|
|
|
SAN FRANCISCO WAS BEAUTIFUL ANY time of year but in perfect weather conditions it was absolutely breathtaking. But he couldn’t enjoy it because of worrying about the obvious. He wasn’t worried about the events in Blue Ridge because from all appearances things had gone as planned. What he could not stop worrying about was the cash he had hidden in the lining of his coat. When he combined the $250,000 he had received from Mr. Bob with the money he still had from his other jobs it came to more than $700,000. Now that was a coat worth dying for. He felt all he could do was stay in his room until Monday morning when the banks opened.
As he got into a taxi, he said: “Take me to the nicest hotel in town!” Clearly, he knew what he was doing and felt the more expensive hotel would lessen his chances of being mugged.
He made a game of it at the check-in counter. “ I asked the taxi driver to take me to the best hotel in town. Is this it?”
“Yes, sir, and has been for years.”
“The Mark Hopkins. Sounds classy. Do you have a room I can rent?”
“Do you want a room or a suite?”
“Ma’am, let me be honest. I have $1200 and plan to spend it on a room. It was a gift but I must blow it all at once on something I want. What I want is the best room I can get until Wednesday. Can you help me?”
“Indeed, sir. I’ll be glad to. I’ll give you a room that we set aside for a special guest. The person who had it reserved is out of the country at the moment and it’s empty. I’ll only change you $1100 until noon on Wednesday.”
“Ma’am, you’ve made a country boy real happy. Please keep the other hundred for being so nice.”
“Thank you, sir. If you need anything else just let me know. My name is Lisa Small.”
She handed him her card. Even with the friendly reception he received from the hotel staff he felt the safest choice was to use room service for his meals and just watch TV. How could he go wrong? He decided this was a classy hotel because his room had a color TV in the bathroom. He wondered how long it would take for the hotels and motels in Georgia to get electricity.
After spending all weekend alone he began to think about his future. His revenge drive was over. He could see other directions on the horizon for his life now. He could’ve stopped earlier had Craig not killed Sam McGill. That he said, he didn’t regret killing Craig, but it did force him to leave Peggy.
Starting Monday he determined to make a new life for himself. Maybe, just maybe, this new life would cross Peggy’s. He wondered if she knew he was nothing more than a delinquent when young and had spent his latter teen years in jail if she would still think he was so special. Maybe one day he would find out, one day soon.
Monday morning he began walking the streets of San Francisco. He had to admit this city by the sea, had a special charm: the opera, trolley cars every ten yards. As a young man in Washington, Georgia, he’d never dreamed he would ever ride cable cars. But now his first mission was to find the right bank.
He finally found one he thought would serve the purpose. When he entered, he asked the guard at the door who he needed to see to get a safety deposit box.
“That would be Jane Woodall, a class act if I say so myself.”
Thanking him, Jim approached her desk.
“The gentleman at the door said you were the nicest lady here and you’d take good care of me.”
She blushed: “Uncle Jim says that about every woman in this bank.”
“He sounded sincere to me.”
“Sir, how can I help?”
“Ma’am, I need a safety deposit box.”
“Do you have an account with us?”
“No, ma’am! I just arrived this weekend. I hadn’t been here two hours when someone stole my wallet. Before I lose any other paperwork, I want to put them in a safe place.” Jim patted the new briefcase he had just purchased.
“Well, sir, we usually require our customers to open an account first.”
“That will be okay with me but the only ID I have is my social security number.”
“I think we can make an exception in your case. Let me get some information and I’ll take it to our manager. What is your home address?”
“I’m living at the Mark Hopkins.”
“On Nob Hill?”
“I’m not sure if that’s right or not, as I just arrived. Here is their business card. If it makes you feel better and will speed up the process, why don’t you call them and verify that Jim Coleman is a guest?”
“If you don’t mind, sir. Please excuse me.” She was gone for about ten minutes and then returned with two cards in her hand.
“Mr. Coleman, I just need your signature on these cards. What size box do you need?”
“A big one. I have some deeds and other legal papers.”
She pointed out the size of the three samples on a nearby desk. He took the middle one.
“How much is that one?”
“It’ll be $25 every six months.”
“Can I pay a year in advance?”
“I was going to suggest that because you don’t currently have an account with us.”
“That will change when I get my wallet back.”
“Mr. Coleman, if you will follow me I’ll take you to your box.”
He followed her into a separate area filled with wall-to-wall boxes. She removed the one with his number on it and placed it in front of him in a separate, private area. When he was alone he ripped the lining from his coat and started putting the money in the safety deposit box. He kept $500 for spending money.
Now that the money was in a safe place, he began to relax and enjoy the sites. He rode the cable car and walked to Fisherman’s Wharf for a good crab/shrimp dinner at the Franciscan, plenty of sourdough bread, famous the world over. After finishing off a big serving of crabs he began to notice a few help-wanted signs. The first two he inquired about wanted an experienced person. The third didn’t mind that he didn’t have experience as the job was for a part-time dishwasher. He took the job.
He approached one of the other employees in the kitchen to find a place to live. The fellow worker suggested Chinatown, stating the rooms could be rented cheaply and it was easy to catch a cable car to work. He thanked the worker for his help. Before leaving he checked with his new boss to see what time he needed to start work. Information in hand, he found a news-stand that had city maps for sale.
When he returned to the hotel he fell across the bed and began to review the day. The money was safe and he had a part-time job and a place to live. All in all, it had been a very productive day. He was beginning to feel good about the new life he was starting for himself and began to think about his next move. Then he had an inspiration — time to get a driver’s license. Of course he needed to learn to drive first, and he hadn’t driven since Sonny let him drive his new T-Bird.
He pulled out the telephone book located in the nightstand next to the bed. He quickly located several driver schools. His eye went to one school that guaranteed you would get your California driver’s license or your money back. He wasn’t sure what kind of paperwork issues were ahead of him, but he felt this was a school that knew how to cut red tape.
He called the driving school and explained he had just moved from Georgia. He asked if they could help. They assured him that he would be completely satisfied with their service. He made an appointment for the next day after work. Sorting things out in his head, he didn’t really need to work, but only being a part-time employee meant he still had plenty of time to himself. This would give him an opportunity and the time to meet the right people. He could also ask for help and directions from his coworkers. It was possible many of the people he would work with were in the same state of life as he and were still looking for directions.
After a few months he knew twenty people by their first names, was the proud owner of a California driver’s license and had taken his first course at the local community college. He was terrified at first that with only a GED he could never go to college. He’d discovered that a few of the people he worked with only had GEDs. In fact, one of them had been in community college for two years and had just been accepted at UCLA for the fall.
The old wise saying was indeed true. The hardest stage of a rewarding journey was the first step. That step he had just taken.
 |  |  |
|
|
|