Conversation with Ed

Ed is the man who helped me to overcome my (lifelong) fear of being in a shelter or on the streets.

Smart, articulate, kind and skilled, he's also fiercely independent and fiercely honest about his faults.

Thats why I like him. A nice guy to boot.
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Ed was born and raised in Los Angeles.

"Here's a piece from Kerouac's On the Road..

' LA is the loneliest and most brutal of American cities; New York gets god-awful cold in the winter but there's a feeling of wacky comradeship somewhere in the some streets.

LA.. is a jungle.'

That true, Ed?"

"Ha! Well, yeah. It wasnt always that way though."

"Uh, Ed.. the book was written in 1952."

"Ha! Well, I guess its always been that way."
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"... so youve met The One, eh. It sounds good. I wish you the best, sir."

"That's not the end of the story."

"Oh. Ok. Go on."

"So, the next day, I was bracing myself to see her again. 'Ed' I told myself 'dont get your hopes up. We are in wingnut central. She seems great, but maybe she hasnt shown her demons yet.."

"Hehe. Of course. And?"

"And sure enough... < snip of wild statements and weird behavior > "

"Wow."

"I think the main reason for her behavior, was that she was tweaked and coming down off using Speed."

"Heh. She still The One?"

"I havent decided yet."
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"Hey Marcus.." someone shouted out.

"I didnt know your name was Marcus."

"Sure. Marcus Edward S."

I kinda doubted the truth of this. For many, many people dont go by their real names here in Wingnut Central, err, the Bay Area.

"But" he continued, proving my point "people here in Berkeley dont really know each others names, as the wingnuts here in Berkeley dont always go by their real names..."