How Not To Be A Groupie

Chapter Twenty: Another Job

I left my pen and notebook back at the room. I didn't want to carry around a bunch of things with me while I explored more of the town. Although I did grab a spare key for the room so I could let myself back in. Finishing my bacon, I dressed in a fresh t-shirt and headed out. Stelle was still in the tub. 

The hotel was quiet. A few families in swimsuits headed for the pool. A couple maids pushing carts down the hall. Emptiness. An empty elevator. A nearly empty lobby. Outside the sun was bright and already warm. I breathed in the fresh air and looked around. Same as it was when we got here. Bit of traffic and old cars crawling this way and that. There was a man down the street a little ways handing out flyers for something but I couldn't see for what. Someone rode their bicycle past me, ringing the bell. I jumped at the noise and jumped again at the sudden blast of honking horns. 

I wasn't exactly used to city ambiance. 

Nor was I used to the sheer amount of feathered hair. I wasn't sure how famous Farrah Fawcett was outside of America but she must have had some kind of influence in most of the western world. The men usually had long hair but it wasn't styled at all. Almost everyone wore their pants up to their necks. Well, I preferred high waisted over low waisted anyway. 

I also couldn't help but notice the amount of phone booths in the city. So many phone booths had been taken down where I lived in 2024 since people had use of their cell phones. Which was silly. I mean, think about it! What if you're stuck in a place with no cell service? Wouldn't it be nice to have a payphone on hand? Surely people still carried around spare change! 

Speaking of spare change I felt around in my pocket and felt the coins and notes jangle around. I wasn't planning on buying anything but just in case...

Surrounded by all this vintage 1970's atmosphere in the flesh, the giddy feeling was starting to hit me again. I put it behind me in favor of following my favorite band on tour (which was a whole other giddy feeling). The sights and the sounds that only the luckiest people got to experience....and I was here....witnessing it as it was happening!

Some kids jumped rope on the sidewalk and some ran out of a candy store, their arms full of goodies. I took a peek inside, seeing a shelf lined with Smarties. My eyes widened, my heart raced. A friend of mine gave me some once. I wanted more. But I'd wait. There could be something more important that needed my financial attention.

But what could be more important than candy?

I skipped along and came across a barber shop with the door held open by an old brown stool. Inside I could hear 'Barbara Ann' by the Beach Boys playing on a radio. There was a deli around the corner and the door was closed, no music playing. Inside a man in a white apron was chopping up bits of meat and wrapping them in paper. I crossed the street and watched the street signs, keeping track of where I was and where I had been. 

There was a small bank nearby. At least, the brick exterior made me think it was a bank. Lots of banks where I came from had bricks. There were hardly any windows and it would look suspicious if I tried looking inside. So I scurried along and almost ran into a bicycle rack. A bike might be a good idea. I could cover more ground that way. But....an embarrassing secret of mine is...I never learned how to ride one.

So that idea was out.

There was a newspaper stand guarded by an old man, some people handing over their morning change for a copy of the morning news. News never fascinated me at home but this was 1978! I had to know what was going on! I handed over the coins I owed and took a copy. A real authentic newspaper...not some online article. Black and white photos and headlines....I made sure no one was watching and took a sniff. Have you ever smelled fresh paper? Or a new book? Flipping it open I saw something about politics and inflation. Names I didn't recognize and ads for car lots. Someone was selling terrier puppies and I wanted one. Somebody else was reviewing a new fast food business and called it "a meaty opportunity". I searched around for anything music related or pertaining to the world of rock and roll.