- Chapter 1 -

I don't remember much of my childhood, maybe I don't want to remember it. All I do remember was poverty and the image of flying hard fists.

Maybe I was a bad kid, being beaten around like I was. But I do remember never coming to school without a bruised face. My dad, as far as I can remember, was never a good dad. And living as a poor kid in the early 60's, not long after the nightmarish McCarthy-period, life wasn't exactly easy.

Pop was drunk most of the time, kept getting fired from an endless string of menial jobs. On top of that he was cantankerous and very ill-tempered, anything could set him off. And when he got angry, then fists would fly.

Those quarrels made it necessary for me to be absent from my home most of the time, usually I would run out and visit hangouts where homeless people from everywhere would sit and drink all night.

Needless to say I took up smoking at a very early age, drinking as well. Found the booze to be a welcome relief from the pained life, that way I could forget how much it sucked to be at home. The constant beatings, me and mom alike, the poverty, the hunger.

We went hungry most of the time, because pop would spend most of his money on booze with his drinking buddies, while mom tried to feed us as well as she could. There wasn't much food to get, so I got used to starving and eating little. Couldn't exactly get fat on what we had, you might understand.

We lived in an old and rundown apartment building in L.A at the time, you know the kind often bought by greedy sharks who just want to squeeze as much rent they can from their tenants, without caring for the welfare or health. But we were dirt-poor, and didn't have much alternatives really. 2 bedrooms and a kitchen, which also functioned as a living room.

That was what we had to live in. But apart from the beatings, we did scrape by and managed to have some moments of happiness, when pop was to drunk to do any damage or when he was out getting drunk. But that was soon to change, when I got in my teens. It was then he decided that me and mom was overdue for some serious beatings.It ended with me dropping out of school, and my dad getting more and more violent.

Once pop got so angry that he nearly killed my mom, she ended up with a broken nose, several missing teeth and at least 5-6 broken ribs before he dropped to the couch in a drunken stupor. That night I ran away, stole what money pop had while he slept, packed my stuff in a battered suitcase, got dressed and split. I was 17, and in my mind I never would see my pop or mom again.

I was free, on the run and on the road. Swearing I would never return home I hopped on a Greyhound and began my long journey making my way to freedom. I soon fell asleep from the rocking of the bus, the sound of the wheels against asphalt and the diesel engine roaring as the bus driver rode along the highway towards San Francisco. I thought I was heading for paradise, at least I was heading for a change.

- Chapter 2 -

San Francisco, the sun was rising above the horizon when the bus thundered into the outskirts of the city. I watched the buildings go by slower and slower, while the bus was making its way to the nearest bus-stop. Hopping of at Mission street I began looking for a vacant room somewhere, and thus I started walking. Before long I saw a building with a sign that said �Vacant room, $5 a week, ask inside�.

Walking inside I saw an entrance, wallpapers which were cracked and faded in places, and a single big door where it said �Landlord�. I knocked on the door and out came a fairly big man, clad in a dirty pair of blue paints, and an even dirtier t-shirt. He had a balding head,where the greying hair was hanging on for dear life, and when he opened his mouth I could see a set of teeth that hadn't been touched by a toothbrush for what seemed to be years at least. But he was a gentle and kind man, and we soon hit it off. It helped, perhaps, that I looked older than my age.

�So you need a room, huh?�; he said with a gruff and raspy voice.. �Well, you're in luck, I got one left.. It ain't much but we might get to an accord, I think.. Just wait here a bit, while I get my keys�.
He went in for a minute, I could hear the clanking of keys and before long he came out again and said; �Follow me, it's in the second store.�.

We walked up a rickety staircase, I could hear the creaking for each step we took. He suddenly asked �Do you smoke,boy?�. �Yeah�; I replied, a bit dumbfounded; �I hope you don't mind�.. �Nah, just as long as you don't burn down the house�. He laughed for a bit and then said ; �Now, the rules are simple.. After 11 at night, no fuzz or noise, all right?.. No parties either, I have had enough of cleaning up after hippies trashing my rooms. Besides, my wife has a bad heart, she needs the rest.The rent is payable at the end of each week, and I'll have to hit you for two weeks in advance I am afraid.. Think you can swing that?�.

�Yeah, no problems.. By the way, do you know where I can get a job around here.. I haven't got so much experience, but I don't mind doing heavy work.�. We got to the room, and while he opened the door he said; �Yeah, I got a pal who has hiring for the moment.. He owns a garage a couple of blocks from here, It's heavy labor but you seem like a boy who could do that..Just walk down Kingston from here till you get to a big grey garage.. the Sign says �Hills Auto�. Just say that Gaff sent you, he'll know what you mean.�.

�Ah, here we are, not much as I said, but it'll do�.. Not much, that was right.. An old fridge, a cooking plate. A bed which had seen its glory days long ago, a table and a couple of chairs. A window from which I couldn't see to much at all.. Well, I didn't care, I was happy having a roof over my head for the time being. Fishing up four dollars I said �That'll do�.. Gaff handed me the key and said �Good luck tomorrow kid.�.

I tossed the suitcase under the bed, sat down and fished a cigarette out from my pocket and lit up.. Drawing the acrid smoke into my lungs I uttered a sigh of relief.. Finally I would have a chance of a life of my own, without the beatings. Without a mother that never fought back, without a father that never was any good. Thinking about my mom, I suddenly began regretting my decision of running away. But only for a while, I knew Pop would be the death of me if I had been there any longer.

In the afternoon I went out to find a store where I could buy me some food, and perhaps some beer. I was lucky enough to find a small store just 5 minutes away from Gaff's place. 20 minutes after I returned to my new home with a couple of bags of groceries, bread, milk, a couple of packs of smokes and incredibly enough two six-packs of Millers. It must have been my looks that helped me, because I wasn't asked for ID at all.

I went to sleep early that day, being so tired from the long bus-ride. Tomorrow I would have to be fresh to stand a chance getting the job Gaff had told me about.

- Chapter 3 -

�So.. You wanna work here? Gaff called me, told me you�re comin��; Hill rasped gruffly. He was a slim but muscular man of about 40-45, with short crew-cut black hair and a weathered face.His piercing silvery eyes looked like they could see straight into a man�s soul and get the truth within. �Do you have any mechanical skills�; he asked. �Yeah, a little.. I worked in an auto-shop in LA for a few months, the pop of a friend of mine owned it. He taught me what he could before he went bust and killed himself�; I said.. That was,of course, a lie, I never worked a day in a garage before, but I had tinkered a little on cars on my own. Hill was a man who definitely gave the impression that he wouldn�t tolerate any bullshit, and would make damn sure nobody gave him lip. His garage was his pride and passion.

Hill looked me over with a stare that actually made me sweat a little. Could he tell that I was bluffin�? �Well, all right , I have enough mechanics for now, but if you don�t mind a menial job sweeping the floor and making sure this place is tidy at all times then I probably can hire ya�.

I thought about it for a second and accepted.. �Come back here tomorrow, and I�ll have an overall ready for you. Working hours are from 7-4, Monday through Friday, and you can have half an hour of for lunch, anytime from 10 to 11. I�m gonna pay you minimum wage, which is $15 a week. Now since Gaff and me are friends, I can fix it that your rent is garnished from the pay and paid directly to him�. I nodded to that..

�All right. Come back tomorrow, son�. Hill reached an oily hand towards me, and without hesitation I shook it.. He smiled and said �Good,kid, I like a man who isn�t afraid to get his hands dirty..� With that we parted ways and I went home.

As I opened the door and entered Gaff met me and asked how it went. �I got the job, starting tomorrow�.. Gaff smiled and said; �Good, I had a hunch he would like you. Now, remember. I know Hill, we�ve been buddies since childhood. He�s stern and strict, but always fair. Keep on his good side, do as you�re told and you�ll have no troubles. You might get into an occasional squabble with him, but don�t worry. He�s the kind of man who doesn�t hold a grudge for long. He might not forget, but as long as you do your job.. Well, you know what I mean.�. He turned to walk in, and then turned his face towards me and said; �You know, my wife and I are about to have dinner, would you like to join us?�.

Since I was feeling hungry anyways I accepted, and got to meet Gloria. Gloria was a slim woman, with long reddish hair, kind face and warm eyes. �Hello there, Gaff, who�s our guest?� ; she asked while she stirred the boiling pot. �Oh, he�s our newest tenant.�; Gaff replied with a smile.

�So, what�s your name, young man?�. �Charlie�; I told her with a kind of stutter in my voice; �Just Charlie.�. She put away the dipper she had been stirring with, and walked towards me greeting me with a friendly hug. �Glad to have you here, Charlie. I suppose my husband invited you for dinner. Well, we have enough for three so just sit down in the living-room. The broth is ready soon�. With that she returned to the pot.

Gaff went to the living-room and I followed. �Sit down, Charlie�; he pointed towards a battered but still well-kept leather couch. �If you got smokes, just light up. I don�t mind�. I fished up a cigarette and lighted it up, while I sat down. �What do you think about Gloria?�. �She seems like a good woman.� I said, not knowing exactly what to say.. Gaff laughed; �She�s the kindest woman ever born. We married almost 25 years ago, and I haven�t regretted a day since. She�s the light of my life, without her.. I just don�t know what to do.�.

A few minutes passed by where we just sat, chatted about everything and nothing, when Gloria entered with tray where three bowls of steaming hot soup was placed. She nimbly placed the bowls on the table, one by one and said; �Now, enjoy the food..�

I took a whiff of the steam and tasted the soup, which was a mix of meat and vegetables in a bouillon broth. It tasted like pure heaven towards what I had eaten anytime before. I must have seem like a famished man while eating it with loud slurps, as Gloria smiled towards me and said; �That good?�.. �Heavenly� ; I replied, couldn�t say anything else.

When we were finished with the soup, she took the bowls out and started washing them. Gaff stood up, walked towards a cupboard that was placed on the far wall and asked; �Would you like a glass of whiskey, son?�. I accepted and he poured a couple of glasses from a bottle of Single Malt.

�Cheers�; he said and raised his glass. I raised mine and took a sip, the taste of the whiskey was something I�d never tasted before but I didn�t find it unpleasant. �Jack Daniels. Best Whiskey there is, don�t let anyone tell you otherwise�; Gaff told me while keeping his eyes fixed on mine.

After 10 glasses we had both become more than a little tipsy. Gaff fell asleep in his couch and was snoring loudly while I gave Gloria a goodbye-hug and exited out the kitchen door. Stumbling up the stairs I made my way to my room, closed the door, slumped into bed and fell to sleep almost instantaneously

- Chapter 4 -

I woke up late that morning and hurried down to the garage, where Hill grabbed hold of me and shouted �You're late� before almost throwing me towards the lockers.. �Now, Get dressed and get sweeping. And don't let this happen again�. As I turned around I saw him smiling an almost fatherly smile, and then he just motioned me towards the lockers. Wasting no more time I got changed to my working attire and started sweeping the floors and cleaning up the garage. At the end of the day the garage was fairly clean after my tastes. Hill patted me on my shoulder and said; �Good job, good job, boy.. This more than makes up for your tardiness this morning. Gaff got you drinking a bit yesterday or what?�. Nodding to Hill; �Yeah, must admit that I drank a bit�.

Hill smiled to me and said;�Well, he loves his booze and doesn't like to drink alone. So I understand that you looked a little peaked�. The days and months went by, with the same menial labor, sweeping and cleaning the garage under the scrutiny of Hill.

I got to know quite a few of the other people there. Harold was a runt of just 5 feet 1, but always with a smile on his face. Middle-aged, about 50, he was quick on his feet and always bustling about with different cars, whether it was just checking the engines, changing oil or doing some tuneups or other more difficult things. And there there was Carlos, A giant Mexican immigrant with a big black handlebar mustache, shoulderlenght black hair,burning eyes. He hardly ever smiled, and seem surly most of the time. His arms were tattooed all the way from his wrists to his shoulders. There was Jos�, who was at my height, completely bald and a bit lighter in the skin than Carlos, slim and toned. And at last there was a big son of a buck, a black guy named Nate with a thick afro and big muscular arms and a even bigger gut.

Sometimes you might hear a deep, rumbling laughter from Nate when Harold told him a dirty joke, they seemed to be thick as thieves. One Friday Nate approached me and asked if I would join the gang for some drinks after work. How could I refuse?

After work we went down to a place called �The Golden Tap�, where we spent the evening getting quite hammered, drinking buckets of whiskey, tequila and other assortments of booze. Carlos had secretly fixed a joint before going in, and now we sat there passing it around, taking a toke each.

Before long we had gotten quite hammered and stoned, laughing wildly of the jokes that Harold incessantly told us. We sat there till Saturday Morning when we were mildly but decisively tossed out by the owner, which by the way was a good friend of Carlos. I told the gang that I was quite tired and needed to sleep, so with that we parted ways and I went back to my own apartment.

The next morning I woke up with hangover from hell, grabbed one of my towels and made my way to the bathroom on the other side of the hallway. After a quick shower and a shave I was feeling a little bit better, so I returned to my room and popped a beer before getting dressed. After a few beers I felt reasonably human again, and walked out towards one of the parks and sat down to have my self a couple of smokes while looking at the sights.

- Chapter 5 -

�Hey, can I bum a smoke from you?�. I looked up and saw the most fantastic sight. A raven-haired phenomenal beauty with a perfect face and even more perfect body. She smiled at me as I picked up my packets of Marlboro and offered her one; �Need a light?�.

Flicking my Zippo I watched her bending towards me and holding the cigarette towards the flickering flame. My eyes drifted towards her incredible cleavage. �See something you like, boy?�; she glanced at me with a cocky tone in her voice. She had it all, and knew it well. �If you want this, it'll cost�; cupping her breasts lightly as if showing off her goods. �How much?�; I blurted out, feeling the blood race towards my face.

�Come with me, kid. I'll show you the time of your life�; she proposed with a mirthful voice. And I didn't exactly say no. I didn't say anything, just got my ass up and started walking with her. �How old are you, cutiepie?�. I replied ;�Would you believe me if I said 30?�. She studied my features lightly and said; �I could believe that, but I don't think so. But I don't really care.�; she answered me and then kissed me in a way that almost exploded in my mind. I was getting a hard-on right then and there, and felt my dick almost pop out of my trousers. �I'm Wanda, and consider that a preview�; she smiled at me. �Charlie�; I replied..

Wow, if that was a preview then I really was in for the ride of my life tonight. I was going to get my cherry popped, and that with the fuck of a lifetime. If she could kiss a boner on a man, then what else could she do.

Well, later that night, in her room I got to know. We didn't get to fuck right away, we had a good dinner and got in the right mood first.. The woman knew what she was doing, she was treating me like I was an emperor. We slow danced after the dinner, and she took her own �sample� of my goods, feeling the boner that was very clearly showing in my trousers. �Looks like I'm in for a treat tonight as well�; she told me as she kissed me again and again.

Later that night we had both gotten into bed, and man could she ever fuck. When she told me she was going to show me the time of my life, she wasn't lying. Her pussy was tight, her body strong. Just couldn't believe how she was milking my dick. When I finally came, i must have squirted buckets of the stuff. And she took it all, her hand was grasping my boner so hard I thought she would milk it dry.

In the end we just enjoyed each other, steaming of heat. We soon fell asleep like a couple of kids in the bed, and for my part I didn't wake up till morning. She was already gone, with just a note on the bed. �Consider last night a gift, lover boy�. I just had to laugh, I had gotten what probably would be the fuck of my lifetime with a hooker, and she didn't charge me. She probably was a high-class hooker as well, not like one of those rundown prostitutes you normally see on the streets. Those with way too much lipstick, gaudy dresses and a body that has seen its better days long since.

Not this woman, She probably was quite picky with her customers. If so, then I just had a stroke of good luck the size of Fort Knox. Like winning the lottery, getting a million back on the taxes and finding out you're the lone heir to a great fortune all at the same day.

Taking a quick shower, I made myself ready to go home.