There really isn't a beginning. I was the passenger in abig black Lincoln town car. Sage, my girl friend, was driving down 5thavenue very slowly. Just as we approached the final corner by WashingtonPark we knew it was time. Police officers came from nowhere and stopped alltraffic. It was parking time. Everyone behind us got out of their cars,locked up, and went about their business. We were the first car in the longline. For some reason we were compelled to straighten the car withoutpulling up too far. We didn't want to lose our parking place. There was asmall power struggle between Sage and I to get into the parking spot the"right way". When we parked we got out and found we were right in front ofour hotel. What great luck...and timing. I had to find a ATM to get cashfor dinner. Sage started looking for a restaurant and found a cute littlebistro hidden down some stairs. It looked OK to me. There were two ATMswithin sight. No-one was at the one across the street. Although there weresome hoodlums hanging out. But we were above times square, they couldn't bethat tough. The other ATM had a few people waiting. So I cruised across thestreet. There was a black burned out hole where the ATM used to be. A fire.That's why everyone was at the other ATM.

I went back to the other side of the street. Only a couple people were in line now. The girl with blue hair finished up. The next guy looked like a bike messenger. Turns out that he was the guy that puts the cash into the machine. Great, who knows how long this will take. When he finishes I do my thing. A 100 bucks should be enough. When I open the cash door I find 20 or 30 wax paper envelopes with the Baybank logo printed on them. This is weird, what am I getting tens and fives. I couldn't tell. Those hoodlums cross the street and walk up behind me. There is no time to check out the envelopes. I fold them into a huge wad and shove it into my pocket. I took the first one out as we walked away. Inside was a bicycle inner tube with a lug wrench glued to it. That's not right. What did that messenger do? The hoodlums were following us. We ducked down the stairs to the bistro. Through the window I saw the woman with blue hair. She looked good. She smiled at me. We went in.

Dreamed by: Billy Grinde