Part 10. The Sunset- Epilogue

My Uncle Dan met me at the airport after I'd gone through Customs. I was finally home, back on American soil and glad to be there. He smiled and asked if I was glad to be home. I said yes, and I wanted Mexican food and a copy of the New York Times. He laughed and said he didn't know about the Mexican Food but could hook me up with a copy of the Times [and the next 4 days I read the New York Times cover to cover.] he drove me to the house he shared with my Aunt in upper New Jersey. For the next three days I began to uncoil. I unpacked all my stuff, Gave her one of the carvings I'd been carrying with me, washed and mended my clothes from my trip, told of my adventures to my hosts, and finally decided I should contact the Art School to find out when I needed to be there and contact Case Western Reserve housing office to find out where I was going to live and when I could move in. Both Phone calls yielded me the same answer “yes we've heard of you, we have you down on our list, however we have no record of receiving any funds from you.” I knew that a check had been sent to each and cashed and that both the canceled checks were on the other side of the world with my parents. I had needed to send them a Telex telling them I'd arrived safely however this newest glitch put it on the fast track. The closest place was the Western Union office on the Princeton University campus, about 10 miles from Aunt and Uncle's house. My Aunt drove me to the Western Union office the third day I was there, I walked in and told the work-study student that I needed to send a Telex. She informed me that they couldn't do that. Okay, I wanted to send a Telegram....She pulled out a pad and said “Yeah ok, where do you wish it sent?” I answered “C/O Morgan Equipment, Arawa, Bougainville Island, North Solomons Province, Papua- New Guinea.” The girl stopped writing, looked at me with disgust and said “Get out of here, I don't have time for prank telegrams sent to a bullshit made up addresses.”
I asked to speak to her manager.
An older woman came to the counter and asked what the trouble was, I told her the same thing I'd told the girl. She looked at me kind of hard and said “you REALLY want to send a telegram to New Guinea?” I said yeah, I did. She looked it up and sure enough there was such a place and they did have a western union office. I sent it to my dad and explained the situation telling him I needed copies of the canceled checks. I gave a nod to the chick working the work-study job as I left. I got a response the next day saying they were sending them to My Aunt In Ohio, and that they were happy I was back home. While there I made the trip to New York three times, I did the Met, and the Moma (Modern Art Museum of America) and for the first time The Frick. By this time I was spoiled...Although their collections were and are impressive my head reeled from all that I'd seen the last few months. I also did a Broadway show...the only thing I could get tickets for was a matinee for “Oh, Calcutta!” Silliest thing I've ever spent money for.

At the end of the week I bid my aunt goodbye, got on a train and headed to Boston where my sister picked me up and drove me to the Airport to claim the luggage and Portfolio bag I'd checked clear through from Bougainville. I was looking forward to chilling on the Cape for a couple of weeks but was informed that she had been living in my grandfather's cottage on the Cape for the entire summer and the idea of spending another two weeks there was out of the question. And my sister being my sister, she usually gets her own way. So at the end of about 4 days I loaded all my stuff into the the family station wagon that was in my sister's care and drover it and her to Ohio. My Aunt greeted us with open arms despite expecting us in another 10 days... I told her that I wasn't expecting to be in Ohio for another 10 days either. My Cousin Joe and I went out drinking one night and I finally got some Mexican food at the local brand new Taco Bell. I had to replace both of the motor mounts and get a new Clutch put in the family Station Wagon. The canceled checks arrived and I got all my shit straightened out and got my room assignment and registered for school. My sister Flew back to Boston and a few days later I loaded my trunk I'd sent from Phoenix the year prior, the books that I'd had sent to me from Europe as well as the photo's sent to me by the French couple I'd met in Amsterdam, my 3 pieces of luggage and my portfolio bag and I moved into Taft house on the campus of Case Western Reserve. After I unpacked and got settled I explored the campus looking for beer and food It was still two days before the cafeteria and student bar opened. Finding both at a little Deli about 3 blocks away I bought a 6 pack of Fosters lager and a kielbasa sandwich and walked back to my room to eat my lunch. Since I had little to do now I resumed working on a drawing I had started just before I'd left Bougainville. A guy from Detroit, who was also an art student who had moved in the same afternoon as I, knocked on the door after having smelled cold beer. I invited him in and offered him one. He looked at what I was working on...A kukukuku (cooker-cooker) warrior from the Highlands of New Guinea, I was working from photographs that somebody had given me when they went to a sing-sing in the Highlands.”Where in the Hell would you run into a guy dressed like that?” He said with genuine shock. I smiled....”That my friend is a long story.”