My Life Is Based On A True Story Part Five: Vegas

If you're reading this series for the first time, feel free to go back and read the first few installments! Everything in these stories really happened, about eleven years ago.

https://steemit.com/life/@snowpea/my-life-is-based-on-a-true-story-part-one-newlyweds

https://steemit.com/life/@snowpea/my-life-is-based-on-a-true-story-part-two-not-the-fender

https://steemit.com/life/@snowpea/my-life-is-based-on-a-true-story-part-three-homelessness

https://steemit.com/life/@snowpea/my-life-is-based-on-a-true-story-part-four-the-last-straw

Thanks for reading this account of past events so far!! Thinking about my entries, it occurred to me that I should have entitled this series, "Our life is based on a true story," because our stories are inseparably intertwined. Oh well, I can't change it now haha!

So you'd think once Jared had the full ride bus ticket in hand, things would be smooth sailing from there on out...but, as you will see, not so much.

The first layover was in LA. It was two hours long, and he saw skid row first hand. Unlike the way it's portrayed in movies, cardboard boxes line the bottom of the highest skyscrapers, a stark contrast between the rich and poor exists there. He got a bit turned around while exploring the streets, but did get back to the bus depot in time.

The next major stop was Vegas. There was no layover there, just a changeover of buses. Jared was waiting in line to board the next bus. He had a rucksack style bag sitting on the counter in front of him, and the ticket was placed on the bag. Someone tapped him on the shoulder, and he turned around. The person engaged him in conversation for a minute, and when Jared turned back, the ticket was gone!

He tried calling collect and nobody answered. With nothing left, he walked from the bus depot and wound up on Fremont Street, right on the strip. He panhandled for a while, and was able to get a large McDonald's french fries. He also somehow snuck into an all-you-can-eat buffet. It got very cold at night, and he stepped into a few casinos to warm up, but eventually ended up wandering the streets at 3 am, disheveled, cold, and tired.

He wandered, but kept his eye ever on the fake space needle so he would be able to get back to the strip. Finding a Dollar General type store, he walked in with only a dollar left. Blatantly, in front of everyone there, he changed into a sweat suit that was on the rack, grabbed a loaf of bread, some peanut butter, and soda, went up to the counter, slapped his dollar down, and left. He thinks the employees there just wanted to get rid of him, because they didn't do anything about it.

After walking further he found himself in a really bad neighborhood. Cheap, stucco housing with bars on all the doors and windows. There was also a huge Salvation Army distribution center. He rummaged through some bins, and changed into some army fatigues he found. He also found
workgloves, a backpack, and a silver aluminum baseball bat.

It was around 4am when a police car stopped about a block away. Not leaving her car, an officer got on her intercom and yelled, "Excuse me, what are you doing with that bat?" Jared replied, "For protection! Do you see the neighborhood I'm walking through?" Motioning to his fatigues he said, "I just got back!" She yelled, "Welcome back! Drop the bat or I'll drop you!!" Jared slowly and carefully placed the bat on the sidewalk, stepped over it, and started walking. The officers gave him a curt little wave, and drove off.

Over the next couple days, he got kicked out of the Star Trek Experience (but got to use their cool Klingon urinals before it happened), and multiple casinos. He decided he wanted to join the National Guard and talked to a couple recruiters, who of course didn't accept him with his crazed ramblings and frightening appearance. The locals also got sick of him, and they tried to get him to make a hitchhiking sign out of cardboard, and go to a major exit. He continued to panhandle though.

Eventually, he walked into an unmarked business building where nobody was around. At this point he made a long distance phone call from their front desk and got ahold of me. I didn't have enough money left for a second full ride, but I did have enough to get him part of the way home. The next major stops: Denver, Colorado, then Kansas City, Mussuori.

Meanwhile my mom and especially my dad basically disowned me for not sticking to the plan, you know, for not ignoring him, and for not going with my mom for an abortion (It was pure maternal instinct, after everything that happened, I needed that child). I was on a mission to save the loves of my life though. This wasn't the Jared I knew, and somehow, I not only needed and wanted my baby, but I needed and wanted him too.

Thanks for reading!

Love, snowpea ❤

First image from Pixabay
Second image from Pexels