Angels

Chapter 5: Rockfest

We're in the band's van heading towards Miami for Rockfest. I'm sat in the front with Adam while Doris sleeps and Colin talks with Ash quietly in the back. It's late and the radio plays an AC DC song quietly. Adam breaks the silence by quietly speaking to me.

"Have you ever been to this kind of thing before?" he asks quietly.

"No," I sighed, "I get nervous around big crowds..."

"Hey, you got us with you," he nudged, "stick with us, you've got nothing to be intimidated by."

I smile weakly. They still don't know about my Uncle's offer and to be honest, I still haven't given him an answer. The offer is still open he said, but I'm not sure. I've come along to support the band and because Ash needs help selling T-shirts and posters. 

"Yeah, I know," I smile.

"I'm really glad you came," he continued quietly, "I get the feeling you're lucky."

"Lucky?" I echoed.

"Yeah, you've only been around for a short while and my channel blows up, our band gets to tour and we have our own merch now," he replies, "you're like our guardian angel."

I let out a low laugh and look away.

"I'm gonna pull over at a rest stop soon," he announced to the van, then to me quietly, "you hungry?"

I nod and say, "I could do with a bite."

He smiles, "I know the rest stop up ahead pretty well. I used to travel this road with my dad when I was a kid. They have a great 50's style diner there that makes good burgers and pie."

"I feel like eating pie," I grin.

He lets out a low laugh as he pulls into the rest stop. Doris goes to the bathroom and smokes a cigarette before grabbing some snacks from the shop, Colin fills the van with gas and gets coffee and food with Ash, and while they all do this, Adam and I went to the diner. We ordered a burger and a slice of apple pie each with coffee as we sit at the counter.

"How long have you been involved with music?" he asked, "Where'd you learn?"

"My dad," I replied, "he got me into music when I was 3 years old, I took singing lessons, then piano and violin, and then my Uncle taught me how to play guitar. My dad made sure I took the classic lessons to get the basics down."

"Your dad sounds like a cool guy," Adam grins.

"He was," I reply taking a bite of my burger, "how'd you get into drumming?"

"I like the noise," he said, scarfing down his burger, "I looked up to Johnny Christ, the former drummer of Fangz, it was tragic when he died. He left his wife and kid behind. I sometimes wonder what happened to them..."

"The wife fell into a depression and became an alcoholic," I replied, biting into my pie, "the kid fell into the system and was eventually raised by her Uncle."

"How do you know that?" he asked, taking a mouthful of coffee.

"I know because he was my dad," I confess.

He choked on his coffee, "Seriously?"

"Yeah," was all I said as I finished my pie.

Adam is speechless and we finish our food in silence and return to the van. Colin and Doris are in the front and Ash is sketching in the back. Colin starts the van and I go lie down in the back. Adam joins me and lies down next to me. We lie next to each other in silence before he starts speaking to me quietly.

"I'm sorry about your dad, Devin," he whispered.

I shrug and say, "You didn't know. It was years ago."