Chapter 10

Driving north into Auckland, he saw the familiar Sky Tower and was reminded of his first trip to Seattle as a young boy from his home in the Eastern side of the state. It was the greatest adventure of his life at the time, and he had never lost that rush of anticipation from starting a new adventure. As Seneca said thousands of years before, “Every knew beginning comes from some other beginning’s end.”

With the help of his GPS he found his new home in St. Mary’s Bay right on the water just outside of downtown Auckland. He wanted a view of the Sea, and as he opened his curtains and saw the large expanse of water out in front of him, he knew he would get back to writing something substantial, likely at this very spot. It had been too long.

He walked up to his new neighborhood just a short stroll from his house and saw an interesting little collection of coffee shops, restaurants, and bars. It was 3 in the afternoon, and he saw a bustling afternoon crowd at a place called The Elbow Room enjoying their beer and wine on the outdoor patio. With a whiff of indecision, he took stock of the situation. There was music, women, sunshine, and life. He went inside and ordered a beer.

At one point in his life, he was the master of ceremonies inside a bar, and today he felt a rush of the old magic. There was woman of Maori decent playing music inside the bar, and halfway through his first beer, they locked eyes. She sang,

‘Take a good luck at my face

You’ll see my smile, looks out of place

If you look closer, it’s easy to trace

The tracks of my tears’

It was a perfect song for this juncture of his life. He’d been a comedian, and a psychologist and a happily married man at different incarnations in his life. And he looked like a happy man now. A well dressed, 40ish man with a nice smile singing along to songs in a bar. Who could have guessed anything about the life he had lived?

At the break the singer came and introduced herself and offered to buy him a drink. He was a stranger in a strange land, but he still felt a little swell of pride when a woman offered to buy him a drink, regardless of where he was in the world.

She was a striking woman, around his age, but showed sings in her face of a life that had been hard. Her singing was immaculate, full of pain, and passion, and a life that had encompassed the whole human experience. They clicked.

“So you’re not from around here, that’s obvious. So where are you from mystery man?” she asked?

“Chicago mostly I guess. I live here now though. Just moved to the neighborhood actually. Like an hour ago. I heard you singing and came in. You’re good. Talented. “

“Well something tells me you’re good too. I’m not sure what it is you’re good at. But it’s something. I saw you singing along. I bet you’ve entertained people at some point in your life. Am I right? I’m a native girl, and I have a sixth sense about people, so don’t bullshit me. What’s your story Captain America?”

“I’m a psychologist from Chicago. And yea, I’ve been around a little bit. But you Kiwis don’t really like the self-promotion, right? So let’s just say I’m a new guy in the neighborhood who likes some good music, alright? We’ve all got our stories, right? Me, you, and everyone else. But for now I’m happy to make a new friend. I’m John by the way. My friends call me Dr. John. You can call me John though.”

“Well, I’m going to call you Captain America, alright? And I have to get back to my set now. And you seem a little slick for me to be honest.” And with that she grabbed him by his cheeks, pulled him towards her, and kissed him on the lips. It was a bold move and it caught him by surprise.

He was back in the city.