The morning was bright, border lining blinding. Every sound doesn’t sound loud, but it feels loud. Michelle slept quietly with her forehead against the window, fogging a small area with her breath. Stan is driving, showing little signs of exhaustion after driving all night. He brakes a little and several empty cans tumble together on the floor board. A mix of silver beer cans and tall, flashy energy drink cans are piled in the passenger seat , as well as being scattered across this cheap van. Behind us, we are pulling a trailer filled with our equipment. We were heading home after doing several shows on the Warped Tour. Last night was our farewell party put together by the other bands that were leaving as well. I was still feeling the affects of that party. I wish I had a diaper right now and I can’t wait to put one on when I get home.
“Ohh…”, I moaned.
“Morning, man.” Stan greeted as he drifted into the next lane.
“What time is it?”
“Almost 9:00.”
“I need some food.”
“Yeah, I’m going to stop off soon to get gas and we can get something to eat then.”
“How you feeling?” I asked as I pushed all the cans off of the passenger seat and sat in it.
“Alright. Need to sleep, though.”
“How many?” My hand held up a crushed can that once was a energy drink.
“About Six or Seven.”
“Holy shit.”
“I know, right?”
“You haven’t crashed yet?”
“Nope.”
“You will, soon, like a zeppelin.”
“In a ball of fire.”
“Blazing.”
“Haha.”
We stopped at a gas station in this small desert town with some sophisticated features. From the looks of it, desert seemed fitting from a far perspective, but up close, it had some redeeming qualities. The concrete was solid and clean, which amazed me to believed that fact because I hadn’t thought it would exist to begin with. When desert comes to mind, I think dirt, dirt and more dirt. Maybe a cactus, tumble weeds and the expression on life’s face when looking at the end of the world. Surprisingly, I couldn’t see it from here, so we must be good.
After that, we stopped at a café to eat. It was pretty decent, not like the retro 50’s diners that are sometimes the place of a murder scene in cheap horror movie. The carpeted floors were clean, the booths were busy and the sun shined through the clear window, illuminating the restaurant and raising spirits. My headache was still bothering me, though. Michelle was quiet, still coming out of her slumber and before we could sit down, Stan hit the floor harder then gravity taking it’s vengeance on flightless animals. At the table, he laid his head down and fell asleep, snoring quietly in his arm. Michelle brought my attention to him, laughing quietly as to not wake him up. Stan, you may think you’re the devil, but you’re not.
Within moments of being seated, the waitress came up, bright with a smile and the sun beating against her pale skin. Her hair was as red as a rose in full bloom and her wrinkles were hid naturally by her gleaming white teeth and heavy amount of makeup. Michelle and I ordered our food, as well as ordering for Stan. Michelle nudged him several times before he finally awoke, frustrated to learn we already ordered for him and that what we had ordered was exactly what he wanted. “Am I that predictable?” He asked.
“No, lucky guess.” Michelle assured.
“God, I’m so tired.”
“I’ll drive the rest of the way back to LA.” I told him.
“Thank you” He let out a big yawn, “So, what are we going to do when we get back?”
“Rest.” Michelle lamented.
“I hear that.”
“I’m going to write, like always.” I said while flipping through the little laminated pamflet detailing the desert selection.
“Are you already thinking about a second album?”
“No, not really. Just want to write new stuff, you know.”
“Yeah, that sounds cool.”
“I got a few things in mind, but-” my sentence was interrupted by my cell phone beeping. It’s ringing buzzed in my pocket, vibrating against my skin. I answered it, waiting to hear the voice on the other end. The other voice was female, bringing back memories of a time forgotten. “Brian?”
“Hello?”
“This is Naomi.”
“Naomi! Who are you? Man, it’s been so long since we’ve talked.”
“Yes, I just wanted to call to say and hi and to let you know that I’m in LA.”
“You are?”
“Yeah, I wanted to come visit you and see how you are doing.”
“That’s great, but I’m not in LA right now.”
“Where are you?”
“About three hours away. We are on our way home and I should be there sometime after noon.”
“Okay, what is your address so I can meet you there.” I told her my address, repeating it several times before she had it written down correctly. “You can enter and make yourself at home once you get there. There is a spare key under one of the pots.” I told her.
“Thanks Brian. See you there in a while.”
“Cool, see you there. Bye”
“Bye.” I collapsed my phone and placed it back in my pocket. Stan and Michelle looked at me with curious eyes. “Who was that?” Stan asked.
“Friend. I knew her back in Fresno.”
“What kind of friend?” Michelle said in a playful attitude.
“Not that kind of friend.”
“Sure, sure.”
The last hour was murder. I had to piss so bad. I kept my leg crossed and my mind off it. I was nervous that my former habits would kick in and I would pee all over myself. Despite Michelle and Stan being two close friends of mine, I am not comfortable discussing my hidden lifestyle with them. I don’t know why, I’m just not, but then again, do they need to know?
It’s been a long time since I had seen Naomi. We’ve talked on the phone a few times, but I haven’t seen her face to face since I left Fresno so long ago. I am anxious to see her. I wonder about what the time apart from each other has done to her life. On the way, Stan and Michelle opted to let me have my time with Naomi and unload the equipment by themselves without my help.
We drove up to my apartment and they dropped me off on the sidewalk. I watched them drive away and turn the corner as I walked up the steps to my door. I opened the unlock door and let out a big hello to see if anyone was here or not. Immediately, Naomi responded from the living room. I walked in to see her resting on my couch watching TV. She looked no different from the day I left for LA, albeit a shorter haircut. She smiled big, jumped off the couch and gave me a big hug. Her perfume was so potent and weakening, I almost missed the tear in her eye. “Naomi, what’s wrong?”
“Brian, I just missed you that’s all.”
“How have you been? You look great!”
“Thanks. So do you.”
“Where Maya? Did you bring her along?”
“No, She’s at my sister’s house in Nevada.”
“Oh, okay. What brings you to LA?”
“I wanted to see you.”
“Really?”
“Yes, really. I missed you so much.”
“Okay.”
I found it a bit odd that she would come all the way to Los Angeles to visit me. In my head, I thought of the relationship we had and if it constituted driving to LA from Fresno. Perhaps not, but I do not want to think ill of my dear friend. I think, however, that she is here with some other motive than me. We spent the next hour or so talking about my band and our progress. She was delighted to her about making the record and touring. When I was finished, I asked about Maya and her work. She was hesitant to speak at first, which worried me. “Naomi, what’s going on?”
“Brian…”
“Yes.”
“Things are bad for Maya and I. We got kicked out of our apartment and we have no place to stay. I sent her to my sister’s for the time being while I tried to find a new place to live.”
“What? How did you get kicked out?”
“I got laid off from work and have had trouble finding a new job.”
“Oh my god. Are you and Maya doing okay at least?”
“We are doing fine. I looked all over Fresno and couldn’t find any place I could afford. I was running out ideas and finally thought that maybe you could help.”
“Me?”
“Yes. My sister’s got five kids and a job under her. She’s got her hands too full to help me. Maya is only staying there for a little while until I can find a place. I have so few friends, I didn‘t know where else to go.”
“Well, how can I help?”
“I was wondering if I could stay with you for a while until I can find a job and a new place to stay here in Los Angeles.”
“Well, sure Naomi. Anything you want. I will gladly help you out.”
“Thank you. I’m so glad you are my friend.” We embraced each other, hugging for several minutes. In myself, feelings swirled that I have never felt before. At least not awake. These are feeling I remember having when I dream. The serene feeling of comfort that I always desired. Why do I have this feeling now, I wondered.
At first, I questioned myself on why I was so open to let her stay here. Perhaps it has something to do with these feelings. Also, the fact I know she would not turn to be if she had no other options. She had little family, save for her sister and cousins. Having dropped out of high school and make her why though school while supporting a child made finding friends difficult for her. Maybe I am her only friend, or something more.
I called Stan and alerted him of the situation. I asked if either Jimmy or Steve could get her a job at Breaking Music, at least for the time being. He told me he would look into it, which assured me somewhat. While she is working there, she could look into getting back into the nursing profession at least. After that, she could continue to get herself back onto her feet, like she has for the past few years now. It’s all I can do for how she picked me up when I was down. I am in her debt, for lack of a better word and I not unhappy about.
No comments:
Post a Comment