Tuesday, June 3, 2014

Acacia Park, Colorado Springs, CO 1988

The year was 1988. The place, Colorado Springs, Colorado. Acacia Park, 115 E. Platte Ave, to be exact. There was a strange electricity in the air. I worked at the 29¢ Hamburger Stand across the street from the park. I got to meet many amazing people. There was a certain madness in most of them.
A beautiful girl named Carrie was one such person. I thought she was Lita Ford when I first saw her. We became friends and shared many good times. Mostly under skies of amber rain. She used to peel the labels from her Budweiser bottles and give them to me. "Keep these safe Don. One day you can trade them in for kisses." She moved to California, or so I heard, long before I could cash them in. That and the fact that she was dating a friend of mine, Tony, left the "cashing in" just a casual thought. Tony was quite the character. Long haired pretty boy. Used his looks and charm to dole out the empty promises to every pretty girl that walked by. He worked his charisma like a smooth oiled machine. He would say, "Watch this, Don. I'll bet I get a kiss." Every time. The girls fell for his sob story e~v~e~r~y time. "My girlfriend died. I miss her so." They stepped in to offer hugs and kisses. SMH!
Then there was Robyn. The 6" tall blonde that surely had ancestors from the lost tribes of the Amazon. She twisted her ankle and I carried her to my friend's truck. We got her the the hospital and got her took care of. She fell in love with my friend. I think they are still married. Good guys finish last.
Then there was Shadow and Crystal. They were never apart. If you wanted Crystal, look for Shadow. Wherever Shadow was, Crystal was close. And then there was Shadow's right-hand man, Bill. Big Bad Bill! Big ol bruiser. Sucker punched me once, from the side, and I just turned and grinned at him. It hurt like hell, but I refused to let him see it. He never grew aggressive around me or my friends again. Lied on me and it came back to bite him in the bum.
Ah! And how can I forget the beautiful young lady with yellow eyes! She batted them at me  few times and we flirted, but nothing ever came of it. 
My roommate/boss' name was Chris Baer. Cool cat! Stayed up one night drinking til 4am. We were promised the next day off. We knocked of a bottle of Everclear, a ton of brewskies, and other liquor. The area manager called us at 4:30 and told us we had to work. Ha! We ran to the store and bought 2 boxes of NoDoz. We each ate a box and went to work. It was a long day. After sleep, he introduced me to one of his friends. OMGoodness! She was beautiful. Her name was Mary. She was a manager at an "3.2" bar. We went dancing one night and then had a stroll under the moon and chatted. I was nervous. I was still new to the game. Had only dated 2 girls before her. Time and distance took its toll. I have always wondered...
There are so many more. 
Where are they now?

NOTE: photo is a random internet find



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