Disclaimer: I do not own Let Me Take You Home Tonight by Boston.
March 27, 1895
2:00 PM PST
Marty felt happy, as he was busy making hamburger patties out of ground beef. Most of the group had never eaten cheeseburgers before, and he sure wanted this to be a special treat. As he promised his friends, he would play a tune at the picnic. He felt so nervous. He thought of playing The Power of Love, which was his favouite song.
"The grill should be ready, soon," commented Larry, as he smiled at Marty. "Y'know, I feel sad about you leaving. You've been such a good friend to us. I really didn't know your brother too well, but you do remind me of him. Courage must run in the family."
"Probably so," replied Marty, as he smiled at the irony. "I mean, our father simply did teach us well. He taught us one real important lesson. If you put your mind to it, you can accomplish anything. Of course, Mr. Brown was also the one to teach him that."
"Your family must be very close to his," suggested Gerald. As Marty smiled, he added, "Mrs. Brown was a very good teacher, too. I really do think it's romantic, how the two of them fell in love. Anyway, Rhett, there's no such chance that you and Jennifer can come to our wedding?" Marty shook his head. "Well, I really will be missing you folks."
"I hope you decide to come back, sometime," added Jessica, smiling. "I really hope to, one day, be able to find a young man who is just like you. I don't quite know what it is about Jennifer - but I feel like we're, uh, connected. Do you get what I'm saying?"
"Well, we might be distantly related," suggested Jennifer, with a wink. "Anyway, you really should try out Rhett's cheeseburgers. He is very good on the grill - and, uh, he is a wonderful husband." To Marty, she added, "Have you decided on what to play?"
"Well, uh," Marty replied, quite nervously. As he caught sight of HG and Amy walking by, he suddenly decided that he'd simply be better off picking a song from 1977. "I'm sure I can come up with something. I really think I should pick a song that's fitting for the occasion. Just give me a little time to come up with something - okay, Jennifer?"
"I can hardly wait to hear you play," Jessica commented, warmly. "I would simply like to, one day, become a professional pianist. The only problem is, I actually tend to get nervous about playing in font of crowds. Has that ever happened with you, Rhett?"
"Just once," replied Marty, softly. "It was back, when I was seven years old. I was in a play, and I had to sing a few songs. I kept worrying that I would mess up, and that I would become a laughingstock. I suppose it's not stage fight, as such - but I still..."
"I understand what you mean," Larry replied, nodding with understanding. "I tend to be afraid of messing up. I've always had that fear of failure, and I could never stand the idea of other people thinking badly of me. Of course, my father always had been encouraging of me - but I still fear that other people wouldn't think the same of me."
Marty smiled, as he knew exactly what Larry meant. He still remembered the day that his band had been rejected by the man who resembled Huey Lewis - and he really felt down, he actually became scared to send in his audition tape to the record company.
oooooooooo
As Verne ate with his friends, he sure felt some mixed emotions. On one hand, he was very excited about being able to return to 1987 - where rock and roll and video games existed. On the other hand, he sure felt sad - as he quite thought about how much he would miss his friends. He suddenly wished he could bring his friends back with him.
"These are simply great sandwiches," Linda commented, admiringly. "I can hardly wait for Rhett Eastwood to play for us." After a brief pause, she added, "You also want to become a musician?" Verne nodded, as she added, "Oh, Verne, I sure do love music."
Verne was rather uncertain of how to respond. He was suddenly curious about what song Marty planned to play. He really wondered what his friends from this era would think of rock and roll music. The music wouldn't be invented for nearly sixty years.
"I'm also a music enthusiast," Sarah commented, dreamily. "In fact, I'm learning how to play the guitar. It would be so lovely, if Linda and I could form a duet. So, Verne, what are your favourite songs?" As tears came to her eyes, she added, "I just can't help but feel sad, when I think of how much I miss Pa. He'd always play the fiddle."
"I miss Pa, too," agreed Abraham, nodding. "I really do love Daddy, but he'll never be the same person as Pa. I simply wish that he knew how to play the fiddle. I remember how, two years ago, there was that bad storm - but, with Pa's fiddle, the storm didn't seem as bad. Whenever I felt sad, hearing him play that fiddle would cheer me up."
"I imagine how that must feel," Verne replied, sympathetically. "I mean, if I ever was to lose my dad... Well, there's just no telling how I would feel. I'm sure glad that you have a new father, but I understand that he could never replace your old father."
"I'm quite sure it's even worse than losing your grandma," suggested Teddy. "I'm sure it's something that you'd never get over." He glanced over at Marty, as he added, "In fact, I wonder what it was like for Rhett Eastwood. It's been nearly ten years, but..."
"Oh, I'm sure he just thinks about his brother all the time," replied Bruce. "Of course, I wasn't yet born. I really enjoy these sandwiches that he cooked for us. I do wonder if he could, uh, maybe teach my father how to cook them. You know, it does seem quite strange to think that his wife looks a lot like Jessica Parker. They're almost like twins."
"Well, they could be related," suggested Linda. "However, as far as I know, we're not related to the Eastwoods - but they bear a strong resemblance to my Uncle Martin. In fact, when I saw that photograph of Clint Eastwood and Mr. Brown - I thought..."
"Hey, there he is!" called out Chester, as he glanced at Marty. "I see that guitar in his hands. I simply do wonder what he'll play. Wouldn't it be very nice if, in the future, he came back to town - and then he performed a concert for us? I wish him good luck."
"I'd sure love that," Sarah replied, dreamily. "I didn't get to know him all that well, but he seems like a very easy-going person. I'd feel quite sad, if he was to ever meet the fate of his brother. I sure do wonder what his brother was like? I know he didn't have much tolerance for the likes of Mad Dog Tannen - but, other than that, I'm sure..."
Verne smiled at Jules, as they knew the truth of Clint/Rhett Eastwood. While Seamus finally found out the truth, everyone else in town was still none-the-wiser. It seemed strange to think that everyone else believed that Clint Eastwood fell in the ravine.
oooooooooo
"These are such good cheeseburgers." Amy commented, admiringly. "This really brings back memories of, uh, the future." With a sudden laugh, she added, "That didn't make much sense at all, did it?" HG, Doc, Clara, and Seamus smiled. "This is really one of the problems that come with time travel, is making sure to get of all your tenses straight."
"Yeah, tell me about it," replied Clara, laughing. "I'm a schoolteacher, so I should be a real expert at stuff like that." Looking up, she added, "Well, there's Marty. He said he would be playing a song for us. Well, I really wonder what he plans to play for us."
"All right, everyone," called out Marty, as he reached for his guitar pick. "I was asked to play a song for everyone. Since some of us are soon to leave town, I decided that I would play a song that I'm quite fond of. It's called Let Me Take You Home Tonight."
Amy smiled, as she immediately recognized the opening notes. She wondered if Marty had picked out the song specifically for her. After all, she would've quite expected for Marty to prefer songs that were a little newer. After all, he was simply a teenage boy from 1987 - and she figured that fashions and trends would've changed in a decade.
"Now, I'm not like this," Marty began to sing, with gusto. "I'm really kind of shy... But I get this feeling, whenever you walk by... I don't wanna down you, I wanna make you high. If you, you could see your way to me - come on and let me try.
"Let me take you home tonight," continued Marty, launching into the chorus. "Mamma, now it's all right... Let me take you home tonight... I'll show you sweet delight."
"I really love this song," Amy whispered. "The was a big hit in 1977, and this is making me feel rather nostalgic. I know that sounds pretty funny, but 1977 was in my past. I might not be alive to see the 1970s, again. This sure does makes me feel a little sad."
"I understand, honey," HG whispered back, just as he slipped his arm around Amy. "I remember this song, as well. You played it for me a couple of times, the first of which was when you were trying to convince me to come to bed with you. Remember?"
Amy smiled back, as she remembered quite well. As she continued to listen to Marty, she thought of how great he really was. She had a good feeling that, with talent like that, he would be well on his way to becoming a rock star. She just wished she could hear some more of Marty's music. Marty certainly had picked a rather fitting song.
"Let me take you home tonight," Marty was singing. "You know I wanna take you home... Let me take you home tonight... I don't wanna be alone... Let me take you home tonight... Let me take you home tonight... Let me take you home tonight."
Everyone began to clap, as Amy waved over to Marty and smiled. She then felt very sad that Marty, Jennifer, and the Browns would soon be leaving. Of course, she and her husband would also be leaving. This had actually been an exciting week for her.
"Well, that's what music of the future sounds like?" Seamus asked, laughing. "I know that you've said music of the future can be very loud. That really isn't what I'm used to, but I must say that it's decent. He really does seem to have a lot of talent, and I hope that he's successful in becoming a musician. I simply wish him the best of luck."
