Back in 1985 I made the inevitable decision to leave my job as a Radio Announcer in Port Hardy BC to move to a better paying job in Peace River, Alberta. Nonetheless, what if I picked one of the two job offers, I had previously to that. They were in Terrace along with Fort St.John BC. I admit I often wonder of what might have become of my life, if that had happened. Well thanks to my never ending stream of dreams I constantly have the "path not taken" which was shown to me on this particular morning.
Here is what I dreamed.....humor me for a moment, I think you will find it quite different, in fact!
So here we were,the year of 1985 in Fort St.John BC. Now it was just Terri and I along with our cats Doc and Ginger. I would be working at CKNL Radio as the "Afternoon Man" and Terri had transferred to another Saan Store.
My womanizing ways would continue for another year, until after endless affairs, finally Terri had had enough and moved back to Woodstock, Ontario. I was left with the two cats, but at least I still had my job as a Radio Announcer. Within another year, I would have unseated the "Morning Man" from his post, due to my incredible ratings. I was now the "Man" that everyone in Fort St.John woke up to, as they dove into their cheerios, drove to work, or just listened in town now.
Fast forward to 1987, I was now working at another Radio Station in the busy metropolis of Vancouver. I still wasn't married, but carrying on my "playboy ways." The women I was dating here, was a "who's who" ranging from radio groupies, to sales staff, to barflys. After a series of unsuccessful relationships, failed investments, and declining ratings, I found myself hitting "rock bottom." I was now working the dreaded midnight to 6am, graveyard shifts but at least I still had my health or did I?
Upon further evidence, I found out I had the dreaded disease "Aids" obviously from all the unprotected sex I had with countless women over the years. What would I do now? Where would I go now? I was completely lost. One night the answer came to me, in the form of a brown bottle and a loaded revolver....the answer was clear.
Suddenly, I woke up screaming, my wife telling me, I had another bad dream, that she was beside me, and everything was okay. My dog Okee was fast asleep cuddled beside me, unaware of what just happened.
Thankfully that never happened, as fate stepped in and steeered me toward a more convuluted path, that led me to the life I lead now. Sure it took me an inordinant number of jobs, that ranged from "sales, disc-jockey gigs to truckdriving. But in the end I was left with a stepson, stepdaughter, daughter in-law,2 wonderful grandchildren, a neice and nephew, a woman that stood by me for over 22 years now, and a career I never would have chosen in driving a "Big Rig" So given the choice, I think the answer is quite evident, I would have gone for "door #3" which is my eclectic existence today. Thanks "dream gods" I won't be wondering what might of been anymore! Enjoy your week....here is the excerpt of what really happened back in 1985, read on.
CHAPTER-7 : ALBERTA BOUND
It was now March 7, 1985, and a 73 yr old
Ronald Reagan had just taken oath for a second term as the 40th US
President of the United States. Unfortunately, in Canada our Prime Minister now,
was the very unpopular Brian Mulroney.
What
a complete trio of misfits we were. There was Terri, and myself with our 2
loyal cats, Doc with Ginger hauling a U-Haul full of our furniture and personal
belongings in tow. The only thing missing was the boat, which I had to sell to
pay for the U-haul along with the fuel for the move.
Looking back on it now, it seemed like a
very long trip; however the picturesque scenery helped our 789 mile trek go smoother.
The route we travelled started out with, BC Ferries on The Queen of Prince
Rupert to Prince Rupert BC. After that, we travelled across to the mainland of
Prince George straight across The Alaska Highway onto Peace River Alberta.
My cat Doc, was quite the travelling
companion too, as Terri would take pictures of him sleeping all sprawled out behind
me lying on the armrest of the inside of car door! Meantime, I am driving as this is taking
place. No cat, to my knowledge would ever sleep like that; as everyone knows
most do not travel well in cars.
Our new home was a rental in a basement suite,
which we rented from the news director and her husband. Terri had transferred
from Saan’s in Port Hardy to the Saan store in Peace River, so all was good,
money-wise. She was now full-time and with a slight increase in my salary, everything
was finally going our way once again.
I was working “Midnight Drive” to 6AM,
and I also announced on the odd evening shift which was from 6 in the evening
to Midnight, every other week. I always thought these people I worked with,
really liked me and respected me, but that wasn’t the real case.
I attribute my fall from “radio’s grace”
to be, oddly enough the way I looked and dressed at that time plus fucking religion!
Actually in this era, I wore my hair very short, spiked and I sported 2 dangly
earrings on the left side of my ear. I dressed in blue jeans, sneakers and was
always showing off some rock music group t-shirt, normal for a “Disc Jockey” in
radio at that time, or so I thought.
In
point of truth, I actually resembled Cory Hart as this was the 80’s, and his
hit song “Sunglasses at Night” was played constantly on the airwaves. Had I
known that Peace River was and is to this day, a part of the “Bible Belt of Alberta”
I never would have taken this radio job. Also to add to the animosity of the
whole situation, I blindly found myself in, over 80 per cent of the people that
worked at this radio station, were serious “Bible Thumpers” that all went to
the same god-dam church!
Little did I realize that after my 3 month
“probation period” was up, my radio career was going to take a dramatic turn. Afterall,
I was expecting a raise and maybe a promotion to working the evening shift,
though what I received was a complete surprise of bewilderment, but above all
hurt! I was totally blindsided when it became apparent I was fired! Oh it was politely
and so eloquently put to me, that I was just not what they were looking for. Let
us just analyse the whole prior situation for a moment shall we.
I had travelled just over 700 miles and
spent $2000.00 in moving and fuel expenses to be told this, 90 days later! “Give me a break!”
There
was no warnings, or reprimands of any kind prior to my firing at AM 61, CKYL Radio.
I had now come to the firm conclusion that the people that worked at this
actual radio station and especially their fearless Program Director, Keith Flawsmuth
were the biggest fucking assholes I ever came into contact with. Even to this
day, 30 years later, I can still honestly say there is still a part of me,
which will always be bitter about what happened to me in Peace River, Alberta.
Those people dramatically altered my course of direction that my life was supposed
to have taken!
So, now I have to go home that evening
and explain to my gal Terri why I am not in radio anymore. Well that sure didn’t
go smoothly at all, furthermore we had a huge argument that night. I even left
the apartment shortly after our heated discussion and ended up going to a local
bar, getting extremely drunk and sleeping with some barfly, I had just met
there. Anyways I leave this chick’s apartment, early the next morning, but a
great night of non-stop sex, still doesn’t take my pain away, after being
forced out of my radio career, which I loved more than life itself!
I
get in my car but I can’t stop thinking about the previous days events, as I am
driving up, what was commonly called, 12 Foot Davis Hill, although the proper
name was Grouard Hill. It was referred to as 12 Foot Davis, because a prospector
of the original “California Gold Rush” named Henry Fuller had been originally
born in the hills of Vermont USA in 1820.
He
acquired the nickname “12 Foot Davis” when
he had come from California. Fuller, first staked his claim on a 12 foot gap, between
2 other prospectors in Quesnel, British Columbia. This stake of land gave him
12,000 dollars of gold at that time, and with his new found wealth had moved on
to the Peace River area.
After his death, in September 1900, his
buddy, “Peace River’s, Jim Cornwall” had his body brought back from the Lesser
Slave Lake Area, and the remains of the old trader buried on the spot with a
commanding view of the Peace River on Grouard Hill overlooking the town. There
was a marker put at this serene gravesite at the top of the hill overlooking
the Peace River Sound Area. Anyways I must admit thoughts of instant suicide
creeped into my mind.
This final time I was sure going
to go out in a blaze of glory, and “dam them all!” I thought, as rivers of tears
flowed down my cheeks.
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