It's really not that big a story. I fell in with bad companions. Really bad. At best, these dudes were a train wreck; at worst... I can't even imagine. "Junior" was my age (just shy of 21), and he was just a bad, bad dude. Corrupt to his very core. He was just mean, and always looking for a fight. His older brother Gary was a bit more sensible, but just a bit. While Junior would look for trouble, Gary wouldn't; but Gary certainly wouldn't shy away from it, either. Then there was their friend "Coon Ass Gary" who was a straight Cajun that lived out in the swamps and "did stuff" with alligators, they said. I never could peg him. He was kinda okay, but would then snap at a moment's notice. Lastly, was "Ed." Ed was the brother to Junior's extremely hot girlfriend, Darcey. Ed was pretty normal and was an engineering student at Tulane. Nice guy. So the 5 of us were down in the French Quarter, doing things we shouldn't have been doing, when we encountered a giant. A real one. If this cat wasn't 7 feet tall, he didn't miss it by much, was of a very large build as well as quite hairy. As the giant and his friends passed us in opposite directions, Junior shoulder-checked the giant. I just sighed and shook my head. Words were briefly exchanged, and the fight was on. It lasted about 12 seconds before the cops just swarmed. They were everywhere. I don't know if it's still the same, but back then rookie cops were always assigned to the French Quarter and they tended to be extremely gung-ho. The cops separated the 2 initial combatants and put the giant in one squad car and Junior in another. We're all pleading their cases trying to get the cops to turn them loose. "All a big misunderstanding" says we. "There'll be no more trouble if you just let us take them home" says the giant's friends. Unbelievably, we get the cops to free them about the time another cop is putting Gary into a third squad. He had been having his own conversation with this other cop and apparently it wasn't as friendly as our conversations. So they free Junior and the giant. The giant and his crew beat-it outta there like they've got good sense. I should have gone with them. They take the cuffs off of Junior and he runs right over and smacks the cop that's putting Gary into the squad. So now it's Junior, hand-cuffed Gary and Coon Ass Gary flat-out brawling with a bunch of cops. Ed and I took about 2 steps before I had a gun in my nose. The cop said "freeze!" So, I froze. Seemed prudent. I hadn't even entertained the thought of jumping on the cops but they couldn't know that. The cops hauled the 3 stooges off to jail and gave Ed and I tickets for disturbing the peace. Neither one of us had done anything wrong but we weren't about to argue at that point. Ed and I spent the rest of the night ferrying motorcycles home. I'd ride one home and Ed would bring me back for the next in his Triumph sports car. Darcey arranged for bail and got them out in the morning. I still had my Tennessee driver's license as I had never bothered to change it over. After all, I was only there on a brief vacation that just kinda turned into a mis-spent year and a half. When I went to court the judge said "Mr. Moore, you're very young and your part in this was minimal. I see that you're from Tennessee. Well, I'll tell you what you do, young man. You go back to Tennessee... TODAY... and you never return to Louisiana... and I'll drop the charge against you." I was gone by 3:00 that afternoon and in Memphis by midnight.