Ed was a sawed off piece of greased lightening, tougher than steel, he was a a self proclaimed hobo. A loner Former Military, who wasn't going to be home for Christmas. His grizzled old think man, moved like a praying mantis, , shifting body and neck at near impossible angles. Like he was the model they used to create gumbie. Neck always on swivel. Livin' the only way he could ever live, the way he was born to live out doors the way he was trained to live. free. hobo style a camp in the high grass and bushy, tumbleweed, bulrushes, ,160 yards from the banks from the sleeping, Ganges stillness of the Colorado River. Ed's camp was strategically located on the outer perimeter, standing guard for the feral, a line of separation between a newbie like me, who he had already sized up as relatively harmless, and the scandalous, hateful, power hungry shiftless searching and wandering for Ed's belongings. He was certain they were out there and he was probably right No sanctuary out here from the Con artists, clowns, escape artists, and shape shifting, muggers, pretending by day to be landed aristocracy. by night, rapists, violent and dangerous weasels smelling blood and closing in and wearing down the [ pass out, drunks scotch and water, whores, quick change grifters, amusing hop heads, giving speed freaks, a royal working over. mind fucking female impersonators, short changing the coke heads. taking something away from those who have everything.As for Ed, his rules of engagment were simple. He said he liked to meet me, and cook me a meal, I can only guess, because he didn't like to eat alone.
But, his only rule was to announce myself before entering his piece of ground, before entering his inner sanctum. Because anyone who tried to sneak in unannounced, well, Ed would assume they were hostiles with ill intent for whatever he held dear and if nothing else, it was his personal spacee, so his rules of engagment was first announce yourself, since there is no door or wall here where Pitch a tent Ed, a holy man guru, Fairy king of the forest a man of the big river out here in this outback.. Sneak into his personal space without an invitation, and he'd have to assume you were a hostile and had intent to cause bodily harm
so, My new friend and dinner partner, Ed, the ex-Marine deep in his Semper Fi, ministry, would have to kill me If I don't announce myself when approaching his tarpaulin palace...
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