Originally Posted by
Lynne
WOW! Great question. Yes. I knew Ray was killed about a year after it happened. I was in Ft Lauderdale by then, we split in 72/73. saw him once more in 75 ( he called me in Houston and I flew to Dallas to see him) he'd been shot, and NOT by who he said did it) I didn't catch it at the time, but court records have cleared that up. Now recent re-connections with old (emphasis on 'old', I'm 66 now) friends have given me an entire new take. I never knew any of the particulars and the more I began to dig the weirder it got. Ray was a semi pimp, not in the old movie sense of standing outside the building and psst psst-ing in the tricks but the kind of guy that took care of me. Hot bath when I got home, a good joint, or glass of wine, whatever and then we drove to some all night joint, the Canadian Club out by Tuttle (if memory serves) and danced and socialized all night with our own kind. Hot pony cars, sleeping all day, working half the night and playing the rest. We didn't work the streets. Back in the day it was all call service, more Klute than Taxi Driver. there was no need for an actual pimp. They called it 'joining each other out.' As in out into 'the life'.
It was hedonistic and self-indulgent but we were kids and it was never going to end, right?
Ray was good to me, if you can get your head around that. Lots of girls didn't have it half as good as me and my friends did. No beatings, no terrorizing unless I was in a bad mood.In our own way we lived a very normal life.
so to answer your question, do I want to re-live that and make it more beautiful than it was? Maybe. But sometimes it just comes down to your own 'life more examined' and plus there is some real Quinton Tarrantino stuff that went on. it's a great story, with or without me being included in any of it.
You pick.
Thanks for you insightful question. I think this is where a lot of the ideas come from.
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