Something Interesting...................

Doyle called last night. He hasn't done that in a very long time. He wanted to meet, and we agreed to hook up at Merrill Park in Iselin at 11:00 this morning. Not knowing what this would be about, I didn't sleep well.

I was out very early this morning. It was supposed to get very warm, and it had the potential to do so, but it was foggy with a slight breeze when I left my house. I drove around aimlessly through the back streets in Woodbridge and Sewarren. I came across this guy first.

I had no idea what he was doing, but I'd already signaled a right turn so I just continued on my way.

A few more blocks. A few more turns. I came up behind this woman.

She was obviously out for her morning walk. Good for her, I thought, and drove by. I'd passed two potential Events, and - I have to admit - I was getting the itch. I kept driving and wound up in Avenel. That's where I saw this guy.

I wasn't sure what he was doing, but there was no one else around and he was pretty hidden by his car door.

Point, press, Flash.

I drove on up the block and made the first right. A few other turns and I found that I was heading towards Edison. I made a sudden left and came up behind this guy.

He kind of caught me by surprise and I wasn't really ready. I passed him by.

It was going on 10:00, so I drove through the Menlo Park Mall and headed back towards Merrill Park. I saw this guy, up ahead, coming in my direction.

The sun had come out, the day had gotten warmer, and I smiled and kept driving. I made a few more random turns, but always with my destination in mind. I wound up on Oak Tree, and made the left onto Chain-of-Hills heading towards New Dover. That's where I came up behind this guy.

He was just standing there, around one of the turns, and there was no one else around.

Point, press, Flash.

This time, I looked in my rear-view and saw him topple over the low railing.

I made the left onto New Dover then, three blocks later, made another left into Merrill Park.

They changed the layout here, slightly, about a year ago but I knew where Doyle would be. I pulled into the parking lot closest to the gazebo and found him leaning against his car. He straightened up when I got out and approached him. We shook hands.

"Denny! How're you doin'?"
"Good, Doyle, and you?"

Like two old friends catching up.

"Great day, huh?" He said. Not really a question, just an observation.
"Turning out good, finally." I said. We both looked around at the other people walking the track, playing ball, whatever.

"So, Doyle, what's up? You haven't called for a meeting in a long time. I'm guessing something's going on."

He took something out of his jacket pocket.
"Have you ever seen this guy, Denny?" He handed me a photograph. It was a couple of years old, but it was Gordon.
I took some time staring at it. "No .... I don't think so. He doesn't look familiar. Who is he?" I looked up at Doyle, and handed him back the photo. I hoped I looked and sounded convincing.

He took it and waited a beat before replying, as if deciding what to say.
"The tech guys tell me that Gordon's tracker signal has popped up,on and off, several times over the last few weeks." He ignored my question.
"Really? So .. you can get  ... you have a way to track him." I asked.
He shook his head. "No. They've been too quick."
"Then why tell me?"
"Because ...... because in every case, they've popped up within 10 feet of where you are. According to your tracker, of course."

I paused to think this through. Was Gordon that close without contacting me? Was he baiting DHS? Was Doyle baiting me?

"Do you think I'm in any trouble, Doyle? Is he dangerous?"
"No. No .. we don't think he'd hurt you. Actually, we think he's telling us that he knows we keep track of you."
"Is that why you showed me the picture?Was that Gordon?"
"Yeah, Denny. That's why. It's a coupla years old, but I wanted you to see what he looked like. If you haven't seen him, fine. He probably doesn't want you to. But I figured that, if you knew what he looked like, and you saw him, you could contact us. Give us a better shot at him. You know?"
"Yeah. I get it. If I actually see him, you'd like me to try to keep him in my sight while texting you to come and get him, right?"

Doyle shook his head and grinned.
"I know it sounds stupid, but .. yeah, that's what we want. Sometimes, this is how we catch a break. So ... whadaya say?"
I shrugged. "What can I say? Sure, but I'm gonna need to hold onto that picture."
"No problem, Den." He gave it back to me. "Here. Let's hope this gets us closer to ending this."

He stuck out his hand, and we shook again.

"Good to see you, Den. Thanks for your help."
"No problem, Doyle. Anything I can do to help."

He drove away. I put the photo in my pocket.

This was a new situation. Something definitely interesting.

Flexibility.........................

I had a plan for today. I was going to drive down into Monmouth County, get breakfast somewhere, then hit the libraries in Hazlet and Middletown. Maybe even stop at the Goodwill Store on the way home.

That didn't happen.

The morning was overcast, and it looked like it might rain. I decided to stay local instead.

You have to be flexible.

I decided to stop at Shoprite first to check out the sales. Then I'd go to Dunkin' Donuts for breakfast. But, they were working at repaving the entry drive into the Shoprite strip mall, so I had to take a wide right to get in. When I came out, I was close to the Taco Bell, so I went there for breakfast. (I have to admit that I was disappointed. I was the only customer and the food was good but not as hot as it should be and they were out of the iced tea that I'd wanted so I settled for Mountain Dew.)

Still, I was being flexible.

The day had brightened up and gotten warmer. I opened the windows and headed up to Rahway and their library. Again, road work created a detour for me. (I'm not complaining about the roadwork. We had such a severe winter that the roads really need to be repaired.) I knew where I was heading and just followed along. That's when I came up on this guy.

He seemed to be headed down his driveway as I came up. There was no one else around.

Point, press, Flash.

I drove on to the library, but didn't find anything I was interested in. I backtracked to St. George's Avenue and then turned right on Inman. I was enjoying the weather and figured on taking a nice, quiet drive towards Metuchen. I followed along until I got to Grove Street where I made the left. I intended to stop at the North Edison library. I got stopped at the light on New Dover right beside St. Helen's. I looked over and noticed this older man.

 

There was no one else around, but he was pretty far away. Besides, he looked pretty peaceful back there.
I changed my mind, and made the right turn towards Metuchen.

Again, flexible.

I stopped at the library and actually came out with two new books. I thought I'd take Main Street up to Woodbridge Avenue and then make my way through Raritan Center. I stopped at the light on Route 27 and a car stopped behind me. I could hear him before I saw him. His radio, or whatever, was that loud.

I don't like that.

Now, Main Street in Metuchen is a busy couple of blocks. It's one lane and you have to be aware of pedestrians crossing wherever they want. It's a slow drive and the guy behind me - who's already disturbed my peaceful mood with his loud music - was right on my back.

I changed my mind and, when I got to the light at Amboy, took the "left turn only" lane. The guy behind me pulled up beside me.

His music was blaring, and the sun was shining brightly. I got the left turn arrow first and as I turned ...

Point, press, Flash.

I had aimed at the car so I noticed that, as I continued my turn, the music had suddenly stopped. In my driver's side mirror I could see the car still sitting there.

Not what I've usually done, but I was being flexible again.

I drove through the Clara Barton section until I got to Woodbridge Avenue where I was, again, in the "left turn only" lane. I noticed that the Hess station on the far corner had regular at $3.35. That's a good price, but I had to make the left. I wound up driving around through some unfamiliar streets in Fords, trying to get back to the Hess station. That's when I saw this guy heading my way.

We were alone out here.

Point, press, Flash.

I got back to the Hess station, put in $20, and drove to Wegman's with the intention of picking up some vegetable cream cheese and a bagel for lunch. They had the bagels but not the cream cheese I wanted.

Oh well, I was sure that I had something I could come up with at home.

After all, this was a day for flexibility.

Good Friday ...................

Good Friday is one of those pseudo-holidays. A lot of schools are closed because they're either on Spring Break already or just going to start it. And, many parents are already off or are taking the day to prepare for the coming vacation. That being said, there are fewer people out and about early in the morning.

Also, it seems to me that Good Friday always starts out as cloudy, overcast. Maybe it's just me and my Catholic upbringing. Still, having looked out the window when I woke up, I decided to stay in bed a bit longer.

I left my house around 9. I had no particular place to go and all day to get there. I stopped at Shoprite for the paper and my lottery tickets (I play quick-picks for the Mega Millions and the Power Ball - Hey, you never know). I didn't do any food shopping. I do the meatless thing today, and I was going to be house-sitting for several days starting tomorrow so I didn't need anything.

I was at 1/2 a tank of gas and, as I passed my local station I noticed that he'd raised his price to $3.29. I figured that if I couldn't find a cheaper place, I'd stop on my way home.

I stopped at Dunkin' Donuts for breakfast - a toasted Blueberry Muffin with butter and a medium, decaf coffee. I decided to head up to the Fords section, then work my way through Clara Barton towards Edison. I passed the Hess station on St. George and he was at $3.29 too. I figured the one on Route 9 would be cheaper so I passed him by. I was wrong. The Route 9 station was at $3.39.

I was driving aimlessly through Fords when I spotted this guy up ahead doing some gardening work.

 
I lowered the passenger side window, and looked around as I drew closer. It was just us.

Point, press, Flash.

I drove past and took the next right. I wasn't exactly sure where I was but I wanted to get off that street quickly. I took the next couple of lefts and found myself on Amboy Avenue heading away from Clara Barton. I went with this new direction and decided to take a turn through Raritan Center.

As I mentioned earlier, today being sort of an unofficial holiday, there were fewer cars on the road and fewer people around. I drove towards a diner that my daughter and I used to have lunch at periodically when she was working nearby. I hadn't been there in about 2 years and I thought I might get something to go that I could have for lunch and supper. As I neared Campus Drive, I noticed this guy walking along.

I looked around as I got closer to the corner, but there was no one else around. I made the left.

Point, press, Flash.

I drove through the lot of the deli but didn't stop. I got back onto Amboy Avenue and drove through Clara Barton.

I passed through Edison and Metuchen. I didn't stop anywhere and didn't come across any other potential Event. I passed several other gas stations but the prices were all around $3.39. Around 11:30, I headed back to the St. George Hess station and got $20 at $3.29 just in time. They were in the process of changing their price to $3.41.

 I stopped at the Subway's in the Pathmark strip mall. I picked up a 12-inch tuna on Italian bread with lettuce, tomatoes, onions, sweet peppers, and mayonnaise. I had him cut it off-center. I would have the shorter side for lunch and the longer one for supper.

I drove home and got the parking spot right outside my living room windows. As I locked the car and turned towards the front of my building I noticed that my living room blinds were open. They hadn't been when I'd left. And I noticed that the windows were slightly open.

Gordon.

I found him seated on the love seat in front of the windows. He'd obviously seen me and had closed the windows and was closing the blinds as I entered. He turned and grinned at me.

"Denny! It's good to see you!" He made no move to get off the love seat but just sort of waved at me. He looked thinner then the last time I'd seen him, and his eyes seemed different. They seemed to burn.

"Hey, Gordon ... it has been a while. So .. how're you doin'?"
"Excellent. I'm excellent. And you look well, too, Denny. Well, except for that eyebrow thing from the skin cancer surgery."

That took my aback. I didn't understand how he could know that so I excused myself to put the sandwich in the refrigerator. When I got back to the living room, I found Gordon still seated, still grinning, and - it seemed - waiting for me to say something.

"So ..uh .. Gordon .. what brings you here today? What have you been up to?" I thought I'd wait to ask how he'd known about the surgery.
"Well, I have been pretty busy since the last time we met. Mostly in southern New Jersey, Pennsylvania ... some Delaware. Busy, busy, busy. Having fun and leading a merry chase." He fluttered his right hand in the air. "But I realized the other day that I'd been neglecting you, my friend, so I decided to stop by and wish you a Happy Easter."
"Really? Well, that was thoughtful of you." I wasn't sure how to handle the situation but I was sure that he was now unpredictable. I figured that the best thing I could do would be to go along with it and forget about the eyebrow thing for now. "I hope you get to enjoy the day, too."
"Thank you, Denny. I appreciate that." Then his grin faded, and he got serious. "You know, something occurred to me recently and, once I get an idea like that it won't let me go." He paused as if not sure how to go on. Finally, he looked at me and asked, "Have you ever told Agent Doyle that you and I have met - have spoken - several times?"

I looked him straight in the eye and that wasn't easy.

"No. I haven't. And I don't intend to." I felt myself getting angry. "You and I have a common bond, Gordon, and I wouldn't jeopardize that. They did this to both of us. I don't agree with what you're doing but I won't turn you in. They made their bed and now they have to lie in it."

He stood up. His eyes looked to have cooled a bit. He stuck out his hand and I shook it.
"Thank you, my friend. That makes things easier for me." He walked towards the door. "If you'll excuse me now, I have other things I have to do but things are coming to a head, Denny. Very soon, there will be a reckoning."

He unlocked the door, then turned back to me and waved again. "Happy Easter again, Denny. I left a chocolate bunny on your pillow for you."

He closed the door behind him. Did he really say he'd left a chocolate bunny on my pillow? Damn.

Until this visit, it had been a good Friday.

Sneakers....................

I know, the official start of Spring was a couple of weeks ago. But we've still had some chilly days and some heavy rains. I don't mark the start of Spring until I put away my water-proof work boots and break out my sneakers.

Today was that day.

It may have been my imagination - as I left my apartment this morning - but I swear that I could feel a lightness to my step. A "spring", if you will. It felt great.

It was a bit too early for breakfast (I usually wait until after 9, when I take my anti-rejection meds) so I swung by the local Shoprite first. I picked up some stuff for supper and headed back to the apartment to drop it off. That was when I saw this woman walking by.

I was tempted, but we were too close to St. George's Avenue and anyone could turn into the strip mall at any time. I headed for home, and dropped off the food I'd bought.

I headed up to Avenel, stopping at the Comcast office to pay the bill (they don't open until 9:30 but I usually just drop it in their lock box). I picked up the paper, and went to Dunkin' Donuts for breakfast.

I ate in the shop, sitting at a small table by one of the windows, feeling the sun and reading my book. Feeling good.

 As I walked back to my car, I decided to just drive around for a while with the windows open (a little, anyway) and the radio on. As I drove up the block, I noticed this guy up ahead, walking in the street.

I looked around but it was only us.

Point, press, Flash.

I made the right turn, then another right, and headed towards Colonia.

I had CBS-FM on the radio - it's Beatles' Wednesday - and I just left it that way. I had no place to go and no time to be there. I was just "...meandering in a mazy motion..." as Coleridge wrote. It was great.

I drove through a couple of parks in Iselin and Edison. I drove through the back streets of Metuchen. At one point, I came up on this guy.

He was out taking a stroll on a nice day. Kinda like what I was doing. I drove on by.

When I found myself heading back towards Woodbridge, I took a quick left and headed for Sewarren and Williams Park. I parked, got out and stretched, and found myself looking out over Raritan Bay. I sat there for a while, enjoying the scenery and the quiet.

The breeze finally started to pick up and I decided to head for home. I took the first left out of the park and headed towards Woodbridge Avenue. I made the right but got stuck at the railroad crossing.

There was a freight train passing through and I was stopped along with this guy who'd been out walking.

We waited for almost 15 minutes for the train to pass. No one joined us. When it was finally through, and the gates were opening, I noticed that there was no one was waiting on the other side.

Point, press, Flash.

I drove on home.

Spring is finally here for me.

I've got my sneakers on.

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.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
 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.