Huntington Beach Blackout

This is  Saturday Night Live  in Surf City, California. I returned from the Buena Park station and Metro-Link with my retirement check in hand. Earlier I had picked it up at my P.O.Box in Carlsbad before heading to the Oceanside Transit Terminal to catch my one o'clock on track two. I
   The Oceanside Terminal is where buses and trains fight it out for space. The Amtrak, Coaster, Sprinter and assorted buses including Greyhound make their home at this station. Of course it is also home to many Marines and the homeless,  who stake out Burger King with me. I hurried out of the eatery to make my rail date on track number two.
   As usual, the crapper's toilet door was stuck and water leaked onto the floor of car number two. I made no big deal about the flood under my shoes since I had taught them to swim a year before.   Inside my nap knap sack  about England during the blitz in England. While reading,  I heard the girl across from me crying but paid no attention. I had my check and felt good about paying my last month's rent on my lease at the Five Points Senior Center. 
   A thud fell beside my feet. "Can I deposit my luggage beside you... Thanks a lot." That was when the crying lady popped up.
   "Miss, remember me. I ran after you and gave your cell phone to you which had dropped."
    The gal that had cried carried on a conversation with both of us. She was young, about forty and had been reading a book. Bruise marks covered her face.
    "I finally did it. He kicked me and hit me on my face. I will never see him again...I had left our Oceanside apartment that we shared with another couple and demanded that he give me forty dollars so I could return to Norwalk. My mom lives there..." I continued to read while the two o chatted about their Fullerton grammar school days and the common teachers they had.
     I spilled out at Buena Park but found the station empty and without any buses. I found a shady spot next to a large bush that shielded the sun.  .  I felt scared since there was a heat wave and tried to keep cool inside a shady spot. The right bus finally came but when I tried to find out if it was indeed the 29 A  bus driver concurred but told me the driver was late and could not find the street, but to enter and get cool. After a one hour and twenty minute ride on Beach Blvd  I walked to my apartment and looked forward to a long hot bath with soup. And afterwards, grill my Trader Joe's steak
  Main and Florida resembled the Fourth of July. Fire trucks, and the police with lots of flashing lights told me that something was amiss. Yellow tape crossed my path everywhere so I had to enter my apartment from Main. The hallway to my first floor apartment was dark. Inside my apartment I did not hear the usual music from my U.S.C. station, 91.5.  I knew then there had been a black-out. 
   I discovered that a transmitter had been knocked down causing a fire and power outage. Please excuse this interruption since I had been interrupted in the little old library off of Main.
    A librarian had just asked the lady in back of me to remove her dog. it appeared that he did not see it was a service dog. "I can't hear and use it for my ears." Richard left and say nothing. 
The black out was supposed to last for six to twelve ho...Excuse the interruption but Richard asked the lady to place her Terrier on a lap top chair. Hey Richard, does the Yorkie need a library card to sit there...only kidding. I though it just might be a great dog story. 
 Several old spinsters huddled outside and told me that Mark, the owner, promised food later on tht evening. of course he never arrived while The  owner of the building  told the hungry he would prided food later in the evening -- of course he didn't. At that point I heard lots of commotion. Cars were removing their mothers and grandmothers as fast as they could. Unlike the other senior center, this building did not have a power generator so that the elevators did not work. Thank God the temperatures receded to only seventy at night from the eighty degree one.
  I flash-backed to last summers heat spell when this building had as many as four fire trucks and their ambulances come on one day. Many of these citizens have pulmonary problems and one used an oxygen tank. What would have happened then?
    At that point, the fireman came down the staircase with a man who had tripped since there were no emergency lights in the pitch-black apartments. The man was alive but would have died to find out his bill from the fire department would be over $1,500.
It was only eight o'clock and without Mozart or Chopin, I needed to make the best of it. A half mile down the street was the In-'N Out.
 I walked down Main and hung a left on Beach. I could just taste the burger with onions and pickles inside my mouth...My legs felt tired but not my stomach. I stayed in line for awhile and my turn arrived. A neat groomed smile greeted me in perfect English. Unlike other eateries, this one speak in King's English.
    "I'll have the double-double but hold the cheese. And also, place extra onions and pickles on the bun."
    "Would you like lettuce and tomato?"
    "You betcha and give me a cup...and by the way, you have a knock-off smile."
    She blushed and dropped the cup. She repeated the order. That will be $3.25 and your number is 81. I found an empty seat in the rear of the restaurant. My body felt regenerated due to the clean air AC. I said hello to some Asians and drank the squirt from my cup. Of course I had paid only for water.
     My number was called and the sandwich was so big, my hands could not corral it. I hurried to begin the treat since the black-out caused too much stress. I dropped down the wrapping and began my munch on the stuck out pickles and finally the meat.
   I felt do good after this refreshing meal I walked back to my apartment. Even though I could not listen to my favorite musicians on my little Wal Mart radio, a well filled stomach allowed me to slumber till morning.