Monday, June 15, 2009

on the road

Rosco was really dragging now. Sun burned. Chapped. Now his stomach didn't feel so great with all the fast food. He didn't know until now just how much he missed his Mom's vegetable soup.

He missed more than that, of course. He missed Charlotte. He missed their room. Their bed. He kept a calander by his bed at the place he stayed, a cheap motel. He was counting the days until he got home.

Luckily, he'd made a deal with Jason who was going to take his shift at the grocery store. This would mean Jason could go on that roadtrip to Colorado with the college girl he'd met recently at a concert.

As it was, Rosco really wasn't meeting anyone. The nights were late, long and hot and sometimes, he wondered if he'd ever get a breath of fresh air. And it was horrible trying to sleep. Sure, he'd crash and burn at first for a couple of hours, then find himself awake and calling Charlotte right before she left for work. Then she didn't have that much time to talk, and it always left him thinking she didn't want to hear from him when he really knew that wasn't true.

"You're really making too much of a big deal out of it," Carrie told him. "Just don't worry so much." She wasn't. Really, this was the good life to her. He could tell. She was a party girl. Of course, dressed for success at every turn. She was the star of the show. And she could work the house.

Of course, sometimes, this left a few disgruntled girls after the show ready to beat her up. Then Rosco would have to pretend he was with Carrie, and it was just a show, after all.

"You are so asking for it," Rosco told her at breakfast at two in the afternoon one day. He was barely awake.

"No I'm not." She looked at him as if he should know her by now. "Guys are who I sell too. If you haven't noticed."

"Huh." Well, maybe he hadn't. Kids came to the show. OK, teenagers came to the shows. "Really?" He winced. "Well, maybe you're missing the point."

"I know my demographics." One other thing he didn't have a clue about. OK, so there were a few posters of her that he guessed were cool. Maybe. "Look, you have to play the part."

"Sure." But he wasn't. He took direction from her, sort of, he supposed. He wasn't quite in unison with everyone else. He guessed he'd just have to be a better actor. Of course, he'd never had an acting lesson in his life.

5 comments:

diane said...

Carrie couldn't be more wrong. Performers like Gwen Stefani know this.

Rosco is smart to keep calling Charlotte. Maybe he should try calling her at night between sets.

My grand daughter loves my vegetable soup, I make it from scratch. In the summer, it's better, as I use fresh veggies from our garden.

Anonymous said...

That's great about Rosco calling Charolette. I like them.

Cady said...

Ah, Carrie. I know people like her.

ellie said...

I think it would be tuff..on the road. I think of the guys I've seen at the small concerts I go too. They really do so much more than just playing in the band.

Syed said...

Hmm distance is always a strain, but glad to see Rosco calling her :) Haha and Carrie makes me laugh, she really shouldn't try to 'act' the part. I have always appreciated artists who are more genuine in intimate concerts.