The Piano
	It was my first apartment and it suited me to a T. I had lived with Sharon and Milton Carroll and their, now our, friend Joyce for two years. As wonderful as that was it was time to press on and get my own place. As luck would have it, there was a huge two-story, castley looking house right on the banks of the Hillsborough River. It was owned by a retired doctor who was living out of state. It wasn't very far from the Sulphur Springs tower that also has that fascinating castle aura. My apartment was not in either of these. I lived in what had been the servants' quarters of the doctor's old mansion. It was on the grounds but sat off by itself. Around the edge of the awning that covered the front porch, I had hung some of those colorful plastic Japanese lanterns. I loved my new place. There were three couples living in what looked like the old "Frankenstein's castle." It was about 1966 so they were what a lot of people would have call "hippies" or "flower children." Many nights I could hear them singing and playing their guitars next door. It didn't take long for us to become close friends, especially with one couple. Doug and Linda Knost. Doug played the guitar and sang and was also a very accomplished artist. I really felt good that he considered me his best friend, especially when I learned that he had been close friends with Eric Clapton for years. One night, when I knew they would be playing, I invited my group of musician friends to my little servants' house. When Milton started singing, it didn't take five minutes for the neighbors to show up at my door. Our group of friends had expanded. About a year later, Doug was offered the job as the "Keeper of the Dam". The dam was located where 30th Street and the Hillsborough River meet. A cute little farm style house that sat under four or five mighty oak trees came with the job. Linda became a farm wife, with a goat and chickens, and she made the best pies you ever tasted. She also was a first rate model. Every Friday and Saturday night we'd all gather at the dam to sing or paint or just hang out. I bet if you went back there now you could hear the faint echoes of "The Dawning of the Age of Aquarius". Someone said one day, " We need a piano." Theodora said, "We have one." "Lynn, can you bring it over here in your pickup?" Said Barry. So the following Saturday, Milton, Barry, Doug, and I got in my old rattletrap pickup truck and went to get the piano. It was an old upright piano so after it was picked up the three of them would ride in the back with it to make sure it stayed upright, while I drove. First we had to load it. I very carefully backed up to the front porch. The bed of the truck and porch were at the same height. Perfect. The back end of the truck was over a flower bed, but not the back wheels. Once the piano was on the truck the bed of the truck went down a good six or seven inches, from the weight of the piano. All in all, everything seemed to be okay. I pulled away. My rear bumper, however, was now lower than the top of the ornamental brick wall that was the front of the flower bed. I pulled that whole section of brick flower bed wall out into the front yard. I was glad Barry was a part of this unfortunate mishap. He assured everyone he could fix it. Theodora was visibly upset and started washing dishes. She kind of glared at us a little out of the kitchen window as we drove away. Barry said, "She always washes dishes when she's upset." Well, it turns out she had bigger problems to fry. About two blocks away it started raining. Not hard. We didn't think to bring a tarp or drop cloth to cover the piano in case it rained. I was trying to hurry so the piano wouldn't get soaked. As I turned the corner of Columbus Drive and North Boulevard I heard a whooping, howling sound. It was Milton and Barry and Doug crying out, trying to keep the wet piano from tipping over the edge of the truck bed. Then the worst sound of all. It was the almost deafening sound of a piano flipping end over end over end over end, right in the middle of one of the busiest intersections in Tampa. Theodora lifted her head. She heard it from two blocks away and knew exactly what had happened. The four of us jumped out of the truck so fast and began gathering up all the pieces that were strewn all over the intersection. The cars were all stopped in every direction and the drivers just sat and watched as we threw the big pieces in the truck first then the smaller ones and got the heck out of there as fast as we could. Barry said, "I actually think I can fix it." It never did play right. We ended up just hanging a big piece of the keyboard on the wall. The newspaper did a story on Doug Knost, but spelled his name Doug Kmotz. Lash Out Loud