One man Stories

Six o’clock at the Jolly Roger, down by the beach on this steaming Caribbean island. Evenings started early here, for the benefit of the hordes of middle-aged and older Americans who wanted to eat and be entertained and in bed by ten. There was live music every night and on Tuesdays it was Johnny van Clapton, a Dutchman who had been given the nickname by a bar owner who admired his guitar playing. Johnny had been on the i...

It was Summer and school was out, normally a time of fun and relaxation. For me, it was a time of trauma quickly followed by anger followed by resignation as my girlfriend of a year and a half dumped me. Well, shit. Not only that, the news spread like I'd won the lottery. The only good thing was that I heard right away from two friends who had been in the same boat, then dumped overboard. I had gone through elementary sch...