It was the 16th of February, 1985, on a cold, dark Saturday in Red Bank, New Jersey, and I was determined to die having a good time.<\/p>\n
I had nothing to live for. Just a thankless job as a gunnery sergeant in the Marine Corps. I was going to go to every bar I could find and drink myself into a stupor. Then, defiant in the face of my misery, I\u2019d tell the world that I just didn\u2019t care anymore, and hopefully end my life for good.<\/p>\n
This is fitting<\/em>, I thought as I swung a leg over my bike. I didn\u2019t even have a car. Riding a bike to a bar was absurd\u2014just like my life. God\u2019s really let me go<\/em>. I peddled off into town, shivering.<\/p>\n My wheels wobbled in the snow. I glanced over my shoulder before crossing the street. Another cyclist rode up behind me. Someone else is riding a bike in the middle of February?<\/em> I thought. What a jerk.<\/em><\/p>\n I shrugged it off. My front tire wobbled all over the place. A darn flat. I walked the bike to a gas station and unscrewed the cap on my tire. \u201cLooks like you\u2019ve got air pressure problems.\u201d Behind me stood a pimply young man wearing secondhand clothes. The other jerk on a bike.<\/p>\n \u201cAs a matter-of-fact, I do,\u201d I said. \u201cWhat made you pull in here?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019ve been watching you,\u201d he said. That startled me. Why would he be watching me? Maybe for the same reason I watched him. A couple of real jerks. Except there was an innocence about this kid. He couldn\u2019t have been more than 20.<\/p>\n \u201cWhere you headed?\u201d I asked.<\/p>\n \u201cAnywhere and everywhere,\u201d he replied. \u201cHow about you?\u201d<\/p>\n I wished I hadn\u2019t asked. \u201cJust a little shopping,\u201d I lied. \u201cNice meeting you.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cLikewise,\u201d he said, and peddled off. I filled my tire and screwed the cap back on.<\/p>\n My stomach growled and I stopped for a slice of pizza at the strip mall. With a little food in my stomach, I\u2019d be able to drink more.<\/p>\n Now I was ready to begin drinking. The first bar on my list wasn\u2019t too far. I left the pizza parlor and got on my bike. \u201cHi, there!\u201d said a familiar voice behind me.<\/p>\n I wheeled around. The young man on the bike was standing there smiling. Where did he come from? \u201cEarly lunch?\u201d he asked.<\/p>\n \u201cWait a second. How do you know where I\u2019ve been?\u201d I asked.<\/p>\n \u201cI saw you go into the pizzeria,\u201d he said. \u201cSheer coincidence.\u201d<\/p>\n It didn\u2019t feel like one. I needed to get rid of this kid. \u201cWhere are you off to now?\u201d I asked, so I could take off in the opposite direction.<\/p>\n \u201cAnywhere and everywhere,\u201d he said, flashing me a grin.<\/p>\n \u201cWell, take care,\u201d I said. I peddled off as fast as I could.<\/p>\n \u201cHey!\u201d the kid called after me. \u201cWhere are you going?\u201d<\/p>\n What was up with this kid? I stopped on my bike. I should just keep going. But it was too late. I didn\u2019t want to be rude. \u201cBack to the barracks, I guess.\u201d No kid would want to go there. My head dropped. I couldn\u2019t tell him to get lost. \u201cCome on,\u201d I said.<\/p>\n My plan to drink myself into a stupor was falling way behind schedule, but I led the kid back to Fort Monmouth, where I was stationed. We pulled up to the red-brick structure where I lived. \u201cSo this is it, huh?\u201d the young man asked.<\/p>\n \u201cYep,\u201d I said. \u201cListen, I\u2019ve got to take care of a couple things before tonight. I should go inside.\u201d I got halfway to the door before the kid stopped me again.<\/p>\n \u201cWhat about tonight?\u201d he asked.<\/p>\n
\n\u201cCan I come?\u201d he asked, eager as a puppy about the idea.<\/p>\n