I met P(ete) when I was 6 years old. My dad knew his dad, uncle knew his uncle, grandmom knew his grandmom, we were the spawn of legacies in a small town.

P learned to play the trumpet when he was in the third grade. But, he never was in the school band. His homeroom teacher in high school probably wouldn't be able to point him out in a police lineup. He was the type of kid who would show up at all the parties and not drink. He was the kid in the corner who was just mysterious enough to make all the girls curious about where he came from. He went to a private school for two years, then got kicked out and graduated from our public school. After high school he wandered around in Europe for a few years until one day he showed up on a camping trip. He had a lot of old money but you would never guess it by looking at him. He was the type of person who when he called (or emailed) you with a plan, you listened, and asked little questions.

I met P at an old hotel that was renovated into a restaraunt/bar. It was in a town called 'Somer's Point' which is located just outside of Ocean City, New Jersey. Ocean City is a 'dry town' which means that alcohol is illegal on the island. Somer's Point is where all the bars are. It also is where all the liquor stores are. Ocean City is a family town, with lots of expensive homes, that were abandoned in the winter. P and I knew all about Somer's Point and had many friends there. The bars in October in Somer's Point were filled with locals, bikers, drunks, and fishermen. It was a great scene. P had been staying around checking out all the houses in the area. He knew the houses that were abandoned, which ones were foreclosed, which ones had security, which ones had teenagers partying in them. He was doing his homework. He was not doing this for the money, it was more for the game.

Which is why he wanted to steal copper. The damage from stealing copper would hurt the government more than it would hurt the 'loser' whose house we were stealing from. The houses were foreclosed on, most of them had no furniture, were left untouched for months. By stealing the copper you would mess with the electricity, the wires, the whole town. P did not like towns like Ocean City. Towns that were family oriented, dry, and happy. He was a pessimist, a recluse, a loner, a dreamer, a non-believer. He wanted to hurt this 'perfect world' crush it from the inside, take it's metal and sell it on the black market. But, while doing so mess with the whole town's electricity, cable, security, and give the contractors more work for years.

It was a brilliant plan and I was along for the ride.

01/19/2009

Author's Note: this is fiction, town is real, the character in this part is also the character in the poem 'the thief'. more to come. this is going to be a novel. this is still a working rough draft. peace.

Posted on 01/20/2009
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