The Rock Season

by R. L. Merrill

  He shook his head. “You are such a sap, McShane. Does she have a name? Do you know anything else about her?”

  This was an even harder part. “I don’t know her name. She was pregnant when I saw her the first time and now she’s not. She doesn’t wear a ring. What do you think that means?”

  He frowned. “That she doesn’t wear a ring? Beats the hell out of me. Did she act interested or did she act taken?”

  My turn to frown. “I don’t know. She smiled at me. She touched my...Oh shit. Hey, am I still bleeding?” I turned my head around and he cursed.

  “What the fuck happened?” He got up quickly and yanked me up, pushing me towards the bathroom. “Jesus, first I gotta worry about your little bro puking everywhere and now you’re going to bleed all over my place. You McShanes are a walking, talking, cluster fuck just looking for a place to happen.”

  I laughed, thinking he wasn’t too far off base. He opened his cabinet and I was grateful to see that his bathroom was fairly clean. Schroeder wasn’t the best housekeeper and he hated doing bathrooms, but this wasn’t too bad.

  “Hey, you’re seeing someone, aren’t you?”

  He flinched. “What makes you say that?”

  I snorted. “Because there’s no dirty underwear all over the floor in here, the toilet seat is down and there is no mildew at all in your sink and shower. C’mon, who is it?”

  He shrugged. “A friend of Callie’s. It’s just been a few dates. I think I’m too boring for her. She’s even wilder than Callie, if you can believe that.”

  That was hard to imagine.

  He pulled off the now-soaked bandage and sucked in a breath. “Jesus, Aaron. I think you need stitches, bro.” He held up a mirror in front so I could see the damage.

  “Goddammit. Fuck. All right. Can you watch little man while I run over to the ER?”

  He told me he would and put a fresh bandage on the back of my head. “What the fuck happened, anyway?”

  “Breaking up a mosh pit gone bad on the grass. Someone punched someone’s girlfriend and about ten morons started really fighting. Some of the other security guys got hit with glass. Now I’m thinking the bottle must have broken off my head.”

  He laughed and shook his head. “Always knew you were hard headed.” He walked me to the door and we bro-hugged. “So when are you going to see your redhead again?”

  I smiled like a Cheshire cat. “Wednesday.”

  He nodded in approval. “Right on, man. See you in the morning.”

  I waved as I headed back down to my car and then drove across town to Kaiser. I prayed that there weren’t too many other folks ahead of me.

  When I arrived, I was told I was fourth in line behind a car accident, a heart attack, a baby with an ear infection and a dog bite. I let out a breath, exhausted, and figured I better get comfortable. Waiting ‘til tomorrow would probably make the scar worse and while I didn’t really mind having a scar, this cut was at least two inches long and jagged. I didn’t need to look like a thug with my bald dome.

  I rested my head back against the wall, careful not to put pressure on the wound, and I closed my eyes. Her face was still there, smiling shyly at me. Wednesday couldn’t come soon enough.

  Stevie

  My phone buzzed the morning after the Crüe show. I rolled over and winced when the light hit my eyes. This studio apartment was so damn bright, which I didn’t mind too much most mornings, but I had a bit of a headache after last night. Nothing a swim wouldn’t cure. I looked at my phone and saw it was already 9:00, meaning Maryland had likely been up for three or more hours already as her girls were early risers. She’d sent me three texts.

  I hope you had as much fun as I did last night.

  I’m so glad we got out!

  I wanted to share with you a little gift this morning...

  Oh. My. She’d somehow managed to snap a picture of me talking to my Savior last night! I had my hand on his shoulder and he was smiling down at me just inches from my face. It must have been when I was looking at his wound. Oh! I hope he was ok! It looked pretty nasty the way it was still bleeding through the bandage! I hope he went and got it looked at. I wondered if he had someone to make sure he went.

  I shook myself. Where were these thoughts coming from? I stretched out my back and slid into my swimsuit. The pool was usually empty if I got there before noon and they had a lane roped off for lap swimming at all times. I managed to find a complex with an Olympic sized pool, which was perfect. I got into the groove of my lap swim and just let my brain go empty for a while. Gliding through the water, I could forget everything and let my body relax. Swimming had been my sanctuary since I was a kid. I joined a swim club when I was in junior high and competed all through high school and college. I loved it because it forced me to push myself to better my times each week. Sure, it was a team sport, but the individual goals I set for myself were more important to me than medals and finishing stats.

  After about forty-five minutes I climbed out of the pool, dried off a bit and wrapped my hair in my towel. I stretched out on the lounge chair for just a few minutes of sun. I was really careful with my skin because of my fair complexion, but the Vitamin D was so important to me. I ran my hand over my now-flat stomach, missing my little alien pod. It was so weird to be without it after all those months.

  “I miss you, little alien,” I whispered and for the first time since I’d lost her, I didn’t feel the need to bawl my eyes out. It still hurt, but I wasn’t feeling so weighted down by my grief today. Maybe that had something to do with my Savior.

  I went back up to my apartment and showered. When I came out and was lathering myself up with lotion, someone started banging on my door rhythmically. Maryland. I smiled.

  “Baby, I dropped the kids off with Mike and we have the whole day. LET’S GO SHOPPING!!!”

  I hugged her and pressed my forehead against hers. “Thank you soooo much for taking that picture. Maybe I’ll make it my wallpaper!”

  “I thought as much. He really is delish!” She hurried me to throw on some easily-removable clothes because ‘we might just try on the whole damn store! ‘

  We ended up hitting some of the discount stores and for a very little amount I bought a whole new wardrobe. When we got back, Maryland helped me box up all of my clothes that didn’t fit anymore. I dug through the back of my closet to make sure I hadn’t missed anything and I came across a plastic bag. In it was an outfit I had bought for Nancy. My stomach lurched and I carried it over to Maryland. She smiled sadly and hugged me tight. We both let a few tears fall before we got it together.

  “Do you have any other memories of her? Your ultrasound pics or anything? Maybe we can put them in a nice box and put them away? You know, we never did have any sort of service, nor did we scatter her ashes. Have you thought about what you want to do?”

  I nodded and blew out a breath to calm myself. “I’ve thought about it. I’m just not ready yet, Maryland.”

  Her ashes were in a small urn on a shelf in my closet. I didn’t have them out, staring me in the face anymore, but I didn’t know if I was ready to completely let them go.

  “You know I’m here for you whenever you are ready. In the meantime, let’s get this stuff out of here!”

  We hugged again and then carried the boxes back down to the car. After we grabbed an early dinner, we took them, as well as my box of maternity clothes, to a donation center. By the time I got home I was beat. I’d glanced at my phone several times over the course of the evening and at bedtime. I let myself fall asleep thinking about seeing him again Wednesday. I had so many wonderings about him. Maybe I’d at least find out his name, but I’d probably always call him my Savior!

  McShane

  I managed to get through exactly six hours after leaving the hospital without my family seeing my injury. I went from the hospital to Schroeder’s, where I picked up a still-sleeping Peter. I dropped him back at the house and then went in early to work. Patrick came in when we opened at 10:00 and I dri
lled him about what happened the night before.

  “No clue. We were over at Tina’s and then he left with Gretchen. I didn’t see him again. He texted me later and said he was going to the shop to look for you and I answered that you weren’t there but I never heard back.”

  I had sent Mom a voicemail telling her where Peter and I were the night before. She was the least likely to flip out.

  “I hope he’s ok,” I muttered. “I’m glad summer school is over or he’d be hurting right now.”

  Patrick was helping me with a display and when I climbed up on the ladder and asked him for the hammer, he exclaimed, “What the fuck happened to your head?”

  “Pipe down,” I said, hoping our customers hadn’t overheard him. “I broke up a fight last night and got hit in the head with a beer bottle. It’s no big deal.”

  “No big deal? Did you fuck anybody up?”

  I rolled my eyes. “No. I left that for the police. Now don’t go running your mouth about this. I don’t need to hear it from the grandmothers or Pops, you hear me?”

  He nodded and looked at it again. “Did you have to get stitches?”

  I nodded. “Yeah, like twelve or something.”

  He smiled in approval. “That’s gonna leave one badass scar.”

  I groaned. “Will you shut up about it and hand me the other end of that banner!”

  “Sure thing...Badass.”

  And that was just the beginning. Of course he didn’t keep his mouth shut. As soon as we were done, he texted Peter, who told Pops, who told Mom and who then told the grandmothers. So when he and I went home for dinner, everyone made a huge fuss.

  “Ali, you need to quit that job! You did not go to college to break up fights with low life people.” Grandma Samadi was the first to get to me, followed by Grandma McShane.

  “Aaron, my boy,” Grandma McShane murmured. “I’ve got some ointment that will help with the scarring.

  “Scar! How’s that going to help you find a wife, Ali? I told you I want great grandbabies.”

  I groaned and kept my head down trying to eat my Potato Leek soup in peace.

  Pops came in next and lightly smacked the top of my head. “Hey slugger, pass the bread, would you?”

  I handed him the bread and then felt soft hands on my shoulder.

  “I’m sorry you were hurt, my son.” Mom kissed the top of my head and went to her seat quietly.

  Pops and I sat on each end, the twins on one side of the table, the grandmothers and Mom on the other. Every now and then my cousin Aziz would join us. This was one of those nights.

  “Cousin, you look like hell. You need to quit all this nonsense. Let me get you in with the bank.”

  I rolled my eyes. “Aziz, I have no interest in getting back into that kind of work. I’ve told you before. I’m fine. The store is great, we’ve been in the black the past four months, and this side gig is just for fun. All right? Now can we please just eat?”

  But Pops wasn’t done. I could feel him eyeing me from across the table. I knew we’d go for a walk after dinner and I was almost looking forward to telling him about the Goddess, who I was going to see again on Wednesday. It couldn’t get here quick enough.

  Chapter Seven

  Stevie

  “So what’s the game plan,” Maryland asked me as we sat at a picnic table near the snack bar.

  I shrugged. “I don’t know! I haven’t seen him yet. And since when did this become about seeing a guy? I thought we were having a girls’ night?” I winked at her, fully accepting that I was full of shit. I had been a little disappointed that my Savior wasn’t in the entrance line and that I hadn’t seen him.

  “It’s all part of the package, baby girl! We always check out the scenery when we come to shows and to be honest, I am really hoping I see some good scenery tonight! I’ve got some feelings I need to work out, if you know what I mean.”

  I choked on the water I had just sipped and she laughed.

  “I wondered about that,” I said when I stopped coughing. “You’ve always had a healthy appetite and it’s been awhile since you’ve gone out with anyone.”

  She shrugged, running her fingers along her straw. “I haven’t been out, true, but I don’t often kick Mike out of my bed.”

  My eyes bugged out. “You guys are still fooling around!?”

  She laughed. “Yeah. Sometimes. When neither of us is seeing anyone. I know it’s dumb. We agreed to divorce because we’d been together since I was 17 and he was 20 and we thought we weren’t happy anymore. But I guess I kind of miss him. He’s been telling me he thinks splitting up was a mistake. Guess he figured out what I knew all along, which was that he would never find anyone better than me.”

  I high-fived her! “Damn right, girlfriend!”

  “Besides, he gets to do all kinds of things with me that he’d probably get slapped for if he asked someone else.”

  I smiled at her and sighed. “How romantic!”

  She kicked me under the table and we laughed.

  “Seriously, though, Maryland. Did you ever think maybe you guys were just frustrated because you had the girls and they took up so much of your lives?”

  “It very well could be that. I don’t know. I’m just going to see what happens, which brings up something else I wanted to tell you.”

  I frowned. “What is it?”

  She took a deep breath and smiled. “The girls and I are going to Alaska for a couple of months to stay with my mother.”

  Maryland’s mother was Native Alaskan and her father came from Northern European ancestry. They’d been split up as long as I’d known her. I knew she had been to Alaska to see her mother once or twice, but that they weren’t super close.

  “Wow! That’s a pretty big deal. What do the girls think?”

  She finished off her burger and wadded up the wrapper. “They are excited. My mom’s not doing well health-wise, so I figured we better do this. It means starting Jenna late in Kindergarten but she’ll catch up. She’s young, anyway. Mike is bummed, but I told him this would be good for us, too. Maybe when we get back, he and I can, I don’t know. I don’t know!” We both laughed and then she looked at her phone.

  “The Neon Trees will be on in a few minutes. Think we should hit the restroom before we go to our seats?”

  I agreed and we took care of our trash and our basic needs. I was waiting for her outside when I saw my Savior walking into the seats. He wasn’t wearing his jacket again and had a bandage on the back of his head still. I started to follow him and then realized I shouldn’t ditch Maryland. When she came out minutes later, I grabbed her hand and started running.

  “Why are we running? OH! You saw him!”

  I smiled at her and led her to the entry to the 100s. Luckily the seats were only about half full so we started looking around. I couldn’t find him again. We were sitting in the 200s this time since we got the tickets late.

  “Damn,” I said with exasperation.

  Maryland gave me a pouty face and kissed my cheek. “We’ll find him. Fate, remember?”

  I smiled down at her and turned to cheer as the band took the stage.

  The Neon Trees put on an amazing show. The lead singer Tyler had such a frenetic energy. He was all over the place! We’d seen them a couple of years ago opening for Mutemath and 30 Seconds to Mars. The stage was full of gear and they only had a tiny space to perform in. I was nervous the whole time that he was going to trip and fall!

  About twenty minutes into their set I desperately had to pee again. “Need anything,” I asked Maryland. She said she was good so I trotted up the steps and went out to the snack bar. I used the bathroom and when I came out, Fate blessed me with a sighting. I snuck up behind him in the beer line and stood close to him. He was on his own, so I felt a little brave. I cleared my throat and said, “I didn’t think you were allowed to drink on the job.”

  McShane

  I spun around at the sound of the voice I’d been dreaming of hearing again and stood inches from
the Goddess.

  “Hey,” I said, somewhat breathlessly. “I wondered if I’d see you.” Dumb! Jesus, I had no idea how to talk to this woman. She had me all tied up in knots just from standing close to her. Tonight she was wearing slim, black cargo pants and a distressed to the point of see-through, light grey shirt over a white cami. She was resplendent! Her long, red curls were falling down her shoulders and her back and she smelled like the ocean. I was really going to die.

  “I saw you before the Trees started, but then you disappeared. So. Hi.” She blushed and I realized she was just as nervous. We stood there staring at each other until I heard a throat clearing.

  “Are you going to order something,” the man behind her said and I shook myself.

  “Yeah, sorry. Can I get you a drink,” I asked her and she smiled.

  “Sure. I’ll have a Diet Coke.”

  I smiled at her and turned to order for us. I opted for the same. I didn’t want to have anything clouding my brain right now. I felt like this was my opportunity and I didn’t want to fuck it up.

  I picked up our drinks and handed one to her, delighted when her hand grazed mine. “Can you talk for a minute,” I asked, praying she’d say yes. I assumed she was with her friend, but I knew we wouldn’t be able to talk if we went back to the seats. Her eyes brightened and she nodded. I led her over to a picnic table that was empty and she sat across from me. The sun was setting behind her and her hair was alive with fire. She was growing more beautiful by the minute. I was growing more dumbstruck.

  “I thought you’d be working,” she said and I shook my head.

  “No. Tyson, the guy I was with? He’s the general manager here and he wouldn’t let me work because I got stitches from the other night. He made me stay and watch the show instead.” I took a drink of my soda, my mouth going dry from nerves. She looked concerned.

  “You ended up with stitches? Ouch! Are you ok? You didn’t get a concussion or anything, did you?”