Time Traveling Blues

Chapter 3

I woke up the next morning to some annoying ringing. I hit the alarm clock next to my bed. "I haven't used this thing in years." I rubbed my eyes.
I woke up tucked into my bed. "Where's my laptop and pile of CD's? Oh no! I forgot to make...my..." I looked around my bedroom.
Beatles, Yardbirds, and Rolling Stone posters covered every inch of my wall. I'd never seen such beautiful posters. They were a lot nicer than my the two Beatle posters I owner. I looked closer.
There was a Beatles ticket stub from 1965. I frowned and continued to look around.
Whose room did this belong to? Was this really mine?
On older record player sat in the place of my 1990s turn table.
I got out of bed to crawl over to it. It was a beautiful hard wood--matching the other furniture in my bedroom.
I opened a compartment.
I had some Beatle records excluding Abbey Road or Let it Be. I was missing my later Pink Floyd records. I only possessed their first one in fact. All of my solo records by the individual Beatles were missing as well.
What is going on?
"Mom!" I shouted getting up grabbing my clothes off my chair where I usually left them. "What?" "Where are all Led Zeppelin records? And The Wall? You know The Wall is my favorite." I asked meeting her in the kitchen. I chortled a little. "Mom, what's going with your hair?"
She looked at me strange. "Sweet heart, what Led Zeppelin? The walls are everywhere, and what is so funny about my hair?" "What do you mean--?" I ran to look at our computer. It was missing. It was just empty space.
Something weird was going on.
I took a shower and got dressed.
I flipped out when I saw my clothes. "What is this?!" I shouted looking at a royal blue and gold dress.
This is not what I put out to wear for school yesterday!
I walked out of the bathroom and did my hair like usual, ate the breakfast that was left for me, then left for school.
"Hey Madeline!" a girl caught up with me while I was walking. "Hey! What's up?" I asked with a friendly smile.
She sort of frowned at me. "Um..." she looked up.
"How are you?" I asked instead, wanting to ask who she was.
Were she and I friends before? I'd have to wait and find out. "Oh, I'm very fine. Are you excited?" "For what?" I asked looking around at the strange neighborhood. "What do you mean 'for what?'" we began to walk to school together. "Tonight is the night!" "Elaborate. You're scaring me." I chuckled. "You don't remember? That new band you're always talking about? We bought tickets to go watch them for tonight--how do you not remember? You've been dying to see them for months!" "Oh yeah! Man, they're such a great band! I need to spread the word about them. Write their name on my hand for me." I reached into my bag to grab a pen.
What on earth is she talking about? I rarely found enjoyment in any "new" bands.
When she finished writing on my hand I looked at it. "Led Zeplin." I frowned and glanced at her discreetly. That was not how Led Zeppelin was spelled. I shook it off.
"Wait." I stopped.
"What?"
"The show. The Led Zeppelin show. We are going to watch Led Zeppelin live tonight? In person. What the fuck? They broke up in 1980. This is 2012! There is no Zeppelin without Bonzo! You've gotta be kidding me!" I turned to her and grabbed her shoulders. "No I'm not--2012? Anyway, we've had these tickets lying around for months." "Don't lie to--what year is it?"
It finally hit me. I was actually beginning to wonder if today was just national throw back day. "1969. Are you feeling alright, Mad?" "No. What the fuck? Led Zeppelin? For real? We're going to--am I high? I've never smoked a day in my life! What was in those pancakes? You're foolin' me. Don't play this game!" "Do you need me to take you home?" She asked with a worried look on her face. "This has to be some kind of dream. Give me your hand!" I shouted. "Why?" she began to back away. "You can't count fingers in dreams!" I began to chuckle maniacally. "One, two, three..." "Did you get hit with a brick in the head this morning? This is scaring me, you nut!" she shouted. I began to tap my cheeks. I could feel the pain. What on earth is going on?
"That's it. I'm getting your mom. You're acting very insane right now." she began to walk away. "Wait no! I'm fine. It's just um...it's from this old movie my parents were watching. I thought the scene was hilarious and thought I'd freak you out by quoting it." I began to chuckle nervously and almost embarrassed.
She looked like she didn't believe me, but went with it anyway. "Fine. Congratulations. You 'freaked' me out or whatever you called it." "So um...school. Let's get that over with and get this day moving." I smiled excitedly.
I still couldn't come to grips that I was going to a Led Zeppelin concert.
So, far in my mind I was going home after school and staying there all weekend encased inside of my bedroom.
"So who's driving us?" I played along. "Did you want to?" "Sure. Oh man, I forgot who else was coming." "There were other people coming?" "No." I smiled.
Had my wish come true? This was just too good to believe!
I looked around at all the old Mustangs, and Chevys as we approached my school. Even older models that I'd never even known of sat in the front of the parking lot.
Nearing the courtyard I saw every type of late 60's teenager I could ever think of.
There were the normal kids, a small group of hippies, and the more mod looking popular kids and in the small corner, the beatniks. I wonder where I fit in? Probably nowhere, just like in my regular life. It wasn't that my ambition was to fit in where I didn't fit anyway, so it didn't matter to me.
"Mornin', Maddie." a regular, sort of popular looking girl smiled. I didn't really recognize her although she looked a lot like my friend Cassandra's mother.
God, what was her name again? "Morning, Sharon." I smiled back. She then walked away with her smile.
I slapped my friend's arm overjoyed, "That was her name right?" I smiled. "Duh. I thought everyone knew that." she shook her head.
This was so weird. I wonder what my schedule for class was.
"Well, let's go to class." my friend tugged my arm as I looked around fascinated at my high school set in the late 60's.
In the first hour, my friend and I sat in the back like a couple of outcasts.
I stared amazed at the late 60's styles. I had never seen so much of it in person.
"Susan!" the teacher called role. "Here!" my friend replied. "Madeline!" "Here!"
I looked over at Susan. So that's what her name is. She passed me a note, "I'm really excited for the show tonight!" "Dude, me too!" I replied drawing a large smiley face on the paper. "Where have you been picking up these weird words?" she asked on the note. "Television." "Our parents weren't joking when they said television is teaching us weird stuff these days."
School went by a little better than usual. I had a friend in every class up to lunch and it felt so great to have an actual conversation about the Beatles, The Kinks, the Rolling Stones and so many other icons so dear to my heart.
The classes were a lot less informational and the method of teaching was so different from 2012. I loved it all.
Susan and I agreed on meeting in the courtyard for lunch today along with a few other girls I had met throughout the day.
I guess I belonged in the regular group of potential groupie like girls. It was perfect.
If Led Zeppelin was the thing of 2012 these would have been my kind of friends like they are now.
I was nonstop smiling.
"Are you excited for tonight?" my new friend, Laurie asked. "Hell yes! Man, I wish you guys could tag along." "You must really know a lot of this band to be this excited." another new friend, Dot chortled. "I do. They're the greatest band ever." I smiled. "I thought the Beatles were." Susan said. "Just wait until tonight. They will change your mind, your life."
"Tell us, Maddie, how do you know so much about them?" Laurie asked curiously. "My dad really kept up with the Yardbirds and when their guitarist, Jimmy Page, started his own band my dad introduced me and bam! Instant in love." I giggled. "Who's your favorite member? Is it that Jimmy guy?" Susan asked. "No. His name is Robert Plant. He's a real charismatic guy, always smiling, insane vocalist and he has a nice head of dark blond, curly hair...from what I've heard and seen." I shrugged bashfully. "Awe, someone really is instantly in love." Dot smiled. "No! I--yeah I am." I began to blush. "Well, I hope you at least get to meet him tonight." Laurie said. "He sounds like a pretty cool guy."
"So, about Jimmy," Susan began as we broke out into laughs, "Are they good friends?" we all continued to laugh. "Sure. They were the first two in the group." "What's he like?" "I heard he's real gentle and sweet, but very mysterious. Also that he can be quite the ladies man. Oh and he has the cutest face and a lot of black, long hair." "So why don't you like him instead? I'd always go for the gentle and sweet ones first." Laurie said. "I don't know. There's just something about Robert's personality that interests me a bit more." "I don't really dig long hair on men. Laurie, you can have him." "Bring me back pictures and a phone number." she joked.
I couldn't help but laugh a little more than the rest, "Will do."
It was nearing the end of the school day and I could not contain my excitement.
"Susan. Susan. Susan..." I repeated so many times in class. "Maddie. Maddie. Calm down." she laughed quietly. "One. More. Class." I grabbed her arm as we left the classroom together.
"You swear to Bob Dylan you aren't lying to me? This isn't a trick to get me to go to the dentist is it?" I asked. "Dentist? No! Of course it isn't. We have the tickets, and the show doesn't start until six. Not to mention the two hour drive." she told me. "Kill joy. It still gives us a good hour to pick out what to wear." I smiled intrigued by late 1960's clothes. "What's wrong with your dress? I think it's really pretty." she smiled. "Thanks, but going to a Led Zeppelin concert in a dress is like asking for utter embarrassment." "I guess I'll find out when we get there." she shook her head. "I guess."
One of my new friends passed by us, "Hey, hey mama said the way you move gon' make you sweat, gon' make you groove!" I sang. "What?" she turned around as I laughed. "Hey, I dig that tune man." a boy walked by. "Me too. That sounded groovy." another girl said.
"Instant popularity. Thank you." I straightened my dress. "Right. I hope he was talking about dancing." "With Robert Plant...he was probably talking about peace or something." I joked. "Whatever you say." she walked to her class.
I stood lost for a moment. "Madeline? Coming to class?" the teacher next door to Susan's asked. "Yeah." I turned happily into the class.
As it turned out, the class was English. My teacher was pretty boring as we discussed Shakespeare. I slept through the lecture. I needed it anyway.
I was awake by the time the bell rung however. I hopped out of my seat to go find Susan.
"Susan!" I shouted. "Madeline!" she replied. "Babe! Baby, baby, I'm gonna leave you!" I sang. "I don't know how to respond to that." "Just sing baby all blues like. Just a minute baby, don't ever leave me my babababababababy!" I sang. "People are staring." she laughed. "Zeppelin rules!" I shouted grabbing her wrist running down the stairs.
"Right on man!" a few people said.
"I swear you are acting so weird today." Susan said as we began on our way home. "It's the day of the Led Zeppelin concert!" I grabbed her shoulders, "You will know soon enough, my friend."
Susan burst into laughter, "Weirdo." she said.