June 30, 2012

Story based on true experience.

Tours and Tennessee

Arthur didn't know why the hell he agreed to coming on this tour. It's not like he didn't have other—better—stuff to do, either. Francis was the one to blame...yes, it was all Francis's fault. Maybe that crazy 'Prussian' Gilbert's, too.

Either way, Arthur blamed all his misfortunes on them.

After nagging him for almost two weeks, Arthur finally, exasperatedly, agreed to go on the seven-day tour across a few states in the United States Midwest. They lived in L.A.

Glaring out into the distance, beads of sweat formed on Arthur's pale skin as he waited for the other three—Francis, Gilbert, and Antonio—outside a McDonald's in the middle of nowhere in Montana.

The sweltering heat didn't do anything to help Arthur's mood. It was the fourth day of their trip already, and all they had had was fast food, instant noodles, and more fast food. And those bloody Americans only ever had coffee. Why couldn't they drink some nice, hot tea for once?

Unable to stand the burning sun any longer, Arthur walked back inside to see what was taking the three so long. Surely, eating a burger didn't take much time, right? Americans were all about convenience and quickness. Now that Arthur thought about it, that was quite ironic. They wanted everything to be fast, but they couldn't ever do anything quickly. What was up with that?

Arthur poked his head in and barely took three steps before he turned his back and fought his way back out. Another annoying thing about tours. The buses all stopped at practically the same places, so the small McDonald's building was jam-packed with people. People who took forever asking what was what, and which was which.

It was fine that Arthur had to go back out; he saw enough of his group's table to know he had no desire to be anywhere near them.

Francis was eying an opposite table seating a group of four who were around their age. Gilbert seemed to be making some kind of contraption from his paper bag and other materials. Antonio stared at nothing in particular with a dazed expression. Once or twice, Francis would jab him lightly in the side and Antonio would see the girls looking at him. Then, he'd give a perfectly formed smile and give them a friendly wave.

Arthur felt sick.

Finally outside, Arthur saw a young man sitting on the floor in front of him. When'd he appear? Arthur was inside for less than three minutes, and this guy looked as if he had been there since forever, judging from his calm, comfortable expression. The young man, tanned with dirty blonde hair, was sitting against the wall, and he hadn't seen Arthur yet.

He held a piece of cardboard in front of him. When Arthur finally realized the blonde was a beggar, he felt embarrassed and hastily turned the other way and walked a few steps away. He didn't want to stare.

But he really wanted to read what was written on the cardboard. The boy should be too young to be begging; he looked no older than nineteen. Couldn't he find a job? What was he thinking?

Arthur paced around, running a hand through his lighter blonde hair. Just go up. Just go up and talk to him. Maybe get him those dollar burgers...if he really was hungry, then that'd be good. Arthur wouldn't need to worry about what he was going to do with the money if he gave it to him.

Taking a deep breath, Arthur turned around and walked.

'It's not just that he's young. And possibly quite good-looking. You'd do this even if he was an old man and dirty.'

Arthur was intrigued by the blonde, and he felt way too self-conscious.

He felt the boy's eyes on him as he approached, and he forced himself to keep going and not run away and hide. He focused his eyes on the sign, and through his peripheral vision saw that the boy had a faded red shirt on. The sign read:

TRAVELIN
BROKE
HUNGRY

Arthur saw the peace sign that replaced the 'O' in the second word. He swept his eyes up to meet he boy's, then quickly dropped them back down to the sign. He noticed that the young man's eyes were a clear, bright blue. "Does that say travelling?" Arthur asked.

"Oh, huh?" The boy seemed surprised Arthur somewhat started a conversation. He looked down at his sign, flipped it to the back for a second, and flipped it forward again. He didn't seem to know how to react. Looking up at Arthur, he smiled nervously, and soon it turned into a genuine, wide grin. At least, that's what it appeared to be to Arthur. "Ye-yeah. It says 'traveling'... I just didn't have enough room to fit in the 'G'." He sounded sheepish, as if embarrassed, trying to say something.

Arthur smiled softly and ran a hand through his hair, keeping it there. "Where are you going? I mean, how are you getting there? Is that what you need the money for?" Arthur heard himself rambling. Was he being rude?

"Oh, I'm uh, just traveling. To the Rainbow Festival..."

"Rainbow Festival?" Arthur's nerves were calming, and he dared to maintain eye contact. Those eyes were really blue...

"Yeah!" The boy's eyes lit up. "It's in Tennessee. Someone told me about it, that it's kind of like a hippie movement." His elated smile turned sheepish at the last sentence. Arthur noticed the gap between the boy's two front teeth. It only added to the charm the boy exuded, despite sitting against a wall, with worn-out clothes and holding a creased cardboard sign.

Arthur smiled wider, amused. "Hippie movement?"

"Haha...yeah. Something like a big party where people love each other and all." The boy never looked away.

"So you're trying to get money to travel there?" Arthur wanted to help this boy; inwardly, he wondered if it was just because the young man was a little good-looking, and that Arthur was attracted. He felt horrible.

"Um, uh, no. I only wanted to get some food and water...I'm starving." He smiled sheepishly again, looking down to his side and back up. Arthur had only just noticed the half-filled gallon water jug next to the boy, and the dark cloths he sat on. Arthur was too self-conscious to figure out just what they were. Was that a backpack and a jacket?

Arthur couldn't find his voice for a second, until finally he said, "Could—could I, um, get you a burger or something?" Arthur was surprised at how casual his voice came out.

The young man's mouth hung slightly ajar; he was speechless, until he remembered himself and rushed out, "Uh, yeah! That would be great! I'm starving!"

Arthur felt himself smile genuinely at the boy's excitement. "What do you want? I actually only have a dollar bill on me, so-"

The boy's eyes still held a (factor) of surprise. "Anything—anything's fine! Just um, a burger."

Arthur opened his mouth to speak, but was cut off as a kind-hearted middle-aged woman-was she in his tour?—rushed past, stuffed a few dollar bills in the boy's hand, and said, "Go buy yourself some food, alright?" She was patting his hand and hurried off to the tour bus. Yeah, apparently she was.

The both of them stared in the direction she had gone, and turned back to face each other.

"Keep the money; I'll get you a burger." Arthur didn't know how the boy was going to get all the way to Tennessee from Montana, but he presumed he'd need the money.

"Okay, great! Thank you!" He called after Arthur.

Arthur had already turned away and was pushing the door open. He waited in line, and ordered a dollar hamburger. He didn't know exactly how long he took, and while he waited for his order, he hadn't looked out the door. But when the cashier called, "Order 153, order 153!" Arthur grabbed it and hurried out.

The boy was gone.

Arthur confusedly looked around the area, but not a trace of the interestingly charming young man was left anywhere. Arthur rushed around to the other side of the building, but that was just the drive-through. Coming back around, figures clenched tightly on the paper bag, Arthur desperately searched for the boy. Where'd he go? All around was a vast expanse of grass and mountains. Only a gas station to the left, and a few scattered houses on the far side of the two-lane highway.

The boy had disappeared.

'I got you your burger,' Arthur thought. How'd he disappear that quickly? Why'd he leave?

"Hey, Art! You ready?" Gilbert threw his arm around Arthur's shoulder and noticed the bag of McDonald's in the Brit's hand. "Thought you didn't want any?"

Arthur followed Gilbert's gaze and stared at the bag in his hand. "I didn't," he said, more to himself than anyone else.

"Well, 'kay then. We gotta get back on the bus now; hurry up!" Gilbert gave Arthur's back a slap and started walking away. Arthur didn't even snap a him; he was still trying to find the boy. 'At least let me give you this...'

"Arthur, you okay?" Antonio called, a few steps behind him.

"Yeah..."

"Arthur, mon ami, you don't want to be late!" Francis came over and slipped his arm around Arthur's waist, promptly receiving a shove.

"I'm going," Arthur muttered irritably, his mind completely taken over with thoughts about the boy he talked with for not even five minutes.

He wondered if he had been lied to, thinking yeah, he probably was. He worried about where the boy might have gone. He wished he had looked outside to see when the boy started to leave. He scolded himself for not asking his name. He wondered why the boy was alone, what he wanted to do going to that festival, how he thought to get there, why he wanted to go, where his family was, what happened to him.

Arthur, sitting in the tour bus and looking out the window, started to draw conclusions. He stopped himself. He shouldn't think about all that, or else he'd start convincing himself of a story he would be making up for the boy.

Arthur didn't tell anyone about the young man. He didn't know how to. Somehow, it had become a big part of him, something inexplicable, something he would never forget.

The blonde boy, with a charming smile that showed the gap between his front teeth, had gone from Arthur's life as quickly as he had come into it, leaving Arthur wondering for days what had happened to that mysterious boy he didn't even know the name of, who was heading to a hippie gathering all the way in Tennessee.

.

.

Thank you for reading!