Topic: My time in Jersey.

[8ullfrog]

Everything is still mixed up in my head from the crazy way I ended up on the East coast until my long drawn out escape. Major lessons learned were to keep my mouth shut in a social situation until you've taken the room's temperature, and always have an exit. Seriously. Always have an exit. Lest you end up a poor golly without an exit.

I was watching the godfather on TV the other night, and I've watched that movie maybe 100 times. Not because I'm a godfather aficionado, but TV stations must have licensed it on the cheap back in the day. I also remember watching a lot of the original superman movie and rocky, but my time in Jersey always reminds me of the godfather.

While Easterners do have a sense of humor, it tends to be a depreciating, insult fueled sense of humor. Lots of getting called a meatball, worthless, that type of poo. Or maybe that was just Tom, my Uncle's business partner.

The whole sale on shipping me to Jersey happened behind my back, and on paper it sounds bless'ed terrific. A family job, a strict social structure to keep me from slipping back into my depression cocoon, and a major step out of the comfort zone. And if it had stayed in those lines, I would have been good, if not happy.

People have compared my uncle to Tony Soprano in the past. I don't really see that. I see Peter Clemenza from godfather. A fairly miserable look is pretty much etched into the man's face. One might think that fate has frowned on him, but in reality he's made his own bed his own way. I occasionally thought I would end up like Paulie. Maybe not dead, but certainly bent over. And it was true. It's been written off as an innocent bbq by those involved, but I was there, and there wasn't any bless'ed food.

Plenty of booze though, and with booze comes bad situations.

Without going into too much detail, I found the bless'ed exit I was looking for, over a locked fence. This was short term though. I was picked up by the police. Surprisingly, they turned me right over to my Uncle. I was drunk as poo at the time, and did not realize that I had been relieved of my cell phone.

Once we got back to the house, I was told that I was on lockdown, to keep my mouth shut and my bless'ed head down. I told my uncle I didn't trust him and that I bless'ed quit. He disagreed with this point most vehemently, and I lost the argument up against pavement.

But I'm not a complete hillbilly. Every tip I had from work was hidden carefully, in my sock. I used some of that money to catch a cab to my Aunt's house. A couple months of sit and wait, and I was able to get back to CA.

NJ really is a whole 'nother bless'ed world to this California boy, and if I'm lucky, I won't ever have to go back.

To clear things up, I do not think my Uncle is connected to any criminal organizations.

[smokester]

Interesting recount but I'm a tad lost on the background of this situation.  That is possibly because I haven't had a lot of time online due to working all hours and then some, but it may be because I have missed a supporting thread somewhere?.

Interesting nonetheless.

[8ullfrog]

Grandma phoned in a fake gun threat. Cops flanked my ass. Neighbor got me off poo creek by vouching for me as a decent human being. (I had helped rebuild her door after she experienced a home invasion, and did various computer related projects for her in return for free wifi.)

It also helped that I followed all state and federal gun laws. I even eventually got the thing back.
Either way, I had to get the golly out of dodge, and was flown out with no advance alert.

Aunt in PA put me up for about two weeks, but both her and her husband were starting new jobs. I didn't blame them, they were rockstars for catching that massive foul ball.

Next went off to New Jersey where I was turned over to my Uncle. To say he ran my life is an understatement. I was instructed all the way down to how I folded my socks. The problems started when I wasn't being paid for my work. Meals were covered but I was told I would have to work them off. Things became less and less voluntary until the ill mentioned bbq. Then I got the golly out of dodge.

One of the reasons I got such good tips was because I was being worked like a mule. Customers occasionally commented that I looked like I was going to pass out or die.

Funny thing is, I didn't really mind the work. It wasn't "Fun" but I didn't suck at it. It was heavy tetris essentially. If it weren't for the fact that it's a crooked gig, I wouldn't mind doing it again. But I've heard many horror stories. If you don't have an in with the driver, you can be abandoned in the deep south with what you have on you.

[6pairsofshoes]

I never realized your grandmother had set you up.  I remember you mentioning that she basically had it in for you.  You must miss your grandfather something terrible this time of year.  Holidays always do this for me, at least.

Glad you are home and happier.  I enjoy your stories.  You write well and are entertaining.

[mishca09]

Family can really golly you over.  Situations like that rarely end with a good outcome. I'm glad everything turned out well for you.  To bad we can't pick our relatives.

[8ullfrog]

She keeps calling us to go visit. Mom does sometimes. I haven't.

I understand they mostly just threw away everything that was grandpa. This was a man who used the same dresser the entire time I lived. The same desk, the same setup. He got nicer chairs as he got older, but he was a traditionalist. I remember when his TV blew out I went with him to get his new one. This was about the time they started putting DVD players in the sets, and he decided he wanted one of those.

The salesperson was a snotty little poo, but the firmness my grandpa had, the fact that he knew not to pay the $200 for a sony decal on the TV, it really stuck with me. I think he got a sanyo, and it's still hanging, as far as I know.

I do miss the old man. He's the only one who apologized to me for what happened.