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Ch 1 - The Dinner Ch 2 - Mickey Ch 3 - Elizabeth Ch 4 - The Poster Ch 5 - Self-Discovery Outing Ch 6 - Shawn’s Boyfriend Ch 7 - Taking The Step Ch 8 - My First Student Meeting Ch 9 - Don’t Trash Ch 10 Meditation & the Wreck Ch 11 In The Desert Ch 12 After The Desert Ch 13 The Ebell Theater Ch 14 So, You Want To Be A Teacher? Ch 15 The Visit Ch 16 The Golden Oldies Ch 17 The Correction Ch 18 The Gift Ch 19 Disneyland Ch 20 The Letter Ch 21 Starting Out Ch 22 First Night As A Teacher Ch 23 The Thank You Card Ch 24 Priorities Ch 25 Corrected Again Ch 26 Returning Home Ch 27 The Call Ch 28 On The Road To New York Ch 29 Christmas At Golden’s Bridge Ch 30 Jumpy Ch 31 The Initiation Ch 32 Time To Leave Ch 33 Keeping It Clean Ch 34 Looking Back Epilogue   Visit Shiva's web site   About Rama

Chapter 2 - Mickey

It was 1979.  Mickey and I sat out in the open air in what used to be the cab of his "Frogmobile."  The Frogmobile was an old green 1963 Ford pickup that had been rolled.  The cab had been crushed in the accident, so my friend Mickey had chopped off the roof.  The results were perfect for rabbit hunting or just sitting out in the open enjoying the view!  We were parked on a deserted dirt road overlooking Las Cruces, New Mexico.  This was a place we had come to many times when we were students at New Mexico State.  Now, years later, we were once again sipping some cold beer and enjoying the warm New Mexico night.

"Have you ever been drawn to a place?" I queried.

"No, not that I know of.  What do you mean?" Mickey asked.

"Ever since I was a child, I've been pulled like a magnet to the West Coast.  I don't really know why.  It's just kind of a longing."

"No, can't say as I have ever felt that way," he responded.

We sat in silence for a long time.  Mickey was that type of friend.  We really didn't have to talk to enjoy each other's company.  The lights of Las Cruces looked like a small jewel box below a vast canopy of stars.  It was so beautiful!

As a cool breeze from the west blew through the sagebrush and gently caressed my face, Mickey mentioned that he had heard about this fellow in California who could disappear and levitate.

"This guy is supposed to perform all kinds of miracles.  They say he can glow, cause things to disappear - all sorts of things," he said.

I looked across the bench seat. "Really?  You think that this guy actually does that?"

"I don't know, but I heard that he does.  Some think that he could be Christ or something."

"What is he, some sort of Indian Yogi?" I wondered out loud.

"No.  He is supposed to be an American but he does have this strange spiritual name of Atmananda."

"I'd like to see this guy sometime," I mused.

We sat in silence for a few more minutes and then I opened a couple more Coors and moved on to a different subject.  Soon thoughts of Atmananda were lost in the haze that engulfed my consciousness during this time of my life.

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