September 8th, 1971

    We had two days off in Boston since leaving New York state after Sunday’s show in Albany, though Cameron and I hadn’t done much sightseeing during that time. This afternoon, however, I dragged Cameron out with me to window shop.
    We had stopped for lunch and by one o’clock we were slowly meandering back towards the hotel. I followed Cameron into a music store he’d just spotted, and it made me smile to see him acting giddy at the range of brand new instruments on display.
    “This is a beauty,” he said in awe. The object of his gaze was a shiny, black-sided keyboard, obviously set up to be the centerpiece in this section.
    “Try it out,” I told him. “They won’t kick a pretty girl out of their store,” I added, adjusting my shirt in emphasis.
    Cameron raised an eyebrow, but set his fingers on the keys regardless. He played a short melody for a moment and looked as if he was going to have an orgasm.
    “Satisfying?” I asked with a laugh.
    “Brilliant,” he answered enthusiastically.
    I headed off towards the crates of records on the far wall of the store and started looking through them. Some of the albums I’d heard already, but most of them were new releases I hadn’t yet had a chance to listen to. I hoped I would be able to purchase some of them by the time the North American leg ended, though I doubted that I’d be able to do much during the short respite before heading to Europe.


    After soundcheck in the early evening, I let Cameron know I was heading back to the hotel to call my sister.
    “I’ll come with you,” he offered right away.
    “You don’t have to,” I assured him. “I’ll be fine to walk six blocks on my own.”
    Cameron frowned, and I knew I had to do better than that.
    “No one’s going to mug me on a Wednesday night.” I noted Colin standing nearby and pulled him into the conversation. “Isn’t that right, Colin? No one gets mugged on a Wednesday.”
    “We usually stick to pay day for muggings,” he confirmed as he approached us. “Why do you ask?”
    I tilted my head towards Cameron. “He doesn’t want me to walk alone to the hotel.”
    Cameron huffed as if to scoff at my comment, but didn’t deny it.
    “I could accompany you, Emily,” Colin offered. “I’ve got to give Jo a call, anyway.”
    “Problem solved,” I said triumphantly.
    I gave Cameron a quick kiss and left the venue with Colin, heading out of the rear loading door.
    “Thanks for the escort,” I told him as we reached the street corner.
    “It’s no bother at all,” Colin replied. “Like I said, I’ve got to call Jo about picking up the ticket for the festival.”
    “Oh, you were able to arrange it?”
    “Yes,” he confirmed with a nod. “Thanks to your suggestion.”
    I brushed off his thanks with a shrug. “I look forward to meeting Joe.”
    Two minutes later, we had entered the hotel lobby and headed up to the floor where all of our rooms were located.
    “I think my sister will give me an earful,” I told him with a chuckle, “so if you’d like, come by and knock when you’re done talking to Joe.”
    Colin nodded and unlocked his room door before disappearing inside. I did the same when I reached my room a few doors down, and sat on the bed as I picked up the phone.
    I didn’t wait long before Liliane answered the call. “Hello?”
    “Hey, Lil. It’s me.”
    “Emily! How are you? Where are you?”
    It was nice to hear her voice, and I smiled. “We’re in Boston,” I informed her. “I’m doing fine. What about you? Did you get my letters?”
    “I did, yeah,” she replied. “I enjoyed the Memphis postcard you sent.”
    “I knew you’d like that one,” I said with a laugh. “You got the one I sent before that, too?”
    Liliane didn’t reply for a brief moment. “I was surprised that Lee sent a letter as well,” she admitted.
    “Why?” I asked curiously. “You told him he could.”
    “I know, I just… I guess I didn’t actually expect him to write to me.”
    I smiled to myself, remembering what Lee had told me after I’d mailed our letters. “He doesn’t want to bother you, but I think he misses you.”
    “I miss him too,” she confessed to me in a quiet voice. “It’s a really odd feeling.”
    I nodded, even though she couldn’t see me. “I know what you mean, sis.”
    “Enough about that,” she told me suddenly. “How’s the tour going?”
    “Really well,” I answered truthfully. “Every show they play is wild. The audience goes nuts every time, without fail. This album is the best one they could have toured for right now,” I added.
    “It is a good album, I enjoyed it quite a bit.”
    “You listened to it?” I asked excitedly.
    “I even bought it,” Liliane corrected. “It’s a great album. You said in one of the letters there’s a festival date coming up?”
    I confirmed her statement. “Everyone’s really excited for it. It’s next Friday and Saturday, in Lancaster. Not exactly Los Angeles, but close enough,” I added with a laugh.
    I heard a knock, and told my sister to hold on while I answered the door. I put the handset on the bed and went to the door, seeing Colin standing in the hallway.
    “Still on the phone?” he asked when he noticed the handset on the bed.
    “Yes,” I chuckled. “Won’t be long, though.” I sat back down on the bed and picked up the phone, motioning for Colin to make himself comfortable. “I’m back,” I told my sister.
    “I won’t keep you much longer, don’t worry,” Liliane told me. “How many shows are left before next Friday?”
    “God knows,” I answered with a laugh. “Colin, how many shows are left before Rock Cannon?”
    Colin lifted his head and replied confidently. “Tomorrow in New Hampshire, two nights at the Ballroom in New York, and one in San Diego on Wednesday.”
    I repeated the list to my sister, who hummed in response. “I’m sure they’ll knock it out of the park,” she told me. “I’m looking forward to seeing the show here.”
    “I’ll make sure there’s a ticket for you both nights. If I’m not mistaken, it’ll be around the second week of November,” I added.
    “I’ll hold you to it,” Liliane warned with a chuckle. “But right now I’ll let you go. Have a good night, and write to me after the festival.”
    “Will do. Love you.”
    “You too, Emily.”
    I hung up the phone and saw Colin watching me, so I asked if something was wrong.
    “No, not at all. It’s just clear you care about your sister,” he explained.
    “It’s what ends up happening when you’re the only one keeping each other sane,” I chuckled. “Ready to head back?”


    We got back to the venue with time to spare before Amoeba would hit the stage. Everyone was occupied one way or another, so I had an opportunity to pour myself a drink in peace. I did so, and looked around as I took a sip from my glass.
    Dale was in the far corner, chatting with a woman perched comfortably on his lap, with Colin sitting nearby and tapping out a beat with his hands on the table. I saw Willie next, as my gaze continued around the room. He was strumming his guitar, sitting across from a woman who looked like she could have been twins with the one sitting on Dale.
    It was Lee who caught my eye, though, as he was talking with a skirt-clad woman who looked to be about twenty-five. I watched as she flirted with him, making her intentions clear even from across the room. Lee looked to be declining her advances, even seeming a little uncomfortable.
    “How’s Liliane?”
    I turned to see Cameron beside me. “She’s good,” I answered, though I returned my gaze to Lee and the woman beside him.
    Cameron noted my gaze and turned to see as well. “What is it?”
    I shook my head slightly, not knowing what to reply. As we watched, the nameless woman kissed Lee’s cheek. He was visibly surprised, though with the way she was dressed, I couldn’t figure out why he’d be surprised she wanted to sleep with him. I was sure she’d sleep with anyone who said they were in the band, not just him.
    Cameron uttered a sound of disbelief. Lee was very obviously telling the woman he wasn’t interested, and within seconds she stormed off down the hall. Cameron and I turned to each other the moment we saw Lee look around, and I hoped he hadn’t seen us staring.
    “Pretty weird,” I noted in a quiet voice. I looked at Cameron and saw his face wore the same confused look as mine did.
    “I might be mad, but I think I saw him do that last week, too,” Cameron told me.
    I shrugged and turned around to refill my glass. I saw Lee’s rejected woman looking over and I was sure she was eyeing Cameron.
    ‘Absolutely not happening, lady,’ I said in my mind. I put my glass down with a quick sideways look towards her and turned back to face Cameron. Without a word, I put my hand on his neck and pulled him into a deep kiss. I normally kept a kiss clean when there were others around, especially the band, but I had a point to make.
    Cameron’s hands went to my waist, which only encouraged me to gently prod at his lips with my tongue. Our kiss didn’t last long, but it had certainly made an impression; the woman was looking rather discouraged by the time I pulled away and saw her from the corner of my eye.
    “What was that for?” Cameron asked, his voice soft.
    I shrugged, smiling at him innocently.
    He chuckled, and leaned closer to me as he put his arms around my waist. “When you figure it out, let me know. I’ll have to do it more often.” Cameron winked, a lopsided smile on his face.
    I kissed him again, and this time cared even less about prying eyes. It was only when he pulled away that I realized what had begun.
    “Don’t dare get me started,” he warned. “You won’t like it.”
    “Won’t I?” I asked cheekily. I could see in his eyes what he meant, and for a brief moment I considered waiting. “I actually think I’d really, really like it,” I said slowly, having decided against caution. I slid my fingertips behind the waistband of his jeans and tugged gently. “I guess we’ll have to find out…”