No Guts

 No Guts

     While I have few regrets about how my life turned out I have to think back to an opportunity I had in 1970 that might have steered me on another path. I was surprised to get a letter from UCLA letting me know I had graduated and my goals were to avoid being drafted,  getting tied down to a job and finding a girlfriend. I wanted badly to grow my hair out and be a hippy but there was the impediment of my residence with my parents and the towering presence of my father's rules of the house. I did get a degree in English Literature without a clue as to what I would do with that sheet of paper signed by Ronald Reagan. Smoking pot, drinking beer and hanging out with other like-minded educated bums seemed like a terrific plan. However, BC had other ideas and he let me know I had an appointment with a business acquaintence of his named Surl Kim who ran a high-end travel agency that focused on tours to sporting events like the fairly new spectacle of the Super Bowl. In ticket business language it involved drawing the rubes out from the Mid-West or East Coast to the Rose Bowl games and more. The job involved constant travel and an outgoing personality that would open doors for the company and their customers. I had none of said qualities as I was shy, unsure of my worth, introverted, and a fur piece from being a self-starter. I had no ambition except to get high and listen to music. I also had nothing but contempt for the business scene and described those prisoners of downtown high-rises as plastic people. My few odd jobs at the time were as a janitor for a set of apartments built by the Carpenters (music ones) but purchased by one Doctor Philips who only thought in dollars and cents. I also had a few weeks as a researcher for Pelican Films who made a short film on the Pan Pacific Auditorium and a few days of being a mover. I liked to party until 2 am and sleep until 11.  My one day as a factory worker was in the future. Right now I was stuck meeting with Mr. Kim at an old office building ironically around 6th and Flower.  I was grouchy and defensive as I dragged myself out of bed for an early appointment at Kim Tours. I arrived to an office with no amenities and someone on the phone who merely pointed toward an open door where Mister Surl Kim sat taking a crap and talking on the phone. Our meeting commenced with  Kim moving his Korean bowels and me trying to avoid accepting any offer. My first possible duty was to fly to New York City which terrified me since I felt at that time that I could not survive in the big apple. Kim wanted an energetic advance man to get deals ready for tours he would arrange, especially USC football where he held a sterling repuation. I have to admit he won me over when he told me he spent lots of money to help his son avoid the draft and was dead set against Vietnam. Surl Kim knew what he was talking about since he was a WW II combat veteran as Navigator on bombing missions. I ended up taking a wild ride with him down into the produce district for a breakfast of chasu and eggs that were great. It turned out my earlier trip to Europe was made with his help placing me in a group for a package deal.  I still have one of his bags that were given to fans on their way to a Rose Bowl game on a Kim Tour. I just did not have the guts to answer the call of this brave Kim  and I wonder what would have happened if I had bulled the neck and took on NYC in  1970.