Page 10 (1/2)

Chapter Ten

I did not have no address for Jenny cept a post office box, but I did have her letter with the name of the little place where she said she was playin with her band, The Cracked Eggs It was called the Hodaddy Club I tried to walk there froettin lost, so I finally took a taxicab It was in the afternoon an there was nobody in there but a couple of drunk guys an bout a half inch of beer on the floor froht before But they was a feller behin the bar say Jenny an them will be there bout nine o’clock I axed if I can wait, an the guy say, "Sure," so I set down for five or six hours an took a load off un to fill up They was eeks at a sideshow Everbody wearin dirty blue jeans an tee shirts an all the guys had beards an wore glasses an all the girls have hair that look like a bird gonna fly out of it any secont Presently the band coe an start settin up They is three or four fellers an they has got all this huge electric stuff, pluggin it in everwhere It certainly is a far cry fro back at the University Also, I do not see Jenny Curran noplace

After they get the electric stuff set up, they start to play, an let hts begin to flash an the music they is makin sound sort of like a jet airplane when it takin off But the crowd lovin it an when they is done, everbody begin to cheer an yell Then a light fall on a side of the stage an there she is - Jenny hersef!

She is changed froot hair down to her ass, an is wearin sunglasses inside, at night! She is dressed in blue jeans an a shirt with so les on it she look like a telephone switchboard The band start up again an Jenny begun to sing She has grapped hole of the e, jumpin up an down an wavin her arms an tossin her hair aroun I a, but the band is playin too loud for that, beatin on the druuitars till it seeonna cave in I am thinkin, what the hell is this?

After a wile they take a break an so I got up an tried to get through a door that go backstage But they is a feller standing there who say I cannot coo walkin back to my seat, I notice everbody is starin at ot on there," somebody says, an somebody else say, "Far out!" an another one say, "Is he for real?"

I aone on outside, thinkin uess I et back to the place they is a long line of people waitin to get in I go up to the front an try to splain to the guy that all o wait at the end of the line I guess I stood there a hour or so, an listened to the music comin from inside, an I have to tell you, it sounded a little better when you got away froot bored an went down a alley an roun to the back of the club They was some little steps an I sat down there an watched the rats chasin each other in the garbage I had ot it out an started to play a little I could still hear the music from Jenny’s band, an after a wile I founwith theet half out of key so it would fit in hat they was playin I don’t kno long it was, but it didn’t take much afore I was able to make runs of my oay up in C major, an to my suprise, it didn’t soun half bad when you was playin it - so long as you didn’t have to listen to it too

All of a sudden the door behin uess they had taken their break again, but I wadn’t payin no attention an had kep on playin

"Who is that out there?" she say

"It’s me," I say, but it is dark in the alley an she stick her head out the door an say, "Who is playin that harmonica?"

I stand up an I am kind of embarrassed on account of my clothes, but I say, "It’s me Forrest"

"It is who? " she say

"Forrest"

"Forrest? Forrest Gump! " an suddenly she rush out the door an thowed hersef into e an caught up on things till she had to play her nex set She had not exactly quit school, she had got thowed out when they foun her in a feller’s rooht That was a thowin-out offense in theo in the Arone out to California for a wile, an weared flowers in her hair, but she say them people is a bunch of freaks who is stoned all the tiuy an come with him to Boston, an they had done some peace marches an all, but he turned out to be a fairy, so she split up with him, an took up with a real serious peace marcher as in to makin bombs an stuff, an blowin up buildins That didn’t work out neither, so she uy what teached at Harvard University, but it turned out he was uy that had seeot both their asses arrested for shoplifting, an she decided it was tiether

She fell in with The Cracked Eggs, an they started playin a new kind of onna go to New York an uy that goes to Harvard University, an is a student in philosophy, but that after the show tonight, I can come hoot hersef a boyfrien, but I don’t have noplace else to go, so that’s what I done

Rudolph is the boyfrien’s nauy bout a hundrit pounds or so, an has hair like a dustmop an wears a lot of beads aroun his neck an is settin on the floor e get to their aparturu

"Rudolph," Jenny say, "this is Forrest He is a friend of onna be stayin with us a wile"

Rudolph don’t say nothin, but he wave his hand like the Pope when he is blessin soot but one bed, but she made up a little pallet for me on the floor an that is where I slept It wadn’t no worse than a lot of places I slept in the Arht better than soet up an there is Rudolph still settin in the middle of the room meditatin Jenny fixed me some breakfast an we lef ole Rudolph settin there an she tookshe says is that I have got to get mysef some new clothes, on account of people up here does not understan an will think I aet ht there an take

We is walkin aroun Harvard University, an who does Jenny run into but the married professor she used to date She is still friends with hienerate turd" Doctor Quackenbush is his name