July 4, 1973, Wednesday

The fireworks were over at the bay behind the apartments. I went with the guys and Sherry. Troy and the witch left town without saying good bye. Benny entered a water skiing contest. We’re making a day of it. We have fried chicken with all the fixings. Sherry and I agreed if I wasn’t in this big mess then we surly would be dating. Later.

Benny won the amateur water skiing contest. That’s a thousand dollars. I decide that I should try to turn myself in again. Who knows maybe this is what the rest of my life in the navy will be like. I turn myself in, I go home, then do it again.

A thousand dollars, that sounds like a party to me. The guys talked me into waiting in till after the weekend to turn myself in. We went to a nice restaurant, we took Sherry. We tried to have a party at the apartment but it wasn’t the same. We didn’t know anybody at our own party. It was mostly boardwalk people. They heard there was free beer. Later.