Bill

April 24th, 2016

Hans took me to see Bill, his friend who owns a Harley repair shop in Bryan. Hans hangs out with Bill when he’s bored, which is often recently. Bill has a long, grey beard (not as long as mine), and numerous earrings. He’s in his late forties. Hans introduced him to me, and we talked.

Bill asked me right away, “So, what music do you like?”

I told him, “Well, I like a lot of different stuff. Blues and punk rock.”

He grinned, “You like punk?”

“Yeah. I know a band called ‘The Dead Morticians’. They’ve played at my house.”

“No shit? I play bass with ‘Street Pizza’. Wanna see a video?”

I said, “Sure.” Hans smiled.

Bill found a You Tube video of Street Pizza playing in some dive, the crowd good and rowdy. Bill could be seen playing bass in the background, while the singer gave the audience the standard, deep-in-the-throat, satanic vocals. It was sweet. Then Bill told us a story of how he took care of the Ramones when they played in Bryan. Apparently, it was a blast. At the end of the story, he sighed and said, “I can die now.”

Hans and Bill talked about bikes. Hans is going to get another Harley somehow. He needs one. For real. Riding helps Hans with his PTSD. He needs to get a new ride. Bill is looking for an inexpensive bike for Hans. He knows about Hans’ currently precarious financial situation. It will happen.

Bill had to get back to work. A guy from Homeland Security wanted to order a custom-made drink holder for his bike. Bill took care of him. Hans and I left.