The Freewheelin' [𝑩𝒐𝒃 𝑫𝒚𝒍𝒂𝒏]

Chapter 2: youre no good

As soon as Lesley and her father arrived back home, she darted to her room, 'Bob Dylan' held snug in her hand.

Her mom threw her dad a puzzled look, saying nothing. He replied in a simple shrug before going onto the daily routine of asking how her day was, what she had for lunch, what the kids did today, yada yada yada....

Meanwhile Lesley was hidden away in her room, almost...anxious in a way. She set the record down onto her player, a quick strum of an acoustic guitar rang through her room, seconds before a very....unique voice, to say the least, filled her ears.

She sat, cross legged on the floor examining the packaging that the big disk came in.

'This is definitely something I'm gonna need to get used to..' with each song that played, this statement replayed in her head. She was immediately drawn to this 'Bob Dylan'.

She flipped the sleeve to find a thin, old, stained piece of paper that had slid out. Curious, Lesley hesitantly picked it back up from the hardwood that it had been face down on.

Just as she secured the paper a miniature version of herself sprinted through the halls and landed in Lesleys room. It was her little sister, Sage, age six.

"Hi lesy! Do you have homework? What are you listening to? Is it new?"

The series of questions flooded back memories of just hours before, back at school, but nonetheless she made sure to answer each and every one that fell from her thin mouth.

"Yes, I don't know, and yes." She shot back, standing back up, her twig like legs following under her.

Sage, not satisfied with the short answer, crossed her arms in a pout, waiting for her sister to elaborate on each events.

"Math and social studies, no you can't help me. I have no clue what this is, and no one else seems to either. I just got the record today." She let out a breathy sigh, setting the sleeve and paper onto her bed, and removing the record.

"Well, let me see!"

"I don't think you're going to know what it is either. I'd be surprised if you could even read the words on it for cripes sake!"

But alas, the small stubborn child would not leave her alone, forcing her big sister to show her the pictures and colors. Sage looked quite puzzled, but nodded approvingly.

"Is that your boyfriend?"

"What did I tell you? I don't know what any of this is." Lesley impatiently replied, gall present in her voice, indicating it was time for the small red headed child to go off and pester her mom.

Finally. The girl had left, and Lesley could flip the paper, read the words she's been itching to read, see the pictures she's been itching to observe.

Her small hands grasped it, turning it around long enough to see the top words
"Hello, I'm..."

"Lesley! Dinner!"

She grunted, throwing the paper down in frustration before stomping her way down the row of stairs, that seemed to enhance more and more as she walked down the slabs.

At the table, everyone seemed to be talking over everyone yet no one made a sound...it was often that dinners like these were had. More times than not, actually.

"So...Lesley, how was school? Get anything new at the record store?" Her mom asked, breaking the seemingly everlasting silence that was hung over the family.

"It was fine. Yeah, just a couple things.." she picked at her steamed broccoli  that looked more like a dried up shrub rather than a healthy vegetable. The table, silent once again.

"Oh, by the way, have you heard of a 'Bob Dylan'...?"

Her mother did the same thing as her father—pausing, thinking, head tilting, and hell! Stubble scratching.

"Never. Is this 'Bob' a new artist? That would be a strange name." She commented, throwing a chuckle at the end while sage slid, Syd, the dog, her vegetables.

"Oh...no, I don't think so...the record says it dates back to the sixties. I guess I could try looking it up."

And those were about the last words spoken the rest of the meal. The only thing that was heard, was the sounds of chewing, swallowing, syd's mouth opening and closing, sighs coming from the parents.

Finally, they were excused from an awkward, silent mess that was called 'family dinner'. Lesley eagerly dashed back to her room, determined to finish the piece of paper, no interruptions.

"Hello I'm Robert Zimmerman...."