Something Friends Do ........

Because I tend to drive around a lot - weather permitting - my friends and family out here in Jersey tend to tell me about things that they're looking for. Usually, it's a book that they'd like to read and, since I hit a lot of library book sales, I've been pretty lucky at finding what they're after. I don't go out of my way for these things, but I do keep my eyes out.

Recently, a family member mentioned that she was looking for one of those plastic things that you can put into a refrigerator that holds soda cans. I know, you can argue that the way soda cans are packaged in 12 packs nowadays that this isn't necessary. Still, that's what she wanted.

During the week I had to go to Wal-Mart to pick up some meds so I looked around. They didn't have one. Over the next few days I also stopped at Target, Kmart, Sears, Boscov's, and several other Big Box stores - no luck. (There was something that two of these stores carried, but I knew it wasn't what my friend wanted and, besides, it was kinda expensive.)

Yesterday, I was at the thrift store that I frequent in South Plainfield. I usually go there for clothes but they do have a side room where they have furniture, books, housewares, etc. I was actually looking through the books for something by an author named DeMille but they didn't have any. On a whim, I walked through the other rows of shelves. Two rows over, I found the exact soda can holder that my friend was looking for and it was less then $2.00.

It's a good feeling to do something for a friend.
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 I didn't have a lot of time after I got home. My daughter was going to pick me up around 1:30 and we were going into New York to decorate a reserved room in a restaurant for her grandmother's 80th Birthday party. I went into my bedroom to change, and realized that my St. Jude medal had, somehow, broken off my chain.
I've worn one for over 30 years and, of course, I've had to replace them from time to time. But this is the first time that I couldn't find the one that went missing.

There was nothing I could do right then. I had to get ready for the party. Everyone had a great time.

[Now, you have to understand something. People put a lot of faith into certain things. Over the years - specifically, the last 5 or 6 - I've come to consider the St. Jude medal as sort of a good luck piece. You see, Jude was my Confirmation name, chosen because he was a cousin of Jesus. It wasn't until later that I found out that he was the Patron Saint of Hopeless Causes. I kinda get a kick out of that.]

I spent a lot of time last night on-line trying to find where I could get a replacement locally. Normally, I would agree to wait a day or two but I was due for a follow-up with the oncologist about the carcinoma he removed two weeks ago. I really wanted to get a replacement right away. Frankly, there aren't too many places you can find something like this and most of them are closed on Sunday. Still, I was gonna give it a try.

When I went out to my car this morning, Doyle was standing there.

"Hey, Denny, how's it goin'?" A big grin on his face.
We shook hands.
"Doyle, my God, I haven't seen you since ... I don't know ... before the holidays, I think?"
he looked embarrassed. "Uh .. Yeah .. Sorry about that. Been meaning to stop by and see how you were doin' but ... well  ..... you know ... there's been stuff goin' on and the bad weather and all. And we've been stretched pretty thin.  .... Sorry about that."

I almost laughed. I really was happy to see him.

"No problems. It's good to see you. How've you been? What's been going on?'
He lightened up. "Thanks, Denny. We're dealing with a lot of crap now - all over - but Mr. Jones insists that we keep people on the Gordon thing so I've been stuck at a desk ... well .. two desks actually. One in Trenton and one down in Harrisburg. just trying to maintain some kind of control."
"Why Harrisburg ?"
he paused, and stretched his neck. "Because Gordon's been very active over the last few months, mostly in South Jersey and Pennsylvania. Somehow, he's been able to move freely through the areas hard hit by the snow storms and we haven't been able to get anywhere near him. When we focus on a particular area because we think he's concentrating there, he pops up somewhere else. ..... It's been very frustrating." He shook his head, and slumped a little.

I didn't know what to say, so I just waited.

He straightened up, kinda shook himself, and smiled.
"Anyway, you know we still keep tabs on you, don't ya Denny?"
"Of course I do, Doyle." I smiled.
He took something out of his pocket.
"Well, one of the things we "heard" was that you'd like one of these. Gotta go now, but I will be in touch, Den. And soon, I promise. Do me a favor and don't open this until I leave."

He handed me a small box. Then he got into his car and drove away. I opened the box.

Inside it was a St. Jude medal. I wasn't sure that I liked the idea that he knew what I wanted, but I understood the gesture.

It's something that friends do.

Stuff Happens ..................

What a great day!

 It feels like we've been dealing with so much stuff for so long that even a quick hit of warm weather is greatly appreciated. And I've been dealing with some stuff.

I've mentioned before how my car had been plowed in and then iced over back a month or so ago but that got cleared up. I've also mentioned that I've been dealing with a carcinoma situation on my forehead. The Dermatologist lasered it out a couple of months ago and when I went back, it had returned He had to cut it out this time, using dissoluble stitches inside, and regular ones outside.

When I went back to have the stitches taken out, he told me that it was cancerous and that it was still growing. He referred me to an Oncologist.

 Long story short, I saw him twice and, on my second visit, he spent about an hour cutting it out again. That was on Friday. Interestingly, he did use dissoluble stitches inside but used glue and derma-strips on the outside. I go back on the 24th.

There's been some pain, and I've had to use bandages to cover some seepage, but I was feeling better this morning so I hit the road.

It was early as I drove up Rahway Avenue. As I approached the railroad crossing, I saw this guy coming in my direction.

A quick look around showed that we were the only ones in the immediate area.

Point, press, Flash.

I drove up to Avenel Street, made a left and headed for Shoprite. I picked up some stuff and was just gonna go home when I decided to take a quick run up into South Plainfield and Metuchen. I wasn't looking to buy anything. I was just ... looking.

I took Chain-of-hills Road to New Dover and was enjoying the drive when I saw this young man heading my way.

I took a quick look around but decided to drive on. It struck me that he was having a good time, just out for a walk with his headphones. Everyone deserves a break.

I continued on. I stopped at that Thrift Store I frequent. Didn't get anything.

I drove to Metuchen and stopped at the library. Didn't get anything there, either.

Just relishing the day.

On my way home, I took Route 27. Along the way I passed a few Town House developments. On a whim, I drove into one. I cruised around the winding curves and was heading back to the main road when I came up on this guy.

It was quiet back here and isolated. I didn't waste any time.

Point, press, Flash.

I got back on the main road and headed home.

I've been dealing with some stuff.

I guess those people were dealing with some stuff.

Stuff happens.

On The Road Again................

I'm back, and it feels great!

We've had some really bad snowfalls since the beginning of the month, and I made a huge mistake after the first one. It had ended late on a Monday and I went out on the Tuesday to dig out my car. I'd done some of it and then remembered that there was to be another front passing through that night so I decided to wait on the rest of the clean up.

It turned out to be a bigger storm then predicted and froze over rapidly. My car was plowed in to a pile of ice about 1 1/2 to 2 feet high. There was nothing I could do except wait for some help, or  some really warm weather.

I got lucky this past Saturday. The weather had turned warmer and some friends came down. I was able to get into the car and she started right up. We chipped away enough stuff to be able to pull out of that spot. Unfortunately, I had things to do Saturday so I only had time to find another parking space.

Sunday and Monday I drove the car around a bit, but stayed local. Just making sure that the car was OK after sitting for several weeks.

Today, we hit the road.

I stopped at Shoprite for some groceries, then hit Dunkin' Donuts. I took a coffee and a croissant to go and headed towards Metuchen. I was hoping to stage an Event, but it wasn't easy looking for a target when I had to watch the road for potholes. And - Damn - there are potholes everywhere. Targets, however, were hard to find.

I stopped at the library in Metuchen but didn't find anything interesting. Back in my car, I noticed this woman coming up on my driver's side.

I was tempted, but it was too open. I headed up towards South Plainfield, to the Thrift Store. Again, potholes got in my way - actually, a crew filling them. I had to turn off Route 27 to Wood Avenue and past the Metro Park station. That's when I saw this guy.

I was itching, but the timing was wrong. Again, it was too open and he was going in the wrong direction. There was no way I could turn around.

I proceeded to the Thrift Store. I took Thornhall back up to Route 27 then Grove Street up towards Oak Tree. Just up ahead, I saw this woman turn onto the next cross street.

There was no other traffic. I made the right turn slowly and waited until she passed the house and was near some shrubs.

Point, press, Flash.

I drove on, made a couple of lefts, and got back on Grove.

I didn't get anything at the Thrift Store but that was OK by me.

I had my car back.

I was on the road again.

It Just Doesn't Get Any Better Than This...........

The Holidays are finally over. All the decorations have been taken down, which was easy since I didn't use many. All the presents have been put away, which also was easy since they were mainly Gift Cards (and those work well for me).

We move on into the New Year. And I'm starting this one in a good place. For the first time in years, I don't have any outstanding bills from doctors, hospitals, etc. Don't get me wrong, I'm expecting one or two any day now, and I've got a minor bit of surgery scheduled for later this month to address a carcinoma situation. What I mean is that the ones I've been making fixed payments on for some time are all satisfied.

And so am I.
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We've been on a real roller coaster, weather-wise, for the last couple of weeks. We had a pretty big snow storm that dropped about 6 inches in my area. Then we had what they called a Polar Vortex which dropped the local temperatures down to sub-zero for the first time in decades. Oddly, this was followed by a warming trend and some heavy rains which washed away almost all of the snow but created localized flooding conditions. All this was capped by a freezing rain situation that has left behind some ongoing icing conditions.

All in all ..... Winter.

I was stuck inside for a day or two - a couple of times - which I didn't like, but I've been out and about as often as possible. And I'm happy to say that my car started every time.
_____________________________________________________________________________

I was out early today because I had some personal errands to run. They didn't take as long as I'd thought so I stopped at my local Perkins for breakfast. I've been meaning to do this since last week but I kept missing "the window". (If you get there before 10 AM they have Early Bird Specials and I can get my favorite for $2.00 less. It's 2 sunny-side up eggs, toast, bacon, hash browns and decaf for $10.00.)

I'd eaten well, the sun was out, my bills were paid and I was feeling good.

I headed up towards the thrift store in South Plainfield that I haven't been to in a while. I browsed around there for a while but didn't find anything that interested me. I left and drove to Metuchen to check out the library.

I take the back streets to get there. To me, it's faster. Unfortunately, because of the way the weather's been, a lot of these side-streets have developed pot holes. Big pot holes, in many cases. And there's always some kind of roadwork going on. I was dealing with these when, up ahead, I noticed this guy.

The roadway was narrow here because of the construction and it was impossible to pass this guy. I followed him slowly and took out the Flasher.

I know what Doyle said, but - sometimes - you gotta do something.

There was no one behind me, and I watched the oncoming traffic until I found my moment.

Point, press, Flash.

I passed him by, got to the library, and actually picked up a couple of books.

I was still feeling good and I headed home.

I wound up back on Chain-of-Hills Road and, as I rounded one of the curves, noticed this woman up ahead. She was, I thought, power-walking.

I had the Flasher ready but I just drove on by. No reason to push the envelope.

I was feeling good.

Like my old friend Robert used to say, "It just doesn't get any better then this."

A Slight Relapse..............

It's a funny thing but the older I get the more I dislike snow. Maybe because I live in New Jersey now. When I was living in the Bronx, I got around by bus or train so weather conditions didn't really bother me. Living in New Jersey, you really need a car to get around. That means that you have to clean it off - and, maybe, dig it out - every time it snows. And we've had three snow storms in the last week.

I really dislike snow.

Plus, the temperature has been below average. That means that the snow hasn't melted and, when the snow turned to rain, it turned to ice quickly.

Not a fan of that, either.

Today, however, the sun was out, and so was I. And I took the Flasher with me. I've been carrying it since Gordon visited me last week. It just makes me feel safer.

The side street that I was parked on hadn't been completely cleared, but I was fairly close to the corner, and the main road looked pretty good. Of course, I had to scrape the ice off.

I let the car warm up for about 10 minutes because it was so cold out. I checked my mirrors, then started to pull out when this plow truck jumped out of a nearby driveway and cut me off.

I've always found these guys to be a little too full of themselves. It's like they feel like I should be happy that they're clearing my street while piling up all the excess snow against the side of my car. And he didn't use his blinker when he turned right.

I pulled out and - using my blinker - turned right also. When we stopped at the light at Freeman Street, he was in the left lane and I was in the right. The sunlight on the snow created quite a glare. And I remembered that  the Flasher had an effect on car engines.

Point, press, Flash.

When the light changed, I drove away and he didn't.

That felt great.

I had a plan for today, and everything went well. I stopped at Shoprite and picked up some stuff for lunch and supper. I picked up the paper. I had breakfast at Dunkin' Donuts. I found a Toys for Tots drop-off at the Woodbridge Center Mall. You always feel good when things fall into place.

I headed home.

And then this idiot on a bike decided to cut across the street in front of me.

Thankfully, I was slowing down to make the right turn. I followed him around the corner. He stayed in the street, and I came up along side of him. Old habits die hard, and I'd been checking my mirrors. No one else was around.

Point, press, Flash.

He and the bike fell over and I continued my drive home.

Later on that day, I got the delivery of a Christmas present I had ordered. All in all, a good day except for ...

.. a slight relapse.

Withdrawal.................

This last month has been tough.

Ever since Doyle told me that there was a heightened awareness among local police forces about the possibility of a killer on the loose I've stopped staging Events. Don't get me wrong, I still go out every day - or at least every day that the weather permits - but I don't carry the Flasher anymore.

And it hasn't been easy.

At first, I tried not to notice people, but - to be honest - there are too many of them. And I'd gotten used to the hunt. The desire was like an itch - an itch under my skin - an itch that I couldn't reach. I wanted to scratch it badly.

 But I knew that I couldn't.

That's when I realized what an addiction was.

 I thought I knew  -I smoked for about 40 years, before I wound up at the hospital and was diagnosed with congestive heart failure. It was easy to quit smoking then because I was in the hospital for two weeks and they don't let you smoke.

Anyway ...

It's been tough.

But, I struggled through it. And after several weeks, I've realized that the best thing you can do with your life is to live it.
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 I was out today and ... well .. the itch wasn't as bad. Or it wasn't bad enough to bother me.

I drove around, did some Christmas shopping, and went home. I got a good parking spot, took my stuff out of the trunk, and walked home.

I didn't notice that one of my living room windows was open.

I walked into my apartment, and heard the window being closed.

I didn't lock the door, but walked straight into the living room.

Gordon stood there grinning.

"Hello, Denny! How good to see you !"

It looked like he was twitching, but I didn't allude to that. I just put down my packages and turned to face him.

"Hey .. uh .. Gordon .. so .. How're things going?"

"Excellent, my friend! Quite excellent! " He started to pace around the living room - which isn't that big.

"I wanted to ask you, Denny .... I wanted to ask you ... umm .. why you stopped .. you know .. doing what we do." He paused and shook his head. "But then I got to thinking. Maybe .... just maybe .... you didn't want to do this anymore and I couldn't figure out why so ..." He grinned at me, " .. I decided to stop by and ask you why."

He went to sit down on the couch but couldn't. Instead he turned towards the window, twitching and scratching his right ear.

I decided to change the topic.

"What's going on, Gordon? ...You seem  .. I don't know ....kinda itchy."

He stood facing the window for a long time - still twitching - then turned towards me.

He became calm, but I could see the fingers of his right hand drumming against his leg. He seemed to have decided to change the conversation, too. He grinned at me.

"Denny .... my good friend, Denny --- you have the package I sent you, right?"
"Um .. Yes ... of course.".
"Good. If what I have planned works out .." his face took on a more sober quality ....".. this is the end game."

"What do you mean by that, Gordon?"

He walked towards the door, then turned around.

"There are things in play, Denny. I'm sorry that you're involved, but ...."

He opened the door ...

....  I hope you figure it out."

He closed the door.

I sat down in my chair and tried to understand what was going on. I was dealing with two people with two different agendas ..

Doyle warned me what I might be in store for ...

Gordon warned me what I might be in store for ...

..and I'm left dealing with both of them and what it means to have to deal with ..

... withdrawal.

Dialing It Back...............

Doyle called Monday evening, wanting to meet Tuesday morning. I told him I couldn't. I had a series of test scheduled at Robert Wood on Tuesday and wouldn't be available. Especially since the 10:30 test was a Dobutamine Stress Test which usually wipes me out.

We agreed to meet at 11:30 this morning at Merrill Park, in the first parking area on the right.

As it turned out, the Stress Test took 2 hours, but went well.
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I was up and out early. It was cold, but the sun was out and I was feeling good.

I've been on a dry streak lately. It happens sometimes. Some days there are no opportunities. Some days there are, but other factors enter in. These can be definable - like being too close to a potentially populated area or a person/car suddenly appears in the distance. These can also be undefinable - just a sense that there's something that could go wrong.

And there are my rules. I leave people on phones or people walking dogs alone.

And, to be honest, I've noticed an increased police presence in the various towns that I drive through.

Anyway, I headed up Rahway and turned onto Freeman. Up ahead was the dip in the road under the train tracks. That's where I saw this woman.

This is the same spot that I'd had my first Event, on foot, years ago. I lowered the passenger side window while looking around. We were on our own.

Point, press, Flash.

I continued on towards St. George Avenue, stopping at Shoprite to see what was on sale. I picked up some stuff, went home to drop them off, and headed to Dunkin' Donuts for breakfast.

I stopped at a couple of libraries and bought some sale books that looked interesting, including one that is autographed by the author. That's a pretty exciting find. I hope the book is good.

I stopped at my favorite thrift store and got three pairs of brand name sweat pants for $12. In this kind of weather, I wear them around the house and to bed.

after that stop, I headed towards the park. I got there around 11:15. Of course, Doyle was already there, sitting at one of the picnic tables facing the lot. I parked and walked over. He was drinking a coffee, and there was an extra for me. He stood, and we shook hands.

"It's been a while. How're ya doin', Denny?" He grinned, broadly.
"Good, Doyle." I couldn't help but grin back at him. "How's things with you?"

He sat down and gestured to the extra coffee as he picked up and drank from his. I did the same.

"Well, we're back to normal - if you can call anything we do normal - after the shut down, and the NSA problems have bypassed us lately, but now we  have the new Secret Service vice scandal starting to pop up. I guess it's always something. So .... " He drank from his coffee, "..How'd your tests go?"
I drank from my coffee, too. After all, it was cold out here.
"I should get the blood work results in a couple of days. I don't expect a problem with the chest x-ray. I admit that I was "pre-stressed" about the Stress Test. I even arranged for my son-in-law to pick me up because I remember my reaction after the last one. But, I gotta say, it went well. I sent a text to my son-in-law not to worry and I got home on my own."
"So, what's next?"
"Well, I meet with the doctor next week for my annual checkup. Everything should be good and he'll let me know if there are any other tests he wants for this year. I'm hoping that he forgets about the colonoscopy he mentioned last year."

We both laughed at that - me not as loud.

"So, Doyle, in case you haven't noticed, it's cold out here - even with the coffee. What's up?"
"Have you noticed that there are more cops around lately, especially around here?"
"Sure I have. I was even thinking about that earlier. Does that have anything to do with this meeting?"
"Yeah, Denny, it does." He drank some more coffee, then took a deep breath. "Someone has contacted local authorities about the possibility of a serial killer operating in the area. According to what we've heard, they've been pointed to certain 'coincidences' in deaths across several townships on the same day. You know what I'm talking about, right, Denny?"

I had to agree that I did. I could feel my heart amping up. This was worse then the stress test.

"So ... what happens now? Am I in any danger? Do you know who the informant is?"

He went to touch my hand, to reassure me, but pulled back. I understood. We're guys.
"You don't have anything to worry about right now, Denny, but it's probably best that you dial things back. You know, not so many in one day, space things out, that kinda thing. And .. No .. we don't know who the informant is, but I have my suspicions."
"Who? Who is it? Who do you think it is?"
"Gordon."

One word. One name. A whole lot of questions.

"Why would he do that?"

"He'd been incredibly active up until last week, staging Events across the entire state. Almost one a day, bouncing from one county to another. Then he abruptly stopped. Our shrinks think that he has some kinda agenda. They think he was trying to attract your attention by what he's doing because he thinks we're telling you of his daily activity. They think he's trying to egg you on into some sorta competition. But you've been kinda quiet lately, so he's changed his game plan. They think that he thinks that you've gotten bored and that the increased police pressure will energize you."

We both finished our coffees, and threw the cups into the nearby trash basket. I stopped noticing the cold about 10 minutes ago.

"What should I do now, Doyle?" I tried not to sound desperate.
"Dial things back. I know you haven't been too active but, when you get out there, you tend to do multiples. Don't get me wrong, we don't want you to stop. I think Gordon is trying to bait you, but I don't think he intends to hurt you. I think he's trying to get your attention. To counter that, I think you shouldn't do more then one Event on any given day."

He stood up.

"Denny, I'm not sure what Gordon is planning. I'm not sure I trust what the shrinks are telling me. I am sure that I can count on you to do the right thing.You have so far. And we still have your back."
He looked at his watch, checked his phone, then stuck out his hand.
"I gotta go now, Denny, but don't worry ... I've given clear instructions that you be monitored around the clock." He grinned again. "You got my word on that."

I shook his hand and he got into his car and drove away.

I sat there for a while, trying to digest the whole situation, but I couldn't get my head around it and it was getting colder. I got into my car and headed out also. Then I saw this guy.

There was no one else around but ...

I drove on by. Just doing what Doyle suggested ...

dialing it back.