It's Got a Beat, Mr. Jones

Hard, I guess

Bobby had been thinking about it for awhile, and he realized that he had to make up with Mary's parents or just make a better impression. He was still in the diner. He had a coke in front of him. Audra walked into the diner. She had her hair down and a pair of tight fitting bell bottoms and a loose shirt on. She saw him and raised an eyebrow. She walked over to him.
"Where's Mary?" Audra asked.
"Probably still at the hotel," Bobby replied.
Audra sat down at Bobby's booth. "Why isn't she with you?" Audra asked.
"She's mad at me," Bobby said.
"Why?"
"Cuz I got stoned before meeting her and your mother," Bobby said shrugging.
"That's all?" Audra said staring at him in some kind of awe.
Bobby stared back at her. "Yeah, that's all," He said.
"God, if I got angry at Lewis every time he got high we'd have broken up a million times over," Audra said rolling her eyes.
"Who's Lewis?" Bobby asked.
"One of my boyfriends," Audra said shrugging.
Bobby frowned. "One of your boyfriends?" He said slowly.
"Yeah, I have more than one, but Lewis is my favorite right now," Audra said. "He lets me listen to his records while I'm over, and he's super funny when he's blitzed."
"Where does he even get drugs in a place like this?" Bobby asked slightly concerned.
"Don't know," Audra shrugged. "I guess he gets it when he's out of town."
Bobby shook his head. "I didn't even smoke when I was your age," He said.
"I don't smoke, Lewis does," Audra said rolling her eyes. "He's sixteen."
"He's still just a kid," Bobby said. "He doesn't need to be doin' those things."
Audra rolled her eyes. "You really don't get kids these days, do ya?" She asked.
"No, not really, but I know I did stupid things as a kid and I regret them now," Bobby said.
Audra sighed. "I can't stop what Lewis is doing," She shrugged.
Bobby shook his head. Audra stared the Bobby in a thoughtful way. Bobby took a drink of his coke.
"Were you a hippy?" She asked.
Bobby coughed and choked on his coke. He coughed for a little while. The carbonated beverage made his eyes water and his upper nose sting. When Bobby finally caught his breath, he looked up at her and asked, "Where'd you hear that?"
The tone of his voice was surprised. He stopped a few times while speaking to cough.
"I guessed it," Audra lied.
Bobby's fingers reached for his hair. He nervously brushed it behind his ears.
"Jeff told me awhile ago he was in a band and he mentioned Mary and he mentions a guy named Bobby. Are you him?" Audra asked.
"Yeah," Bobby said.
"What's it like in a band?" Audra asked.
Bobby shrugged. "Hard, I guess," He replied.
"Do you still have your bass?" Audra asked.
"Not with me, but I have it at my house," Bobby said.
"Was it hard to learn?" Audra asked.
Bobby thought for a moment. "I don't remember... I started when I was pretty young," He said.
"How'd you get into music?" Audra asked.
"I was rebelling against my parents. They wanted me to learn classical instruments and stuff like that, and I didn't wanna so I stole a bass from this kid that lived near me and I learned to play it," Bobby said.
"You stole your bass?" Audra said surprised.
"I didn't have any money and that seemed like the quickest way to get one," Bobby shrugged. "Besides the kids was scared of me so he wouldn't say anything about it."
Audra laughed slightly. "Do you ever regret stealing the bass?" She asked.
Bobby thought for a moment. "You know, I don't think I've ever thought about it... No, I guess. It got me where I am now," Bobby said.
Audra smiled at him. "Do you wish Jeff never broke up the band?" She asked.
"No, I am glad he broke it up. I just wish he had done it better, ya know," Bobby said, "given me and Eddie a better start instead of dropping us on our heads like he did."
"Do you know what happened to Eddie?" Audra asked.
Bobby shrugged. "Didn't see much of him after it was all over," Bobby replied. "Why are you askin' so many questions?"
"I don't know. Just curious, I guess," Audra said.
Bobby sighed and took another drink of his coke. "How do you think I can patch it up with your parents?" He asked.
"Well, mom didn't tell dad what you did. She just said you went home cuz you felt sick," Audra said. "Mom's pretty groovy though. I bet she'll forgive you, but dad's a bit of a drag so he'll probably still not like you cuz of your hair."
Bobby frowned. He had already cut it as much as he was willing. Audra stared at him. "You really like your hair," She said.
Bobby shrugged. "It's just something I've always cared about. Back when I played in the band I had it all greased back real nicely," Bobby said.
"Now you've got it in a mop top," Audra said laughing.
Bobby smiled. "Yeah, I guess I do," He said.
Bobby and Audra didn't say anything for a little while. Bobby scratched his scalp. He looked over at the door of the diner. Mary was standing in the doorway. She looked like she had only just wandered in from the streets. She began to walk towards Bobby's booth. She saw Audra and smiled.
Mary had Odette's basket hooked around her arm. She sat down beside Audra. "Hi, Audra," Mary said smiling still.
"Hi, Mary," Audra said smiling slightly.
Mary looked over at Bobby. She set Odette's basket onto the table. Bobby looked over at her.
"Did you know Jeff is here?" Mary asked.
"Yeah, I went in to get some cigarettes and saw him," Bobby said.
Mary nodded slowly. They were silent for a few minutes.
"Do you think we've grown up any?" She asked slowly.
Bobby stared at her. "Why's this comin' up?" He asked.
"Just answer my question," Mary insisted.
Bobby sighed. "Yeah, we had to... We had to learn to be like everyone else," Bobby replied. The words were hard to say. "Just enough like everyone else to get along."
Mary looked over at Audra. "Don't be like us," She said.
Audra stared at Mary. She didn't understand what her sister was saying. How was she not supposed to be like them? Was she not supposed to conform, or was she supposed to be conformed to begin with?
Audra wanted to ask Mary what she meant, but then someone changed the jukebox to a real groovy beat and Audra became distracted by the feel of the song. Her eyes closed and she began to sway with the music. Bobby smiled slightly and looked over at Mary. The song ended, much too soon in Audra's opinion.
"Play it again!" Audra shouted.
Someone shouted another song and then more requests were made. Somebody put a nickel in and played a Herman's Hermits' song. There was a boo from the entire diner. Mary giggled. Bobby looked up at the clock on the wall.
It was ten forty-five.