donned my helmet and glasses then took the bike out for a quick spin.

Nice!

When I got back, I figured on having an evening ride and looking around. But first was my planned trip to Wal-Mart.

I bought towels and wash clothes, dish towels, toilet paper then came the appliances. First was a small microwave oven. Next I looked at televisions until I finally decided on a 25 inch that had a great picture. I bought a put-together TV stand, paid for everything, and headed back to the park.

On the way home, I stopped at the grocery store and picked up a little more food including a couple of microwave dinners. I remembered beer too. Just to be safe, I bought three cases.

I put another case of beer in the fridge then unpacked and assembled everything else. Once it was all together, I remembered that I needed an antenna. They had to have had cable as that was supposed to be part of the lot rent so I looked under the trailer. I found the cable going up into the living room area where the TV was. Inside at the wall, I found the cable end and pulled it out of the wall until it was long enough to screw onto the TV. When I turned on the TV, the picture was great. I now had some entertainment.

About three, I cleaned up, putting on a clean T-shirt and jeans, put on my helmet, and glasses, and cranked up the bike. I rode into town and rode up and down the main streets looking for bars where bikes were parked. I found a likely place and pulled in, parking my bike to the side, away from the other bikes in case there was a problem.

Upon entering the bar, I got the usual looks that a stranger will get. At the bar, I asked for a cold long neck and was told that's all they had. After my second bottle, the barmaid asked where I was from. I told her I had been working out of the country for a couple of years and was taking a break here in Tampa. One of the guys at the bar heard me and asked what kind of work I did. When I said, 'welder' he asked if I had my own equipment. I answered truthfully, no, shaking my head.

Another guy came up and said that we could use "Pop's" equipment if I could fix the first guys cases for him. "Would you try to fix 'em if you could use Pop's stuff?"

"Sure, just tell me how to get there and I'll be glad to try," I said thinking this was a ruse.

"Let's get out there now. My cases are out there. Let's get going."

Six of us went outside and mounted up and rode out to the north side of town, to a small house with a big metal building behind it that I figured was not that far from the park. An old guy in a wheel chair came out of the little house and rolled down a ramp to meet us. The guys explained what they were there for and the old guy rolled out to the metal building on a paved sidewalk.

Pop showed me his old welding equipment and then he showed me the old Panhead cases that had spider web cracks around the main bearing hole. Cast aluminum is tough, as the metal has to be really hot before you try to weld it. I asked Pop if he had a metal oven. He answered that he had a stove in his kitchen that I could heat the cases in first. Guess he was used to it. I put both halves into the oven then waited for a half-hour before using some tongs to take the half case out. I slowly welded and sealed the cracks in the old case constantly hoping it wouldn't explode on me. The second one went as easily as the first. When I was done, you couldn't really see where they had been welded. I did a good job.

The old guy held each case in his hands and turned them back and forth in the light before finally proclaiming them perfect. Pop told the guy that I had done the work for to pay me. The guy took out three fifty-dollar bills and pushed them toward me.

"I can't take this," I said waving at Pop. "Give Pop fifty for the use of his tools and give me fifty for the work. That ought to be enough. If you feel like you should pay more, then you can help me rebuild my bike."

"Deal brother, it's a deal."

Five of us went back to the bar where I was bombarded with beer and questions from the guys that had gone out there with me as well as several other guys that were there now. Amazing how doing just a little thing for someone endears you to all his friends too.

The bar had some sandwiches and chili that I ate while consuming mass quantities of Bud. By ten, I was near drunk but knew that the wind in my face would help me get back to the trailer park. I promised that I would be back again soon and rode home. I quietly put my bike into the shed then crashed. I was tired and half-drunk.