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Ray Griffin was a forty-year-old down-on-his-luck street musician who accepted whatever was offered to him: pennies, nickels, dimes, and, on a good day, quarters. He walked to a local fast-food restaurant with only a few pennies in his pocket, and ordered a 99-cent chicken sandwich to satisfy his hunger. A group of thugs sprinting down the street bumped into him, and his remaining coins fell to the ground and rolled into the gutter. Ray reached down with his arms to pick them up, but it was difficult to reach them. He sighed as he slumped on the sidewalk. How did his life spiral into one terrible break after another?
It wasn’t always like this throughout his life. True, he had terrible luck, but there was a time when he had a brilliant career as a store manager at a home improvement store and could support his family. They lived in a nice three-bedroom house in Texas with a large backyard where his wife, Melinda, planted vegetables while he worked on fixing an old Chevy truck he bought from his boss. When he was alone on the terrace, he’d occasionally play his guitar. It was something he enjoyed doing.
More blessings arrived when his wife became pregnant and gave birth to a beautiful baby girl. Everything was wonderful. They coexisted until the company he worked for laid Ray off. They faced financial difficulties, lost their home and automobile, and had to move to a smaller apartment. Ray took up the role of Mr. Mom, while his wife worked as a receptionist at a law firm. To make matters worse, Melinda, who didn’t enjoy living in poverty, filed for divorce shortly after, and agreed to a 50/50 time-sharing agreement with their daughter. However, as soon as the order was granted, his ex-wife fled town, taking their eight-year-old daughter, Sarah, with her. He searched for them for a long time, but it was difficult to find someone who didn’t want to be found. He subsequently learned that his wife had remarried to a pawnshop owner in Florida, four months after their divorce was finalized. Even if he wanted to see his daughter, he didn’t have the resources to do it, but he told himself that if his luck changed someday, he would get his daughter back. He accepted he was alone and homeless, so he traveled wherever his feet carried him or where sleep found him.
Ray was strolling down an alley one night when he noticed two teens running towards him. One of them accidentally dropped his wallet on the ground. Ray picked it up and yelled out to them, but they had already turned onto the next street. The teenagers had robbed a man in the parking lot of a convenience store and were fleeing the police. When the authorities arrived and surrounded the area, they noticed Ray holding the man’s wallet and assumed he was the perpetrator, so they detained him. He spent an unpleasant night in jail, before proving he had nothing to do with it. Ray was clearly at the wrong place at the wrong time, since the man who was robbed described his assailants as a group of young kids. Ray felt it was time to move on and try his luck in another town after being released from jail. He was hitchhiking when a man in an old box truck, who appeared of mixed origins, noticed him and stopped.
"Where are you going?" Ray asked.
"Arizona," the driver said.
"Me, too," he said.
"Hop on in."
Ray grinned as he slid his bag and guitar underneath the seat and settled in for the ride. Ray attempted to engage the driver in conversation as their journey progressed.
"By the way, thank you for stopping," he said.
The driver gave him a quick glance. "No problem," he said. His voice slightly tinged with a Mexican accent.
They had been traveling for a few hours when they noticed at least three border patrol vehicles stopped on the roadside ahead. Ray was perplexed why the old man took the next turn and a different route across the river. It was a bumpy ride, so they had to circle for many hours until their ride smoothed out and they could get back on the road. Ray wanted to ask the driver why they made such a lengthy journey, but he didn’t appear in the mood for a conversation.
As they approached New Mexico, they noticed a huge backup of cars. A random check was taking place, and all traffic had to come to a halt. The border guard was going from car to car, asking people to open their trunks and make sure no migrants were being brought through. It surprised Ray when the old man banged on the roof of his truck and whispered something in Spanish. As soon as he shouted those words, the old man bolted towards the mountains, leaving Ray in the truck.
"Hey, what’s going on?" Ray asked the elderly man. "Where are you going?"
Ray was even more shocked when the back door of the box truck opened and at least twenty people dashed towards the mountain. The border patrol spotted them and chased them. One of the border patrol officials detained Ray. They patrolled the area until they captured everyone, and Ray was arrested again, this time for smuggling illegal aliens into the country. They found him not guilty because there was insufficient evidence to prove he committed a crime, but not before he spent a week in jail before being freed.
***
RAY HAD ENOUGH OF NEW Mexico and determined it was not the place for him to settle down. With only a few dollars in his pocket, he had no alternative except to hitchhike once more. He was more cautious this time, opting not to take a trip in a truck or anything larger than a sedan. If a car came to a halt, he insists on placing his bag in the trunk. If they refused, he knew there was extra baggage in there.
After several hours of standing by the roadside with his thumb out, a young, attractive woman pulled up in her convertible. He felt comforted as he looked at the trunk of the automobile. It was too small to fit a body in there, so he stowed his bag and guitar in the back seat, sat alongside her, and was forced to sit quite close because of the car’s size. The woman’s name was Kate, and she was from Oklahoma. She was on her way to Los Angeles.
After a few hours of driving, they stopped for lunch in Phoenix, Arizona, at a diner. Ray didn’t have any money, so he settled for a cup of coffee.
"You can order anything on the menu. Don’t worry about the cost. It’s my treat," Kate stated.
"Thank you," he said, "but I’m not hungry."
"Order what you want, or you’ll hurt my feelings," she warned.
"Well, if you insist," he said, a grin on his face.
Ray ordered a huge juicy cheeseburger with all the fixings and an ice-cold soda when the server came to take their order. The woman settled for steak, twice-baked potatoes, and a drink. She had a delicious banana sundae for dessert.
"You must be hungry," Ray said. "Do you think you can finish all that food?"
"It’s nothing. You should see me eat a whole slab of baby back ribs, a whole country-roasted chicken, sweet corn, and cornbread," she remarked. "That brings back memories." She waved for the server to approach her.
"I’d like to order your famous pork chops and BBQ chicken to go."
The waitress took her order and nodded as she walked away.
"You have a ravenous appetite." Ray said, laughing.
When their dinner arrived, they continued to talk between bites. He excused himself to visit the washroom after they had done eating. The woman nodded. Ray splashed water on his face, brushed his fingers through his hair, and checked himself in the mirror. His face was drawn, and he appeared pale and exhausted. He exhaled a sigh. He needed to sleep.
When he returned to the table, the woman was gone. He waited, since he thought she had gone to the restroom to freshen up. He felt worried after a long period since Kate’s departure. Something inside him told him something wasn’t right, so he got up from the table and walked to the ladies’ room. He knocked on the door, but received no response. When a woman entered the room, she gave him a hard stare. He asked her to check whether a woman named Kate was okay. The lady nodded. She came out a few moments later and claimed the ladies’ room was unoccupied. Ray ran inside, yelling for Kate’s name and banging on every stall. The woman spoke the truth. There were no occupants inside. Ray returned to the dining area and looked to see whether she had returned, but the table was still empty. When he peeked out the window, Kate’s car had disappeared completely. Ray dashed outside and found his bag in the parking lot. Kate took his guitar. When he turned around, the waitress and manager were standing there, flashing the bill. The woman had deceived him. Kate put him up to take the fall.
Ray was drenched in perspiration. The bill was $145. He didn’t have any money to pay, so they summoned the cops. Ray volunteered to wash the dishes or bus tables to pay for them, but the manager declined. When the cops arrived, Ray told them what had happened, but they felt his story sounded a little far-fetched, and he spent the night in jail. The next day, one officer felt sorry for him and put him on a bus to Las Vegas.
It was a smooth ride, and Ray dozed off in the back seat until they arrived at the Main Street bus stop. It was a Fourth of July celebration. They arrived just in time to see hundreds of fireworks light up the dark sky. It was a breathtaking sight.
"This is my kind of town!" Ray shouted out as he stepped off the bus and onto the pavement.
He sat down on a bench and continued to watch the fireworks until they ended. Ray took his money out of his pocket. He had a ten-dollar bill that a police officer from Phoenix gave him. He didn’t have enough to get a pleasant room, but he could eat a decent dinner after seeing signs promoting a 24-hour $2.99 breakfast deal.
He walked into the casino, which was full of people playing blackjack, roulette, or slots. It was his first time in Las Vegas, and the noise and crowds amazed him. He went to the coffee shop and ordered their midnight special of two pancakes, two eggs, bacon, toast, and a cup of coffee. When his food arrived, he devoured everything and washed it down with a glass of water and a cup of coffee. That was delicious. It tasted fantastic and satisfied him. It was exactly what he needed.
Ray proceeded around the table gaming section, watching various card games and crap tables. He didn’t remain long because he knew nothing about the games, and he kept wandering through the slot machine section. He saw individuals insert cash and pull the handles, as well as the wheels spinning and stopping at various symbols. Simple enough. He tried his luck. Ray sat down when he saw a free machine. He took a quarter from his pocket, placed it on the machine, and yanked on the handle. Suddenly, the light turned on and made a loud buzzing sound. Ray had just won a hundred dollars. He started leaping up and down like a small child who had just won a toy. Ray cashed it out and went to the cashier’s window. The clerk handed him five twenty-dollar bills. He was ecstatic.
He strolled over to a nearby motel and got a room for two nights. The next morning, he returned to the coffee shop and ordered their $1.99 breakfast special. He thought he’d never get hungry in Las Vegas. The food was cheap. After eating, he went to one of the casino's human resources departments and applied for a job. Fortunately, they desperately needed a busboy, and the manager hired him straight away. That was not the job Ray had hoped for, but good enough for now. Ray worked hard, clearing tables, mopping up spills, washing dishes, and pouring beverages. His supervisor was happy with his performance and encouraged him to keep it up. He received $20 in tips at the end of his shift. Not bad for a day’s labor.
Ray paid cash each time he extended his stay at the motel. With all the tips he received, he could put money aside after just having nickels and dimes in his pocket. Ray learned that customers tip generously if they like your service, so he tried to be nice and engaging. He saved all his money to move into a nice apartment one day. He decided to try his luck and make Las Vegas his home.
