The Story of Harold Morton: Part Six

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Dazed and Confused

Harold slept with regret that night and awoke the next morning bewildered.  He experienced the perfect opportunity to live out the fantasy of many men.  Yet as he, Lonnie and Izzy were boarding the elevator to his room, he darted at the last minute leaving the two of them alone. 

Harold could not go through with it. 

Harold’s heart raced from a combination of excess stimulation, flight from fear and anticipation of soon meeting Evelyn.  He needed a fix to calm down.  

Believing they might find him if he returned to his room, Harold doubled back to the rental car, plugged 4^th Street into the navigator and headed toward the inner city of Davenport, Iowa. 

A friend told Harold there would be a row of abandoned houses behind a church on 4^th street that could meet any of his needs.  As Harold pulled up in front of the church, he noticed the narrow sidewalk forming an alleyway between the church and a house next door.  He killed the engine, looked around and quickly exited his car making a run for the alley. 

Harold could hear a bustle of activity as he passed through the alleyway.  The street on the other side was dimly lit and he panicked trying to think through how to find the right house.  A man approached soliciting girls and Harold became angry that such scumbags existed.  He continued to walk asking passersby where he could find a smoke.  Harold was escorted into a smoke-filled house that smelled of cannabis and musty mildew. 

A mix of unconscious and conscious random strangers littered the rooms inside the house; some were situated at tables or mattresses on the floor ~ definitely not the controlled setting Harold had accustomed himself to in his apartment in Baltimore.  Harold made a quick purchase and sat down on the floor lighting up a plastic bong.  For one night, he did not care that the bong was dirtied and yellowed from use.  He needed to relax and would suspend rationale judgment toward this goal.

He inhaled deeply; tithing him over until he could see Evelyn tomorrow afternoon.               

To Be Continued...