[Author’s note 2017: many records in this stretch are transcripts of everything from telephone conversations. Some, like this one, indicate I was being distracted, but I remember this day. I ran a small shop and it was burglarized overnight. I suspected the guy who used to crash in there overnight, but it wasn’t him.
These records, years before the Internet, were not meant for publication, but as a daily log, as in those days I still had insomnia and could easily forget an entire day. So I wrote things down, but like this passage, never read it again until today.
As for people like Wayne Edwards, I don’t remember him. But this is probably his 15 seconds of fame.]
Ah, last day of a scheduled 5-day break. How luxurious. Now a series of things happened today. In short, my store got knocked over. I lost 25 cartons of cigarettes. And I immediately suspected, as opposed to accused, Marty. But he was clean. However our local Tsawwassen hero, Wayne Edwards, whose involvement is [superficial, word is unclear] at best, seems to want to use the issue to disprove the little feelings of inadequacy that he has. The typical small-town moralist. Ready to get violently involved in any issue to conceal his shortcomings. A petty, uneducated, unconfident sort. Slightly retarded as well, I suspect. He’s always tolerated me because of my affiliation with Marty, but I picked up the vibes fast. He’s out to prove he’s the best, and may well have succeeded to a degree in the area. But then he meets me, with totally different standards and realized by them he is a nobody. And the harder he pursues his chosen course, the worse it becomes. Hardly a basis for a friendship, huh? and he’s always resented it when Marty learns things from me. So he’s an asshole besides.
For some American know-how, the Reef got face lifted overnight. No interruption of service. But new furniture, exterior, patio, BBQ pit, and lower prices. Place looks kind of nice. And oh yes, I sold the business. I got my investment back. There is no doubt, tho. This move, living on the Point, working here, running the shop—by far the smartest move I ever made. I can, in fact, do it over again anywhere, I’m satisfied.
[Author’s note 2023: this photo added for color and balance.]
