Several Sentence Sunday
Thank you for tagging @homerforsure and @rewritetheending <33 I’ve finally gone back and worked on the bobby coda to 6.11
When Bobby peers into the doorway of Buck’s hospital room he finds the lights have been dimmed to reflect the lateness of the hour, and there are only two other occupants keeping vigil beside the still-unconscious patient’s bed.
Bobby had been grabbing a shower and a change of clothes at home when Chimney had called to let them know that Buck was finally breathing without the vent, and that he was taking Buck’s parents home to get some rest. Bobby had been quick to grab his keys, hold his wife in a long, relieved embrace, before heading back over to the hospital as quickly as LA evening traffic would allow.
After one or two vending-machine pit-stops for provisions, Bobby had found himself practically running down the corridor of the ICU, his footsteps no longer dogged with fear and dread. And now that he’s here he takes a moment to appreciate the absence of the intubation tube that had hidden half of Buck’s face—the ventilator that had made it abundantly clear that Buck was in a critical condition.
Now though, if Bobby didn’t know any better, he might almost think the kid was just sleeping.
On the right side of Buck’s bed, Maddie is reading quietly from the small book she has perched in front of her; her gaze frequently drifting up from the page to her brother, and back again as she goes. Opposite her, on the other side of the bed, Eddie sits in stoic silence, with his head bowed. His hands are interlinked and resting on top of the sheets, with little more than his pinky finger reaching out towards Buck’s bandaged hand. His focus is trained on the not-quite-touch with such intensity that he hasn’t even noticed his captain’s arrival at his back at all.
Bobby can’t help but wonder how long it’s taken for Eddie to get that close to Buck with someone else in the room, especially given how long it took for Eddie to be in the room full-stop…
Tagging: @princessfbi @renecdote @littlespoonevan @fcntasmas @capseycartwright @kananjarus @fleurdebeton @like-the-rest-of-la @shortsighted-owl @genderqueerbuck @nymika-arts @buttercupbuck @zainclaw @thekristen999 and @ghosthunterbuck <3
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Reunion
Henry throws on his favorite shirt, a concert tee that he got at an Arlo
Guthrie concert some years back. Pulling the shirt over his head, he eyes the
bottle of ale that sits on the kitchen table. Reaching out with his left hand
he grabs the bottle and takes a long pull from it. Friday night and not a thing
going on. Luckily.
With the drink in his hand he walks over to the living room
window and takes a peak at the great outdoors. Folks arriving for a CYO event at
the school across the street. Looks like a basketball game as he spies on the
young girls showing up in their cheerleader outfits. Some adults walking in and
a young man about 20 has his head stuck into his cell phone, texting as he moves
straight ahead. Henry closes the curtain tight and walks away quite glad that he
is not playing a game of basketball tonight. As much as he complains about the
loneliness of his life, he has adapted to it and some nights, such as tonight,
he is glad for his solitude lifestyle.
The television is on but thankfully muted while the record player spins the
vinyl album around at 33 and a third. A collector of sorts, he stops and stares
at his records. A massive amount that must be well into the thousands. His
father started him out young to the pleasures of music and he never looked back.
His dad left him his old records from the 40's to the 70's when he passed away.
Alphabetized, he goes down to one knee to look through the Z's. Pulling out
Frank Zappa's first album he takes the record from its sleeve and stares at the
grooves that the needle reads. Henry can, and will spend hours now gazing at his
collection with pride bursting up through his soul. Nothing can or will make him
as happy as rummaging through these records and trips to the Salvation Army for
more is his true joy in life.
Stopping only to gather up a plate of nacho's and a few beers, Henry has
just spent the complete Friday night alone with his records. He plans to leave
the house tomorrow morning for a trip to the local hotel where a huge record
sale will be going down. Once a month there is a gathering of all types of
venders selling off their albums and other music related items. Henry looks
forward to this with unbridled glee. He takes to the computer and after seeing
there was not one email waiting for him he begins to compile a list of albums
that he must have and hopefully he will be able to find them there. Some records
he just never stops looking for. Years and years he has waited for somebody to
sell them off. A Beatles record nicknamed the Butcher Album due to the cover
showing the Fab Four dressed as butchers covered in raw meat and doll parts. A
true and rare collector's item. He saw one once when he was visiting his sister
in California. He had it in his hands and as he always does, he smelled the
inside of the cover. There really is nothing finer than the scent of an old
record Henry believed. The asking price for the album was a hefty 1000 bucks
which he did not have at the time. He has saved up for the day it would appear
to him again. He would not miss out on it twice.
With the need to take a piss Henry, drunk now, as he always is on the
weekends, stumbles to the bathroom. Holding on for dear life he lets out a long sigh
and out of the blue the telephone rings. He usually unplugs the fucking thing on
the weekends but he must have forgotten. The answering
machine pick up. It is a woman's voice and it is unfamiliar. Without washing his
hands, Henry walks to the bedroom to hear the voice say goodbye and then the
tape rewinds. Who the fuck could that be? Henry presses play and he listens in
carefully.
"I'm looking for Henry Coda. If this is the wrong number I apologize but I
really want to find him. This is Anna Baez. I went to school with Henry back in
the 80's and I would like to invite him to our schools 25th anniversary. It's
this upcoming weekend…seven days from now and it will be a ball. So Henry,
please if you could join us at the school at 7 in the gymnasium… I would be
thrilled to see you again. We all would. It will be a blast. I hope this is the
right number. Call me at 722-5733 to let me know if you can come. Thanks and
goodbye."
Christ. Anna Baez. Henry takes a long drink from the bottle…killing it and
he heads to the bookshelf to pull out his senior yearbook. The cover says
Binghamton Central High School. It has been years since he has looked at this
thing. He takes a seat on his bed and opens the book. He flips through the pages
with a bored look on his face until he comes to the page he wants. Under his
nose is a picture of Anna. A blonde beauty that was quite popular in school.
Unlike Henry she excelled in school, running for class president and winning. A
cheerleader and if he remembered correctly, she was crowned prom queen…a prom in
which Henry did not attend. His book was signed a few times and he reads a few.
"Have a great summer Henry…see you at the college."
"Henry, keep playing that guitar and I am certain you'll be top of the pops in
no time."
"You are one weird fellow man. Don't change."
Henry never ended up going to the local community college and he never made
it to the top of the charts. He was still weird and he has barely changed since
the 80's. He closed the book and placed it back on the shelf. He remained on
the bed thinking of school. How he hated it and most of the kids there…except
for one girl…Nancy…or Nan for short. Nan, he had the biggest teenage crush on.
She was always friendly with him but she was dating the same guy from their
freshman year right up to the senior year. They were friends…she was kind to
him and although her boyfriend hated him she didn't care. She was nice. Rising
from the bed he began to think about her. Nan, I wonder if you are even still
alive and if you are I bet you have fourteen kids and a beefcake husband. He
wandered out of his room and made it to the kitchen to grab a fresh beer.
Cracking it open he heard the needle hit the label on the record he was playing
and he knew it was time to flip it over.
Playing the Stones now he could not get his mind off of that girl. Nan.
Henry hardly left his house for any kind of social event. Skipping family
reunions and the like. But this…this could be…interesting. He wanted to see
Nan and that was the only thing that made him pick up the phone to call Anna
back.
She answered right away and sounded genuinely pleased to hear from him. She
told him that he was all set. That it was to be a casual party and that he could
bring a friend or spouse if he wanted to. Henry asked how many people have
signed up to go and she told him that it will be a packed event.
"Expect at least a hundred kids to be there. It will be lots of fun. And Henry,
feel free to bring some of those records of yours with you. I bet we would all
like to hear them."
After saying goodbye and hanging up Henry crawled into bed and found
himself…drunk and daydreaming about Nan and just what he could say to her. It
made him nervous just thinking about it and soon he blocked it out and fell
asleep with the full bottle of beer next to his head.
——————————————————————————————–
After about four beers Henry was ready to leave for the reunion.
Dressed in khakis and a seersucker shirt he bent down to tie his shoes when he
felt the urge to throw up come over him. He ran to the kitchen sink and made it
just in time. Four beers down the drain, all sudsy and wiping tears from his
eyes he went to swig some mouthwash around in the bathroom.
Outside now Henry tucked the cuffs of his pants into his socks and jumped
onto his bicycle. The school was only a few blocks away and it was a pleasant
night. He had no intention of trying to impress anyone there. His bike was fine
and he enjoyed riding it more than driving anyway.
Along the way there his nerves grew worse and he checked the time on the side
of the bank on the corner. 7:15. He was late and he did not care. He toyed with
the idea of not showing…no one would miss him anyway but Nan…he was dying to
see what became of her. He stopped his bike in front of the tavern Rocco's and
parking his bike on the side of the building. He went in.
"Henry! Long time no see my friend. How goes it?"
Rocco extended his hand and Henry shook it with a weak smile on his face.
"Get me a cold one please Rocco. Lord knows I need one tonight"
"What's the big occasion? You got a hot date tonight? If you do, bring her here.
I'd love to see the kind of girl you could pick up Henry."
The bartender, a black guy with muscles that would put Schwarzenegger to shame
cracked the top off the bottle of Bud and handed it to Henry. He took hold of it
and brought it to his mouth and drained half of it in a mere two seconds. His
eyes darted around but he found himself slowly calming down. The television
above the bar was on showing some soccer match and the jukebox was playing the
old Turtles tune.. .'Happy Together.'
"Henry, it's been a while, a few days now perhaps since you last walked into
my establishment. What's been happening to you? You depressed? Did a fire destroy
your record collection or something?"
"No. Just been busy is all. Listen Rocco, I need your advice here. I'm now
headed to my 25th reunion at school and I am rather nervous about it all. There
is a girl there…or a woman now and I really want to talk to her but I am a
social dud. I have no idea what to say to her. What's a good ice breaker?
Something that won't
make me look like a total dick head. Just a little dick head."
Rocco smiled and said
" Ah Henry, you seeing an old flame tonight? Some girl
who used to give you hand jobs in the basement? Something like that eh?"
"No…not at all. Just a girl who I was friendly with. Though I have to admit
that I dreamed of her and those hands giving me some relief. I don't know. I
can't think of what to say to her when I see her. I need your help here."
Rocco pulled up a stool and thought for a while. "What did you guys used to
talk about in school? Back then. What did you talk about?"
Henry thought for a while and he said `music.'
"Ok, then you talk about that. Just say that you heard an old song on the radio
and that it made you think of her. She'll be pleased to hear this…hopefully and
there you go. You'll be off to the races."
"But I never listen to the radio…all those commercials and that terrible hip
hop music they play now a days…It gives me a head…"
“Then, forget the radio part…just say you heard a song…somewhere… and it made
you think of her. Just wing it from there. She'll want to know what song and
then you'll be in a real conversation and I bet it will be the first one with a
woman for quite some time. Am I right?"
Henry sighed and took a drink from the bottle.
"Yeah, music, that's kinda what I had planned on anyway."
"That's all you ever talk about actually Henry. This is the first conversation
we've had that wasn't about music or music related. You must really be
nervous."
"Yeah, I am. What time is it Rocco?"
"7:30."
"Shit, I gotta go. Thanks for the help. I appreciate it, man."
Rocco wished him good luck and said that if he gets lucky with the girl to bring
her over to the bar so he could see what all this nervousness was all about.
Henry killed his beer and slammed the bottle down on the bar with a determined
thud. He stood and with a wave left the bar and found his bike waiting for him.
He climbed aboard and began his trek to the school.
————————————————-
Inside the gymnasium it was sweltering. He was informed at the front desk,
where old Anna Baez was sitting, that the air conditioners were on the fritz and
to expect it to be a little warm in there. Warm? It was horrible. Henry went
immediately to the bar and ordered a beer. A nice cold beer would really hit the
spot and maybe calm his nerves a bit.
Drinking, he looked down to his name tag. Henry. Who the hell is going to
remember me anyway? This is a mistake. He had a few friends in high school
and they all went to universities and left him in his hometown alone and
friendless. Sure, he knew some of the guys and gals at the record conventions
but he wouldn't be able to really call them friends. He was a lonely guy who
simply loved his records and beer. He looked up and watched all the people
milling around and some dancing. A few guys whom he recognized as old jocks
were standing at the bar, drinking and laughing, without a care in the world.
Henry felt the sweat dripping down his back and he flapped his shirt a few times
to get some air in there. His ears pricked up when he heard a Duran Duran song
playing and he was just about to head over to the DJ booth to talk to the guy
about his CD's when he saw Nan walk in. The light from the gym was weak at best
but he knew it was her although he could not read her name tag. My
goodness…there she is he thought to himself. I'll just wait for a while to let
her mingle with the people that she really wanted to see and then, then he would
walk up to her and reintroduce himself to her.
Henry wiped his brow with the back of his hand and struck up a conversation
with the DJ. They shot the shit for a few minutes when he felt a hand on his
shoulder. He turned around and saw Nan smiling ear to ear.
"Henry Coda…my God…you look exactly the same. You really do. My
goodness…how are you?"
Henry's shirt was sopped with sweat as he opened his mouth to return her
greeting when a group of guys walked up to Nan and began to talk excitedly to
her. Henry shrunk back to the DJ booth and just stood there watching them
enjoying their conversation. I wish I was normal he thought to himself. I wish I could
talk and feel carefree with others. Instead I am a sweating fool all alone with
social anxiety and a drinking problem. He took a swig from his plastic cup and turned
around to stare at the wall.
A few minutes passed while a Van Halen song played. Henry began to recall the
time he had bought the album which this song came from when he heard a woman's
voice say something. He turned around to see Nan staring at him.
"Hello…anyone home? I've been trying to get your attention for a minute now
silly. Daydreaming about music I bet. This Van Halen song sure brings back the
memories don't you think?"
"I was just playing this song a few days ago actually. All in all it's a great
album with very little filler. Sure, a few of the songs aren't all that great on
it but not many records from that period were masterpieces. You know what I
mean?"
Nan smiled at him and told him that he has not changed all that much from 25
years ago. Henry smiled and tried hard to think of something to say to her. He
decided to ask her about her life now but she spoke first.
"So tell me Henry…tell me about your life. Are you married? Is your rock and
roll wife around here somewhere?"
"Wife? Ha, no…No wife. Never. Never was married. You?"
"Well, remember Davey? My boyfriend in school? We married after college and 10
months later we were divorced. Still to this day I have no idea what went wrong
but that band of gold on my finger just cursed us. It was something else, I'll
tell you, I won't be walking down the aisle again, you can count on that."
Henry looked down at her finger and even in the bad light he could see that she
was not sporting a wedding ring.
"Gee, I'm sorry about that Nan. Geeze…will he be here tonight? Davey?"
"No, he moved to Washington State after our divorce was finalized. I haven't
seen him in years now. No kids…thank God."
"Oh…well that's good I guess…divorce can really be hard on kids; at least
that's what I've read in magazines and all. So…you live around here?"
Nan answered his questions and boy was there a lot of them. Henry at times felt
like he was interviewing the poor girl but he really had nothing else to say to
her so he asked questions. Query after query but she didn't seem to mind at all.
They talked for a while when he realized he was in dire need of a drink. He
tried to back step a bit to get closer to the bar hoping that she would follow
him…slowly but two steps back into his plan she stood right there, not moving
an inch. He would have to ask her if she would like a refill on her wine…or
what appeared to be wine. Maybe it was punch. It was red and that was all he
could tell. In a break in the conversation he asked her if she would like a
refill and that he could really go for a cold beer in this stifling heat.
"I know! It's so hot in here…I can't stand it. Want to go outside for a bit? I
could use some fresh air and besides…and don't tell anyone but I am dying for
a cigarette."
"Outside? Certainly. I'd like that. I'm beginning to melt in here. Please just
let me refill my beer here. Can you wait?"
She nodded her head and Henry went to get a beer. Turning to Nan he asked her if
she was good. She replied that another cup of wine would be great and she handed
him her now empty cup.
"…A nice cold Michelob and a wine please Jerry."
The bartender filled up the two glasses and they headed outside. On the way to
the front doors Nan was greeted with many hellos. Henry couldn't remember her
being so popular in school. It was mighty crowded and Nan grabbed his arm and
pulled him along and he was happy to be lead away out of there.
Outside the cool air was a Godsend. They both needed the cool night air
on their hot skin.
"Now this is much better, don't you think Henry? So, tell me now…back in school
you loved music more than anyone I've
ever known. You ever made a career of it? You in a band or anything?"
He felt like he was letting her down as he went on to say that not only was he
not in a band but that as a career he chose media marketing.
"What exactly is that Henry?"
"You know those jingles you hear on the radio? I write them. I make commercials
for the radio and television."
"Oh my, how interesting…anything I would know?"
"You know Champs Fried Chicken? The chain of chicken places? Well that one
ad..the one that goes:
`Champs…is the place to be
when your down and hungry,
a dollar 99 is all you got?
you'll dig our chicken, you'll dig it a lot.'
I wrote that."
"Holy shit Henry, I know that song! It's the catchiest tune like ever! Wow…I'm
with a celebrity here!"
"Ha…well…it pays the bills. It's not going to get me a gold record but I
suppose I can't complain."
"Well, I think it's awesome…simply awesome Henry. I'm not as famous as you
but I guess my job is ok…I sell real estate in North Carolina. I'm not rich or
anything but like you, I can pay the bills."
Henry found himself relaxing a bit. The cool night air did him well and he
found that he could keep up his end of the conversation. He went in a few times
to refill their drinks. He was feeling alright by the time of his 7th beer of
the night and Nan was really knocking the wine back. They talked about many
things and a few people even recognized him as they made their way out of the
gym to return home.
Around the time of Nan's fifth cup of wine she realized that the party inside
was dying down.
"I should really go back inside and mingle a bit more. You wanna come along with
me? There has to be other people you want to see besides me."
"Not really, Nan…in fact the only reason why I came to this high school heat
wave was to see you. You were always so nice to me…don't think I've forgotten
it these many years later."
"Oh Henry, that's so nice of you to say. Shoot…I should go back though. You
sure you don't want to come with me? I'll buy you another drink."
Henry thought about it and decided not to go in.
"I'm sorry Nan but it's really too hot for me in there. I'm going to head to
Rocco's for a nice air conditioned beer."
"Sounds splendid. Ok…I understand.
"It was nice to see you again Nan…really. Take care now."
"I will. Thanks for visiting with me. I had a ball. Enjoy Rocco's"
And with that they hugged each other goodbye and went their separate ways.
Around 1AM Rocco was placing the chairs up on the tables when there was a knock
at his front door. He checked the time on his wrist and went to tell them he was
closed. Through the door he saw a woman standing there.
"I'm sorry Ma'am but I'm closed now. I open at 9 if you still need a drink in
the morning."
The girl was swaying a bit but managed to steady herself.
"Is Henry there? Henry Coda? I'm a friend of his."
Rocco opened the door and told her that she just missed him.
"He left about 10 minutes ago. You don't happen to be Nan are you?"
"Yes..why?"
"Oh boy was he going on and on about you. You made quite the impression on him
tonight. He usually only talks about music but not tonight. It was Nan this and
Nan that. Sorry you missed him."
"Yeah, me too. Please tell him I stopped by ok?"
"I will. Goodnight."
And with that she turned away and headed back to her waiting taxi.
“Thanks for waiting. Please take me to the Serling Hotel.”
The driver nodded and turned the key in the ignition and pulled away from the tavern. Nan, drunk… rummages through her purse as the taxi speeds through the early morning darkness as the car radio plays an REM song and Nan smiles to herself as she zips up her bag and quietly sings along to the tune as it plays.
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Do 1-100 and I’ll send booty pics
1: Is there a boy/girl in your life?
You can say that
2: Think of the last person who hurt you; do you forgive them?
Forgive but never forget
3: What do you think of when you hear the word “meow?”
Cats?
4: What’s something you really want right now?
To stop feeling the way I do, I guess
5: Are you afraid of falling in love?
Its the falling out part usually
6: Do you like the beach?
Yes
7: Have you ever slept on a couch with someone else?
Yea
8: What’s the background on your cell?
My crush, so its not super weird, she knows and is 100% okay with it
9: Name the last four beds you were sat on?
,Mine, Shawns, technically Eulissas, and um and my old studios one
10: Do you like your phone?
It does me well so far, but I do want to upgrade
11: Honestly, are things going the way you planned?
Its only day 6 into this new year, so the plan was just made
12: Who was the last person whose phone number you added to your contacts?
My friend’s new number
13: Would you rather have a poodle or a Rottweiler?
Im okay with a poodle.
14: Which hurts the most, physical or emotional pain?
Emotional
15: Would you rather visit a zoo or an art museum?
Art Museum
16: Are you tired?
Fucking always
17: How long have you known your 1st phone contact?
12 years now
18: Are they a relative?
Nope, but he’s definitely closer than most of my family
19: Would you ever consider getting back together with any of your exes?
Yikes in my Nikes! Nah
20: When did you last talk to the last person you shared a kiss with?
A couple of days ago
21: If you knew you had the right person, would you marry them today?
I’d wait for her to be ready first, marriage is a big thing
22: Would you kiss the last person you kissed again?
No
23: How many bracelets do you have on your wrists right now?
None
24: Is there a certain quote you live by?
Not that I can think of a t the moment
25: What’s on your mind?
Alot but usually her :D
26: Do you have any tattoos?
Two, a lotus on my calf and a backpack on my forearm
27: What is your favorite color?
Purple
28: Next time you will kiss someone on the lips?
Im not sure but I have a hunch
29: Who are you texting?
My friend whom I call, Bubblegum
30: Think to the last person you kissed, have you ever kissed them on a couch?
Stop this, yes lol
31: Have you ever had the feeling something bad was going to happen and you were right?
I asked you stop asking about exes haha
32: Do you have a friend of the opposite sex you can talk to?
Most of them?
33: Do you think anyone has feelings for you?
I think so, but dat virgo moon doe
34: Has anyone ever told you you have pretty eyes?
I think so?
35: Say the last person you kissed was kissing someone right in front of you?
Ok?
36: Were you single on Valentines Day?
Most likely going to be
37: Are you friends with the last person you kissed?
Nope
38: What do your friends call you?
Mostly by name, but some call me Panda
39: Has anyone upset you in the last week?
When theres Emotions and Alcohol mixed, it happens
40: Have you ever cried over a text?
Yee
41: Where’s your last bruise located?
Fuck if I remember
42: What is it from?
N/A
43: Last time you wanted to be away from somewhere really bad?
Like two days ago
44: Who was the last person you were on the phone with?
My mother
45: Do you have a favourite pair of shoes?
No, I get one pair and just stick to them
46: Do you wear hats if your having a bad hair day?
Sometimes
47: Would you ever go bald if it was the style?
No
48: Do you make supper for your family?
No
49: Does your bedroom have a door?
Yes
50: Top 3 web-pages?
Im just gunna go with the top 3 used, Youtube, Twitch, Tumblr
51: Do you know anyone who hates shopping?
Me
52: Does anything on your body hurt?
My knee tbh haha
53: Are goodbyes hard for you?
Usually
54: What was the last beverage you spilled on yourself?
An alcoholic orange soda
55: How is your hair?
Hair-y?
56: What do you usually do first in the morning?
Hate myself?
57: Do you think two people can last forever?
Yes
58: Think back to January 2007, were you single?
Yes
59: Green or purple grapes?
Puple
60: When’s the next time you will give someone a BIG hug?
Look at #28
61: Do you wish you were somewhere else right now?
Yea
62: When will be the next time you text someone?
I know for a fact in a few hours lol
63: Where will you be 5 hours from now?
Hanging with the person Id be texting in #62
64: What were you doing at 8 this morning.
Getting a ride home
65: This time last year, can you remember who you liked?
This time last year, umm, I dont remember
66: Is there one person in your life that can always make you smile?
Yea
67: Did you kiss or hug anyone today?
No
68: What was your last thought before you went to bed last night?
I dont rmemeber
69: Have you ever tried your hardest and then gotten disappointed in the end?
Yea
70: How many windows are open on your computer?
! window, 2 tabs
71: How many fingers do you have?
All 10
72: What is your ringtone?
For The Damaged Coda by Blonde Redhead, but my notification tone is Cuccos from Link to the Past
73: How old will you be in 5 months?
Nobody likes you when youre 23
74: Where is your Mum right now?
In the Kitchen
75: Why aren’t you with the person you were first in love with or almost in love?
She deiced my friend was a better choice
76: Have you held hands with somebody in the past three days?
No
77: Are you friends with the people you were friends with two years ago?
Most of them
78: Do you remember who you had a crush on in year 7?
God there were two friends, Katie and Ari
79: Is there anyone you know with the name Mike?
A few lol
80: Have you ever fallen asleep in someones arms?
Yes
81: How many people have you liked in the past three months?
One
82: Has anyone seen you in your underwear in the last 3 days?
No
83: Will you talk to the person you like tonight?
Most likely
84: You’re drunk and yelling at hot guys/girls out of your car window, you’re with?
Noone becasue I dont
85: If your BF/GF was into drugs would you care?
I would, but on the other hand, depends what it is?
86: What was the most eventful thing that happened last time you went to see a movie?
My friend went to Northern Lights before hand, Im just cant remeber what they bought
87: Who was your last received call from?
My mom
88: If someone gave you $1,000 to burn a butterfly over a candle, would you?
Probs
89: What is something you wish you had more of?
Yes
90: Have you ever trusted someone too much?
Yes
91: Do you sleep with your window open?
Its 4F, its cold enough with it closed
92: Do you get along with girls?
Yea
93: Are you keeping a secret from someone who needs to know the truth?
Not that I know of
94: Does sex mean love?
Not all the time
95: You’re locked in a room with the last person you kissed, is that a problem?
Yikeis in my Nikes!
96: Have you ever kissed anyone with a lip ring?
No
97: Did you sleep alone this week?
Yes
98: Everybody has somebody that makes them happy, do you?
I think so
99: Do you believe in love at first sight?
I mean, if the story works out that way, one can hope
100: Who was the last person that you pinky promise?
I’m not sure
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Reunion (a short story)
Henry throws on his favorite shirt, a concert tee that he got at an Arlo
Guthrie concert some years back. Pulling the shirt over his head, he eyes the
bottle of ale that sits on the kitchen table. Reaching out with his left hand
he grabs the bottle and takes a long pull from it. Friday night and not a thing
going on. Luckily.
With the drink in his hand he walks over to the living room
window and takes a peak at the great outdoors. Folks arriving for a CYO event at
the school across the street. Looks like a basketball game as he spies on the
young girls showing up in their cheerleader outfits. Some adults walking in and
a young man about 20 has his head stuck into his cell phone, texting as he moves
straight ahead. Henry closes the curtain tight and walks away quite glad that he
is not playing a game of basketball tonight. As much as he complains about the
loneliness of his life, he has adapted to it and some nights, such as tonight,
he is glad for his solitude lifestyle.
The television is on but thankfully muted while the record player spins the
vinyl album around at 33 and a third. A collector of sorts, he stops and stares
at his records. A massive amount that must be well into the thousands. His
father started him out young to the pleasures of music and he never looked back.
His dad left him his old records from the 40's to the 70's when he passed away.
Alphabetized, he goes down to one knee to look through the Z's. Pulling out
Frank Zappa's first album he takes the record from its sleeve and stares at the
grooves that the needle reads. Henry can, and will spend hours now gazing at his
collection with pride bursting up through his soul. Nothing can or will make him
as happy as rummaging through these records and trips to the Salvation Army for
more is his true joy in life.
Stopping only to gather up a plate of nacho's and a few beers, Henry has
just spent the complete Friday night alone with his records. He plans to leave
the house tomorrow morning for a trip to the local hotel where a huge record
sale will be going down. Once a month there is a gathering of all types of
venders selling off their albums and other music related items. Henry looks
forward to this with unbridled glee. He takes to the computer and after seeing
there was not one email waiting for him he begins to compile a list of albums
that he must have and hopefully he will be able to find them there. Some records
he just never stops looking for. Years and years he has waited for somebody to
sell them off. A Beatles record nicknamed the Butcher Album due to the cover
showing the Fab Four dressed as butchers covered in raw meat and doll parts. A
true and rare collector's item. He saw one once when he was visiting his sister
in California. He had it in his hands and as he always does, he smelled the
inside of the cover. There really is nothing finer than the scent of an old
record Henry believed. The asking price for the album was a hefty 1000 bucks
which he did not have at the time. He has saved up for the day it would appear
to him again. He would not miss out on it twice.
With the need to take a piss Henry, drunk now, as he always is on the
weekends, stumbles to the bathroom. Holding on for dear life he lets out a long sigh
and out of the blue the telephone rings. He usually unplugs the fucking thing on
the weekends but he must have forgotten. The answering
machine pick up. It is a woman's voice and it is unfamiliar. Without washing his
hands, Henry walks to the bedroom to hear the voice say goodbye and then the
tape rewinds. Who the fuck could that be? Henry presses play and he listens in
carefully.
"I'm looking for Henry Coda. If this is the wrong number I apologize but I
really want to find him. This is Anna Baez. I went to school with Henry back in
the 80's and I would like to invite him to our schools 25th anniversary. It's
this upcoming weekend…seven days from now and it will be a ball. So Henry,
please if you could join us at the school at 7 in the gymnasium… I would be
thrilled to see you again. We all would. It will be a blast. I hope this is the
right number. Call me at 722-5733 to let me know if you can come. Thanks and
goodbye."
Christ. Anna Baez. Henry takes a long drink from the bottle…killing it and
he heads to the bookshelf to pull out his senior yearbook. The cover says
Binghamton Central High School. It has been years since he has looked at this
thing. He takes a seat on his bed and opens the book. He flips through the pages
with a bored look on his face until he comes to the page he wants. Under his
nose is a picture of Anna. A blonde beauty that was quite popular in school.
Unlike Henry she excelled in school, running for class president and winning. A
cheerleader and if he remembered correctly, she was crowned prom queen…a prom in
which Henry did not attend. His book was signed a few times and he reads a few.
"Have a great summer Henry…see you at the college."
"Henry, keep playing that guitar and I am certain you'll be top of the pops in
no time."
"You are one weird fellow man. Don't change."
Henry never ended up going to the local community college and he never made
it to the top of the charts. He was still weird and he has barely changed since
the 80's. He closed the book and placed it back on the shelf. He remained on
the bed thinking of school. How he hated it and most of the kids there…except
for one girl…Nancy…or Nan for short. Nan, he had the biggest teenage crush on.
She was always friendly with him but she was dating the same guy from their
freshman year right up to the senior year. They were friends…she was kind to
him and although her boyfriend hated him she didn't care. She was nice. Rising
from the bed he began to think about her. Nan, I wonder if you are even still
alive and if you are I bet you have fourteen kids and a beefcake husband. He
wandered out of his room and made it to the kitchen to grab a fresh beer.
Cracking it open he heard the needle hit the label on the record he was playing
and he knew it was time to flip it over.
Playing the Stones now he could not get his mind off of that girl. Nan.
Henry hardly left his house for any kind of social event. Skipping family
reunions and the like. But this…this could be…interesting. He wanted to see
Nan and that was the only thing that made him pick up the phone to call Anna
back.
She answered right away and sounded genuinely pleased to hear from him. She
told him that he was all set. That it was to be a casual party and that he could
bring a friend or spouse if he wanted to. Henry asked how many people have
signed up to go and she told him that it will be a packed event.
"Expect at least a hundred kids to be there. It will be lots of fun. And Henry,
feel free to bring some of those records of yours with you. I bet we would all
like to hear them."
After saying goodbye and hanging up Henry crawled into bed and found
himself…drunk and daydreaming about Nan and just what he could say to her. It
made him nervous just thinking about it and soon he blocked it out and fell
asleep with the full bottle of beer next to his head.
——————————————————————————————–
After about four beers Henry was ready to leave for the reunion.
Dressed in khakis and a seersucker shirt he bent down to tie his shoes when he
felt the urge to throw up come over him. He ran to the kitchen sink and made it
just in time. Four beers down the drain, all sudsy and wiping tears from his
eyes he went to swig some mouthwash around in the bathroom.
Outside now Henry tucked the cuffs of his pants into his socks and jumped
onto his bicycle. The school was only a few blocks away and it was a pleasant
night. He had no intention of trying to impress anyone there. His bike was fine
and he enjoyed riding it more than driving anyway.
Along the way there his nerves grew worse and he checked the time on the side
of the bank on the corner. 7:15. He was late and he did not care. He toyed with
the idea of not showing…no one would miss him anyway but Nan…he was dying to
see what became of her. He stopped his bike in front of the tavern Rocco's and
parking his bike on the side of the building. He went in.
"Henry! Long time no see my friend. How goes it?"
Rocco extended his hand and Henry shook it with a weak smile on his face.
"Get me a cold one please Rocco. Lord knows I need one tonight"
"What's the big occasion? You got a hot date tonight? If you do, bring her here.
I'd love to see the kind of girl you could pick up Henry."
The bartender, a black guy with muscles that would put Schwarzenegger to shame
cracked the top off the bottle of Bud and handed it to Henry. He took hold of it
and brought it to his mouth and drained half of it in a mere two seconds. His
eyes darted around but he found himself slowly calming down. The television
above the bar was on showing some soccer match and the jukebox was playing the
old Turtles tune.. .'Happy Together.'
"Henry, it's been a while, a few days now perhaps since you last walked into
my establishment. What's been happening to you? You depressed? Did a fire destroy
your record collection or something?"
"No. Just been busy is all. Listen Rocco, I need your advice here. I'm now
headed to my 25th reunion at school and I am rather nervous about it all. There
is a girl there…or a woman now and I really want to talk to her but I am a
social dud. I have no idea what to say to her. What's a good ice breaker?
Something that won't
make me look like a total dick head. Just a little dick head."
Rocco smiled and said
" Ah Henry, you seeing an old flame tonight? Some girl
who used to give you hand jobs in the basement? Something like that eh?"
"No…not at all. Just a girl who I was friendly with. Though I have to admit
that I dreamed of her and those hands giving me some relief. I don't know. I
can't think of what to say to her when I see her. I need your help here."
Rocco pulled up a stool and thought for a while. "What did you guys used to
talk about in school? Back then. What did you talk about?"
Henry thought for a while and he said `music.'
"Ok, then you talk about that. Just say that you heard an old song on the radio
and that it made you think of her. She'll be pleased to hear this…hopefully and
there you go. You'll be off to the races."
"But I never listen to the radio…all those commercials and that terrible hip
hop music they play now a days…It gives me a head…"
“Then, forget the radio part…just say you heard a song…somewhere… and it made
you think of her. Just wing it from there. She'll want to know what song and
then you'll be in a real conversation and I bet it will be the first one with a
woman for quite some time. Am I right?"
Henry sighed and took a drink from the bottle.
"Yeah, music, that's kinda what I had planned on anyway."
"That's all you ever talk about actually Henry. This is the first conversation
we've had that wasn't about music or music related. You must really be
nervous."
"Yeah, I am. What time is it Rocco?"
"7:30."
"Shit, I gotta go. Thanks for the help. I appreciate it, man."
Rocco wished him good luck and said that if he gets lucky with the girl to bring
her over to the bar so he could see what all this nervousness was all about.
Henry killed his beer and slammed the bottle down on the bar with a determined
thud. He stood and with a wave left the bar and found his bike waiting for him.
He climbed aboard and began his trek to the school.
————————————————-
Inside the gymnasium it was sweltering. He was informed at the front desk,
where old Anna Baez was sitting, that the air conditioners were on the fritz and
to expect it to be a little warm in there. Warm? It was horrible. Henry went
immediately to the bar and ordered a beer. A nice cold beer would really hit the
spot and maybe calm his nerves a bit.
Drinking, he looked down to his name tag. Henry. Who the hell is going to
remember me anyway? This is a mistake. He had a few friends in high school
and they all went to universities and left him in his hometown alone and
friendless. Sure, he knew some of the guys and gals at the record conventions
but he wouldn't be able to really call them friends. He was a lonely guy who
simply loved his records and beer. He looked up and watched all the people
milling around and some dancing. A few guys whom he recognized as old jocks
were standing at the bar, drinking and laughing, without a care in the world.
Henry felt the sweat dripping down his back and he flapped his shirt a few times
to get some air in there. His ears pricked up when he heard a Duran Duran song
playing and he was just about to head over to the DJ booth to talk to the guy
about his CD's when he saw Nan walk in. The light from the gym was weak at best
but he knew it was her although he could not read her name tag. My
goodness…there she is he thought to himself. I'll just wait for a while to let
her mingle with the people that she really wanted to see and then, then he would
walk up to her and reintroduce himself to her.
Henry wiped his brow with the back of his hand and struck up a conversation
with the DJ. They shot the shit for a few minutes when he felt a hand on his
shoulder. He turned around and saw Nan smiling ear to ear.
"Henry Coda…my God…you look exactly the same. You really do. My
goodness…how are you?"
Henry's shirt was sopped with sweat as he opened his mouth to return her
greeting when a group of guys walked up to Nan and began to talk excitedly to
her. Henry shrunk back to the DJ booth and just stood there watching them
enjoying their conversation. I wish I was normal he thought to himself. I wish I could
talk and feel carefree with others. Instead I am a sweating fool all alone with
social anxiety and a drinking problem. He took a swig from his plastic cup and turned
around to stare at the wall.
A few minutes passed while a Van Halen song played. Henry began to recall the
time he had bought the album which this song came from when he heard a woman's
voice say something. He turned around to see Nan staring at him.
"Hello…anyone home? I've been trying to get your attention for a minute now
silly. Daydreaming about music I bet. This Van Halen song sure brings back the
memories don't you think?"
"I was just playing this song a few days ago actually. All in all it's a great
album with very little filler. Sure, a few of the songs aren't all that great on
it but not many records from that period were masterpieces. You know what I
mean?"
Nan smiled at him and told him that he has not changed all that much from 25
years ago. Henry smiled and tried hard to think of something to say to her. He
decided to ask her about her life now but she spoke first.
"So tell me Henry…tell me about your life. Are you married? Is your rock and
roll wife around here somewhere?"
"Wife? Ha, no…No wife. Never. Never was married. You?"
"Well, remember Davey? My boyfriend in school? We married after college and 10
months later we were divorced. Still to this day I have no idea what went wrong
but that band of gold on my finger just cursed us. It was something else, I'll
tell you, I won't be walking down the aisle again, you can count on that."
Henry looked down at her finger and even in the bad light he could see that she
was not sporting a wedding ring.
"Gee, I'm sorry about that Nan. Geeze…will he be here tonight? Davey?"
"No, he moved to Washington State after our divorce was finalized. I haven't
seen him in years now. No kids…thank God."
"Oh…well that's good I guess…divorce can really be hard on kids; at least
that's what I've read in magazines and all. So…you live around here?"
Nan answered his questions and boy was there a lot of them. Henry at times felt
like he was interviewing the poor girl but he really had nothing else to say to
her so he asked questions. Query after query but she didn't seem to mind at all.
They talked for a while when he realized he was in dire need of a drink. He
tried to back step a bit to get closer to the bar hoping that she would follow
him…slowly but two steps back into his plan she stood right there, not moving
an inch. He would have to ask her if she would like a refill on her wine…or
what appeared to be wine. Maybe it was punch. It was red and that was all he
could tell. In a break in the conversation he asked her if she would like a
refill and that he could really go for a cold beer in this stifling heat.
"I know! It's so hot in here…I can't stand it. Want to go outside for a bit? I
could use some fresh air and besides…and don't tell anyone but I am dying for
a cigarette."
"Outside? Certainly. I'd like that. I'm beginning to melt in here. Please just
let me refill my beer here. Can you wait?"
She nodded her head and Henry went to get a beer. Turning to Nan he asked her if
she was good. She replied that another cup of wine would be great and she handed
him her now empty cup.
"…A nice cold Michelob and a wine please Jerry."
The bartender filled up the two glasses and they headed outside. On the way to
the front doors Nan was greeted with many hellos. Henry couldn't remember her
being so popular in school. It was mighty crowded and Nan grabbed his arm and
pulled him along and he was happy to be lead away out of there.
Outside the cool air was a Godsend. They both needed the cool night air
on their hot skin.
"Now this is much better, don't you think Henry? So, tell me now…back in school
you loved music more than anyone I've
ever known. You ever made a career of it? You in a band or anything?"
He felt like he was letting her down as he went on to say that not only was he
not in a band but that as a career he chose media marketing.
"What exactly is that Henry?"
"You know those jingles you hear on the radio? I write them. I make commercials
for the radio and television."
"Oh my, how interesting…anything I would know?"
"You know Champs Fried Chicken? The chain of chicken places? Well that one
ad..the one that goes:
`Champs…is the place to be
when your down and hungry,
a dollar 99 is all you got?
you'll dig our chicken, you'll dig it a lot.'
I wrote that."
"Holy shit Henry, I know that song! It's the catchiest tune like ever! Wow…I'm
with a celebrity here!"
"Ha…well…it pays the bills. It's not going to get me a gold record but I
suppose I can't complain."
"Well, I think it's awesome…simply awesome Henry. I'm not as famous as you
but I guess my job is ok…I sell real estate in North Carolina. I'm not rich or
anything but like you, I can pay the bills."
Henry found himself relaxing a bit. The cool night air did him well and he
found that he could keep up his end of the conversation. He went in a few times
to refill their drinks. He was feeling alright by the time of his 7th beer of
the night and Nan was really knocking the wine back. They talked about many
things and a few people even recognized him as they made their way out of the
gym to return home.
Around the time of Nan's fifth cup of wine she realized that the party inside
was dying down.
"I should really go back inside and mingle a bit more. You wanna come along with
me? There has to be other people you want to see besides me."
"Not really, Nan…in fact the only reason why I came to this high school heat
wave was to see you. You were always so nice to me…don't think I've forgotten
it these many years later."
"Oh Henry, that's so nice of you to say. Shoot…I should go back though. You
sure you don't want to come with me? I'll buy you another drink."
Henry thought about it and decided not to go in.
"I'm sorry Nan but it's really too hot for me in there. I'm going to head to
Rocco's for a nice air conditioned beer."
"Sounds splendid. Ok…I understand.
"It was nice to see you again Nan…really. Take care now."
"I will. Thanks for visiting with me. I had a ball. Enjoy Rocco's"
And with that they hugged each other goodbye and went their separate ways.
Around 1AM Rocco was placing the chairs up on the tables when there was a knock
at his front door. He checked the time on his wrist and went to tell them he was
closed. Through the door he saw a woman standing there.
"I'm sorry Ma'am but I'm closed now. I open at 9 if you still need a drink in
the morning."
The girl was swaying a bit but managed to steady herself.
"Is Henry there? Henry Coda? I'm a friend of his."
Rocco opened the door and told her that she just missed him.
"He left about 10 minutes ago. You don't happen to be Nan are you?"
"Yes..why?"
"Oh boy was he going on and on about you. You made quite the impression on him
tonight. He usually only talks about music but not tonight. It was Nan this and
Nan that. Sorry you missed him."
"Yeah, me too. Please tell him I stopped by ok?"
"I will. Goodnight."
And with that she turned away and headed back to her waiting taxi.
“Thanks for waiting. Please take me to the Serling Hotel.”
The driver nodded and turned the key in the ignition and pulled away from the tavern. Nan, drunk… rummages through her purse as the taxi speeds through the early morning darkness as the car radio plays an REM song and Nan smiles to herself as she zips up her bag and quietly sings along to the tune as it plays.
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Reunion
Henry throws on his favorite shirt, a concert tee that he got at an Arlo
Guthrie concert some years back. Pulling the shirt over his head, he eyes the
bottle of ale that sits on the kitchen table. Reaching out with his left hand
he grabs the bottle and takes a long pull from it. Friday night and not a thing
going on. Luckily.
With the drink in his hand he walks over to the living room
window and takes a peak at the great outdoors. Folks arriving for a CYO event at
the school across the street. Looks like a basketball game as he spies on the
young girls showing up in their cheerleader outfits. Some adults walking in and
a young man about 20 has his head stuck into his cell phone, texting as he moves
straight ahead. Henry closes the curtain tight and walks away quite glad that he
is not playing a game of basketball tonight. As much as he complains about the
loneliness of his life, he has adapted to it and some nights, such as tonight,
he is glad for his solitude lifestyle.
The television is on but thankfully muted while the record player spins the
vinyl album around at 33 and a third. A collector of sorts, he stops and stares
at his records. A massive amount that must be well into the thousands. His
father started him out young to the pleasures of music and he never looked back.
His dad left him his old records from the 40's to the 70's when he passed away.
Alphabetized, he goes down to one knee to look through the Z's. Pulling out
Frank Zappa's first album he takes the record from its sleeve and stares at the
grooves that the needle reads. Henry can, and will spend hours now gazing at his
collection with pride bursting up through his soul. Nothing can or will make him
as happy as rummaging through these records and trips to the Salvation Army for
more is his true joy in life.
Stopping only to gather up a plate of nacho's and a few beers, Henry has
just spent the complete Friday night alone with his records. He plans to leave
the house tomorrow morning for a trip to the local hotel where a huge record
sale will be going down. Once a month there is a gathering of all types of
vender's selling off their albums and other music related items. Henry looks
forward to this with unbridled glee. He takes to the computer and after seeing
there was not one email waiting for him he begins to compile a list of albums
that he must have and hopefully he will be able to find them there. Some records
he just never stops looking for. Years and years he has waited for somebody to
sell them off. A Beatles record nicknamed the Butcher Album due to the cover
showing the Fab Four dressed as butchers covered in raw meat and doll parts. A
true and rare collector's item. He saw one once when he was visiting his sister
in California. He had it in his hands and as he always does, he smelled the
inside of the cover. There really is nothing finer than the scent of an old
record Henry believed. The asking price for the album was a hefty 1000 bucks
which he did not have at the time. He has saved up for the day it would appear
to him again. He would not miss out on it twice.
With the need to take a piss Henry, drunk now, as he always is on the
weekends, stumbles to the bathroom. Holding on for dear life he lets out a long sigh
and out of the blue the telephone rings. He usually unplugs the fucking thing on
the weekends but he must have forgotten. The answering
machine pick up. It is a woman's voice and it is unfamiliar. Without washing his
hands, Henry walks to the bedroom to hear the voice say goodbye and then the
tape rewinds. Who the fuck could that be? Henry presses play and he listens in
carefully.
"I'm looking for Henry Coda. If this is the wrong number I apologize but I
really want to find him. This is Anna Baez. I went to school with Henry back in
the 80's and I would like to invite him to our schools 25th anniversary. It's
this upcoming weekend…seven days from now and it will be a ball. So Henry,
please if you could join us at the school at 7 in the gymnasium… I would be
thrilled to see you again. We all would. It will be a blast. I hope this is the
right number. Call me at 722-5733 to let me know if you can come. Thanks and
goodbye."
Christ. Anna Baez. Henry takes a long drink from the bottle…killing it and
he heads to the bookshelf to pull out his senior yearbook. The cover says
Binghamton Central High School. It has been years since he has looked at this
thing. He takes a seat on his bed and opens the book. He flips through the pages
with a bored look on his face until he comes to the page he wants. Under his
nose is a picture of Anna. A blond beauty that was quite popular in school.
Unlike Henry she excelled in school, running for class president and winning. A
cheerleader and if he remembered correctly, she was crowned prom queen…a prom in
which Henry did not attend. His book was signed a few times and he reads a few.
"Have a great summer Henry…see you at the college."
"Henry, keep playing that guitar and I am certain you'll be top of the pops in
no time."
"You are one weird fellow man. Don't change."
Henry never ended up going to the local community college and he never made
it to the top of the charts. He was still weird and he has barely changed since
the 80's. He closed the book and placed it back on the shelf. He remained on
the bed thinking of school. How he hated it and most of the kids there…except
for one girl…Nancy…or Nan for short. Nan, he had the biggest teenage crush on.
She was always friendly with him but she was dating the same guy from their
freshman year right up to the senior year. They were friends…she was kind to
him and although her boyfriend hated him she didn't care. She was nice. Rising
from the bed he began to think about her. Nan, I wonder if you are even still
alive and if you are I bet you have fourteen kids and a beefcake husband. He
wandered out of his room and made it to the kitchen to grab a fresh beer.
Cracking it open he heard the needle hit the label on the record he was playing
and he knew it was time to flip it over.
Playing the Stones now he could not get his mind off of that girl. Nan.
Henry hardly left his house for any kind of social event. Skipping family
reunions and the like. But this…this could be…interesting. He wanted to see
Nan and that was the only thing that made him pick up the phone to call Anna
back.
She answered right away and sounded genuinely pleased to hear from him. She
told him that he was all set. That it was to be a casual party and that he could
bring a friend or spouse if he wanted to. Henry asked how many people have
signed up to go and she told him that it will be a packed event.
"Expect at least a hundred kids to be there. It will be lots of fun. And Henry,
feel free to bring some of those records of yours with you. I bet we would all
like to hear them."
After saying goodbye and hanging up Henry crawled into bed and found
himself…drunk and daydreaming about Nan and just what he could say to her. It
made him nervous just thinking about it and soon he blocked it out and fell
asleep with the full bottle of beer next to his head.
——————————————————————————————–
After about four beers Henry was ready to leave for the reunion.
Dressed in khakis and a seersucker shirt he bent down to tie his shoes when he
felt the urge to throw up come over him. He ran to the kitchen sink and made it
just in time. Four beers down the drain, all sudsy and wiping tears from his
eyes he went to swig some mouthwash around in the bathroom.
Outside now Henry tucked the cuffs of his pants into his socks and jumped
onto his bicycle. The school was only a few blocks away and it was a pleasant
night. He had no intention of trying to impress anyone there. His bike was fine
and he enjoyed riding it more than driving anyway.
Along the way there his nerves grew worse and he checked the time on the side
of the bank on the corner. 7:15. He was late and he did not care. He toyed with
the idea of not showing…no one would miss him anyway but Nan…he was dying to
see what became of her. He stopped his bike in front of the tavern Rocco's and
parking his bike on the side of the building. He went in.
"Henry! Long time no see my friend. How goes it?"
Rocco extended his hand and Henry shook it with a weak smile on his face.
"Get me a cold one please Rocco. Lord knows I need one tonight"
"What's the big occasion? You got a hot date tonight? If you do, bring her here.
I'd love to see the kind of girl you could pick up Henry."
The bartender, a black guy with muscles that would put Schwarzenegger to shame
cracked the top off the bottle of Bud and handed it to Henry. He took hold of it
and brought it to his mouth and drained half of it in a mere two seconds. His
eyes darted around but he found himself slowly calming down. The television
above the bar was on showing some soccer match and the jukebox was playing the
old Turtles tune.. .'Happy Together.'
"Henry, it's been a while, a few days now perhaps since you last walked into
my establishment. What's been happening to you? You depressed? Did a fire destroy
your record collection or something?"
"No. Just been busy is all. Listen Rocco, I need your advice here. I'm now
headed to my 25th reunion at school and I am rather nervous about it all. There
is a girl there…or a woman now and I really want to talk to her but I am a
social dud. I have no idea what to say to her. What's a good ice breaker?
Something that won't
make me look like a total dick head. Just a little dick head."
Rocco smiled and said
" Ah Henry, you seeing an old flame tonight? Some girl
who used to give you hand jobs in the basement? Something like that eh?"
"No…not at all. Just a girl who I was friendly with. Though I have to admit
that I dreamed of her and those hands giving me some relief. I don't know. I
can't think of what to say to her when I see her. I need your help here."
Rocco pulled up a stool and thought for a while. "What did you guys used to
talk about in school? Back then. What did you talk about?"
Henry thought for a while and he said `music.'
"Ok, then you talk about that. Just say that you heard an old song on the radio
and that it made you think of her. She'll be pleased to hear this…hopefully and
there you go. You'll be off to the races."
"But I never listen to the radio…all those commercials and that terrible hip
hop music they play now a days…It gives me a head…"
“Then, forget the radio part…just say you heard a song…somewhere… and it made
you think of her. Just wing it from there. She'll want to know what song and
then you'll be in a real conversation and I bet it will be the first one with a
woman for quite some time. Am I right?"
Henry sighed and took a drink from the bottle.
"Yeah, music, that's kinda what I had planned on anyway."
"That's all you ever talk about actually Henry. This is the first conversation
we've had that wasn't about music or music related. You must really be
nervous."
"Yeah, I am. What time is it Rocco?"
"7:30."
"Shit, I gotta go. Thanks for the help. I appreciate it, man."
Rocco wished him good luck and said that if he gets lucky with the girl to bring
her over to the bar so he could see what all this nervousness was all about.
Henry killed his beer and slammed the bottle down on the bar with a determined
thud. He stood and with a wave left the bar and found his bike waiting for him.
He climbed aboard and began his trek to the school.
————————————————-
Inside the gymnasium it was sweltering. He was informed at the front desk,
where old Anna Baez was sitting, that the air conditioners were on the fritz and
to expect it to be a little warm in there. Warm? It was horrible. Henry went
immediately to the bar and ordered a beer. A nice cold beer would really hit the
spot and maybe calm his nerves a bit.
Drinking, he looked down to his name tag. Henry. Who the hell is going to
remember me anyway? This is a mistake. He had a few friends in high school
and they all went to universities and left him in his hometown alone and
friendless. Sure, he knew some of the guys and gals at the record conventions
but he wouldn't be able to really call them friends. He was a lonely guy who
simply loved his records and beer. He looked up and watched all the people
milling around and some dancing. A few guys whom he recognized as old jocks
were standing at the bar, drinking and laughing, without a care in the world.
Henry felt the sweat dripping down his back and he flapped his shirt a few times
to get some air in there. His ears pricked up when he heard a Duran Duran song
playing and he was just about to head over to the DJ booth to talk to the guy
about his CD's when he saw Nan walk in. The light from the gym was weak at best
but he knew it was her although he could not read her name tag. My
goodness…there she is he thought to himself. I'll just wait for a while to let
her mingle with the people that she really wanted to see and then, then he would
walk up to her and reintroduce himself to her.
Henry wiped his brow with the back of his hand and struck up a conversation
with the DJ. They shot the shit for a few minutes when he felt a hand on his
shoulder. He turned around and saw Nan smiling ear to ear.
"Henry Coda…my God…you look exactly the same. You really do. My
goodness…how are you?"
Henry's shirt was sopped with sweat as he opened his mouth to return her
greeting when a group of guys walked up to Nan and began to talk excitedly to
her. Henry shrunk back to the DJ booth and just stood there watching them
enjoying their conversation. I wish I was normal he thought to himself. I wish I could
talk and feel carefree with others. Instead I am a sweating fool all alone with
social anxiety and a drinking problem. He took a swig from his plastic cup and turned
around to stare at the wall.
A few minutes passed while a Van Halen song played. Henry began to recall the
time he had bought the album which this song came from when he heard a woman's
voice say something. He turned around to see Nan staring at him.
"Hello…anyone home? I've been trying to get your attention for a minute now
silly. Daydreaming about music I bet. This Van Halen song sure brings back the
memories don't you think?"
"I was just playing this song a few days ago actually. All in all it's a great
album with very little filler. Sure, a few of the songs aren't all that great on
it but not many records from that period were masterpieces. You know what I
mean?"
Nan smiled at him and told him that he has not changed all that much from 25
years ago. Henry smiled and tried hard to think of something to say to her. He
decided to ask her about her life now but she spoke first.
"So tell me Henry…tell me about your life. Are you married? Is your rock and
roll wife around here somewhere?"
"Wife? Ha, no…No wife. Never. Never was married. You?"
"Well, remember Davey? My boyfriend in school? We married after college and 10
months later we were divorced. Still to this day I have no idea what went wrong
but that band of gold on my finger just cursed us. It was something else, I'll
tell you, I won't be walking down the aisle again, you can count on that."
Henry looked down at her finger and even in the bad light he could see that she
was not sporting a wedding ring.
"Gee, I'm sorry about that Nan. Geeze…will he be here tonight? Davey?"
"No, he moved to Washington State after our divorce was finalized. I haven't
seen him in years now. No kids…thank God."
"Oh…well that's good I guess…divorce can really be hard on kids; at least
that's what I've read in magazines and all. So…you live around here?"
Nan answered his questions and boy was there a lot of them. Henry at times felt
like he was interviewing the poor girl but he really had nothing else to say to
her so he asked questions. Query after query but she didn't seem to mind at all.
They talked for a while when he realized he was in dire need of a drink. He
tried to back step a bit to get closer to the bar hoping that she would follow
him…slowly but two steps back into his plan she stood right there, not moving
an inch. He would have to ask her if she would like a refill on her wine…or
what appeared to be wine. Maybe it was punch. It was red and that was all he
could tell. In a break in the conversation he asked her if she would like a
refill and that he could really go for a cold beer in this stifling heat.
"I know! It's so hot in here…I can't stand it. Want to go outside for a bit? I
could use some fresh air and besides…and don't tell anyone but I am dying for
a cigarette."
"Outside? Certainly. I'd like that. I'm beginning to melt in here. Please just
let me refill my beer here. Can you wait?"
She nodded her head and Henry went to get a beer. Turning to Nan he asked her if
she was good. She replied that another cup of wine would be great and she handed
him her now empty cup.
"…A nice cold Michelob and a wine please Jerry."
The bartender filled up the two glasses and they headed outside. On the way to
the front doors Nan was greeted with many hellos. Henry couldn't remember her
being so popular in school. It was mighty crowded and Nan grabbed his arm and
pulled him along and he was happy to be lead away out of there.
Outside the cool air was a Godsend. They both needed the cool night air
on their hot skin.
"Now this is much better, don't you think Henry? So, tell me now…back in school
you loved music more than anyone I've
ever known. You ever made a career of it? You in a band or anything?"
He felt like he was letting her down as he went on to say that not only was he
not in a band but that as a career he chose media marketing.
"What exactly is that Henry?"
"You know those jingles you hear on the radio? I write them. I make commercials
for the radio and television."
"Oh my, how interesting…anything I would know?"
"You know Champs Fried Chicken? The chain of chicken places? Well that one
ad..the one that goes:
`Champs…is the place to be
when your down and hungry,
a dollar 99 is all you got?
you'll dig our chicken, you'll dig it a lot.'
I wrote that."
"Holy shit Henry, I know that song! It's the catchiest tune like ever! Wow…I'm
with a celebrity here!"
"Ha…well…it pays the bills. It's not going to get me a gold record but I
suppose I can't complain."
"Well, I think it's awesome…simply awesome Henry. I'm not as famous as you
but I guess my job is OK…I sell real estate in North Carolina. I'm not rich or
anything but like you, I can pay the bills."
Henry found himself relaxing a bit. The cool night air did him well and he
found that he could keep up his end of the conversation. He went in a few times
to refill their drinks. He was feeling alright by the time of his 7th beer of
the night and Nan was really knocking the wine back. They talked about many
things and a few people even recognized him as they made their way out of the
gym to return home.
Around the time of Nan's fifth cup of wine she realized that the party inside
was dying down.
"I should really go back inside and mingle a bit more. You wanna come along with
me? There has to be other people you want to see besides me."
"Not really, Nan…in fact the only reason why I came to this high school heat
wave was to see you. You were always so nice to me…don't think I've forgotten
it these many years later."
"Oh Henry, that's so nice of you to say. Shoot…I should go back though. You
sure you don't want to come with me? I'll buy you another drink."
Henry thought about it and decided not to go in.
"I'm sorry Nan but it's really too hot for me in there. I'm going to head to
Rocco's for a nice air conditioned beer."
"Sounds splendid. OK…I understand.
"It was nice to see you again Nan…really. Take care now."
"I will. Thanks for visiting with me. I had a ball. Enjoy Rocco's"
And with that they hugged each other goodbye and went their separate ways.
Around 1 AM Rocco was placing the chairs up on the tables when there was a knock
at his front door. He checked the time on his wrist and went to tell them he was
closed. Through the door he saw a woman standing there.
"I'm sorry Ma'am but I'm closed now. I open at 9 if you still need a drink in
the morning."
The girl was swaying a bit but managed to steady herself.
"Is Henry there? Henry Coda? I'm a friend of his."
Rocco opened the door and told her that she just missed him.
"He left about 10 minutes ago. You don't happen to be Nan are you?"
"Yes..why?"
"Oh boy was he going on and on about you. You made quite the impression on him
tonight. He usually only talks about music but not tonight. It was Nan this and
Nan that. Sorry you missed him."
"Yeah, me too. Please tell him I stopped by ok?"
"I will. Goodnight."
And with that she turned away and headed back to her waiting taxi.
“Thanks for waiting. Please take me to the Serling Hotel.”
The driver nodded and turned the key in the ignition and pulled away from the tavern. Nan, drunk… rummages through her purse as the taxi speeds through the early morning darkness as the car radio plays an REM song and Nan smiles to herself as she zips up her bag and quietly sings along to the tune as it plays.
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