Against the Wind: A Story from the Lost Generation

By Bob Weisman

"Against The Wind...A Story From The Lost Generation" is the story of Bob Weisman...a "snit kicker from Gem City, Confusion"... as Bob likes to describe himself.
Set in a smaller city somewhere in the US, Bob tells the story of his life... that was turned upside down by a rare disorder called Transverse Myelitis.
The first part of the book is told in a very conversational style.
The second part is a complete change...putting you right beside Bob as he tries to adjust to his new life...something that he is still attempting to do.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Xlibris US
• Release date: Dec 5, 2021
• ISBN: 9781669802686

Book preview

Copyright © 2022 by Bob Weisman.

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted

in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying,

recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system,

without permission in writing from the copyright owner.

Any people depicted in stock imagery provided by Getty Images are models,

and such images are being used for illustrative purposes only.

Certain stock imagery © Getty Images.

Rev. date: 12/03/2021

Xlibris

844-714-8691

www.Xlibris.com

826451

CONTENTS

Introduction

BOOK 1

Chapter 1 Heewer It Is (Elmer Fudd In Robot Rabbit)

Chapter 2 The Lost Generation

Chapter 3 And Now, A Special Report Was Brought To You By Gulf Oil

Chapter 4 Coping

Chapter 5 The Season of Mud

Chapter 6 It’s No Worse Than The Flu (Various Stupid People)

Chapter 7 Get On With It, Man!

Chapter 8 I Was Born In Gem City, Where My Parents Resided, Amidst Humble Surroundings (Paraphrased From Bugs Bunny)

Chapter 9 This Is My Family, Such As It Is, Heh, Heh

Chapter 10 The Person Who Sired Me

Chapter 11 And Now the Kids, Bring Them On!

Chapter 12 Now, Me

Chapter 13 And Now Gem City in All Its Splendor!

Chapter 14 A Key To Success Is Education And I Never Had Much Success

Chapter 15 We Are The Gridley High Gremlins

Chapter 16 Give Three Cheers For Old Britches High School (A Line From The School Song)

BOOK 2

Chapter 17

Chapter 18 Drifting Away

Chapter 19 The Apartment From Hell!

Chapter 20 But First, Let’s Have The Report

Chapter 21 Oh Yeah, Life Goes On, Long After The Thrill Of Living It Is Gone (John Mellencamp, Jack And Diane)

Chapter 22 Gem City Hotline—Can I Help You?

Chapter 23 My First Hours On The Phone

Chapter 24 This Is Some Fun Shit!

Chapter 25 Let’s Get This Show On The Road—I Want To Get Home To Watch Tv

Chapter 26 Glory Days

Chapter 27 My Red Dirty Road

Chapter 28 Bob Says No!

Chapter 29 From Starfire To Brew Crew

Chapter 30 The King’s Rock Gumbie, Then On To The Brew Crew

Chapter 31 King’s Rock Gambit Declined

Chapter 32 And Now onto the Brew Crew

Epilogue

Doin’ Time

Chapter 1 I Died On July 1, 2020

Chapter 2 Care For A Ride In A Meat Wagon?

Chapter 3 Admission To Nowhere

Chapter 4 What Am I Doing Here?

Chapter 5 I Still Don’t Know Why I’m Here

Chapter 6 How Long Can This Go On? (Lee Dorsey, Workin’ In A Coal Mine)

Chapter 7 My Legs Are Sticking Up!

Chapter 8 What Other Shit Can Go Wrong With Me?

Chapter 9 I’m Back Fortunately For You (Pepé Le Pew)

Chapter 10 Outta Here . . . For Real (Richie From Walley World)

Chapter 11 Moving Up To Little Town

Chapter 12 What’s A Suicidal Ideation Anyway?

Chapter 13 Some Of This Chapter May Be Too Graphic For Some Sensitive Readers

Chapter 14 Thank The Goddess For Shyanna

Chapter 15 Moving On Again

Chapter 16 Back Home To Fabulous Gem City

Chapter 17 Does Anybody Know What’s Going On?

Chapter 18 Now Back To Our Story, Already In Progress

Chapter 19 A Gift Sent And Gratefully Received

Chapter 20 Another Beginning

Chapter 21 Squirrellacide

Chapter 22 The Best Direct Care Staff In The World

Chapter 23 A Special Report

Chapter 24 A Special Report Part 2

Chapter 25 A Special Report Part 3

Chapter 26 PT, Anyone?

Chapter 27 So You Can Be Closer To Gem City

Chapter 28 Back Home To Fabulous Gem City!

Chapter 29 Fabulous Sleazy Nursing Home

Chapter 30 Home

To

Cheyenne, if she didn’t help when she

needed to, I wouldn’t be here today.

Cheyrle, for helping me be an inspiration when I needed one.

Jade, for listening and for speaking frankly. Continued success in your future endeavors.

INTRODUCTION

Hi, I’m Bob. You know that already, of course.

What I’m going to do here is give an insight into my life. For me, it will be a challenge because I’m an intensely private person.

It is hard in many ways to do this being a private, almost-shy person; at times it will hurt to do this. At other times, (I think there were five or six) happy and perhaps, raucous. I’ll let you make your own personal judgments on all that.

That is how I’m going to let this go. I’ll give you the facts as I know them, and when I give you my opinions, I’ll label them as such. (Wink.)

I like to write in a conversational, friendly style. Yes, I’m passionate about things. This will again be hard to write about since I’m not used to doing such things. I’m certainly NOT used to telling OTHER people about those things.

But I’m going to do this. It’s something I’ve made up my mind to do. Who knows where it’s going to lead us, me and you, the reader.

So please, I need your kind indulgences.

I have a keen wit or at least I think so. It is always positive although I know how the other way can and is used. I love good comics of all genres, sometimes even the ribald ones—Andrew Dice Clay, for example, Hickory dickory dock, you know. But there is so much more to the man.

George Carlin, what a talent, nothing more needs to be said. And Sam Kirison, brother Sam, we miss you. I can imagine what you’d say about the current state of affairs in the world. It would’ve been glorious!

I tend to go astray at times, and I find myself having to rein myself in. Now let’s go back to our regularly scheduled program, already in progress.

There are certain times I’m going to be rather, well, obscene in my language. When I’m passionate about something, or I get upset, that’s when it comes out. As Neil Diamond sang in I Am . . . I Said, I don’t like to swear, but I never liked the sound of being alone.

I will always protect the innocent (a la Dragnet). So there will not be any ID-ing of any living persons here. Also, no locations will be used.

You will know a LOT about me (hopefully) by the time you get done reading the book, but no one else will get hurt by it. They will know who they are if they choose to reveal their identities; it is their choice. Again, I trust their judgment.

If I find out anyone is hurt by the book, I will use all resources in my power to correct the situation.

To another and related subject, I hope that you will enjoy my book, but I think that’s not a certainty. Some of you will not like it. Again, that’s your choice. There are always naysayers among us, no doubt. I’ll accept your judgment there.

Again, in this age, social media will have its say. My hope is it is a positive thing, but so be it. Being from and the older generation (explanations in a minute), the digital age is sometimes a mystery. Well, sometimes I still don’t know what the hell is going on. I’m improving as I go along.

The only thing I do on Facebook is to get coupons for fabric softener, so there’s that. I don’t really care for the platform, so I avoid it (my choice). So again, whatever is said, is said.

I want it to be wide-ranging and hopefully entertaining. My audience is not small children as in any life, there are going to be adult situations that I’ll talk about.

Okay, like the old Bugs Bunny Show used to say, ON WITH THE SHOW, THIS IS IT.

BOOK 1

Against the Wind

A Story from the

Lost Generation

CHAPTER 1

Heewer It Is (Elmer Fudd

In Robot Rabbit)

I was born Robert Frederick Weisman or so it says on the birth certificate. Why I got this as a name, I really have no idea. The first name and last are really understandable, the middle name, who knows?

The reasons for that are lost in the sands of time. I could never find out why it was used though I tried many times to find out why.

I really don’t like the first or second name much. My first name is understandable like I said but shiiiiit, yeah! My middle name, eh. The reasons why I don’t like my name will come out later.

The book title and why is it Against the Wind, I’ve ALWAYS been a nonconformist, a word used many times with the Lost Generation. For as long as I can remember, I’ve been tilting at windmills and not succeeding much at all. The fact is I’ve very rarely succeeded ever! The high points are far outnumbered by low points. It’s like that for all of us, by and large, but hopefully, we keep on moving forward.

Anyway, against the wind I’ve always been and will continue throughout the plain of existence.

This is a story from the Lost Generation. People are rightfully proud of their generation—X, Y, Z, millennials, you get the picture. The greatest generation IS the greatest generation in my opinion. (I’m watching the sparrows in the tree right outside the window as I’m writing this.) It’s a cloudy, cool-ish December Sunday morning, perfect writing weather.

Anyway, I’ve defined the Lost Generation as the years from 1955 to 1963. My reasoning is 1955 is toward the end of the baby boom, very famous indeed.

I’ve defined the end of the generation as 1963 . . . November 22, 1963. The assassination of President Kennedy was definitely a flashbulb moment for us. A flashbulb moment is a moment that is indelibly impressed on your mind; it’s there forever. So it is with me and so many of my generation. It is also for the world.

Against the Wind is a story from the Lost Generation. It works for me, and I hope it works for you.

As you have found, this is the formal way that I will relate my story to you. I like the friendly, conversational tone it strikes with a bit of humor, facts, also a bit ribald in its way.

I’ll also try to some sort of timeline throughout this monster, something I’ll struggle with from time to time. It seems like I’m thinking about a second ahead of what I’m saying, doing, or writing about at any given time. It leads to difficulty in writing, and sometimes it makes me sound kind of stupid to others.

It is dangerous to assume that. There are two essential truths that I live by. (You will see these appear throughout this monster.) They are exactly that—truths that are essential.

The first one, don’t underestimate me in ANY way.

It truly pisses me off when this happens, and it’s been done so many times in the past. Many people see me as a fat, balding, middle-aged male, which of course, I am.

By the way, I’m not as fat as I used to be; my hair is fully gray, and I’ve now turned the corner, so to speak, and become old.

I will never get old, I will NEVER grow up in the classic sense.

I’ve discovered my sense of wonder, and with it, my quest for enlightenment in all ways. You name it, well, it’s on the list.

The second essential truth about me comes from the movie Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan. There is a line that Khan utters (Ricardo Montalban is great in the role), Don’t insult my intelligence.

It is a quote that I live by. For too long, it is something people have done with me. It also pisses me off a lot as you can see.

I do use off-color language in this monster, but that’s who I am. When I get passionate about something, I really do get passionate, so swear words might follow.

As Neil Diamond once sang in I am, I said . . . I don’t like to swear, but I never cared for the sound of being alone.

I also refer to the book as a monster. For me it is. Writing this is a real challenge for reasons I will explain later. It is definitely hard to do; angst is the best way I can describe it. I find it surprising that I can find the courage to do this at all but onward and sideways we go.

A few other things, I’ll be mentioning people and places and yes, even things in the monster. I know of the legal ramifications, so I’ll change the names to protect the innocent. That’s obviously from the old series Dragnet.

If the place, person, or thing doesn’t exist anymore, then I’ll have a bit more wiggle room in mentioning it, no problem.

Like I said before, I want to have fun writing this, and my hope is that you, the reader, will enjoy it as much as I am.

There are two things that piss me off. People have underestimated me all my life. That’s bull. They saw a fat, shy kid that would run away from anything that even bothered him in the least. Hiding was my way of coping with a problem. Shy kids cope that way; it’s the easy way out.

So underestimating me was the best way for people to deal with me. Now, I’m different. I want to be valued for what I am, so that is what it shall be.

DON’T UNDERESTIMATE ME IN ANY WAY.

The second thing that pisses me off is when somebody thinks I’m stupid. That is obviously not the case here.

When I was young, I was never challenged in any way, not in a personal way, not in school, nothing.

It continued all throughout my life until recently. With the virus, everyone’s life has been changed, so it is with me. Added to that is my illness, which has left me without the ability to walk, drive, or even stand without some type of assistance.

This is a permanent situation although no official prognosis has ever been offered to me. Hell, they don’t even KNOW where I got the bacterial infection, which settled in my lower back, causing the paralysis. It also went into my lungs, causing a whole lot more grief, more on that later.

So now everything has changed as I said. I’ve gone from the depths of having suicidal ideations (five times) to what I am today.

You might ask, legitimately, So just what are you? I’m a writer!

The other thing is that essential truth I’ve already mentioned.

DON’T INSULT MY INTELLIGENCE!

CHAPTER 2

The Lost Generation

Like I said before, this is a story about the Lost Generation. That’s all it is, ONE story. I hope that in the future when the situation with the virus is resolved (and by the way, GET THE VACCINE!), I hope to talk with other members of my generation.

I’m very interested in a frank, open discussion, and hearing other people’s stories. Like I said, that time will come, no doubt if we all GET THE VACCINE! Got it? Great!

My story has many components. Hopefully, I’ll get to the ones I think will be most interesting. Hell, even if it’s not interesting, it’s important to me!

I’ll naturally start at the beginning, or at least as far back as I can remember, hopefully ending on December 4, 2020, the day I got home. There’s a whole story after that, but that’s left for another day.

There are actually two more books I’m planning to write. The first I call PROJECT MILTON. Milton is a twenty-five-year-old umbrella cockatoo, who at the present time, is sitting in his cage not three feet away from me.

He’s dancing and vocalizing now, wanting to come over and have some personal interaction with Dad, which he demands at least three times a day. He was sitting with me for two hours this morning until I had an appointment with a couple of caseworkers from a local agency.

That got Milty very perturbed as you can imagine.

Anyway, for years, I’ve been compiling Milty Stories on a forum I belong to. He is a celebrity of sorts there although I believe all creatures are celebrities in their own unique way. Milty is known literally around the world, and an unofficial fan club, I believe, exists.

Everyone on this forum is always interested in all of our critters, but Milty is the star.

That book is essentially already written, all that needs to be added are comments by me and Milton himself, naturally. Oh yes, Milton speaks for himself, literally and figuratively. We estimate he has over ninety words and phrases he uses correctly and in context.

Then there is his persona on the forum, where he is known as Milton Da Too. It’s pretty funny stuff.

Actually, Milton Da Too is just an extension of myself, and boy, what an extension it is! You’ll find out about Milty and all the critters later, seven birds and two guinea pigs in all (right now).

The third book is something that I have a passion for, music. I played the clarinet when I was a kid. We’ll never know how good I could have been because I never practiced the damn thing. I just went with it.

I played it for seven years and practiced three times in those seven years. I played in the high school band for two years naturally. A geek playing in the band, that was what I was. Eh.

Anyway, I loved popular music as many of my fellow generations did. I always had a radio with me. (WOW, WHAT A GEEK!) That’s a recurring theme in my life, I guess.

I started listening to music my mom listened to on the radio—country and western music (Yes, we had both kinds of that music back then.)

CHAPTER 3

And Now, A Special Report Was

Brought To You By