June, later, the summer's begun but today it's off to a slow start. The owner's been around to warn me there's an odd one standing in the doorway to the restaurant, talking up a storm, must be on speed or something...
The owner, he dates himself, there's been a lot of good drugs circulating since speed was invented. I get the restaurant open, a single man, sitting on the patio, he was talking to the odd one outside, listening more like, unable to get a word in edgewise, odd one is off - "YEAH YEAH JUST CAME FROM PROCTOR... HAVE YOU EVER BEEN? ANYWAYS, I HAVE A FRIEND IN KAMLOOPS OWNS A CASINO....", I get the conversations secondhand through the customer, the owner, this one is off his nut for sure, and I'm just waiting for him to come on in and make my day. A beautiful day on the patio, one single customer, orders, waiting for his food...I'm not looking forward to Talkie, nut-job coming in but so far he's content to loiter around the entrance chatting to whosoever swings by...
Finally he enters, only he's running, bolting for the patio, he gets on it and behind him there's an RCMP officer, he's trying to hide himself behind, shield himself with the customer he was talking to outside...
"Hey, hey, what's up, why are you so edgy, I just want to talk..." begins the officer, it's a she, she's trying to calm him down...
This is my first glimpse of him, he's sketchy as all out, crack would be a good guess, way-too-much, this guy stayed too late at the party and finished off all the little baggies, probably a few other drugs in there as well...
"YOU - YOU'VE GOT A GUN!!!" he tells her, hiding behind the chair, and, really, as sketched out as he is his logic is irrefutable, he's right, I want to laugh, hang out, but really I've got work to do and I don't want to be the gawker and so I leave the RCMP officer to do her job. And, really, I'm more than a little sympathetic to the guy, I'll get the details later but who hasn't stayed a little to late at the party and dipped a little too much into the baggy? I'm not one to judge...
The officer, she wrestles him, gets him handcuffed to a chair, he's asking what he's being charged with...
Follow with another 4 RCMP officers, 3 cars and a ghost car, all taking up the parking lot, we're swarming with Cops, a busy day in Balfour...
Exit waiter. The story, as it later unfolds to me, he'd pulled up in a convertible BMW, stolen the day before in Nelson, apparently he'd stopped at 12 Mile for gas, they'd called him in, realized he was in no position to be driving...he'd denied the BMW but he'd pulled into our lot and parked beside the owner so that failed. And now he's being taken into Nelson to chill for a day or so and then go in front of the judge.
I go out while the owner's giving his statement - "So, I guess that means we're still looking for a Chef...".
The RCMP officer, he gets it, he just laughs, I mean, in Balfour we're the biggest users of the police, forever pressing assault charges against disgruntled employees who chose the less than graceful exit, the owner, when the penny drops he laughs as well...
My heart goes out to the guy, even though I wasn't invited to his party I'm with him, who hasn't wanted to go on a crack-addled crime spree, damn the consequences, and 4 RCMP officers does seem like a gross overreaction to a guy just out looking for a good time. And, sad to say, whatever other charges he faces the impaired driving will be the one that sinks his ship...