October 10th, 1971
“Oh! Cameron,” Lee
called, though his voice was muffled by the bite of toast in his mouth.
“Has everything been readied with the promoter for the shows in Canada?”
“More or less,” he answered nonchalantly as he returned to the table. “He’s asked us to call him today, as he may have news.”
“Did he say what kind of news?” Lee asked hesitantly.
“He wouldn’t,” I interjected. “Mark’s never been one to give out details before it’s set in stone. Cryptic bastard,” I added with a chuckle.
Lee looked at me, clearly puzzled, and raised an eyebrow. “You sound like you know him.”
“I do.”
“Really?”
I nodded, and ignored Cameron’s soft chuckle. “We used to be good friends, years ago.”
“I never would have thought,” Lee murmured. “When did you last see him?” he asked curiously.
I shrugged and picked up the last piece of toast on my plate. “I graduated in fifty-eight, and he left the year before. I guess it’s been fourteen years,” I concluded.
I suppose Lee didn’t know what else to say, because he stayed silent as we all finished our breakfasts. I didn’t mind the silence, since I was deep in my own thoughts and wondering what Mark’s news would be.
I had nearly finished packing when I sat on the bed and eyed the phone hesitantly. Cameron was shuffling around the room, looking in drawers for any items we might forget, and saw my face.
“Just call,” he urged. “Don’t think too much.”
“Fuck, alright,” I muttered under my breath. I dialed Mark’s number and bit my lip while it rang. I recognized his voice when he picked up and uttered a greeting. “Hey, Mark. It’s Emily.”
“Oh, good! I was just finishing up,” he replied.
I frowned in worry. “I can call later, if you’re busy.”
“I’m always busy,” he told me with a laugh. “But never too busy for a friend.”
“Glad to hear that,” I admitted.
“So, you told me yesterday that sightseeing was planned for before the first show, right?” he asked. Without giving me time to answer, he continued. “I rent out a cottage up in the Fraser Valley for the winter, to ski groups and campers. I would be more than happy to have you and the band stay there during the off-time.”
I was stunned into momentary silence, though I managed to stammer out a refusal. “I couldn’t accept, Mark. It’s very kind of—”
“Of course you wouldn’t accept,” he retorted. “Hand the phone to Cameron.”
Memories of arguing with Mark and getting nowhere flashed through my mind and I decided it was best to shut up. “Fine,” I spat, though there was slight amusement in my tone.
I called Cameron over and he took the handset from me with a devious smile. “Hello,” he said cheerily.
I sat back down on the bed and watched Cameron as he spoke. He wasn’t facing me, which was a good thing because I had an only slightly-amused look of betrayal on my face.
Cameron listened intently to whatever Mark was saying, no doubt simply repeating the offer. He nodded slowly, and hummed in delight. “She can be,” he chuckled.
“I’ll kill you,” I whispered angrily. It didn’t sound as menacing as I’d hoped though, because Cameron shrank back in feigned terror with a mocking look on his face.
“How much do you charge for twelve days?” he inquired, then immediately shook his head. “No, I insist. If you won’t accept for twelve days, you’ll accept for ten.”
Cameron’s tone left no room for maneuvering, and Mark evidently knew it. I watched Cameron idly brush his hair back as he listened, and fleetingly wondered if Mark still fought against the cowlick he’d always hated.
“If you’ll arrange all that, I’ll let our manager know of the change of plan,” Cameron told him. “We would be more than pleased to take up your offer, Mark. I’ll let you speak to Emily again,” he added, and handed the phone back to me with a wink.
I put the handset to my ear and cleared my throat. “You know, Mark, you’re still a complete di—”
“And wonderful friend, I know,” he finished for me. The smugness was clear in his voice and I couldn’t help but laugh.
“You win this one,” I admitted humbly. “Now, what part of Fraser Valley, exactly?”
We had just passed the exit for the town of Sweetwater when I nudged Cameron. He was reading a magazine, but looked up at me once I spoke.
“Everyone’s still awake,” I noted quietly. “You said you wanted to have a meeting?”
Cameron nodded and thanked me. “If you’ve all got a minute,” he announced in a raised voice, “I’d like to have a word.”
“We’re in trouble now,” Lee joked, though he and the others all convened to seats closer to us without objection.
“The Canadian leg starts in Vancouver on the twenty-fifth, but we leave in three days,” Cameron reminded us all. “We’ll be staying at a cottage in… where was it, again?” he asked, turning to me.
“Oh, it’s just outside Chilliwack,” I informed them. “Maybe an hour from downtown Vancouver.”
Cameron nodded, but didn’t have time to speak.
“How did we get a cottage?” Dale asked, obviously bewildered. “I mean, it’s about time we had a decent stay somewhere, but how did you manage it?”
“An insider connection,” Cameron quipped, a cheeky grin on his face.
“Who the fuck do we know over there?” Dale shot back.
“The promoter, Mark,” I chimed in. “We used to be good friends.”
Willie snorted, which I made out to be a mix of amusement and slight indignation. “You’re only telling us this now?”
“I only realized yesterday,” I defended.
Willie seemed satisfied with that answer, and Cameron took up the conversation again. “Keep in mind Mark’s doing this as a favour,” he told them firmly. “Be civilised while we’re there.”
A chorus of agreement was muttered by all, though the prospect of gossip about Mark was too much for them to handle.
“You used to be friends?” Colin inquired. “Was he a promoter then, too?”
I shook my head, and settled in for a round of questions. “No, no. He was at best a rock and roll fan, and at worst, a pain in my ass,” I explained. “Makes me laugh, though, that his company is called what it is. He had this wooden shed in his backyard that he called his dojo,” I continued with a laugh.
“How long were you friends for? Where’d you meet?” Lee pressed. Obviously, he hadn’t been satisfied with the little information I’d given this morning over breakfast.
“We met because of school. The girl’s building was across the street from the boy’s,” I elaborated. “I guess by coincidence we met one day and started talking, then became friends.”
With a look on his face that suggested he’d once been in my shoes, Dale asked the next question. “You fell out of touch?”
I nodded and tried not to get lost in the memory. “His family moved when we were in high school. It was weird to not have him around, after that.”
“Had you been dating?” Willie asked with unrestrained curiosity.
“No,” I replied quickly, though a particular day resurfaced in my mind and I faltered. “Well… no, we didn’t date.” I tried to suppress a laugh, but didn’t manage. “He was my first kiss, though.”
“Scandalous!” Willie accused in amusement.
Cameron, who had been listening but not intently, straightened his back and looked at me. “What?”
His clear surprise made me giggle, and I wasn’t the only one who found it amusing.
“Now you’re in trouble, Emily,” Colin told me, though it was hard to hear him through his laughter.
I shrugged, and gave Cameron a reassuring, though not obvious, smile. “We were thirteen and I was fed up of not knowing what it was like,” I explained casually. Five doubtful faces looked back at me, and I put my hands up in defense. “He didn’t stick his tongue down my throat! It was just a peck.”
“I’m sure there was a peck,” Dale retorted with a snide laugh.
I gave him a cold stare. “Yeah, and I’m looking right at him.”
The bus was quiet, except for the sound of men sleeping, as we continued trudging towards San Antonio. Cameron was asleep beside me, reclined in his seat with my light jacket draped over him.
His features were soft as I watched him, and I knew he was only lightly sleeping. As I saw his mouth twitch upwards, as if aching to smile, I was reminded of the conversation between us in the early hours of this morning.
“I love you, you know,” he had murmured to me, just as I woke.
I smiled without restraint and peered up at him. “I know. I love you too.”
Cameron kissed me softly. “It’s been a year since we handfast,” he reminded me, a sweet smile on his face. “My only regret is that I should have asked you sooner.”
“I don’t know if I would have accepted,” I whispered. “You had to convince me, remember?”
“It wasn’t convincing you as much as it was reminding you,” he amended.
“Of what?” I asked.
Cameron’s hand cradled my face as he replied. “That you still deserve love, and I’ll give it to you, even if you’re hurt.”
Despite the feelings welling up inside me, I smiled. I turned away from Cameron though, knowing that I wouldn’t be able to quell my emotions if I kept my gaze on him, and noticed Willie shifting in his seat. I had thought he was asleep; everyone else was, and the blackout drapes at his window were shut.
He moved again, this time in a motion I knew well, and without consciously deciding to do so I got out of my seat and walked towards him. I stopped a few feet from him, and hesitated before speaking.
“Can’t sleep? Is everything alright?” I asked quietly.
Willie lifted his head to look at me and replied robotically. “No, and yes.”
I didn’t believe him, but didn’t want to pester him, either. “You’re not fooling me, but alright,” I said with a little nod. He would talk if he wanted to.
I began to walk back towards my seat, but he stopped me. “Why aren’t you asleep?” he inquired.
I took his question as an invitation and sat down in the seat beside him, against the window. “I keep worrying about seeing Mark again,” I admitted. “It’s been a long time, and I’m not the same person I was.”
Willie nodded slowly, but I recognized my own fears in his face.
“You’re worried about something too,” I noted.
We spoke in hushed tones, but his reply was so quiet I barely heard it. “Yes.”
“What are friends for, if not for talking?” I asked rhetorically. Willie’s eyes widened slightly, I assumed at my comment of friendship, but he didn’t speak. “What makes you worry about her?”
A small chuckle escaped his lips and he smirked at me. “Who would that be?”
“I’m not a brick wall, Willie. What is it?”
“It’s nothing,” he insisted, and pressed his lips together firmly.
“It’s definitely something,” I retorted.
We lapsed into silence. Willie didn’t want to elaborate, but I wasn’t backing down. After what must have been five minutes, he spoke.
“I very much enjoyed her company,” he admitted quietly. “It’s strange to miss someone you’ve only just met.”
“I know the feeling,” I told him in an effort to be of comfort.
“Does it go away?”
A smile crept onto my face. “Do you want the truth or do you want to feel better?”
“Shit,” he breathed. “It’s very odd, I find.” He brought his hands to his chest and moved his fingers rapidly and without sense, as if to mimic the feeling.
I smiled again, and met his gaze. “You care for her.”
“I suppose I do,” he confessed.
We grew quiet once more. I had suspected Willie had feelings for Autumn, though I wasn’t the only one. Cameron and Colin had also told me of their thoughts on the matter.
I noticed Willie’s left hand was tense. Placed on his thigh, it seemed stiff as a board. “There’s something else,” I probed.
“Cameron’s been giving you lessons, has he?” Willie quipped.
I laughed quietly and shrugged. “Maybe.”
“I find myself fretful, at times,” he confessed. “She’s certainly got a better chance at finding someone than I do. Always touring,” he added.
I paused for a moment, but decided to go with my instinct. “It’s tough being in love.”
“I’m not in love,” he scoffed.
I grunted disapprovingly as I stood, putting my hand on his shoulder for a brief moment. “Alright, sure. We’ll see about that.”
“More or less,” he answered nonchalantly as he returned to the table. “He’s asked us to call him today, as he may have news.”
“Did he say what kind of news?” Lee asked hesitantly.
“He wouldn’t,” I interjected. “Mark’s never been one to give out details before it’s set in stone. Cryptic bastard,” I added with a chuckle.
Lee looked at me, clearly puzzled, and raised an eyebrow. “You sound like you know him.”
“I do.”
“Really?”
I nodded, and ignored Cameron’s soft chuckle. “We used to be good friends, years ago.”
“I never would have thought,” Lee murmured. “When did you last see him?” he asked curiously.
I shrugged and picked up the last piece of toast on my plate. “I graduated in fifty-eight, and he left the year before. I guess it’s been fourteen years,” I concluded.
I suppose Lee didn’t know what else to say, because he stayed silent as we all finished our breakfasts. I didn’t mind the silence, since I was deep in my own thoughts and wondering what Mark’s news would be.
I had nearly finished packing when I sat on the bed and eyed the phone hesitantly. Cameron was shuffling around the room, looking in drawers for any items we might forget, and saw my face.
“Just call,” he urged. “Don’t think too much.”
“Fuck, alright,” I muttered under my breath. I dialed Mark’s number and bit my lip while it rang. I recognized his voice when he picked up and uttered a greeting. “Hey, Mark. It’s Emily.”
“Oh, good! I was just finishing up,” he replied.
I frowned in worry. “I can call later, if you’re busy.”
“I’m always busy,” he told me with a laugh. “But never too busy for a friend.”
“Glad to hear that,” I admitted.
“So, you told me yesterday that sightseeing was planned for before the first show, right?” he asked. Without giving me time to answer, he continued. “I rent out a cottage up in the Fraser Valley for the winter, to ski groups and campers. I would be more than happy to have you and the band stay there during the off-time.”
I was stunned into momentary silence, though I managed to stammer out a refusal. “I couldn’t accept, Mark. It’s very kind of—”
“Of course you wouldn’t accept,” he retorted. “Hand the phone to Cameron.”
Memories of arguing with Mark and getting nowhere flashed through my mind and I decided it was best to shut up. “Fine,” I spat, though there was slight amusement in my tone.
I called Cameron over and he took the handset from me with a devious smile. “Hello,” he said cheerily.
I sat back down on the bed and watched Cameron as he spoke. He wasn’t facing me, which was a good thing because I had an only slightly-amused look of betrayal on my face.
Cameron listened intently to whatever Mark was saying, no doubt simply repeating the offer. He nodded slowly, and hummed in delight. “She can be,” he chuckled.
“I’ll kill you,” I whispered angrily. It didn’t sound as menacing as I’d hoped though, because Cameron shrank back in feigned terror with a mocking look on his face.
“How much do you charge for twelve days?” he inquired, then immediately shook his head. “No, I insist. If you won’t accept for twelve days, you’ll accept for ten.”
Cameron’s tone left no room for maneuvering, and Mark evidently knew it. I watched Cameron idly brush his hair back as he listened, and fleetingly wondered if Mark still fought against the cowlick he’d always hated.
“If you’ll arrange all that, I’ll let our manager know of the change of plan,” Cameron told him. “We would be more than pleased to take up your offer, Mark. I’ll let you speak to Emily again,” he added, and handed the phone back to me with a wink.
I put the handset to my ear and cleared my throat. “You know, Mark, you’re still a complete di—”
“And wonderful friend, I know,” he finished for me. The smugness was clear in his voice and I couldn’t help but laugh.
“You win this one,” I admitted humbly. “Now, what part of Fraser Valley, exactly?”
We had just passed the exit for the town of Sweetwater when I nudged Cameron. He was reading a magazine, but looked up at me once I spoke.
“Everyone’s still awake,” I noted quietly. “You said you wanted to have a meeting?”
Cameron nodded and thanked me. “If you’ve all got a minute,” he announced in a raised voice, “I’d like to have a word.”
“We’re in trouble now,” Lee joked, though he and the others all convened to seats closer to us without objection.
“The Canadian leg starts in Vancouver on the twenty-fifth, but we leave in three days,” Cameron reminded us all. “We’ll be staying at a cottage in… where was it, again?” he asked, turning to me.
“Oh, it’s just outside Chilliwack,” I informed them. “Maybe an hour from downtown Vancouver.”
Cameron nodded, but didn’t have time to speak.
“How did we get a cottage?” Dale asked, obviously bewildered. “I mean, it’s about time we had a decent stay somewhere, but how did you manage it?”
“An insider connection,” Cameron quipped, a cheeky grin on his face.
“Who the fuck do we know over there?” Dale shot back.
“The promoter, Mark,” I chimed in. “We used to be good friends.”
Willie snorted, which I made out to be a mix of amusement and slight indignation. “You’re only telling us this now?”
“I only realized yesterday,” I defended.
Willie seemed satisfied with that answer, and Cameron took up the conversation again. “Keep in mind Mark’s doing this as a favour,” he told them firmly. “Be civilised while we’re there.”
A chorus of agreement was muttered by all, though the prospect of gossip about Mark was too much for them to handle.
“You used to be friends?” Colin inquired. “Was he a promoter then, too?”
I shook my head, and settled in for a round of questions. “No, no. He was at best a rock and roll fan, and at worst, a pain in my ass,” I explained. “Makes me laugh, though, that his company is called what it is. He had this wooden shed in his backyard that he called his dojo,” I continued with a laugh.
“How long were you friends for? Where’d you meet?” Lee pressed. Obviously, he hadn’t been satisfied with the little information I’d given this morning over breakfast.
“We met because of school. The girl’s building was across the street from the boy’s,” I elaborated. “I guess by coincidence we met one day and started talking, then became friends.”
With a look on his face that suggested he’d once been in my shoes, Dale asked the next question. “You fell out of touch?”
I nodded and tried not to get lost in the memory. “His family moved when we were in high school. It was weird to not have him around, after that.”
“Had you been dating?” Willie asked with unrestrained curiosity.
“No,” I replied quickly, though a particular day resurfaced in my mind and I faltered. “Well… no, we didn’t date.” I tried to suppress a laugh, but didn’t manage. “He was my first kiss, though.”
“Scandalous!” Willie accused in amusement.
Cameron, who had been listening but not intently, straightened his back and looked at me. “What?”
His clear surprise made me giggle, and I wasn’t the only one who found it amusing.
“Now you’re in trouble, Emily,” Colin told me, though it was hard to hear him through his laughter.
I shrugged, and gave Cameron a reassuring, though not obvious, smile. “We were thirteen and I was fed up of not knowing what it was like,” I explained casually. Five doubtful faces looked back at me, and I put my hands up in defense. “He didn’t stick his tongue down my throat! It was just a peck.”
“I’m sure there was a peck,” Dale retorted with a snide laugh.
I gave him a cold stare. “Yeah, and I’m looking right at him.”
The bus was quiet, except for the sound of men sleeping, as we continued trudging towards San Antonio. Cameron was asleep beside me, reclined in his seat with my light jacket draped over him.
His features were soft as I watched him, and I knew he was only lightly sleeping. As I saw his mouth twitch upwards, as if aching to smile, I was reminded of the conversation between us in the early hours of this morning.
“I love you, you know,” he had murmured to me, just as I woke.
I smiled without restraint and peered up at him. “I know. I love you too.”
Cameron kissed me softly. “It’s been a year since we handfast,” he reminded me, a sweet smile on his face. “My only regret is that I should have asked you sooner.”
“I don’t know if I would have accepted,” I whispered. “You had to convince me, remember?”
“It wasn’t convincing you as much as it was reminding you,” he amended.
“Of what?” I asked.
Cameron’s hand cradled my face as he replied. “That you still deserve love, and I’ll give it to you, even if you’re hurt.”
Despite the feelings welling up inside me, I smiled. I turned away from Cameron though, knowing that I wouldn’t be able to quell my emotions if I kept my gaze on him, and noticed Willie shifting in his seat. I had thought he was asleep; everyone else was, and the blackout drapes at his window were shut.
He moved again, this time in a motion I knew well, and without consciously deciding to do so I got out of my seat and walked towards him. I stopped a few feet from him, and hesitated before speaking.
“Can’t sleep? Is everything alright?” I asked quietly.
Willie lifted his head to look at me and replied robotically. “No, and yes.”
I didn’t believe him, but didn’t want to pester him, either. “You’re not fooling me, but alright,” I said with a little nod. He would talk if he wanted to.
I began to walk back towards my seat, but he stopped me. “Why aren’t you asleep?” he inquired.
I took his question as an invitation and sat down in the seat beside him, against the window. “I keep worrying about seeing Mark again,” I admitted. “It’s been a long time, and I’m not the same person I was.”
Willie nodded slowly, but I recognized my own fears in his face.
“You’re worried about something too,” I noted.
We spoke in hushed tones, but his reply was so quiet I barely heard it. “Yes.”
“What are friends for, if not for talking?” I asked rhetorically. Willie’s eyes widened slightly, I assumed at my comment of friendship, but he didn’t speak. “What makes you worry about her?”
A small chuckle escaped his lips and he smirked at me. “Who would that be?”
“I’m not a brick wall, Willie. What is it?”
“It’s nothing,” he insisted, and pressed his lips together firmly.
“It’s definitely something,” I retorted.
We lapsed into silence. Willie didn’t want to elaborate, but I wasn’t backing down. After what must have been five minutes, he spoke.
“I very much enjoyed her company,” he admitted quietly. “It’s strange to miss someone you’ve only just met.”
“I know the feeling,” I told him in an effort to be of comfort.
“Does it go away?”
A smile crept onto my face. “Do you want the truth or do you want to feel better?”
“Shit,” he breathed. “It’s very odd, I find.” He brought his hands to his chest and moved his fingers rapidly and without sense, as if to mimic the feeling.
I smiled again, and met his gaze. “You care for her.”
“I suppose I do,” he confessed.
We grew quiet once more. I had suspected Willie had feelings for Autumn, though I wasn’t the only one. Cameron and Colin had also told me of their thoughts on the matter.
I noticed Willie’s left hand was tense. Placed on his thigh, it seemed stiff as a board. “There’s something else,” I probed.
“Cameron’s been giving you lessons, has he?” Willie quipped.
I laughed quietly and shrugged. “Maybe.”
“I find myself fretful, at times,” he confessed. “She’s certainly got a better chance at finding someone than I do. Always touring,” he added.
I paused for a moment, but decided to go with my instinct. “It’s tough being in love.”
“I’m not in love,” he scoffed.
I grunted disapprovingly as I stood, putting my hand on his shoulder for a brief moment. “Alright, sure. We’ll see about that.”
He is so in love. Nervous Emily is cute.
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