We were up at 8 rather groggy and feeling greasy and disgusting in our revolting middle of the morning Frankfurt hotel room. We are feeling filthy and just want to get out of here. We phoned Overseas National Airways in Frankfurt and snagged a flight to Bangor, Maine. A refuelling stop for a flight that was heading on to LAX. Crappy seats and I was in the middle of two Texans. I was lucky to get most of the Texan’s meal and his brother’s. We arrived in Bangor, Maine at 2 p.m. and took the bus from the plane into the crew hotel in Bangor and my sister Barb (the stew) was to arrive shortly! She arrived and it was great to see her. There was a perfecto swimming pool and I had a few laps to do and we had a party in Captain “Stinky Davis’s” room. Lots of booze and food. I ate like a king. “Stinky Davis” has a Stinky in his name as rumour has it he likes to drink and the alcohol fumes lead to the name. Confidence for your pilot! “Stinky”. Before we left our grungepit room in Frankfurt Fritz called Mom and she started sobbing. After our party we took a bus from Bangor, Maine back to Montreal. After being away for 3 months living like impoverished hippies my standard breakfast of bacon and eggs with milk means very little to me. I think I would be happy with bread and jam and a beach or menacing East German border guards. I am caught between two worlds. As we arrive in Montreal to our home I wonder if there is something like “home”? In the last two years of travelling I have spent 6 months away from what I thought was home. Is my home now a home amongst Europe? I am getting mixed up about what is home and what is humanity. Mom is mentioning Spain next year and I am stating my case for liberation!
I will soon return to school which is a private school in Montreal with the elite of families sending their children there but these boys are ignorant about life and the world beyond their mansions. Do I have an advantage of understanding life and culture? These boys are so ignorant beyond words. They will remain so for the rest of their life. And me some eccentric having spent 6 months in a world these brats have absolutely no idea about? Corrupted by a sacred bond with humanity?
What does 1972 hold? What does life hold for me? My journey is just beginning. And although it has been blighted by a few tantrums by Mom I must say she is completely adventuresome and my Auntie Maime!
Photo Aldo Bindini
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