Hello babies. Yes, it's me again. This time, with a songfic. The song is "Casey" by Darren Hayes, from Disc 1 of his new album This Delicate Thing We've Made. Starring our favourite boys, Mark and Roger. Enjoy...
Driving in your car
With the windows down
And the beat up stereo
Struggle with this town
Cuz you love to hate it and hate it to let it go
Mark was a lucky guy. Very lucky. Though it may not seem that way to most people, he was. Sure he'd had a rough childhood, with a suffocatingly close family, a strict Jewish upbringing, a condescending sister, no friends, and school bullies who teased him to no end. Oh, and his camera. But even though Mark loved his camera, it couldn't provide him with the same comfort and friendship that a person could. Namely, a person like Roger. In a town like Scarsdale where everything in life was a rat race with everyone you know, Roger was the only person who made him feel safe, happy and alive.
And we're all alone
And so tired of being underrated
So don't take me home
Cuz I feel alive when you come and save me
Mark loved it best when he and Roger would go driving together in the evening after school. Sometimes they'd stop at the soda shop for a milkshake, or sometimes they'd drop by the video arcade for a quick game or two. But what they loved most was get in that car and just drive for hours on end. Not going anywhere particular. For them, the drive was enough for them to spend some quality time together in Roger's beat-up old car.
A yellow car
Speeding down the Southside freeway
We'll rewrite this movie
Make it end like we want it to
If life were a movie, then Mark and Roger would be the heroes who would overcome all odds and battles to keep their friendship intact. This though often made Mark smile.
1989
Summer had hit but it was not moving
What is it with this town?
Every time we win it just feels like losing
But all was not peaches and cream in Mark's world. Mark's parents yelled at him time and time again, forbidding him to hang out with Roger because he was a rocker, in his torn jeans, outrageous t-shirts, bleach-blond hair, cigarette smoking and questionable vocabulary. Mark ran to his room and slammed the door behind him before crying with rage and hurt into his pillow. He couldn't just give Roger up. Roger was his saviour, his best friend, the oasis in his desert of life. If only his parents understood that.
We were never gonna fit in
I was a mixed up kid and you were my sanity
In a yellow car
We don't even have to go far
Cuz that song you're playing sounds like peace on the radio
But they never did. And when the Davis family started packing their belongings and moving to another state, Mark and Roger hugged each other tightly, sat under the big oak tree in Scarsdale Park and just cried. When Mrs. Davis signalled for her son to get into the car, Roger wiped his tears, stood and said to Mark:
"I'm sorry Mark. I wish I didn't have to leave. But I will come back and find you one day. Wherever you are, I'll come for you."
Mark blinked. "Promise?"
"Cross my heart," said Roger, making an X over his chest with his finger, and then wiped Mark's tears off his face. The Jewish boy smiled and hugged his best friend again, until they finally let go of each other so Roger could get into the car. Roger waved sadly as his dad started the car's engine. Mark waved back as he watched the car move slowly and then speed off into the distance, holding back his sobs even though he could feel his throat lump tightening and his tears fogging up his glasses.
And Casey, when you go
Can you come and find me wanna be beside you
When you leave this town, I've been waving goodbye
Pretending not to cry, I want to be someone
If you take me away all the pain will change
Into a memory of when we were amazing
I know things will change
Casey stay the same, take me away
Oh, we don't have to go far
Yeah, we don't have to go far, I know
But it was a long wait though. Mark may have hated Scarsdale and all that it was about, but he still stayed in the hope that Roger would come back and take him away. He even enrolled at Brown University for a law degree, thinking it would bide some more time. But still no Roger. Finally, he dropped out of Brown, took just his camera, his equipment and whatever little money he had, and ran off to New York to lose himself and perhaps find some peace of mind. Little did he know that he would find Roger too, in CBGB's; in a band, rocking away on stage like the rock star that he was. One look into the audience and he saw Mark, sitting right at the back and filming the show. Roger smiled at his old friend, who blushed a little but smiled back.
After the show, Roger put down his guitar, waded through the heavy, drunken crowd and engulfed the Jewish boy in a big, strong hug. Mark hugged him back, crying softly into his shoulder. Roger pulled back and smiled warmly at him.
"I'm so sorry. I looked everywhere for you, but I couldn't find you."
"It's okay," said Mark gently.
"I asked your parents where you were but they wouldn't help me. They said you went away somewhere but refused to tell me where," explained the rock star.
"Yeah it was Brown University, but don't worry Rog. I'm here now. We're both here. Let's finish this movie the way we want to," said Mark, reassuring him. Roger ruffled his friend's hair, and the two of them walked out of the bar and into the streets of New York City. The Lower East Side wasn't exactly anyone's dream city to live in but to these two friends, it was the oasis in their desert of life. Their oasis.
If you take me away
All the pain will change
Into a memory of when we were amazing
When we were driving in your car
With the windows down and the beat up stereo, Oh, oh
It's been nearly six years of living in the East Village, but Roger still kept his promise. Even when he devoted much of his time to April, who introduced him to the world of drugs. Even when he contracted HIV, which meant he had a much shorter life expectancy than before. Even when he met a beautiful dancer named Mimi who coaxed him out of his depression and gave him something to smile about every day. No matter what happened in his life, Roger would never leave Mark and would always be there to rescue him in his times of need. Like best friends do.
(I will run to you
I will come to you
I will run to you
I will come to you)
Come on and get me
Come on and rescue me
And from then on, Mark never felt as lonely or as depressed as he used to when he was alone. Because he knew that if he felt even the least bit unhappy, Roger would be right there. Crashing into his life with a strong pair of arms and a sturdy shoulder to cry on. That made Mark smile.
He really was a very lucky guy.
Coming through the sky
Like a satellite
Like a radio wave
A meteorite
And that's that. I hope you liked it. Whenever I hear that song, it always reminds me of a special relationship between two people that gives them strength and peace when everything else is going rough. Please review. Thanks.