The Man From Mars - Episode Five

   I could have kicked myself in the butt right about now. I was going over everything I had said or did since I met the Man from Mars and the biggest glaring mistake I have made so far, was telling that technician, where I met the guy. Harry's Bar.
   The bus came.

   I got on, paid my fee, asked for a transfer slip, and went to sit in the back.
   I had to come up with a plan.
   First, should I head straight to Harry's and try to warn the Man from Mars that people will be looking for him there?
   Probably not. If he has been around for thousands of years he knows how to hide in plain sight better than I do.
   Second, how long should I wait until I do go back to Harry's to see if I can find the guy who gave me the amulet.
   Not a good idea. Who ever is looking for me will spot me before I spot them. My best bet would be to use an untraceable throwaway cellphone and call the bartender to see if the guy was in the bar drinking.
   Third, I need to find a hotel or motel that still took cash, where I don't have to give my true identity. So I don't have to sign my real name on the registry. Where there are no cameras overhead taking photos of all the people registering.
   Damn. Cameras!
   There are cameras everywhere in New York these days. Traffic cameras on every corner, security cameras in every business, high crime rate areas with street cameras, ATMs, Police dash cams, the list goes on and on.
   I saw a Wally's World Superstore coming up, so I quickly pulled the long wire inside the bus indicating that it was my stop, and got out about two blocks past the store.
   Walking back towards the store, I profiled myself as any wanted criminal would look. I didn't know how to act incognito. I never had to before.
   I suspiciously kept my head down. I watched everything from the corners of my eyes. I didn't make eye contact with anyone. I stayed out of people's way.
   Luckily for me, this is New York, where nobody gives a hoot who you are, if you done something wrong, or if you are on the run. They are all little busy beavers themselves doing there own daily hustles, legal or not.
   I got inside the superstore and headed straight to the clothing section.
   Found a black baseball cap with no inscriptions on it, a grey zippered extra large hooded sweatshirt, grayish looking blue jeans with that faded look already washed in, and some comfortable grey tennis shoes to complete my new ensemble.
   I paid the cashier in cash and immediately went into the men's room to change. Dumping my old clothes into the waste basket.
   I walked out of the place, down the cross street where I originally got off the bus, and took a transit heading east instead of north this time around.
   Now, with my new clothing on, a camera would have to be facing up and under the brim of my cap to get a shot of my face. The hood of the sweatshirt covers the sides of my head, and with the grey base color I was wearing, I wouldn't stand out among a crowd.
   Colorful clothes are more recognizable and often, better remembered, than the actual description of the fugitive when law enforcement question witnesses. That is why everything is camera driven these days. As the old saying goes, the eye in the sky don't lie.
   With that problem, at least temporarily taken care of, my next order of business was to find a place where I could lay low.
   And what better place to go then to a place where everyone is trying to lay low.
   I took another transfer slip from the bus driver, got off at the next stop, and waited for the bus that had Roosevelt Avenue plastered on the upper front.
   Jackson Heights in Queens is the mecca of brothels in the New York City metropolitan area. And I'm just hoping that Hong Xia is still in business and keeping a low profile herself these days.
   Nothing like being a reporter in this town to know the in and outs of the underbelly of the underworld. Unless, of course, you are one of the criminals propagating the underworld.

To Be Continued...

Next Week Thursday.

This is,

You Might Be Wondering If I Have Already Written The Whole Story For The Man From Mars.

Actually,

I Am Just In The Dark As You Are.

I Don't Know What I Am Going To Write About Until I Write The Story On Thursday Morning!

Jim Hauenstein,

And,

“If at first you don't succeed, kep on suckin' til you do suck seed!”
- Jerome "Curley" Howard -

That is my story and I am sticking to it!

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