Eriks girlfriend had a condo in Daytona Beach. Erik invited Chief, Steve, and myself to join him down in Daytona Beach for spring break. I was happy to go. Erik and I had rented an apartment in Logan Square, and we couldnt move in for a week. The day before we left, Erik had been given an Alaskan malamute puppy. He gladly accepted it, and Chief decided to drive his beat up Oldsmobile. Since Erik and I had a new dog we decided to name him Daytona. The dog came with us, and it was four guys and a puppy named Daytona on our way. We were all a little skeptical about the condition of the car. But we road tripped it anyway.
The trip down to Daytona was awesome. We stopped off in Cincinnati, and visited Donovan. We chilled out for a few hours and caught up on old times. Chief didnt want stay too long, so we headed out on the road again. I slept most of the way down there. We stopped off at some rest areas and pounded some beers throughout the trip. We ended up driving straight through. It took us 22 hours to get to Daytona Beach. We pulled into town, and I told Chief to stop by the ocean, because I wanted to dip my feet. I love the ocean. He pulled over on the shoulder, and we jumped out.
I opened the door, and a Wendys bag flew out with me. I was in the keep the world clean mode, so I chased after it. I was barefoot and the sand felt great. Just as I was about to catch the flying paper bag, I kicked a rock that stuck out of the sand. I screamed out in pain. I looked down and saw that I had tore the toenail off my toe. It was the toe that was next to my big toe. The nail hung on the toe by the cuticle. I hobbled back to the car. I jumped in holding my foot. Everyone wanted to see what I was screaming about. I pulled off the t-shirt I used to stop the bleeding. Everyone winced in pain. I have never felt that much pain in my life. Just a suggestion, Dont ever lose a toenail!
Dude, you got to rip the rest of it off. Erik said from the front seat.
No way! No fucking way! I yelled out.
Quit being a pussy. Chief said.
Dude, it hurts bad. I said. Okay, Erik pull it off.
I aint doing it. Erik laughed out.
Chief, come on pull it off. I cried.
Chief turned around and looked at the toenail. He reached for it, and I looked out the window. I have never felt that kind of pain before. We arrived at the condo a few minutes later. I hobbled into the house and fell onto the couch. Eriks sister Courtney was there with Eriks girlfriend. I sat there on the couch and started to have hot flashes. Whenever I felt too much pain, my face will get all red and I can feel the heat of my blood in my neck. I dont like the feeling at all.
Everyone left for groceries and beer. I didnt want to do anything but sit there and mope. Here it was Spring Break, and I am laid up on the couch like a gimp. The group returned with a keg of Heineken. I found a nice little cozy spot next to the keg. I drank myself silly for days on end. Mid week, Chief decided he wanted to go for some tattoos. I was planning on getting one, so I forced myself to find a shoe that would fit. I couldnt wear sandals because it was the second toe where the sandal would fit. I managed with a loafer without laces. I got really drunk before we went to the parlor. I got my tattoo started on my back. It was a new experience, and I enjoyed every minute of it.
The next stop was to get body pierced. We walked into a place on the strip. It was awesome. I got my nipple and tongue pierced. Getting your nipple pierced is a whole different story. The needle is long, but the pain is erotic. At least it was for me. Even though I was very drunk, the guy did it anyway. I remember looking at this hot girl in a bikini right as he drove the needle into my nipple. I got a hard on instantly. No joke, it really happened.
You cant eat meat or have any sexual activity for at least three days. Oh and use lots of mouthwash. The guy told me and everyone else.
I shrugged off the directions. I needed more beer. We went out to eat, and I listened to the no meat rule at first. I ordered some bean soup. Halfway through the bowl, a bean got stuck onto the post. Everyone was laughing at me, because it was stuck to post. So I gave up on the soup, and started eating pizza. I bit my tongue constantly. Just for your own reference, whenever you get your tongue pierced, it swells up. I have since learned, that if you chew on ice, it doesnt swell as bad.
We headed back for the condo. I awoke the next day with a hangover from hell. Not only did my head hurt, but nipple, tongue, toe, and pretty much my whole body made me not want to get up. I couldnt sleep on my back or stomach. Since the tattoo was on my back, and the pierced nipple was in the front, I spent the night tossing and turning to get comfortable. Luckily, there was a sufficient amount of beer to take the pain away, somewhat.
Throughout the rest of the week, I began to feel better. The hot flashes I was getting because of the pain had begun to subside. Everyone else had a great time. They would go to the clubs and the many wet t-shirt contests that were taking place throughout Daytona. I am very grateful for the dog we had, because we got to know each other rather well. He was my companion to combat the loneliness of my ordeal.
The second to last night we were there, I tried to go out with the gang. We were driving into town, when Chiefs Buick blew a tire. We had to put the doughnut on, and he was in a bad mood. He told us, we were leaving the day after tomorrow. When Chief got mad, it was hard to change his mind. So we began to make arrangements to leave two days early.
It was finally time to leave, and we packed up the Buick. Chief wanted to leave early the next morning, so he didnt drink with us. Erik spent most of the night with his girlfriend, and Steve and Courtney had hit it off. I had Daytona, my new friend.
We left around 8 a.m. This was a little later than Chief wanted to leave, but everyone else was hung over, so nobody was moving too fast. Chief started driving, and the rest of us crashed out. I went to sleep when it was light out, and I woke up in pain when it was dark. We had made it to Southern Illinois. The sound of the doughnut blowing out is what woke me up. Everyone could not get comfortable because of all the new surgery. I couldnt sleep on my back or my left side because of the piercing and tattoo. My foot had to stay in one place the whole trip; it was a nightmare ride home.
It was 2 a.m. and we were in the middle of nowhere on the highway. Some nice guy stopped and gave Chief and Erik a ride to a nearby junkyard. Luckily, the operator of the yard got out of bed to sell Chief an overpriced doughnut. I would like to agree with the regulations on the use of a doughnut, but Chief maintained over 80 mph, sometimes pushing 90. He had an urge to get home quick. I didnt mind, because I was tired and sore. Plus, I was going to be able to move into my new apartment.
With the new doughnut, we arrived in Chicago around 5:30a.m. We would have made great time without the blow out. Chief dropped us all off, and headed home. I want to tell you; there is no pain in the world I felt since I lost my toenail. It never grew back correctly, but I have learned to protect my toes at all costs. This was one Spring Break full of pain.
Chief died of a heroin overdose on July 30th, 2003. Like I said earlier, Steve and Erik are M.I.A. in my life. Daytona is still alive and living with Eriks parents. He grew to be a rather large dog. We trained him in Vietnamese commands, and he is very smart. He understands English, French, and Vietnamese. What a concept, a dog learning multiple languages. I have finished my tattoo, the piercing was removed a few years later, and of course, whenever I look at my toe, I am reminded of the good and many bad times of Daytona Beach.
No comments:
Post a Comment