I was staying in a hippie commune just one block off of Peachtree St. in Atlanta. I was working for the daily slave wage of $10 in cash for Manpower when one of the guys came in and said that he had to go to Miami and needed some one to help with the driving and gas. Since I had been there a week and was tired of the daily scut work for low wages, I told him I’d be happy to join him.
He said, "We leave at dawn so be ready". Of course, dawn for a hippie means somewhere around 10 a.m. which was when we left.
On the drive I told him that I had never been to Miami so what was it like. He said, "It's mostly a party town, but you got to look out for the cops. They're a bunch of mean assed bastards that'll run you in for absolutely no reason at all other than they don't like the way you look, but the grass and coke is strong and cheap, and it's not too hard to get laid, so you should have a good time."
I said, "Sounds good to me" as we cruised south into the warmth and sunshine.
When we get there he tells me that I can crash there for the night but since it was his brother and him in a small trailer that I would have to find something else the next day. The next day he drives me down to the beach where I hung out for the day just people watching. When it got late I went to what looked like a college bar, had a couple beers and socialized with the kids.
Around midnight I ask some of my new found friends if any of them knew of a place I could crash?
They say, "Hell man, you can sleep at our house. In fact, there should be a party going on there right now so let's go."
We left the bar, got in their car then drove to their crib and they were right, there was loud music and people all over the place. We go in and one of their buds say, "We went shroom picking today and there was lots, so eat as many as ya want." pointing to a big bag on the table.
I go to the table and help myself to a dozen and Ouu-iee, they were so fine that I didn't get any sleep that night and had a really good time. Next morning I shoulder my pack and walk around the city for a little while but by then the shrooms have worn off so I find a nice park and sleep for a few hours on the grass. Now here's a funny thing, a person can sleep hassle free in a park from sun up to sunset but it you try sleeping in a park at night the cops for sure, if they see you will roust you. I wake up in the early afternoon and wander around the city some more until it gets late then start looking for a place to crash.
I've wandered into not a very good section of the city so I don't want to sleep on the street and I do not want to have to pay for a place either. I see a youngish looking bum so I go up to him and ask him if he knows of a safe place to sleep.
He tells me that if I buy him a short dog of MD 20/20 then he'll be glad to show me a real nice place. I buy him the bottle and he says, “Follow me.” He takes me down an alley and we walk over to an 8-foot high chain link fence. The bum says, "All we got to do is climb the fence then grab hold of the bottom of the fire escape there." here he points up "and hoist ourselves up then we can go up to the top floor and crash in the hall. Don't worry no body will bother us, but you got to leave before 6 a.m., because that's when they check."
I look up at the fence and the fire escape then says, "No sweat, let's do it." and we do.
Next morning the wine-o wakes me up and says, "Timed to go." then leaves the way we came.
But I think, ‘fuck it, I'm going out the front door. What can they do?’
So I go down the stairs and as I walk by the front desk the clerk says, "Who the fuck are you?"
I say, "Oh, I was just visiting some friends." and slip out the door with the clerk shouting, "Yeah who?" behind me. Ahh, another beautiful day in Miami. Again I spend the entire day just tripping around the city having a generally good time.
When the sun starts getting low I get the idea that I would like to check out the Keys so I go to a gas station and ask the attendant for directions, he gives them to me and I thank him.
As I walk away he calls me back saying, "Are you going to try hitching down there tonight, buddy?"
When I tell him that I am going to start he says, "This is not a very good neighborhood to be in after it gets dark. I tell you what, I get off work in 20 minutes. If you want you can wait for me in my car and spend the night at my house with me and my wife. Then tomorrow morning I'll put you on the right road."
When I ask if his wife won't mind him bringing home a total stranger he says, "She might a little, but I haven't done a good deed for a while, so you're it."
I say, "Fine" and wait in his car.
On the ride to his house he asks me if I am an anti-Semite because he’s Jewish.
I tell him that I think all religions are equally oppressive with some just being worse than others.
He laughs saying, "Well, at least you're honest."
We get to his house and he introduces me to his wife, who's not too happy to see me but she's still gracious and offers me dinner. After supper I offer to wash the dishes but she says, no I’m their guest. Their a very quiet gentle young couple, they tell me that they are retiring to their bedroom to read before bed and that I can sleep on their couch then leave me alone. There's nothing to do so I go to sleep.
Next morning the guy drops me on the highway and says the Keys are straight south.
I thank him for his kindness.
He says, "It's nothing." and leaves.
I stand there in the morning sunshine and wave at the passing cars until one pulls over. In it is a hippie about my age. He asks where I'm heading and I tell him.
He says, "Hop in. I'm not going to far but it will get you almost out of the city."
As we're driving he tells me that he's going to apply to become a human guinea pig. He says that a drug company is testing new drugs on humans and pays real well.
I ask him what's the trip.
He says, "The studies are for different drugs, but they all last from 5 to 10 days. For which they pay you $50 a day tax free. Plus they feed and house you for the whole time. It’s kind of like being at a resort cuz the have lots of recreational stuff."
I say the heck with the Keys, I'll accompany him there. One week there and I wouldn't have to work for months.
He says, "There is a downside though."
I ask what it is?
He says, "They take blood from you every four hours without fail."
I say, "No pain, no gain." and off we go to the doctors.
We get there and as soon as they find out I'm an epileptic they says that I can't do it.
My new friend Happy Jack says that if I wait for him to finish then I can stay with him at his commune for a few days.
I say that sounds good to me.
Happy Jack gets the job but it won't start for a week so I can stay with him that long if I like because he says, he can tell that I am hip and his commune is always on the look out for aware folks. As we're driving I ask what kind of commune is it and Jack tells me, "Well, it's called “The Source” commune and our teacher we call "Father". He teaches that all religions both old and new are correct, and that one only has to compare and study them to see the sameness in all of them, and that enlightenment can be reached through any one of them singlely or when used in combination with any other."
I say, "That sounds good, but how does the commune work?"
He says, "Oh, well, everyone gives half their earning to the commune. We all eat together and we are all micro biotic. The married couple can sleep together twice a week and the rest of us sleep separately. We each have one day a week that we have to give to the commune to devote to it's upkeep, and every night between 8 and 9 p.m. Father reads to us from some holy book. I guess that's about it."
So I'm thinking, 'well, I won't last long there'.
We get to the commune and it's a big two story yellow house and a corner surrounded by a well kept lawn and a 3 foot high coral fence. We enter and right away everyone is real friendly and acting interested in me. They take my pack and one of the girls offers me a back rub, which I accept, and she rubs my back and shoulders like we were old friends. Then it's a lunch of brown rice, miso and a few veggie’s. After lunch I help with dishes and chat with the commune members. They're all peaceful and happy.
I think, 'well maybe this ain't so bad after all'.
Jack says that I am free to do what I want until suppertime, which is just after sundown. So I leave and wander around the neighborhood. It looks like an upper middle class one with hardly anyone on the streets. I find a small park and hang out until suppertime then head back. When I get there Jack tells me that after the nightly reading and meditation, Father wants to meet me. We have the same dinner that we had for lunch then wait around until 8 o'clock Father appears, he's big all over but not fat, he has long kinky red-brown hair and looks like a mulatto.
He greets us all, gives a benediction ending with the AUM and begins reading first from the book of Mark out the Bible then switches to the Uranchia Book. He then compares the two then asks us what we think. No one volunteers so he points out a couple people and they then give their opinions.
He then asks me mine and I give him my "all religions" rap ending with, "I think everyone should find their own way by simply looking within themselves, into their own hearts and souls."
He asks me, "But don't you think that some of these writing can guide us?"
I say, "Sure. But once something is written down, it can't change and too easily becomes dogma, which in my opinion is always bad."
He laugh saying, "Good point." Then, "Well, brothers and sisters that will be all for tonight." He gives another benediction again ending with the AUM and leaves.
Jack comes up to me and says, "I'll show you where to sleep."
I say, "But I thought that I was suppose to meet Father tonight."
Jack looks at the floor saying, "Uh well, Father says that won't be necessary, but he also said that you could stay as long as you wanted."
I say, "Whatever" and follow Jack down into the basement where it's fixed up with a lot of bunk beds.
Jack tells me this is where the single males sleep then says, "And you're lucky, it's Wednesday night."
When I ask why but he just smiles saying, "You'll see."
I am sleeping peacefully and it must be around midnight when I feel someone getting in bed with me. I come fully awake when this person gives me a kiss. I look and it's one of the girls and all she has on is a very sheer nightgown. She smiles at me and puts her finger to her lips going, "Shhhh…" then she mounts me. Instantly I get hard then she slip my cock inside her and starts pumping up and down real fast. Within a minute or so I cum. She then leans down, kisses me again, gets off me and leaves. I don't know what just happened but I sure ain't complaining then I go back to sleep.
Everyone gets up at dawn and after toilet, we all shuffle back into the living room. Father comes in and does pretty much the same as the night before except he doesn't ask for opinions. He leaves and it's breakfast time, brown rice gruel and herbal tea. After that everyone goes back into the living room to get their assignments for the day.
The guy in charge says to me, "Since your new Tai, you may have a free day."
And I think, 'right, I have a free day all right because I am out of here'.
I grab my pack and when Jack sees that he asks, "Aren’t you staying?" I tell him no, I got things to do. But thanks for the night.
When I ask him about last night he tells me, "Father says that when people don't have sex regularly, especially males, then it's all that they think about and so clouds their thinking. So once a week the girls visit us. A different girl each time so we don't become too attached to any one of them, that why it's quick and no talking is aloud."
I just laugh, clap Jack on the shoulder saying, "Whatever works." then it's back out on the road for me.
I spend the next three days working for Manpower on the docks, chaining down cars on barges that are being shipped to Puerto Rico. I sleep on the roof of a hippie’s house who I met who’s working with me until it's time to head north again. It's too bad that I forgot about the Keys because from all the people that I talked to about the place, they all tell me that at that time it was really happening. That it was party central for the entire East Coast. Oh well, can't hit them all.