Chapter 35

the sound: Stevie Ray Vaughn – The House is Rocking, Eric Clapton – Groanin the Blues, BBKing – Blues Boys Tune, Gary Moore – Still Got the Blues, Nina Simone – Don’t Let me be Misunderstood, Sarah Brightman – Gloomy Sunday, John Lee Hooker – Healer Man, Rory Gallagher – Bullfrog Blues

We ride across the field, around the track and out a back gate to a dirt road. People were “yehawing” and there was a sense of excitement like we were going to a party. I sit rigidly on the back of Jed’s bike trying desperately to have no part of me touch him…no small feat on a honked up Sportster.

In the distance I can see the unmistakable glow of early morning and I’m wondering just where the hell we’d be going at this time of the day, and what would possibly make these people have such a sense of excitement over going to a dump?

I decide that there’s truly nothing I can do about it so I might just as well enjoy the ride and just as I’m thinking that it would have been nice to have a pair of glasses on we leave the dirt road and hit taramac. The sun peeks out above the skyline and I realize that we are headed towards the city.

Some hour later we are weaving our way through streets in downtown St. Paul and Jed has loosened me up enough to deign to allow him point out some sights to me. We are riding next to LittleMan and Wonder Woman and I can see fresh blood on the bandage on his arm and she looks a little worse for the wear.

Eventually we come to a back street that closely resembles a city alley and turn down towards what looks to be a dead end. As we get closer to the dead end I realize that it’s a huge set of garage doors set in the wall of what looks to be a warehouse. And I mean huge, big enough to drive two transports through side by side.

As we approach the doors swing open and we all travel through the doors and down a ramp to underground parking. I’m astonished to see 90 or 100 motorcycles there and as our group shuts down their bikes I realize that cacophony I hear is not motors but a band. A very loud rockin roll and blues band.

After parking and dismount we all walk towards a door sized gate. I look around and don’t see Rosie and Boomer and BarnYard and WonderWoman leans over to tell me that “cars have to park outside”

“Where the hell are we?” I ask…thinking again that arriving at a bar at the crack of dawn is just a little out of the ordinary for me these days…unless of course it’s for inventory.

“WonderWoman, LittleMan and Jed all announce “the Dump” at once and then laugh at themselves while looking at me like I should really know what they are talking about.

As we enter through the first gate there are 2 of the largest ‘bouncers’ I have ever seen in my life standing legs akimbo arms crossed over their chests and the blonde one stops us as a group and points above his head to a sign that bears the “House Rule”.

“Thou shall not die inside the building” is blazoned in large black script on the clean white sign.

The blonde guy leans towards us and nods knowingly …”we ain’t shittin ya…nobody dies here….take that shit outside if it happens…cos you know it’s gonna…we don’t’ care how or why…just.not.here.” he underscores the last words as if he’s had this talk with these people before.

A couple of the guys chuckle uncomfortably and Robert turns and raises a finger in warning “a rule is a rule” he announces.

“Well fine then,” I think,” what’s your fucking rule about letting me go home soon?”