The Pike

It was the best of places and the worst of places. It was a gaudy, noisy seaside attraction where frenzied people tried to cram as much fun as they could into the short hours they had to spend there. It had a bad reputation for panhandlers, grifters, prostitutes, and drunken sailors. Yet there was an illusion of elegance in the ballrooms where amateurs competed with professionals for the attention of single men, and where respectable couples tried to ignore the competition. It was the day and the night feeding on the energy of the earth’s rotation until sunlight and darkness tumbled into each other and the garish man made lights blurred the distinction between them. It was a past built for the present and a future that was out of sight and mind. It was a diversion and a contradiction, a world unto itself that could not escape the misery and the joy of the larger world around it. It was a state of mind that varied from individual to individual and age group to age group.

The Korean War had finally ended and Chad Richards had just turned eighteen. He was a high school athlete who was forty pounds too light and one step too slow to compete at the college level. He also wore thick spectacles that made people overlook his impressive build. When he was awarded an academic scholarship at USC his religious, middle class parents were delighted. It was a religious school, and his parents were certain that the atmosphere on its campus would discourage him from going to evil places like the Pike. What they did not take into account was his roommate, Buddy McCall. Buddy was a tall kid with a deep baritone voice that instantly drew your attention. Like Chad, he was a serious scholar, but he was much more gregarious and adventurous than Chad was. Chad returned to his room after taking the last final examination of his freshman term.

“How’d you do?” Buddy asked.

“I nailed it.”

“I nailed mine too. Now it’s time to celebrate. Put on your bathing suit and bring some clothes.”

They had gone to the beach a few times during the term, but they were rarely there long enough to need clothes. He knew Buddy had grown up near Long Beach, and he thought they might be joining some of Buddy’s friends.

“Are we going to a beach party?”

“Better.”

“Better?”

“You’ll see.”

Much to Chad’s surprise Buddy drove down to the Pike.

“I heard this place was dangerous,” Chad said.

“Like most of the things you hear about the Pike, the danger is overstated.”

They walked to the other side of rainbow pier, to a place where the waves were better.

After body surfing for several hours they walked back to the car.

“Put on your shirt so you’ll have a pocket for your change. We’ll wander around until our suits dry.”

They took a walk down Main Street. It was like the fun zone at the county fair times ten. Chad quickly discovered that his wet bathing suit was not out of place there. Most of the people in wet bathing suits were teenagers, ranging in age from fourteen to nineteen. Like Chad, their suits were wet from playing in the surf. The adults preferred to use the dressing rooms at the plunge where they and their children could rinse off the brine and change into dry clothes. For teenagers noise and fun are inseparable, and they eagerly added their voices to those of the barkers trying to lure them into the attractions. All of those voices competed with the sound of the calliope on the carousel, the laughter of the mechanical fat lady at the fun house, the new sound of rock and roll from at least one of the arcades, and the sound of the motors powering the rides. The place smelled of hamburgers, onions, cotton candy, taffy, and deep fryers cooking French fries, shrimp and other delectable items. Chad and Buddy went into one of the arcades playing rock and roll. Some of the kids were dancing in the aisles.

A very pretty young lady in a bathing suit approached Buddy. “Hey, Buddy!” she said. She took both of his hands and started dancing. Chad played one of the pinball machines as they danced. When he was through with the game Buddy and the young lady approached.

“So you’re Chad.”

“I am.”

“I’m Emily.”

She started dancing before he could say anything else.

“Join me!”

Chad was not much of a dancer but he did his best. When they finished dancing Buddy kissed Emily on the cheek. “See you later,” he said.

“Where are you going?”

“We’re going to put some jeans on over our bathing suits. Then I’m going to introduce Chad to the Cyclone.”

Emily laughed. “Have fun!”

“She’s beautiful,” Chad said as they walked to the car.

“Yeah, but she’s only sixteen.”

“Damn!”

“Yup.”

The Cyclone Racer was named that because there were two sets of tracks running parallel to each other so that the two sets of cars appeared to be racing. The seedy looking ride operator greeted Buddy.

“It’s been a while,” he said.

“Too long,” Buddy agreed.

“I’ll charge you for only one rider. Half price today.”

“Thanks Karl.”

Chad interpreted Karl’s grunt as your welcome. Buddy climbed into a car on the outer track and Chad followed him. The cars started climbing the steep grade.

“We’re lucky. I really like the outer track.”

Why Buddy liked the outside track quickly became apparent. They plunged down the steep grade at break neck speed and made a sharp turn over the water. The tilt of the car and the view of the water below added to the sense of danger as the car pitched around the tight turns.

Chad let out a loud yell as the car coasted to the station. “This has to be the greatest roller coaster ever!”

“I think Karl will let us go again,” and Karl did.

The sun was setting as they took the last of the rides they would go on that day. By then Chad was running low on money.

“You hungry?” Buddy asked.

“Not too hungry.”

Buddy laughed. “What I have in mind isn’t very expensive.”

“Okay.”

They went to one of the concession stands. The woman working there had skin that was beginning to wrinkle from the sun and long hours, but her eyes sparkled with life and a keen sense of humor. Her accent indicated that she was from one of the states bordering the Mason Dixon line. Chad’s parents would have probably called her an Okie.

“Buddy, you young rogue. I was beginning to wonder if I was ever going to see you again.”

“You know they couldn’t keep me away from you, Sue.”

She laughed. “Promises, promises. Are you having the shrimp?”

“Yes, and so is he.”

“What’s your name, Darling?”

“Chad.”

“Glad to meet you, Chad.”

“Nice meeting you.”

He dug into his pocket and paid her. Much to his relief, he still had a nickel after-wards. The shrimp was wonderful.

The neon signs were standing out in sharp contrast to the encroaching darkness when the rest of the lights came on. It was the time of transition when people dressed up for the ballrooms began to walk down the same streets as people dressed in bathing suits or Bermuda shorts. Many of the sailors were now crowding into the bars and restaurants, while others were heading for the ballrooms. Swing music was soon adding its voice to the cacophony. Some provocatively dressed women walked past Chad and Buddy.

“Are they hookers?” Chad asked.

“Yeah, they’re the ones who work the bars. The higher class ones dress like the other women who go to the ballrooms to dance and maybe meet Mr. right.”

“The hookers must make it difficult for the women who just want to dance.”

“It also confuses some of the sailors.”

Chad laughed. “I wonder how many of them get slapped.”

“I don’t know, but I bet it happens.”

“I guess you have to treat all of the women there with respect and wait for the hookers to make the first move.”

“That would be easy for you. You always wait until you’re sure a woman is interested in you before you make a move.”

“And if she’s a hooker she’s going to be disappointed because I doubt that I could afford her services.”

Buddy stood up. “That’s why they concentrate on the sailors. They know most of the sailors have just been paid.”

They started walking to the car.

“I’m glad you took me here. I wouldn’t have come on my own.”

Buddy smiled. “You obviously had a deprived childhood.”

“I was deprived of this; that’s for sure.”

“Would you like to work here?”

“Are you serious?”

“Yeah, I start here next weekend. I’m sure I could find you something.”

“Well, I’m taking one of the summer night courses.”

“What days.”

“Tuesday and Thursday.”

“That means you’re available Friday through Monday, which is when someone will need you most.”

“All right, I’m interested.”

The job Buddy found for Chad was at a hamburger stand. Buddy worked as a barker at the freak show. Buddy’s voice was easily distinguishable from the rest of the sounds. “Come one! Come all! Behold these amazing works of nature! There is nothing artificial here; no smoke, no mirrors, no slight of hand.” If people stopped to listen, a small bouquet of flowers would magically appear from his cane. “What you will see is as real as these flowers.” He would then toss or hand several flowers to ladies in the audience. Because of the expense of the flowers, he only did the flower trick on the weekends when there were enough people to make it worth while. He had the flair and style of a natural born showman, and he was soon considered a part of the attraction.

The wife of the owner of the hamburger stand was the manager. She was also the cook during peak hours. Her name was Roberta. People who knew her called her Berta. Chad would not say that she had a rough exterior, but she was all business. She was very efficient on the grill, and she expected her employees to follow her example. Chad was really proud of himself on those few occasions when he made her laugh. Like most of the people at the Pike, however, there was more to her than met the eye. Although she rarely smiled, she had a reputation for being a soft touch for anyone who was down on his luck.

Emily frequently bought a burger there for lunch. She was so pretty and charming that Chad could not resist flirting with her.

“Careful,” Berta said. “I know she has a woman’s body, but she’s still young enough to think she can trust everyone. Don’t spoil that.”

“I wouldn’t think of it.”

“Good.”

At seven thirty that night business slowed down, and Berta told him to take a break. He usually made a burger and ate it near the stand. Tonight was different. For some reason he wanted to get away from the stand for a while. He ordered some of that wonderful shrimp from Sue. A young lady dressed for the ballroom was standing behind him. She also ordered the shrimp. She was pretty in an unspectacular way. He thought she was the girl next door type, if you were lucky enough to have a good looking young lady living next door to you. He took the shrimp to a nearby bench. She sat down next to him.

“Hi, I’m Bunny,” she said.

“It’s nice to meet you, Bunny. I’m Chad.”

“You work at the burger stand, don’t you?”

“Yes.”

“Do you dance?”

“Not very well.”

“I’m taking lessons. I’m not good enough to it do professionally yet, but I have had a few singing roles.”

“So you’re an actress.”

“Amateur stuff at community theaters for now. I’ve been an extra in a few films, but I think it’s the stage work that will get me discovered.”

“I hope I get a chance to talk you again. I want to brag about knowing you when you make it big.”

She favored him with a beautiful smile. “I’d like that. Well, the music should be starting soon.” She stood up and threw the empty shrimp container in the trash. “See you later.”

He watched her walk away. After the hamburger stand closed that night he walked by the ballroom. Bunny was standing outside with a sailor. She was so engrossed in her conversation with the sailor that she did not see Chad. The next night she came to the hamburger stand.

“Hi, Chad. I’d like a cheese burger, but hold the onions.”

“One cheese burger, hold the onions,” Chad said. “Add another cheeseburger if I can take my break now.”

Berta looked at Bunny and nodded to let Chad know he could take a break.

“May I join you,” he asked.

“Of Course.”

They sat down at a table together.

“Where are you from?” Chad asked.

“Nebraska. I was a farm girl.”

“This must be quite a departure.”

“You have no idea. Farms are really isolated. They’re like islands where good things and bad things happen. All you have is your family. Forget about the community; it’s too small and restrictive to be much help. I really had to get out of there.”

“So you came here to pursue your dreams.”

“Everyone should pursue their dreams, particularly when they’re not giving up much to do it. What are your dreams?”

“I’d like to tell you, but they’re pretty vague right now. I haven’t even chosen a major yet.”

“Are you telling me you’re going to college?”

“It’s not what you think. I’m not one of those rich snobs. I’m there on an academic scholarship.”

“I’m impressed. Maybe I can brag about knowing you when you make it big.”

“It would be nice if it were mutual.”

She laughed. “Yes, it would. Well, I’d better be going now.”

Later that night she walked by the stand. She was on the arm of a sailor. She turned her head and winked at Chad. He had no idea what to make of that. The worst part was that he actually felt a bit jealous. He did not see Bunny the next day, which was Sunday. He was closing the place when Buddy showed up.

“Come on we’re going to a party.”

“Don’t you have to work tomorrow?”

“Everyone does. It won’t last long, and I gave Karl some money to buy us some beer.”

“All right.”

They went to a run down apartment building. Many of the people who worked at the Pike lived there. It was really more like several parties than one. In spite of the cold sea air, the doors of several apartments were open and people were wandering from apartment to apartment.

“Hey, Buddy!”

It was Karl. It was easy to locate him. He was a big man with tattoos running down both arms. It was amazing that he could shout like that without dislodging the cigar in his mouth.

“Karl,” Buddy said. He and Chad walked up the stairs to Karl’s apartment.

Karl pointed at a cooler in the corner of the room. “Your beer is in that cooler.”

“Thanks Karl.”

Buddy opened a beer and handed it to Chad. He then opened another for him self and set the church key back on top of the cooler. Karl sat down on the couch, next to a short, stout lady that also worked at the Pike. She was his wife.

Buddy looked at Chad. “You know you’ve been awfully quiet lately. Is something going on?”

“I’ve met a girl I really like.”

“Congratulations!”

“It’s not that simple. I think she works the Lido.”

“You mean she hooks there?”

“Yeah.”

Karl grinned. “Well, any woman who spends most of her time making a lot of men happy rather than one man miserable is all right with me.”

This comment earned him an elbow in the ribs from his wife. “Of course my wife makes one man happy,” he added.

“Don’t be so quick to judge her.”

Chad turned around and saw that it was the bearded lady from the freak show who said it.

“I sell my body as surely as she sells hers. I put myself on display because that’s what I have to do. We all play the hands we’re dealt.”

“But hooking is different.”

“You don’t know what she’s been through, do you?”

“No,” he admitted. Now she had him thinking. He remembered Bunny saying farms were like islands where good things and bad things happen.

“Do you think a member of her family molested her?”

“Probably,” Karl’s wife said. “He probably started doing it when she was still very young, and you can bet that the son of a bitch made her feel like it was her fault.”

“I agree,” the bearded lady said, “but I wouldn’t ask her about it. She’ll tell you what she wants you to know.”

“Well, I guess we can still be friends.”

The bearded lady assured him that that was no small thing. He tried not to stare at her beard. The fact that he had to struggle to keep from doing it made her statement all the more poignant.

“It’s nice to meet you, Helen. I’m Chad.” He remembered her name from one the signs.

“I’m glad to meet you, Chad.”

Karl poured some whiskey into a glass and held it out to Chad. “What you need is something to numb that judgmental mind.”

Chad took the glass and drank the whiskey. Although the party only lasted a few hours, it was more than enough time for Chad and Buddy to get too drunk to drive home. They woke up on the floor of Karl’s apartment. Karl was standing over them yelling, “Rise and shine!”

They both stood up.

“Grab a beer to cure the hangover. You can shower at the plunge.”

They did as they were told. Berta was setting up the cash register when Chad arrived.

“Jesus Christ! You smell like a damn brewery.”

“Sorry.”

“Make your self a burger and put fresh onions on it to hide the smell of the booze.”

She waited until he made and ate the burger.

“You’re not too drunk or hung over to work, are you?”

“No ma’am.”

“Good. I’ll be back to cash out when you close.”

“Thanks for the burger.”

“Don’t do it again, you young idiot.”

“I won’t.”

Over the next several weeks he joined Bunny during the quick meals she ate before going to the ballroom. She talked about her dreams rather than what she did for a living, and she never mentioned what happened to her on the farm. He wanted to help her, but he did not know how to do it. As much as he would have enjoyed it, sex was out of the question. Paying for it would have spoiled it for both of them. He was also afraid that she enjoyed being with him because he was one of the few men she could talk to without worrying about what he wanted from her.

Unlike Buddy, Chad did not work at the Pike the next summer. He did not see Bunny again either. In many ways Chad considered what he learned at the Pike to be as valuable as what he learned at USC. He got to know most of the people working there, including the people with physical abnormalities that earned them the label of freak. As difficult as it was to ignore their appearances, he soon discovered that those freaks were like the rest of us in every way that really matters. The owners who worked at the businesses at the Pike put in very long hours, but they were lucky enough to make a decent living by doing this. The same could not be said for most of their employees. Their employees put in very long hours just to survive. In this respect the Pike was a culture of poverty. Remarkably, the people working there did not complain about that. Life was tough and so were they. They still found ways to enjoy what they were doing, and they were often surprisingly generous.

What Chad learned is that people do what they think they need to do to survive. This means that they often do things polite society does not approve of, but this does not necessarily make them bad people. Most people do their best to avoid hurting others, and they will lend a hand when they are in a position to help someone. They are rarely all good or all bad. What his father said about business ventures could also be said about dealing with people. “Assume the best, but be prepared for the worst.”

Bunny never became a movie star. Chad hoped that she was still able to build a good life for her self. Buddy earned a degree in marketing, but it is doubtful that he ever used most of the things he learned in class. He became one of the voice actors everyone hears but few ever see. Chad became a history Professor who worked at a small college where the classes were small enough to allow him to interact with his students.

First published in macsbackporch.foxtail-farms.com on Jul. 7, 2010