Showing posts with label 4th. of July. Show all posts
Showing posts with label 4th. of July. Show all posts

Sunday, July 13, 2014

Things you can't unsee...

Den of the Beastly Bear

Hi Folks!

It's been warm and muggy here the last week or so, the kind where even fans seem to have no effect.

Momma Bear and I had some shopping to do for a nephew's birthday, and even the a/c in the stores seemed to offer little relief.

As we were heading home, I noticed that a bar/restaurant we used to frequent had been turned into a Fireworks store. Not really all that surprising as it had been sitting vacant for a year or more...
Fireworks stores are all the rage here in Michigan as of late...the state has recently lifted it's near-ban on anything and everything fireworks related that was any fun at all!

Oh sure we were allowed sparklers, and smoke bombs, and those stupid little ash "snakes". But anything else that: 
1) moved 
2) exploded 
or 
3) left the ground 
was forbidden.

This is not to say we didn't have them, just that they were illegal as Hell!

Inevitably there would be some characters that made the pilgrimage South every year, loaded up their pick-up or hoopty or whatever else would roll and load up. Come back to Michigan and resell them at a huge profit. Such is the way of the Black Market.

One such purveyor of illicit fireworks was a guy named "Sam".
Sam was a regular customer at Gell's, the sporting goods store I worked at all through High School and beyond.

Of middling years, Sam was a swarthy fellow of Russian/Ukrainian decent. Salt had started to leak into his dark hair. A large, balding yet hairy guy of about six feet. He weighed in the neighborhood of 350 lbs. if he weighed an ounce. He was not large "all over" as some big men (like myself) are. No, Sam looked like a normal person you stuck an enormous belly on! He wore what hair he had left slicked down, and every time I saw him he had a red bandanna rolled up and tied around his neck, knot to the side...which always made me think "Gypsy". That, and he always had the stub of a fat cigar in the corner of his mouth, never lit.

Sam had a live-in girlfriend named "Christi"...and a couple kids between them.

Christi's hair was blonde, which she wore long with squared off bangs. Where Sam was swarthy, she was pale as meringue, blue veins visible beneath the skin...
A turned up nose and tiny deep-set eyes lent her face a certain "porcine" appearance. In fact, some of the cruder guys used to call her "Miss Piggy".

She was of a height with Sam, and truthfully looked like she could take him in a fair fight. Christi was a big woman...everywhere.
She had enormous breasts that never sagged. Why? There was nowhere for them to go!!! Like Sam, she had an extremely large, protuberant belly that left them nowhere to go.

One day Sam and Christi sauntered in... 
I say sauntered, because wherever he went...when Sam walked in a place, he walked in like he owned it! 

"Hey Kid!" he called in greeting though he was still halfway across the store. He knew my name, but only resorted to using it in the direst of circumstances.

"Hey Sam!" I called back...

"I gots a question for you and da guyz...you like fireworks?"

"Hell yeah!" I replied with youthful enthusiasm.

"Haz I got a deal for you guyz!" Sam stopped and looked over both shoulders to make sure he wouldn't be overheard. This always made me laugh. For even whispering, Sam was about as quiet as a freight train.

Satisfied he wasn't under any unwanted scrutiny, he continued.

"Had a guy, put in an order for a ton a shit. I go gets it all, and when I get back he starts the "I didn't know it'd be so much" and "I ain't got that kind o'money" so I tells him to piss off....Mother Scratcher!"
("Mother Scratcher" being Sam's coined, personal phrase....never heard it before or since.) 

"How much did he order?" I asked.

"Three bills worth! Now I ain't got time to sell it proper, get all my money out of it. But you guyz wants it, I'll let ya have it for $150 which is what I got into it." Sam said.

Well for guys that were making $65 a week part time...that was a lot of scratch.

"I'll talk to the guys Sam, see what they say...when do you need to know by?"

"You ask around, give me a call at this number..." He picked up one of the many notepads lying around, produced a pen and wrote down his number. "Let me know by Friday, or I'll have to make other arrangements."

So, I talked with the guys...my Assistant Manager Bruce was throwing a 4th. of July party and said he'd go in half if we could come up with the rest. I was able to, so I called Sam.

Sam gave me directions to his house, and a time to meet him...I got volunteered to make the "buy", as I was still a minor. I know, for a guy that planned to go into Law Enforcement this was not necessarily moral high ground....but it wasn't smuggling heroin either! Lol

I found the house easy enough, it was in a slightly less than middle-class neighborhood. Two stories of brick with white siding and black trim and faux shutters. It was HOT that day, and I was thankful I'd had the a/c recharged on my car.

The heat and humidity were like a slap in the face as I opened my door and made my way up the walk, and I felt a bead of sweat roll down between my shoulder blades.  A screen door was all that barred my entrance and I rapped loudly, as I could hear a television on in the back of the house.

My mind and eyesight wandered as I waited...watching the heat mirage boil up off the street.

"Hi Joe," a female voice said.

I turned back to the door and almost fell off the stoop in shock.
There stood Christi in nothing but a matching set of nude silk bra and panties!!! The largest of which I'd ever seen!

Her hair was matted to her head with sweat, and her face glistened with perspiration. The bottom of the bra was discolored with wetness, and salt stains showed it had at least retreated somewhat.
Sweat had also leaked from between her ample cleavage and down her belly to dampen the top of the panties just below her exposed belly button.

I averted my eyes immediately...blushing.

"I'll let Sam know you're here, come on in..." she said holding the door for me. As soon as I was inside she started for the back of the house, and I could see that dampness had also darkened the back of the panties around the waistline...and they were a little "low" if you catch my drift.

"SAM!!! JOE'S HERE!!! GET HIM HIS STUFF!!!" she bellowed as she went. 

"I'M COMING GOD DAMMIT, YOU DON'T HAVE TO SCREAM!!!" He bellowed back.

Sam appeared from a hallway off to the left and I was again taken aback. For there stood Sam in nothing but a pair of dingy, once white "tightie whities", bandanna and slippers. Holding a bottle of beer, cigar stub stuck in his mouth.

He was undoubtedly the hairiest man I had ever seen! The hair stood 3" above his shoulders and across his chest. Slicked down the center of his chest and wet from his man boobs to his belly button with sweat. He moved his beer to his left hand, wiped his right on his underwear and stuck it out for me to shake.

"Hey Kid, how ya doin'? Hotter'n a Mother Scratcher ain't it?"

Not wanting to give offense to a man in his own home, I shook the proffered hand.

"Sure as Hell is!" I replied, trying to look anywhere but at Sam.

I wiped my own hand on my pants discretely after the shake. 

"I got most of it in two grocery bags, the rest is in dis box," He said, kicking a box next to the couch with one slippered foot. "You got my money, yeah?"

"Sure do..." I took it out and counted it, giving me somewhere else to look. Sam took the cash and tucked it into the waistband of his underwear.

Christi came in with two, handled paper grocery bags and handed them to me.
"I told you to get his stuff..." She admonished Sam.

"I had a beer..." He told her, to me Sam said.

"You take the bags, and I'll carry the box for you..." 

"Ummmm I can come back up for it Sam, you don't have to come out..." I said.

"Nonsense," He replied "you guyz really helped me out taking all this off my hands...least I can do is help ya carry it."

With that he set down his beer, and squatted down to pick up the box.

"You're coming out like that?" I asked.

"Yeah, why?"

"Uhhh, never mind"

We walked out to my car, I opened the trunk and set the bags inside.
Then I turned to Sam, took the box and placed it in the trunk. I slammed the lid closed and turned back to Sam...and got another shock!

When Sam had squatted, the fabric of the underwear already straining at it's load...had gaped open to allow Mr. Winky to make a run for it!!!!

Sam, of course was oblivious...hanging out for God and all the world to see!

"Hey, Um...Ah, Sam..." I stammered, pointing towards his crotch.

He looked puzzled for a moment then looked down.

"Oh, Jesus Christ!!!" He exclaimed, tucking himself back in with his right hand.

"Sorry bout that..." He said

"Well, I best get going..." I said.

"Sure, sure..." Sam said. "And thank the guyz for me again."
He stuck out his hand again...I just looked at it for a second.

"Not this time..."

"Oh, yeah....right!!!" He laughed uproariously, and gave me a pat on the shoulder that rocked me. "Enjoy!"

With that he made his way back inside, his slippers slapping as he went.

He and Christi waved from the door as I backed out the drive.

I drove over to the store to divvy up the fireworks, feeling guilty and more than a little unclean...

When I got to the store, the guys wanted a full rundown on where Sam lived, what the house was like...everything.

I started the story with this:
"You know, there are just some things you can't unsee..."

Hope you Mother Scratchers are having a great Weekend!!!

Keep cool!

Be Well Folks!!!

Friday, July 4, 2014

Something special for the 4th.......

Den of the Beastly Bear


Hi Folks, Happy 4th. of July!!!

Hope you all are enjoying your holiday, a little fun in the sun...a little swimming, lots of good food and of course fireworks!

We had few traditions surrounding the 4th. in my family growing up. We had a pool and a grill, so cook outs and swimming were practically a daily occurrence for us...
Sure we'd all pile in Step-Dads Caddy and go watch the fireworks...stop for an ice cream on the way home, that was it.

I wanted something a little more special for Princess Bear to remember of her formative years...

One year we had gone to Alabama for a friends wedding, Mamma Bear had made mention that she'd like some beach time for the remainder of our vacation...

So a call was made to the "Travel Gnomes" at Travelocity and I booked us four days at the St. Clements hotel at The Caravelle Resort in Myrtle Beach, SC.

This would be Princess Bears first time to the ocean, and she was excited...and a little nervous.

Her trepidation? Sharks...
She was 13, and too much "Shark Week" on The Discovery channel had worked its magic...

Time for a white lie or two to relieve the anxiety so she could enjoy herself....

So, I allowed that while of course there ARE sharks in the ocean...Myrtle Beach was virtually shark free!

That and the waters around the beaches were much too warm for sharks, and that they preferred the colder, deep waters farther out to sea.

This was all discussed in great detail as we took I-65 South from Athens to Huntsville where we caught I-20 East. This seems like a rather straightforward drive...but it's all of a 10-hour drive!

By the time we got checked into our room, it was getting late in the day...almost sundown. We decided that we'd all take a walk along the beach before dinner, get up early the next morning and spend the day at the beach.

The beach was almost empty, the sun worshipers having left hours ago...
There were couples strolling arm in arm across the white sands, waves gently lapping at their ankles.
The clean fresh tang of salt water filled our lungs as we walked...a few kids hadn't given up on the day yet and tossed a Frisbee amongst themselves.
We passed a fisherman, surf casting into the waves...

The tide was rolling in, each successive wave crawling a little farther up the sands...
When suddenly before us the surf washed a fish up onto the sand, riding in on the wave. But as it retreated the fish got sideways as the wave receded...rolling it across the sand.
grey/white/grey/white/grey/white
Before the next wave smashed into it rolling it back up the beach away from the water...
grey/white/grey/white/grey/white
It was rolling so fast you couldn't even tell what type of fish it was, but it was in trouble so I reached down and snatched it out of the roiling surf.
It was about 12 inches long, so I held it with two hands so I wouldn't hurt it...

"What is it Dad? Let me see..." 
Kaitlin said running up to see what I'd just caught.

Too late...I had to show it to her...a little 12" grey shark!
About the size of the one we caught.

Well SHIT!!!

I got THE look...you parents know the look...

"I thought you said there weren't any sharks in Myrtle Beach?!?" she glared at me, hands on hips.

"Ummmmm, well....this is just a baby....he's probably a little lost, I'm sure if we put him back into the water he'll swim right back out to deep water..."

"Where there's babies...there are mamas!!! No way I'm going in there!!!" She countered.

"Fine, I'll do it myself..." So I waded out to mid thigh depth, made sure he was ready, then released him.
With a couple flicks of his tail, he was gone...

It was only after the fact we realized we didn't get a picture...the camera was still packed, and Kathy had only just gotten a phone with a camera, so had forgotten...they were not as ubiquitous as the are today!

Katie overcame her fear of sharks the next day, and it was hard to keep her OUT of the water! Lol

We talked to a friendly family the next day and they told us they always come over the 4th. of July Holiday and stay at the St. Clements. The reason?
The St. Clements is situated almost exactly between Myrtle Beach and North Myrtle Beach, and both municipalities do a fireworks display off their docks.
So from your balcony you can watch both!!!

Before we left, reservations were made for the next year...for the week of the fourth!

This became our little tradition...every year during shutdown we'd head to Myrtle Beach for the fourth!!!
No only did you get fireworks displays both North and South but because all types of fireworks are legal in South Carolina, civilians put on one Hell of a show along the beach well into the night! Finally winding down after midnight!

We haven't been back since Katie graduated in '09...
Well, maybe next year...

Be Well Folks!!!

Beastly Bear