As a kid growing up in Kansas City, living in a rough part
of town, across the street from our house, was a “social club”, called the
trap. Several big shots frequented the trap, where gambling took place, mostly
card games, where the rich and famous came to donate some of their cash to a
good cause (their own health and welfare). This was no Sunday picnic kind of
place, this was real life and death stuff. Outside the club fewer than a dozen
well-dressed dudes kept a close eye on things while the bosses did their
business inside the trap. The street was usually crowded with cars and finding
a parking spot not easy. Not that anyone who was not associated with the club
dared park anywhere near the place. However, there were always two sometimes
three cars that managed to find parking, FBI guys. They kept their distance
from the club, sitting in their cars reading newspapers, smoking cigarettes and
talking with each other. Two FBI guys per car. Each assigned to one of the big
shots inside the club. When the big shots left the club, followed by their
personal entourage of body guards, one of the FBI cars tailed them. It was
annoying for the big shots but they learned to live with it, and life went on.
I’m no big shot but I too have a tail. They work hard at not
being conspicuous but they are only human. Sometimes they don’t even attempt to
hide, and even have a conversation with me. Mostly when I go out of town. One
day, about a year and a half ago, my wife and I left the house and were going
out to eat. We drove a few blocks and I happen to look up in the sky and there
was this huge airplane, something like a DC10. No markings and it was just
sitting in the sky not moving. Odd as hell. I looked at my wife, who was not
looking up and said, “Do you see that airplane just sitting there?” She looked
and said what the heck, it’s not moving. I knew better than to try and take a
picture, but I attempted to do just that. I looked for a place to stop my car
and couldn't fine one so I turned into the apartment complex and park my car,
jump out with my IPhone, and watched clouds quickly form around the airplane. I
was going to take pictures of the clouds anyway but lost time set in. My wife
and I were taken aboard the plane. Black ops interrogated me but most of what
happened is a blank. A few minutes passed and we were back in the car, and our
happy disposition was gone. We continued to the restaurant but hardly talked.
My wife remembers seeing the airplane but nothing else.
The painting depicts the airplane over the apartment complex
where I parked my car…and was beamed up. Happened in broad daylight, around
5:30PM one summer day.
Lou Baldin
