Saturday, January 15, 1972
LOCATION: Bethlehem, South Dakota
1:30 PM
Got to sleep last night at around one thirty. Woke up today -- first at 8:30, when Brad wandered around saying, "Wakey, wakey." Phil groggily said, "I hate you." Brad replied, "It's 13° outside. Get up." "Above zero?" "Yes." -- "Good God! We're having a heat wave!" I promptly went back to sleep and woke up at 12:55. Matt came in a moment later, and said everyone was eating lunch -- he also said he wanted to leave for Chicago today. I eventually talked him out of it, and soon I'll be leaving for Newport Beach.
11:30 PM
WELL, FOLKS, THINGS HAVE TURNED ALL AROUND. LISTEN TO THIS ONE -- YOU WON'T BELIEVE IT! ---- THE WEATHER'S REALLY GETTING WARM -- IT MUST'VE GOT UP TO 40° ABOVE. EVERYTHING'S MELTING, SO MY SUPPLY OF ICICLES IS RUNNING OUT (I'VE BEEN MUNCHING ON THEM FOR THE PAST FEW DAYS). AFTER I FINISHED MY LAST ENTRY, MATT READ THIS BOOK, GRINNING AND CHUCKLING NOW AND THEN. I ALSO LET HIM KNOW I HAVE COPIES OF HIS POETRY, AND HE CALLED ME (ACCURATELY) "SNEAKY." I LET HIM KNOW MORE ABOUT ME TODAY THAN EVER BEFORE -- AND HE UNDERSTANDS QUITE A BIT.
I CHECKED THE CAR (IT STARTED FINE), DID A LITTLE PACKING, GOT CLEANED UP, AND WENT TO THE HOUSE WHERE MATT WAS READING A MAGAZINE. I TOLD GIL I WAS LEAVING AND WOULD BE BACK IN ABOUT A WEEK. HE WAS STRONGLY AGAINST IT. HE CALLED MOM FOR ME, AND SHE TOLD ME TO WAIT 'TILL DAD GOT HOME -- HE WOULD CALL ME AT AROUND SIX. AFTER ABOUT AN HOUR IRENE [Matt's slightly crazy mother] PHONED. SAID SHE'D TALKED WITH MOM, AND MOM TOLD HER SHE WAS COMING HERE TO GET THE CAR AND DRIVE IT BACK TO CALIFORNIA. I ASSUMED SHE'D MISUNDERSTOOD. AFTER THE PHONE CALL, TOM CAME TO THE STEREO BUNK TO TALK WITH US. AS IT TURNS OUT, FATHER GIL HAS BEEN PRESSURING HIM TO KEEP US BUSY. WE ASSURED HIM WE'D BE LEAVING SOON.
WHEN DAD CALLED I FOUND OUT JUST HOW STICKY THE SITUATION REALLY WAS. IF I LEFT WITH THE CAR HE WOULD REPORT IT STOLEN -- PREVENTING US FROM GETTING INTO WORSE TROUBLE. HE SAID MOM WAS GOING TO FLY TO S.D., AND DRIVE HER CAR BACK TO CALIFORNIA, SO THAT SHE COULD SELL THE COUGAR, SAVE UP FOR ANOTHER CAR, AND LET ME HAVE THE IMPERIAL IN A FEW MONTHS. THINGS WERE GETTING PRETTY CONFUSING, AND I WAS BEGINNING TO REALIZE "THE JIG WAS UP." WE WERE EITHER GOING TO BE TRAPPED HERE FOR A FEW MORE MONTHS, OR WE'D BOTH HAVE TO DRIVE BACK TO N.B. [Newport Beach, CA]
THE SITUATION REMAINED UNRESOLVED WHEN WE HUNG UP, BUT IT WAS CLEAR M & I WERE GOING NO FURTHER. MATT WAS STILL DETERMINED THAT WE WERE GOING TO CHICAGO, AND I STILL WASN'T ENTIRELY SURE WE WEREN'T, UNTIL THE NEXT CALL. IRENE CALLED DURING SUPPER, ABOUT 15 MINS LATER, AND I TALKED WITH HER AFTER MATT STARTED GETTING MAD. TALKING WITH HER, WE ARRIVED AT THIS DECISION: MATT & I WOULD DRIVE BACK TO NEWPORT BEACH. SHE TALKED WITH MATT AGAIN (AFTER I TOLD HIM THERE WAS NOTHING ELSE WE COULD DO) AND HE RELUCTANTLY FELL TO THE INEVITABLE. SHE SPOKE WITH ME AGAIN -- SHE EXPECTED US TO LEAVE TONIGHT! I TOLD HER WE COULDN'T LEAVE ANY EARLIER THAN TOMORROW AFTERNOON, USING THE BELOW ZERO TEMPERATURES AS AN EXCUSE. SO IT WAS DECIDED.
IT WAS NOT LONG BEFORE I REALIZED WE COULDN'T LEAVE THAT SOON -- WE OWED GIL $40, AND WE NEEDED MONEY TO MAKE THE TRIP. MOM CALLED AGAIN, AND I EXPLAINED WE COULDN'T LEAVE FOR A FEW MORE DAYS. THEN SHE OFFERED ANOTHER ALTERNATIVE: JACK -- MATT'S REAL FATHER -- WOULD FLY UP HERE AND DRIVE MATT AND THE CAR BACK TO CALIFORNIA, LETTING ME STAY HERE, IF I WANTED.
SO THAT WAS IT -- AS THINGS STAND NOW, I'M STAYING HERE, AND MATT'S GOING BACK TO N.B. -- SOMEWHAT IRONIC, RIGHT? WHAT THE HECK, AS LONG AS I'M HERE, I MIGHT AS WELL STAY. WHEN I TOLD MATT, HE WAS SLIGHTLY BEWILDERED. MATT KNOWS ME BETTER THAN I THOUGHT -- I DAMNED NEAR GOT EMOTIONAL WHEN HE SAID HE DIDN'T WANT ME TO STAY. HE SAID, "WHETHER YOU THINK SO OR NOT, I CONSIDER MYSELF TO BE YOUR FRIEND AND I THINK YOU NEED ONE." -- I SAID, "I CAN'T AFFORD FRIENDS." FORTUNATELY HE LAUGHED AT THAT. "BESIDES, I GOT YOU YOUR FREEDOM, I ACCOMPLISHED MY PURPOSE." HIS PARENTS WILL MOVE TO LONG BEACH, HE DOESN'T HAVE TO GO TO SCHOOL OR LIVE WITH HIS PARENTS, AND THEY'RE THINKING OF BUYING HIM A CAR -- HE WON, EVEN THOUGH THEY GOT HIM BACK.
I SAID THIS PLAN WOULD SOLVE OUR PROBLEMS, AND I RATIONALIZED THE THING LOGICALLY. HE DIDN'T ACCEPT THE EXPLANATION, BUT THE THING WAS SETTLED. HE LEFT TO GO TO SLEEP, BUT BEFORE HE LEFT HE GAVE ME A SHOT IN THE ARM AND SAID, "YOU'RE A GOOD MAN, GRADY."
3:30 AM
Got to bed at 3:30 -- I think I changed my mind. I'm going to Newport Beach. I think. Maybe. Hmmmmm
LOCATION: Bethlehem, South Dakota
1:30 PM
Got to sleep last night at around one thirty. Woke up today -- first at 8:30, when Brad wandered around saying, "Wakey, wakey." Phil groggily said, "I hate you." Brad replied, "It's 13° outside. Get up." "Above zero?" "Yes." -- "Good God! We're having a heat wave!" I promptly went back to sleep and woke up at 12:55. Matt came in a moment later, and said everyone was eating lunch -- he also said he wanted to leave for Chicago today. I eventually talked him out of it, and soon I'll be leaving for Newport Beach.
WELL, FOLKS, THINGS HAVE TURNED ALL AROUND. LISTEN TO THIS ONE -- YOU WON'T BELIEVE IT! ---- THE WEATHER'S REALLY GETTING WARM -- IT MUST'VE GOT UP TO 40° ABOVE. EVERYTHING'S MELTING, SO MY SUPPLY OF ICICLES IS RUNNING OUT (I'VE BEEN MUNCHING ON THEM FOR THE PAST FEW DAYS). AFTER I FINISHED MY LAST ENTRY, MATT READ THIS BOOK, GRINNING AND CHUCKLING NOW AND THEN. I ALSO LET HIM KNOW I HAVE COPIES OF HIS POETRY, AND HE CALLED ME (ACCURATELY) "SNEAKY." I LET HIM KNOW MORE ABOUT ME TODAY THAN EVER BEFORE -- AND HE UNDERSTANDS QUITE A BIT.
I CHECKED THE CAR (IT STARTED FINE), DID A LITTLE PACKING, GOT CLEANED UP, AND WENT TO THE HOUSE WHERE MATT WAS READING A MAGAZINE. I TOLD GIL I WAS LEAVING AND WOULD BE BACK IN ABOUT A WEEK. HE WAS STRONGLY AGAINST IT. HE CALLED MOM FOR ME, AND SHE TOLD ME TO WAIT 'TILL DAD GOT HOME -- HE WOULD CALL ME AT AROUND SIX. AFTER ABOUT AN HOUR IRENE [Matt's slightly crazy mother] PHONED. SAID SHE'D TALKED WITH MOM, AND MOM TOLD HER SHE WAS COMING HERE TO GET THE CAR AND DRIVE IT BACK TO CALIFORNIA. I ASSUMED SHE'D MISUNDERSTOOD. AFTER THE PHONE CALL, TOM CAME TO THE STEREO BUNK TO TALK WITH US. AS IT TURNS OUT, FATHER GIL HAS BEEN PRESSURING HIM TO KEEP US BUSY. WE ASSURED HIM WE'D BE LEAVING SOON.
WHEN DAD CALLED I FOUND OUT JUST HOW STICKY THE SITUATION REALLY WAS. IF I LEFT WITH THE CAR HE WOULD REPORT IT STOLEN -- PREVENTING US FROM GETTING INTO WORSE TROUBLE. HE SAID MOM WAS GOING TO FLY TO S.D., AND DRIVE HER CAR BACK TO CALIFORNIA, SO THAT SHE COULD SELL THE COUGAR, SAVE UP FOR ANOTHER CAR, AND LET ME HAVE THE IMPERIAL IN A FEW MONTHS. THINGS WERE GETTING PRETTY CONFUSING, AND I WAS BEGINNING TO REALIZE "THE JIG WAS UP." WE WERE EITHER GOING TO BE TRAPPED HERE FOR A FEW MORE MONTHS, OR WE'D BOTH HAVE TO DRIVE BACK TO N.B. [Newport Beach, CA]
THE SITUATION REMAINED UNRESOLVED WHEN WE HUNG UP, BUT IT WAS CLEAR M & I WERE GOING NO FURTHER. MATT WAS STILL DETERMINED THAT WE WERE GOING TO CHICAGO, AND I STILL WASN'T ENTIRELY SURE WE WEREN'T, UNTIL THE NEXT CALL. IRENE CALLED DURING SUPPER, ABOUT 15 MINS LATER, AND I TALKED WITH HER AFTER MATT STARTED GETTING MAD. TALKING WITH HER, WE ARRIVED AT THIS DECISION: MATT & I WOULD DRIVE BACK TO NEWPORT BEACH. SHE TALKED WITH MATT AGAIN (AFTER I TOLD HIM THERE WAS NOTHING ELSE WE COULD DO) AND HE RELUCTANTLY FELL TO THE INEVITABLE. SHE SPOKE WITH ME AGAIN -- SHE EXPECTED US TO LEAVE TONIGHT! I TOLD HER WE COULDN'T LEAVE ANY EARLIER THAN TOMORROW AFTERNOON, USING THE BELOW ZERO TEMPERATURES AS AN EXCUSE. SO IT WAS DECIDED.
IT WAS NOT LONG BEFORE I REALIZED WE COULDN'T LEAVE THAT SOON -- WE OWED GIL $40, AND WE NEEDED MONEY TO MAKE THE TRIP. MOM CALLED AGAIN, AND I EXPLAINED WE COULDN'T LEAVE FOR A FEW MORE DAYS. THEN SHE OFFERED ANOTHER ALTERNATIVE: JACK -- MATT'S REAL FATHER -- WOULD FLY UP HERE AND DRIVE MATT AND THE CAR BACK TO CALIFORNIA, LETTING ME STAY HERE, IF I WANTED.
SO THAT WAS IT -- AS THINGS STAND NOW, I'M STAYING HERE, AND MATT'S GOING BACK TO N.B. -- SOMEWHAT IRONIC, RIGHT? WHAT THE HECK, AS LONG AS I'M HERE, I MIGHT AS WELL STAY. WHEN I TOLD MATT, HE WAS SLIGHTLY BEWILDERED. MATT KNOWS ME BETTER THAN I THOUGHT -- I DAMNED NEAR GOT EMOTIONAL WHEN HE SAID HE DIDN'T WANT ME TO STAY. HE SAID, "WHETHER YOU THINK SO OR NOT, I CONSIDER MYSELF TO BE YOUR FRIEND AND I THINK YOU NEED ONE." -- I SAID, "I CAN'T AFFORD FRIENDS." FORTUNATELY HE LAUGHED AT THAT. "BESIDES, I GOT YOU YOUR FREEDOM, I ACCOMPLISHED MY PURPOSE." HIS PARENTS WILL MOVE TO LONG BEACH, HE DOESN'T HAVE TO GO TO SCHOOL OR LIVE WITH HIS PARENTS, AND THEY'RE THINKING OF BUYING HIM A CAR -- HE WON, EVEN THOUGH THEY GOT HIM BACK.
I SAID THIS PLAN WOULD SOLVE OUR PROBLEMS, AND I RATIONALIZED THE THING LOGICALLY. HE DIDN'T ACCEPT THE EXPLANATION, BUT THE THING WAS SETTLED. HE LEFT TO GO TO SLEEP, BUT BEFORE HE LEFT HE GAVE ME A SHOT IN THE ARM AND SAID, "YOU'RE A GOOD MAN, GRADY."
3:30 AM
Got to bed at 3:30 -- I think I changed my mind. I'm going to Newport Beach. I think. Maybe. Hmmmmm
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