Rock

While walking to a table with my McDonald's sandwich I saw Charles in a booth. He asked me to join him and I slid in next to him. Opposite us was a person that Charles immediately began to introduce me to, his name was Rock. He extended his hand and I instinctively put mine out. As I did, a sense of revulsion came over me and I did not want to shake his hand, I did not want to touch him at all. What I saw was a sixty year-old man with a tattoo on his arm that ran down to his hand. The tattoo was an arrow with the tip stopping just above the knuckles. His skin had the look of not having been washed in a week, or a month. His hair was matted and he had a straggly beard about ten inches long. His clothes had the look of having been put on a week ago and never taken off since then. I could not help myself, politeness overcame revulsion, I shook his hand. As I sat down and started to eat my sandwich (yes, without washing after having shaken his hand) he continued a story he was telling Charles. He was going to go to a Motorcycle Meet and he would be riding his world famous bike, a bike in the shape of a skeleton. He said everyone wants to get their picture taken with this bike, especially beautiful women. He implied that there were many things that beautiful women would do just to get their picture taken on that bike, not the least of which was to lift a blouse and see her boobs. He said he gets a large crowd around his bike all the time. As he was relating this I looked at him closely and had the feeling I had seen him before. Both Charles and I made listening noises and he continued to talk. He had been in business and made a lot of money - and lost a lot of money. He was a businessman but he lost the business. He one time owned a great deal of very expensive property all over the State but he sold it for a mere pittance. I questioned him about this and he admitted, "Well a bitch took it in a divorce." He said the woman he was married to was the most beautiful and shapely person alive. They had a huge house on a large estate. (I did not ask where the money came from but he indicated that she had lots of it.) At this point, a friend of Rock's came by and slid into the booth next to him, he was not introduced. Rock began to talk about his full size manikin at home that was anatomically perfect. He shows her off to many people and all agree that she is really something. He said she looks like a cover girl and he has different clothes for her to wear. Rock's friend nodded in agreement. A closer look at Rock revealed: very bad teeth, eyes were slightly rimmed with red, the exposed skin of his face had small lumps, the left arm had a small tattoo near the bicep, his beard had never been trimmed. When he talked he was self assured, he was not accustomed to being contradicted. It was obvious he had told these stories many times before and he enjoyed telling them. I also perceived that he realized that Charles and I did not react in the manner in which he was accustomed which made him exclaim that he could prove it all. His friend agreed to everything. At this point I had to leave, excused myself, and left. As I was driving away, it hit me, I knew where I had seen Rock. About eight months ago, I had viewed a government web site on registered sex offenders in this area. This site has address and pictures of these sex offenders, and Rock's picture was there. There are seventeen sex offenders in our vicinity and I had looked at all those pictures. Weird guy.

The Eyes Have It

After 75 years Pat's eyes required improvement. Her cataracts had become worse, last year a doctor had told her she did not need an operation yet. This year, a doctor told her she should have had an operation over two years ago. She had voluntarily stopped night driving because she could not see well enough, despite a different prescription for her contact lenses. She had worn contact lenses from the time they were made from glass and were relatively thick. Thin lenses were a god-send and she used them for many years. Every night she would remove her lenses and put them in a solution for the night. So she was ready to get an improvement in her eyes. After all, all it takes is money. The operations would be scheduled one week apart. The cataract, which causes a cloudiness, would be removed and an interocular lens would be inserted. These lenses would take the place of her contacts. The operation is done at an out-patient part of the hospital. Two follow-up visits are required for each eye. Medicare takes care of the costs of the operation. We are responsible for the cost of the lenses and the doctor's price for their insertion. (Lens and doctor's price was $2,000 for each eye.) After the operation, a clear eye patch is worn to keep anything from happening to the eye and dark glasses are worn to keep bright sun from affecting the sensitive eye. Pat had no problem with the operations and required only Tylenol for a headache. At her last follow-up she was told her eyes are 20/25 and everything was fine. She says that colors are now more vivid and she can see very well. While sitting in the kitchen the other day, she looked down the fairway and said she could see two people getting up to the t-box, she had never been able to see that far before. The concern about night driving has now disappeared. She returned to Atlanta today.

Illegals

When driving through an exclusive sub-division I often see mexicans working on the landscaping. They always have their heads down and are working hard, even in the hot sun. They do not look at the cars or the drivers as they pass, instead, they concentrate on their work. They are usually spaced about 80 yards apart so that they are never seen talking to one another. It is useless to wave to them because they are concentrating on the work. The whole place looks very good. I am impressed with their work ethic and their skill. We are better off having them here. A friend of mine received a ticket for speeding, it cost him $280 for that indiscretion. I did not feel the least remorse for him, he did wrong and he must pay for it. If I had done it I would also pay because that is the fine for doing the speed. I would feel bad, but I would pay. There is a gut wrenching dilemma facing us with the Mexicans: they are good workers and we need them, they are good people and we need them, they need only a hand up to become the excellent citizens that they can be. How did we get into this position? They have what we want and we have what they want, couldn't we have found a way for a mutually satisfying solution? It appears our immigration bureaucracy let us down. If they are sent back I will feel some remorse for them, but they did break the law. When the law is broken it is necessary to pay the penalty, a man stands up and pays what is necessary.