Niles Takes a Trip... and Then a Tumble
Part 2
Viva Las Vegas - Niles Style!
Niles glanced left and right and then left again at the traffic light.
Some impatient driver beeped his horn and shouted a crude encouragement.
"Hey buddy - Get your ASS moving!!!"
Niles gave his head a little shake of wonderment, started out of his stupor and put the car into gear. As he glided through the intersection, Niles felt like he was in a dream. Not quite a nightmare, but too garish and vulgar to be considered an idyllic setting. Even in the late afternoon sun, the neon lights and the contrived architecture assaulted his sensibilities with an overpowering sense of "in-your-face" attitude. It had a frenzied, drug-induced quality about it, that he wasn't used to experiencing.
The city seemed alive and yet dead at the same time. He passed the 65 foot neon cow-poke that had greeted visitors to Las Vegas since the early fifties. It all seemed surreal. There were legendary casinos with names like "The Flamingo", "The Sands" and "The Stardust" passing through his field of vision like an assembly line of palaces of avarice and vice. He had heard of these places all his life, but never imagined himself as part of that mental picture.
"I had better find a place to stay and park the car," he reasoned quickly.
"Then I can get my bearings and explore a bit more on foot. The less I drive Dad's car, the less chance there is of a tragedy happening to his precious vehicle."
Niles finally located a smaller motel on outskirts of "The Strip" that had
no casino attached to it and was a bit past its prime, but the weekly rates
were much more within his tight budget than the more expensive ones
downtown.
His room was on the second story and there was a place to park
the car right out in front of his balcony. In the distance he could barely
make out the mountains and the proprietor assured him that "all the
entertainment delights were within a short walking distance of his room".
It seemed quiet and relatively clean, so he settled in. After dusting
off the dresser and carefully hanging up his clothes, he unpacked the
remainder of his personal items in the bathroom.
"Well, I suppose I could always pick up some cleaning supplies and just make sure everything is really sanitary," he thought. "It wouldn't take long and I will be staying here for about four days....What's that?... a ... bug of
some sort?"
He poked tentatively at the crumpled shape in the corner of the
tub with a coat hanger and decided it wasn't alive now, even if it had been
at one time. Still, to be on the safe side he removed it with a wad of
tissue and promptly washed out the tub thoroughly.
"I know I am acting silly and mother would say I am obsessing," he
sighed, "but I just can't stand the thought of sharing this room with any
winged creatures! And I might as well be comfortable if I am staying here!
Well, enough of that! I should really get out and see what this fabled town
has to offer!"
Niles had told himself that he shouldn't pre-judge the offerings of Vegas,
that he was here to do the non-typical things, that he wanted to absorb the
sleazy milieu, that this was a new type of education for him! Niles had read plenty about what life was like on the seedy side of things, but walking the streets wasn't the same as unfolding the newspaper or turning the pages of "A Street Car Named Desire". There was a distinct edge of danger to all this ravenous excess. He felt a bit lost in the neon and the hustle, and his bravado began to wear a bit thin, after several hours of wandering the main drag.
Niles eyed most of the examples of humanity he observed on "The Strip"
with a distinct air of suspicion. Many who walked by him covered their
eyes with dark glasses, even though the sun had set at least an hour ago.
One look into the faces of those who didn't told him why. Haggard, blank stares showed on the features of the lost souls who seemed to be in almost a *zombie* like state of mind.
"Hey, buddy!" cried out one particularly foul-smelling man, "Can you spare a buck? All I need is a dollar and I know my luck will turn around!"
The vagrant reached out and grasped Niles by the jacket sleeve and gripped the material as if it was a lifeline. His bony fingers worked the cloth of Niles' jacket with an agitated urgency.
Niles recoiled in fear and disgust.
"Please," he pleaded, "I sorry for you, b..b..ut leave me alone!"
Still this "refugee from reality" hung on desperately.
"Bub," his voice took on a decidedly flinty sound. "I'm not asking for
much... just a buck ... or two. You can spring for it!"
Niles twisted his arm in a jerking motion and suddenly wrestled free of the
fellow's vice-grip.
"I... I ...I'm sorry!" he said in a rush of words, his anxiety level rising
with each passing second. "I'm sorry, I can't help you!"
And with that, Niles pushed quickly past him and disappeared into the
burgeoning crowd. The last Niles heard of him, was his whiny plea for funds being tried on some fresh game a bit further up the street.
Niles put his head down, fearing that if he made anymore eye contact, a
repeat of what had just happened would occur. Feeling very vulnerable, as he plunged along the sidewalk, a distinct feeling of terror began to rise in his throat.
"I really don't know what I am doing here!" he panted. "I feel like a
helpless castaway, set adrift in a sea of lust and greed! And to think I
have four nights to spend on my own here! God, how I wish Frasier was
here with me! He's so much more confident and worldly than I am! I've
overstepped my limit! I've gone too far out on a limb! I feel miserable
and alone! What was I thinking! I can't pull this off!!"
Niles started to breathe with a certain disparate quality. He began
to feel a bit dizzy. Things were closing in on him... starting to...spin.
Fearing that he was about to faint, he stopped in the street and
sat down on a welcoming bench. He closed his eyes and tried to regain his
composure.
"Breathe.... slowly and deeply.... that's it," he chanted to himself. "Panicking won't help anything. You can't leave now! It would look terrible and everyone would know that you had failed on your mission of fun. How could you explain yourself? You were going to show others that you
could handle a little adventure. If you scurry off home now, everyone will guess that you chickened out. It would be written all over your guilt-ridden
face. That would never do! That's it... keep breathing.... better... now you're
more in control.... think fun, think good times, think of what others would do."
He opened his eye and there before him was the answer!
A marquee blazed before him like a "burning bush".
"The Desert Inn Presents Brisbane's Amazing Apes!"
"That's it!" Niles read on further.
"See The History of Our Country Come To Life!"
Sounded even slightly educational...
"From the Mayflower to the "Moon Walk", a living tribute to all the great
American moments!"
Niles gulped a breath of night air with determination and stood up.
He pumped his arms, as if to help propel himself forward.
"That's it!!! I'm gonna do it!!" he said with renewed bravado.
"After all, when in Rome..."
And with that he strode up to the casino doors and towards the fate that
awaited him beyond its doors....
End of Part 2
To be continued...
Part 2
Viva Las Vegas - Niles Style!
Niles glanced left and right and then left again at the traffic light.
Some impatient driver beeped his horn and shouted a crude encouragement.
"Hey buddy - Get your ASS moving!!!"
Niles gave his head a little shake of wonderment, started out of his stupor and put the car into gear. As he glided through the intersection, Niles felt like he was in a dream. Not quite a nightmare, but too garish and vulgar to be considered an idyllic setting. Even in the late afternoon sun, the neon lights and the contrived architecture assaulted his sensibilities with an overpowering sense of "in-your-face" attitude. It had a frenzied, drug-induced quality about it, that he wasn't used to experiencing.
The city seemed alive and yet dead at the same time. He passed the 65 foot neon cow-poke that had greeted visitors to Las Vegas since the early fifties. It all seemed surreal. There were legendary casinos with names like "The Flamingo", "The Sands" and "The Stardust" passing through his field of vision like an assembly line of palaces of avarice and vice. He had heard of these places all his life, but never imagined himself as part of that mental picture.
"I had better find a place to stay and park the car," he reasoned quickly.
"Then I can get my bearings and explore a bit more on foot. The less I drive Dad's car, the less chance there is of a tragedy happening to his precious vehicle."
Niles finally located a smaller motel on outskirts of "The Strip" that had
no casino attached to it and was a bit past its prime, but the weekly rates
were much more within his tight budget than the more expensive ones
downtown.
His room was on the second story and there was a place to park
the car right out in front of his balcony. In the distance he could barely
make out the mountains and the proprietor assured him that "all the
entertainment delights were within a short walking distance of his room".
It seemed quiet and relatively clean, so he settled in. After dusting
off the dresser and carefully hanging up his clothes, he unpacked the
remainder of his personal items in the bathroom.
"Well, I suppose I could always pick up some cleaning supplies and just make sure everything is really sanitary," he thought. "It wouldn't take long and I will be staying here for about four days....What's that?... a ... bug of
some sort?"
He poked tentatively at the crumpled shape in the corner of the
tub with a coat hanger and decided it wasn't alive now, even if it had been
at one time. Still, to be on the safe side he removed it with a wad of
tissue and promptly washed out the tub thoroughly.
"I know I am acting silly and mother would say I am obsessing," he
sighed, "but I just can't stand the thought of sharing this room with any
winged creatures! And I might as well be comfortable if I am staying here!
Well, enough of that! I should really get out and see what this fabled town
has to offer!"
Niles had told himself that he shouldn't pre-judge the offerings of Vegas,
that he was here to do the non-typical things, that he wanted to absorb the
sleazy milieu, that this was a new type of education for him! Niles had read plenty about what life was like on the seedy side of things, but walking the streets wasn't the same as unfolding the newspaper or turning the pages of "A Street Car Named Desire". There was a distinct edge of danger to all this ravenous excess. He felt a bit lost in the neon and the hustle, and his bravado began to wear a bit thin, after several hours of wandering the main drag.
Niles eyed most of the examples of humanity he observed on "The Strip"
with a distinct air of suspicion. Many who walked by him covered their
eyes with dark glasses, even though the sun had set at least an hour ago.
One look into the faces of those who didn't told him why. Haggard, blank stares showed on the features of the lost souls who seemed to be in almost a *zombie* like state of mind.
"Hey, buddy!" cried out one particularly foul-smelling man, "Can you spare a buck? All I need is a dollar and I know my luck will turn around!"
The vagrant reached out and grasped Niles by the jacket sleeve and gripped the material as if it was a lifeline. His bony fingers worked the cloth of Niles' jacket with an agitated urgency.
Niles recoiled in fear and disgust.
"Please," he pleaded, "I sorry for you, b..b..ut leave me alone!"
Still this "refugee from reality" hung on desperately.
"Bub," his voice took on a decidedly flinty sound. "I'm not asking for
much... just a buck ... or two. You can spring for it!"
Niles twisted his arm in a jerking motion and suddenly wrestled free of the
fellow's vice-grip.
"I... I ...I'm sorry!" he said in a rush of words, his anxiety level rising
with each passing second. "I'm sorry, I can't help you!"
And with that, Niles pushed quickly past him and disappeared into the
burgeoning crowd. The last Niles heard of him, was his whiny plea for funds being tried on some fresh game a bit further up the street.
Niles put his head down, fearing that if he made anymore eye contact, a
repeat of what had just happened would occur. Feeling very vulnerable, as he plunged along the sidewalk, a distinct feeling of terror began to rise in his throat.
"I really don't know what I am doing here!" he panted. "I feel like a
helpless castaway, set adrift in a sea of lust and greed! And to think I
have four nights to spend on my own here! God, how I wish Frasier was
here with me! He's so much more confident and worldly than I am! I've
overstepped my limit! I've gone too far out on a limb! I feel miserable
and alone! What was I thinking! I can't pull this off!!"
Niles started to breathe with a certain disparate quality. He began
to feel a bit dizzy. Things were closing in on him... starting to...spin.
Fearing that he was about to faint, he stopped in the street and
sat down on a welcoming bench. He closed his eyes and tried to regain his
composure.
"Breathe.... slowly and deeply.... that's it," he chanted to himself. "Panicking won't help anything. You can't leave now! It would look terrible and everyone would know that you had failed on your mission of fun. How could you explain yourself? You were going to show others that you
could handle a little adventure. If you scurry off home now, everyone will guess that you chickened out. It would be written all over your guilt-ridden
face. That would never do! That's it... keep breathing.... better... now you're
more in control.... think fun, think good times, think of what others would do."
He opened his eye and there before him was the answer!
A marquee blazed before him like a "burning bush".
"The Desert Inn Presents Brisbane's Amazing Apes!"
"That's it!" Niles read on further.
"See The History of Our Country Come To Life!"
Sounded even slightly educational...
"From the Mayflower to the "Moon Walk", a living tribute to all the great
American moments!"
Niles gulped a breath of night air with determination and stood up.
He pumped his arms, as if to help propel himself forward.
"That's it!!! I'm gonna do it!!" he said with renewed bravado.
"After all, when in Rome..."
And with that he strode up to the casino doors and towards the fate that
awaited him beyond its doors....
End of Part 2
To be continued...