Hitchhikers and Squatters Part 2

In late November 1994, I was playing bass in a reggae band that had a 2 night gig in Knoxville, Tennessee at this college dive called Bull Frogs. This road gig had the benefit of a free flea bag apartment to sleep in that was a block away in an old brownstone. As the first show came to a close, we packed up and worked the crowd to sell our recently released cassette album. All of the sudden this scruffy white dude with a cocked baseball cap starting talking to me and asking if we were partying back at the gig apartment. I instantly recognized Ty the hitchhiker from summer of 92. He clearly didn't recognize me. I told him we didn't party. He moved on to talk to our bandleader with the same jive. I found a moment to warn my buddy not to let Ty follow us to the apartment. We made it to the second story gig apartment without Ty and started cooking a meal. Just as we were all cozied up to the kitchen table there was a knock on the door and nobody had to say a word. We all knew who it was. Our drummer sent me to talk to Ty since he was my "friend." I went down there and was super hard with Ty, letting him know that we weren't going to let him in. At this point he still didn't know who I was. He stood on the curb as I shut the door, ran up the stairs, and returned to my meal. Before I sat down, the window slid open and Ty jumped into the kitchen with his backpack. Everyone stared at him like a wild animal had invaded the place. He started a whole jive about the cold weather, his broke down VW bus, a supposed deal he had worked out with the club owner where he watched the place all week until the bands came. He said the bands always let him crash. Basically Ty was squatting in the gig apartment and we were disrupting his home. We still kicked him out, but not before I blew his mind with the big reveal. I said something like, "Ty, I know you and your scams, and this time I won't have it!" He went white and asked how I knew his name. I told him we'd known each other years ago and I knew his game. He had no idea who I was but he was afraid enough of his past that he figured he'd done me wrong in his years of bumming around. He told us to have a good night's sleep and he'd be at the show the next night. And just like that Ty bounced through the window and into the night. Ty did show up the next night wearing a button up Polo oxford and escorting a preppy college girl. He showed off for the girl by acting like we were his old buddies. Ty didn't bother us that night, but as we were driving away in the van to head home, he emerged from around a corner and walked up to the driver's window. He told us to ride safe and he'd see us next time we came to Knoxville. We rolled away from the street and I could see Ty climbing up the wall to the second story window.