Chapter 10 - A Little Help From My Friends (reprise)
Sunday, August 17, 1969
Severus was dreaming of somewhere warm; the setting sun was bright red, the sky orange and yellow. He was standing on a beach of white sand, a violet sea lapping at his feet, a lush green forest at his back.
The only thing disturbing his tranquility were the bees. Or perhaps they were flies. Or wasps. Or giant dragonflies..
Something kept buzzing. In fact, many things were buzzing, at different levels of volume and of pitch. It was really quite annoying.
Severus opened his eyes and blinked. It was quite bright in the school bus.
He was still lying with his head in Azalea's lap, and Yesmina still clutched his hand under her own head. Severus carefully removed it from her grasp without waking her, and sat up, looking around.
He estimated by the angle of the sun that it must be late morning. Everyone was still asleep, including Angel, who was snoring.
That explained one of the buzzing sounds he had heard. Helicopters landing and taking off nearby explained some of the other sounds he'd dreamt.
Someone's transistor radio crackled in the distance.
"...Gulfport area, with sustained winds estimated in excess of 100 miles per hour..."
That explained another one of the buzzing sounds.
"Testing...testing...testing..." someone was speaking from the stage, as the speakers crackled and squealed. There was a general murmur from the hundreds of thousands in the field in front of the stage.
Azalea stirred and opened her eyes, followed by Free, and then Yesmina. Angel continued to snore, and DeWard was blissfully unaware of anything.
"Good morning," Free yawned, putting some sort of large stuffed "something" that she had been sleeping with behind her, and then she placed her hands on the floor in front of her and stretched like a cat.
Azalea yawned and stretched in the normal manner, mumbling something unintelligible.
"Good morning," Yesmina responded, sitting up and looking at her arms and legs, which only had faint yellow splotches on them this morning.
Azalea yawned again and rubbed her eyes, and then seemed to just become aware of Angel's snoring. She glared at him, and then kicked him.
This startled Angel, who sputtered and thrashed, accidentally kicking DeWard.
"Ow!" DeWard exclaimed, pulling away and rubbing his side.
"Wha...! Wha...!" Angel continued to sputter, sitting up and looking around, disoriented.
"You snorin', asshole!" Azalea shouted, searching in her handbag. "You wake everyone up!"
"If you all were already awake," Angel mumbled, rubbing his eyes, "why didn't you just let me go on sleeping?"
He yawned, and Azalea kicked him again.
"Why should you sleep if you wake everyone else up, asshole?" she demanded.
"Fuck you!" was Angel's response, which got him another kick from Azalea.
"How are you feeling this morning?" Severus asked Yesmina. She had lifted her shirt and was looking at her stomach, which also had faint yellow blotches.
"I'm feeling fine, thanks, Sev," she answered. "It looks like you not only stopped the bleeding, but it's mostly healed, too."
"What we have in mind is breakfast in bed for half a million people..." someone was announcing from the stage.
"What that thing?" Azalea demanded, brushing her hair and nodding towards the item Free had put behind herself.
Free looked at it with a slight nervous laugh, then held it up, blushing slightly.
"It's Bub," she smiled shyly.
Severus had never seen Free like this before, and considered it an improvement.
"What the fuck's a bub!?" Azalea demanded, staring at it.
It was sort of a shapeless thing almost as tall as Free, made of cloth in tones of grey and khaki, with semi-anthropomorphic features.
At one time, it had a face and hair and clothes, but now was threadbare, with a short tear in one seam through which stuffing kept popping out.
Free hugged Bub tightly.
"Bub's just Bub, man!" Free laughed. "I've had him for, like, forever, man!"
"Bub be nasty!" Azalea exclaimed, which only caused Free to hug Bub more tightly.
"Everyone makes fun of him," Free smiled. "But I don't care, I love him and I can't go to sleep without him..."
Severus and Yesmina smiled at Free, but Azalea still looked at Free's toy with disgust.
"It still be nasty!" she repeated.
"Not really," Free answered. "My mom takes him apart and washes him every couple of months, so he's not really dirty. It's just that I've had him so long and loved him so much, his face and clothes came off..."
Azalea's lip curled in disgust as she continued to brush her hair.
"Leave her alone, asshole!" Angel told Azalea. "You only wish someone love you enough, you face and clothes come off!"
"You nasty!" Azalea screamed, attempting to both kick Angel and hit him with her brush, but he had anticipated her reaction and had scrambled out of her reach, laughing.
"That's...that's the best anyone can hope for!" Angel laughed, trying to catch his breath. "That someone love us until our face fall off!"
Angel continued to roll on the floor, laughing. Everyone else laughed too, except for Azalea who seemed unconvinced.
"In your case it be an improvement!" Azalea shouted at him. "Not see yo' ugly face no mo', asshole! Someone need to take the stuffin' outta you, give you a good scrubbin' cuz you nasty!"
"Sev can do it!" Angel laughed, pointing at him. "He can take that magic wand of his, take the stuffing outta all of us, give us all a good wash!"
Angel giggled.
"Don't know if he can love the faces off of all of us, though!" Angel laughed.
Everyone laughed at this, even Azalea. Severus just smiled.
"I will leave you all your faces," he stated.
"Yeah, but will you be takin' the stuffin' out of us?" Angel giggled.
"Maybe," Severus smiled. "Maybe someone needs the stuffing taken out of them!"
Azalea put her hands on her hips and glared at Severus.
"Well maybe someone need to take the stuffin' outta you, English Boy!"
Angel guffawed.
"Notice how she automatically thinks it's all about her!" he exclaimed, and when Azalea glared at him, he added, "He didn't say who, did he? Why you think he talkin' 'bout you?"
Before Azalea and Angel could get into a real fight, Yesmina interrupted.
"Can we all hug Bub, Free?" she asked. Free looked surprised, but then handed the toy to Yesmina.
Yesmina took Bub and clasped him to her chest with a big hug, and then kissed what at one time must have been his head. She then passed Bub to Severus, who took it only to be polite.
Point of fact, he rather agreed with Azalea that the thing was pretty nasty. However, he was surprised when he did take it from Yesmina, that he could feel waves of love emanating from the thing.
It was almost as if a spell had been put on it, turning it into a Love Charm. And perhaps many years of a little girl's love did do just that.
Severus gave Bub a hug, and passed it to Azalea, who only held it with her thumb and index finger. She brought it to her nose and sniffed it, but since it didn't smell nasty she gave Bub a cursory hug before tossing him to Angel.
Angel deftly caught Bub, and then looked into what may at one time been Bub's eyes.
"Hello, Bub!" Angel exclaimed, shaking Bub's right appendage. "My name is Angel, and I'm very glad to meet you. You're looking very well, and I am very proud to give you a hug!"
Angel clasped Bub to his chest, and squeezed Bub to him with both arms, giving Bub an even bigger kiss than Yesmina had. He then squeezed Bub even harder, swinging back and forth with the toy, glancing at Azalea all the while.
Azalea just grimaced and stated, "You crazy!"
Angel smirked, and handed Bub to DeWard, who held him out at arm's length, inspecting him. DeWard then shrugged, hugged the toy, and handed it back to Free.
Free hugged Bub, and rocked back and forth, smiling.
"Thanks," she said. "For not making fun of me. Some kids do..."
She carefully laid Bub behind her.
"My dad got him at some fair when I was a baby," she explained. "I don't remember a time when I didn't have Bub..."
She took a brush from her own bag and started brushing her hair.
"So, like, are we going to try to get some breakfast before it's all gone, man?" she asked.
"We need to go get us some clean clothes first!" Azalea decided. "And go wash in that lake..."
She gave up trying to tug the brush through her hair, and tossed her brush back into her bag. Angel grimaced at her.
"You act like you think you stayin' at some fancy hotel!" he laughed. "Why don't you just relax?"
Azalea looked at him in disgust, getting to her feet and putting her hands on her hips.
"Maybe you don't care about bein' nasty!" she shouted at him. "But some of us prefer to be hygienic!"
And with that, she stormed off the bus.
The rest just looked at each other, then Angel, DeWard, and Severus all started to laugh. Even Yesmina chuckled, getting to her feet.
"That's one uptight chick, man!" Free announced, shrugging her shoulders, then grabbing a bag in the corner and pulling out a dashiki and a clean pair of underpants. Without pausing, she pulled off the dress and underpants she was wearing and put them into a large satchel that seemed to be a catchall for everyone's dirty laundry.
She then put on the clean items, reached for a scarf and her own bag, and got to her feet. It was only then that she noticed that DeWard was staring at her with his mouth open, but Angel and Severus only looked bemused.
"Like, you comin', man?" she asked, and then went out the back of the bus. DeWard turned to the other two.
"She takes off her clothes a lot, doesn't she?" DeWard whispered hoarsely.
"Yeah," Angel agreed, getting to his feet. Severus also stood up.
"It's because her people do it," Severus explained. "She was never made to feel ashamed of her body."
And he wondered why he had ever been ashamed of his own. He had discovered yesterday that the body was just an illusion, that the real self transcended what was in reality just an earthen vessel. What one put on it was just ornament, nothing else.
"It's a shame that we have to put anything on our bodies," Severus mused aloud. Angel nodded in agreement, but DeWard did not look convinced.
"I don't think I'm ashamed of my body," he stated. "And I sorta liked taking my clothes off at the lake the other day, but I felt funny about taking everything off...I don't think I could ever just go around all the time without anything on...'specially in winter..."
Severus laughed.
"Yes, that might be a problem!" he agreed.
"So how does Free do it?" DeWard asked.
"She lives in L.A.," Angel answered, pulling DeWard to his feet. "Don't get cold there..."
"Where is that?" Severus asked. Angel turned to him.
"California," he answered. "On the west coast. Don't get cold, don't snow there. People can run around naked all the time, if they want."
DeWard's mouth dropped open.
"Do they all go naked there?" he demanded. "Cuz I heard Annie and Benjie say we may end up there!" Angel turned back to DeWard, a look of surprise on his face.
"When you hear that?"
"A coupla days ago," DeWard answered. "Just before we came here. They was sayin' somethin' about goin' to some commune, I heard them say 'New Mexico', but then they said something about California. So will we have to go naked if we go to California?"
Severus was trying to envision a country where everyone went nude.
"I knew about New Mexico," Angel answered. "That's where they said they were heading. But we're supposed to stop by Azalea's relatives first. First her father, he's in Missouri, I think. And if she can't stay there, then we're goin' down to Louisiana to stay with her grandma. We might not even go to New Mexico, if her granny agrees to let us all stay. California's news to me."
Most of this statement was news to Severus.
He knew that they were not returning to New York, that Annie and Benjie had planned on going to something called a commune in a place called New Mexico.
However, all of the information regarding Azalea's relatives was a revelation. She had talked about her grandmother often, and had even mentioned once or twice that her mother lived elsewhere, but for some reason could not keep Azalea with her.
Severus did not even know that she had a father, since she never mentioned him. He definitely had had no idea that the plan was for them to go stay with Azalea's family.
But as he thought about it, the more it pleased him. He was more than curious about what her people were like, and actually looked forward to not only meeting them, but living with them, too.
Severus smiled to himself at the thought. He wondered if they would let Lily stay, too. Or at least, let her visit for extended stays.
"Don't get your hopes up," Angel interrupted, as if he was able to read Severus' thoughts. "There's a reason she wasn't stayin' with any of 'em, right? Why you think she with that bitch aunt if everythin's so hunky-dory with Dad or Grandma?"
He put his hand around DeWard's shoulder and guided him toward the exit at the back of the bus. Severus just stood there, pondering Angel's statement.
"You comin'?" he asked Severus, pausing at the exit. Severus stirred from his reverie, picked up his satchel, and joined Angel and DeWard.
When they got outside, none of the girls were around. They started walking towards where Annie and Benjie's minibus was parked.
"You ask me," Angel stated, "we gonna end up with Annie and Benjie in New Mexico. Or California. Wherever they go, we'll go. But Azalea need to find that out herself."
He stopped and looked directly at Severus.
"Don't say nothin' to her about it," Angel instructed. "She only get mad if anyone say that, we don't need to be killin' her hope..."
He shrugged and resumed walking.
"And who know?" he mused. "Maybe things got better since she be gone, maybe one of 'em can take her back now. But even if that so, whatcha wanna bet they take the rest of us, too?"
Severus thought about Angel's statement.
"Maybe they will," he mused. "Especially if Azalea asked..."
Angel snorted.
"They can't afford to keep her!" he exclaimed. "That why she not with them now! Even if they take her back, they not goin' to be takin' in some strange little black kid, two Ricans, 'specially one who sick, and one honky white boy!"
Angel looked Severus up and down.
"No matter how much a bro' his tan make him look!" Angel laughed. Severus held out his arms, shaking the sleeves of his smock up so that he could contemplate his skin. It was very brown.
"'Bro'?" he asked. "What does that mean?"
"Bro'...brother," Angel answered. "It mean you look like one of us, now!" He laughed.
Severus was not sure he understood. Did getting a tan turn him into a Muggle?
"It mean you don't look white no more!" Angel added, seeing Severus' confused look. "You look Rican, maybe even black..."
"He looks like an injun," DeWard opined. "He got straight hair like one!"
"Yeah," Angel agreed. "Could pass for an Indian. But there be Spanish with straight hair, too!"
"Let me see if I understand." Severus interrupted. "You are saying that because my skin is now dark, I'm now black? Or Indian? Or, what did you call it, 'Rican'?"
"Puerto Rican," Angel corrected. "But maybe you be Mexican...they got Indian and Spanish, they have straight hair like you..."
He laughed when he saw Severus' confused look.
"No, bro'," he smiled. "If it fades, it don't count! You still a honky!"
"What's a 'honky'?" Severus asked. Angel stopped laughing and actually looked a little ashamed.
"It's an insult, sorry," Angel apologized. "Don't let Azalea know I said that, I always on her case for using 'spick', and if we gonna tell you not to use that 'muggo' word, it's not right to call you honky..."
"Apology accepted," Severus smiled. "But what does it mean?"
"It's a word we use against whites," Angel mumbled, obviously upset that he'd used the word. "Forget it; I shouldn't have said it, even as a joke."
"It's okay...bro'," Severus smiled. "No offense taken...especially since I didn't know what it meant, and I am still not sure that I do."
Angel had stopped walking when Severus had said the word 'bro'. He smiled, and held out his hand, palm up.
"Okay, bro," he exclaimed. "Lay some skin one me!"
Severus just stood there looking at Angel's hand, not knowing what to do. Angel smirked, reached for Severus' hand and turned it palm up, then slapped his own palm on Severus'. He then turned his own hand palm up and held it out.
"Now you do the same!" he instructed Severus. Severus hesitated, then slapped Angel's palm.
"That's how you lay some skin on a dude!" Angel exclaimed, and then held his arm up, palm facing Severus. "Now do the same thing, to give me a high five!"
Severus looked around, but only DeWard was watching. He slapped Angel's palm with his own, then Angel grabbed Severus' arm, raised it with the palm turned out, and slapped it with the palm of his other hand.
"That's how you do a high five!" Angel exclaimed. "That's how bro's greet each other!"
He smirked and started walking again, puffed up with pride.
Severus and DeWard looked at each other, then DeWard held out his hand, palm up. Severus slapped it, then DeWard slapped Severus' upturned palm. However, DeWard finished by giving a 'thumbs up' sign to Severus, then he turned and followed after Angel.
Severus shrugged, and then ran to catch up with the other two.
As they came up to the Free Kitchen, DeWard announced that he needed to use the bathroom. They went around to where the portable toilet had been set up, but were confronted with a line of close to 100 people waiting to use it.
If that wasn't bad enough, most people were immediately exiting the facility in disgust as soon as they entered it, deciding instead to go off into the woods.
The boys decided to do the same, and had only gone a short way into the woods when they encountered Free standing by some bushes.
"What's up?" Angel asked. "Thought you were going with the others back to our minibus."
"Don't look!" Azalea's voice came from behind the bushes, so of course DeWard did.
"DeWard!" Yesmina's voice admonished. It sounded like she wasn't too far from Azalea.
DeWard turned back to Angel and Severus, a smirk on his face.
"We had to use the bathroom, man," Free explained. "But the line was too long..."
"It smell nasty, too!" Azalea added.
"So we came back here..." Free continued.
"Yeah, that was our idea, also," Angel stated.
"Watch where you step, man," Free told them, making a general gesture behind her. "Everyone else has the same idea, too."
"Don't you have to go, too?" Angel asked her.
"I already did," Free explained. She then gestured to the dashiki she was wearing.
"That's why I wear things like this to things like this, man," she explained.
The boys looked at her blankly.
"It's quicker and cleaner," Free added. "Found that out at a couple of festivals my old man and lady took me to years ago. Nothing as big as this, of course, but they didn't have any bathrooms, either, man. "
Yesmina came out from behind the bushes, looking slightly embarrassed.
"After you, like, had to have gone through squatting a few times and getting your jeans splashed, man, you figure out that it's easier to wear a dress or a dashiki, man," Free continued. "Just have to hike it up a bit, man, when you squat, and it gives you, like, more privacy, if that's important to you...even my old man wears dashikis to these things now"
"I'm not wearin' no dress!" DeWard announced, but Severus and Angel just stared at Free, trying to picture what she had just explained.
Azalea came out from behind the bushes, handing a roll of toilet tissue to Free.
"Oh!" Free added, laughing. "And you learn to carry one of these things with you, man!"
"She smart!" Azalea announced. "Why no one else think o' that?"
Free handed the toilet tissue to Angel.
"We'll she you back at your place, man," she told them, and the girls went off together, Yesmina turning and smiling at the boys.
Angel looked at the roll of toilet tissue, and started tossing it up in the air and catching it.
"You do gotta give Free credit!" he announced. "She is smart, and she does have a point!"
He led the way farther into the woods.
"I still won't wear no dress!" DeWard reiterated.
"Dashikis aren't dresses," Angel told him. "They're what Africans wear, even the men. Sorta like that smock of Severus', only longer..."
"Sev's smock is a shirt!" DeWard announced. "If it was long it would be a dress! He ain't wearin' no dress!"
Which was true, but it was much longer than DeWard's or Angel's own tee shirts, and therefore when a few minutes later they were taking care of their necessary business, Severus was the only one who was not totally exposed.
Not that such a thing mattered to him any longer...his body, like everyone's body, was inherently beautiful, and that included the natural processes of the body. However, as Free had stated, it was something that mattered to others.
And even though since yesterday, Angel seemed much more relaxed regarding his own body, Severus noticed that his friend still was somewhat nervous, insisting on keeping watch while DeWard and Severus took care of their needs, and only taking his turn when they were finished.
When they returned to the minibus, they were confronted with the sight of a bedraggled canopy, and wet, muddy bedding on the ground. They could hear Azalea inside the VW alternately whining or swearing, and Annie's voice trying to assure her that everything was going to be okay.
Free was sitting in the back door to the Free Kitchen.
"Azalea's upset, man," she announced unnecessarily.
"What's wrong?" Severus asked as they came up to her.
"Everything got wet last night," Free explained. "But I think Annie got everyone's clothes inside the bus, it's only the blankets and stuff that're muddy, man. But Azalea, she doesn't like mud, does she?"
The boys made no effort to move. It was an unspoken agreement to let the drama in the minibus play out on its own.
"Annie isn't feeling well," Free added. "That's why she's sleeping in the VW."
"Anything to eat?" DeWard asked, gesturing to the interior of the Free Kitchen.
"Nah, man!" Free answered. "They ran outta food. That's another thing's got Azalea upset. Only the Hog Farm's, like, got anything left, that's where we're going to next, man."
"You okay now, honey?" they could hear Annie asking, to which Azalea mumbled something unintelligible. Yesmina slipped out of the back of the VW, putting a towel into her already stuffed bag. She looked over at Free and the boys, and smiled nervously as she came over to them.
"Azalea's upset," she told them. "A lot of things got wet, but only the stuff we'd already worn. Annie made sure the rest of our stuff was inside the bus, they're clean and dry. But Azalea's still upset. She says she wants to leave."
She sat down next to Free.
"Annie's trying to calm her down," she continued, a look of concern clouding her face. "Annie doesn't look good. She says she's just tired, but she looks pale."
The boys looked at each other, and then went over to the VW.
Azalea was sitting in the front passenger seat with a couple of duffle bags and satchels, pulling things out and tossing some things one way, and other things into another pile.
Annie was lying in the back, using a rolled up quilt as a pillow. When she saw the boys, she smiled wanly. Severus saw that Yesmina was correct -- Annie indeed looked pale.
"Hi, guys!" Annie sighed, lying back on her quilt pillow. "How's it goin'?"
"Fine." Severus answered. "How are you, Annie?"
"A little tired," she admitted. "Benjie's helping at the Hog Farm, if you want to get breakfast there...we ran out of food yesterday..."
Azalea mumbled something about fuckin' assholes havin' no food and continued sorting like a mad woman.
Annie glanced at her, and then sighed before turning back to the boys.
"Azalea's unhappy that some of your things got wet last night," Annie said, smiling sadly. "Most of it was in here, but the doors were open and some stuff still got wet..."
Azalea was now grumbling about fuckin' rain and mud and clean, dry, clothes.
Angel crawled past Annie and retrieved his and DeWard's bags, and took them outside before going through them.
"Is there anything I can get you, Annie?" Severus asked.
"Oh, no...thanks, hon," she answered, sighing and closing her eyes, using one arm to cover them. "My stomach's a little queasy, and really I'd just like to get some sleep."
Severus retrieved his own bag, but found that since he'd left it right by the open side door of the minibus, that it had indeed been rained on, and that everything inside was quite damp. He stuffed everything back in and rezipped the bag before tossing it into the corner.
"You stuff all wet," Azalea said, more of a statement than a question.
"Yeah," Severus answered. "That's okay; I'll just wear what I already have on."
Azalea looked at him critically, and then took the items she'd sorted into one pile and stuffed them into a dry duffle bag. From what Severus could see, it looked like a couple of towels, something that looked like a dress or a robe, and a couple of scarves.
She exited out the passenger door, and Severus joined her by leaving through the backside door. When they got to the back of the minibus, they saw that Steve and Dawn had joined them. Angel and DeWard had changed their shirts and put their bags back into the vehicle, wishing Annie goodbye...
"So, we goin' for some breakfast?" Angel asked.
"We go wash first!" Azalea announced, hefting the duffle over one shoulder and her shoulder bag over the other.
"I'm hungry!" DeWard complained. "They might run out of food before we get back!"
"Fine!" Azalea shouted at him, causing DeWard to take a few steps backward and cower behind Steve. "You wanna go around all stinky and nasty, you go ahead! Some of us are more refined!"
"Yeah," Angel retorted, "when you see some of those refined people, you be sure to point 'em out to us!"
He ran about ten feet away before Azalea could do anything to him. The rest just laughed, but DeWard made sure to keep Steve between himself and Azalea.
"All you have to do is wait, Azalea," Steve laughed. "It's gonna rain this afternoon, you can just take a shower then!"
This statement caused not only Azalea, but also Angel, Severus, and DeWard to stop and stare at the bright, sunlit sky. Azalea then glared at Steve, then back at the sky. It was as if she couldn't make up her mind whether to curse Steve, or to curse Mother Nature.
Angel and Severus looked at each other; Severus shrugged.
"I ain't gonna say anything!" Angel exclaimed, throwing his hands up. "He seems to be right about those things."
"Yeah, it's gonna rain," Steve mused, looking around not only at the sky, but also at the trees. "Heavy rain, by the looks of it..."
"There ain't a cloud in the sky!" Azalea shouted at him, as if she now suspected that Steve somehow was causing the daily rain.
Severus looked at the sky again. While it was technically true that there wasn't A cloud, the sky was actually almost a complete blanket of haze. He then looked at the trees, trying to discern what Steve had seen there.
Severus eventually noticed that many of the leaves seemed to be curled, showing their silver undersides. In addition, some branches were swaying, even though there wasn't any breeze on the ground.
"You see it, don't you, Sev?" Steve prompted.
"Yes," Severus answered. "I think I do. I never noticed it before..."
"I don't think Europeans knew about it before coming here," Steve explained. "The Indians had to teach them."
Severus was beginning to think that it would be very interesting to meet some of these Indians.
Azalea turned to Severus.
"Can't you do somethin' to stop it rainin'?" she demanded.
"I don't know any weather magick," Severus mused, still gazing at the sky and nearby flora. Then it dawned on him that Azalea seemed to have concluded that he indeed knew how to perform magick. He turned to her.
"Sorry," he apologized. "I'd try it for you if I knew how."
Azalea snorted, mumbled something that sounded like "What the fuck good are you?", and stormed off in the direction of the Hog Farm food tent. Yesmina jumped up from where she was sitting next to Free to run after Azalea. Free stood up and slowly walked over to the rest.
"So, like, are we eating or washing, man?"
"I think we're eating," Steve mused, watching the direction Azalea and Yesmina were walking. They all started to follow.
"I would do something about the weather if I could," Severus whispered to Angel. Angel took a few moments before answering.
"I think Azalea, she thinks you can do anything," he mused. "Or most anything. She depends on you, but won't admit it."
Severus thought about that statement. A bubble of pride started to grow in the pit of his stomach, spreading out to his lungs, and down his legs. Azalea thought he could do anything. He grinned broadly.
They came up to the Hog Farm tent, which was a beehive of activity. A group of people were busy mixing large quantities of dried substances and then portioning it out into Dixie Cups. Others were bringing these cups out to the people sitting in the field in front of the stage, or else coming back from one of these trips.
Azalea was standing staring at the activity, hands on her hips. She glared at the others as they came up behind her.
"How the fuck we gonna get somethin' to eat?" she demanded, then stared down at Severus' still grinning face.
"What you so happy 'bout?" she demanded.
"Nothing," Severus answered, still grinning. Azalea looked at him suspiciously.
"You look like some crazy fool, grinnin' like that!" she spat out.
Severus just reached out, put his arms around her waist, leaned his head on her breasts, and squeezed as hard as he could.
This took Azalea by surprise, and her automatic reaction was to put her arms around Severus' head, stroking his hair, but then she recovered herself and pushed him away.
"You still trippin'!" she exclaimed, but she didn't seem as angry as before.
"Oh!" Free exclaimed. "Are we supposed to, like, all hug now, man?"
Without waiting for an answer, she reached out for Yesmina and hugged her. DeWard and Dawn needed no further prompting to hug each other. Steve and Angel looked at each other; Steve laughed, then reached out and hugged Angel.
Azalea and Severus stared at this scene; Azalea gave a snort of disgust.
"You all start kissin' next!" she spat out in disgust, but Free just let go of Yesmina and turned to Azalea and hugged her, and also gave her a kiss on her cheek.
Steve let go of Angel, and turned to Severus with his arms held open, inviting a hug. Severus hesitated; Steve chuckled and then stepped up and put his arms around Severus, giving him a bear hug.
Severus had never had someone of his own sex hug him before; the only touches he ever got from his own father were violent ones.
This must be what it is like to have an older brother, Severus thought. He reciprocated Steve's hug. Steve brushed his lips on Severus' forehead before letting him go.
Yesmina and Angel were hugging; DeWard and Dawn had never stopped. Free turned to Steve, gave him a hug and a kiss, and then did the same with Severus.
Steve went to give Azalea a hug, but she held up her hand in front of her to stop him.
"That okay!" she stated. "You don't have to."
Steve shrugged, smiling, but then before Azalea could see what he was doing, he quickly bent over and gave her a kiss on her cheek.
"You crazy!" she exclaimed, wiping her cheek with the back of her hand.
"Hey, kids!" someone was calling. "Kids! You hungry?"
They turned to look at who was calling them, and saw a very sweaty Benjie and his friend Chris returning from a trip to distribute the Hog Farm breakfast to people.
"Come on!" Benjie exclaimed, gesturing for them to come over. "We'll get you something!"
Azalea led the way, and when they joined Benjie and Chris, the two men led them into the Hog Farm kitchen area.
"You have your choice of cooked oatmeal with peanuts, or this granola stuff they're mixing," Chris explained.
Azalea did not look happy with either choice.
"What the hell's "granola"?" she demanded.
"It's this sorta cereal thing they're mixing up," Benjie explained. "It's oatmeal and wheat germ and nuts and raisins and stuff. You eat it dry. Well, I guess you could have it with milk, but there isn't any milk, so you gotta eat it dry."
"I've had granola," Free stated. "There's, like, this natural foods place my old lady shops at, they sell that stuff. It's pretty good, man."
So based on Free's recommendation, they all decided to accept Dixie Cups of granola.
"Annie's looking really tired," Yesmina told Benjie when he handed a cup of granola to her.
"She still layin' down in the minibus?" Benjie asked her. Yesmina nodded.
"I'll stop by and look in on her later," Benjie stated. "Maybe bring her some granola..."
With that, he was off to bring food to thousands of strangers. Yesmina wrinkled her nose.
"He should be with Annie!" she exclaimed. Severus looked at her in surprise. Yesmina rarely criticized anyone, and never with the vehemence she had just shown.
"Do you think something's wrong with Annie?" he asked her. "She said she was just tired."
"She's going to have a baby," Free observed.
"Not yet," Azalea answered, not pausing in eating her granola, which she had been surprised to find was actually good to eat. "She not due for seven, eight weeks..."
"I wouldn't be so sure, man," Free mused. Yesmina looked even more concerned.
"I think we should stay by Annie today," she observed. "Just to make sure she's okay."
Azalea grimaced.
"Okay, we go back and be bored all day keepin' Annie company!" Azalea stated between mouthfuls of granola. "But not before we wash up!"
This seemed to be alright with everyone except Yesmina, who still looked nervous.
Azalea stood up, pouring the rest of her granola into her mouth.
"Let's go!" she instructed, turning and leading the way to the lake.
Everyone else gradually got to their feet, and slowly followed Azalea.
"Tell me again why we do everything she says?" Steve asked Angel.
"It's just easier that way," Angel shrugged.
"Do you think that Annie's going to be okay?" Severus whispered to Yesmina. She looked down at the ground, a troubled look on her face, and then looked over her shoulder as she kept pace with Severus.
"I don't know," she admitted, turning back around. "I just have...well, it's a feeling. That something isn't right. Maybe she just worked too hard the past couple of days. Maybe she just ate something that upset her stomach. But I don't feel right leaving her alone..."
"We'll be quick at the lake," Severus decided. "And then head back, no matter what Azalea says."
Yesmina nodded, but she still looked worried.
But at that moment, Free's parents arrived to help at the Hog Farm kitchen. Free went over to them and said something that caused them to turn direction and head towards Annie in the minibus.
Free rejoined Severus and Yesmina.
"I told my old lady and man about Annie," she stated. "They're going to keep an eye on her."
"Thank you, Free!" Yesmina gushed. "I really think someone should be with her..."
By the time they got to the lake, the sun was mostly hidden behind a thick blanket of haze, but it wasn't quite cloudy as such.
The lack of sun hadn't stopped people from going into the lake; there had to be hundreds in it this morning. Most of whom were naked.
Perhaps because she now was prepared for such a scene, Azalea only snorted in contempt before throwing her bags down to the ground.
"I s'pose y'all takin' all you clothes off, too!" she exclaimed.
As if in answer, Steve, Dawn, and Free immediately stripped naked and went running into the water. DeWard paused, watching them, and then sat down and took off all his own clothes and sandals and ran to join the others...
Angel didn't say a word, just slowly took off all of his clothes and slowly entered the water to join the others.
Yesmina was looking at the ground again, her face turning pink. Azalea just stood with her hands on her hips staring at Angel, mouth open but not saying a word. She then turned violently to Severus.
"I suppose you doin' it, too!" she demanded. Severus hadn't thought about it before she had asked, but yes, he wanted to take off all of his clothes and join the others.
This made him laugh, remembering how embarrassed he was the other day to even take his shirt off in front of the others. Now he was embarrassed to keep his clothes on.
"What so funny, asshole!?" Azalea demanded.
"You are, Azalea," Severus answered. "And beautiful. You are funny and beautiful at the same time, and what is so funny is that you can't see it. You are funny and beautiful and blind! You cannot see the things that are really important!"
Azalea again stood silent, her mouth open. Yesmina looked up from the ground to look at Severus cryptically.
"To answer your question," Severus continued, "yes, I am going to take off my clothes. All of them. Moreover, so should you. You have nothing to be ashamed of, Azalea, and if you are concerned about people looking at you and judging you well, if you keep any clothes on, you are the one who will be the odd one. If you notice, no one in the lake has any clothes on!"
Azalea looked out at the people in the lake, and then turned back to Severus.
"I also notice there be no black folk out there, either!" she announced, pouting. Severus looked out at everyone in the lake. Azalea was correct in that respect.
He looked back at Azalea, then took off his smock and stepped up to her, holding his arm out next to hers. With his tan, they were both now of a similar color.
"Angel said I'm now a 'bro', if only until my tan fades," Severus told her. "So you won't be alone out there."
Azalea's eyes softened and Severus thought she might actually cry. But then she laughed sardonically.
"You better not laugh at me!" she warned. Severus scowled.
"Why would I do that?" he asked. "If I do laugh, it will because I will be amazed at how beautiful you are!"
Azalea looked at Yesmina.
"What about you?" she asked.
Yesmina looked at the sky, then back at Azalea and Severus.
"I'd like to be like the others," she said softly. "I think I could risk it today, because the sun's not out. But I better not stay long. I've burned before on days like today, because it's easy to forget..."
The three of them just stood there, no one moving. After about half a minute, Severus shrugged and started to take off his clothes.
"I'm going in," he stated. Azalea and Yesmina looked at each other, and then slowly started to take off their clothes.
When Severus turned around from folding his clothes, Azalea and Yesmina had taken off their clothes. Azalea stood with her arms crossed over her breasts.
"Don't stare at me!" Azalea admonished him. However, Severus couldn't help himself.
Not only because Azalea was indeed beautiful. But her body was different from what Severus expected. Not that he knew what to expect, when he thought about it.
Next to Yesmina, Azalea had more curves. She had breasts, while Yesmina did not. Azalea's hips were more rounded. In addition, she had hair between her thighs, where they met her torso. Yesmina didn't. Neither did Free or Dawn.
Azalea grabbed a towel from her bag and wrapped it around herself. She gave another towel to Yesmina, and then took a bar of soap out.
"All set?" Severus asked softly, and then walked past Azalea towards the water, trying not to look at her too much.
At the water's edge, the two girls dropped their towels and quickly plunged into the water. Azalea immediately began washing herself, including her hair, and then passed the bar of soap to Yesmina, who did the same.
Severus then washed himself when she was done. By this time, the others had come over, and each took their turn washing with Azalea's soap.
This activity caught the attention of many others who were in the lake, and soon they had a line of naked people wading over. Azalea needn't have worried that these people would stare at her, what became their object of lust and envy was her bar of Jamaican castile and olive oil soap.
When the precious bar had made its final round, all she got back was a thin sliver that she threw into the lake in disgust.
"Well," Severus observed, "they didn't stare at you. And they are now all clean."
Azalea surprisingly laughed, then slapped Severus on his back.
"Let's go!" she announced, wading out of the water and grabbing her towel, again wrapping it around herself before going back to where she had left her clothes. Yesmina had already left the water, and was finishing putting on the skirt and peasant blouse Azalea had packed for her.
Azalea pulled a dashiki out of her own bag and quickly slipped it on. Unlike Free's ankle-length dashiki, Azalea's only went just below her knees...
She put her underwear on underneath the dashiki, and then slipped her arms through the sleeves. She then became aware of Severus, who was just standing there, watching.
"Okay, we know you look fine!" she exclaimed, throwing her towel at Severus, who caught it. "Don't he look dark and fine, Mina?"
Azalea winked at Yesmina, who blushed and looked away.
"But he don't need to go struttin' his fine, dark stuff for us, do he?" Azalea laughed. Severus blushed.
"I don't strut!" he protested, using the towel to dry himself, then stopping and looking up. "At least, I don't think that I do!"
He looked from Azalea, who just laughed, to Yesmina, who smiled and shook her head, looking away again.
He threw the towel back at Azalea.
"I don't strut!" he repeated, putting on his clothes. He decided not to tuck his smock into his pants.
By this time the others had rejoined them, getting dressed quickly as the sky was getting greyer. Azalea was putting the same liquid on her hair that she had used the other day, the hair lotion that Severus had made her that turned her hair from bushy to silky. After brushing it out, she tied a scarf around her head, tying it in a knot over her ear.
Yesmina retrieved a long thin scarf and tied it around her forehead as a headband. She then held out a similar scarf, inspected it, and then looked at Severus. Without a word, she went over to him and wrapped the scarf around his waist as a belt, tied it in a knot on his side, and then pulled the top of his smock up slightly so that it puffed out over the scarf.
She inspected her handiwork with satisfaction, and then turned to Azalea, who looked at Severus with raised eyebrows.
"Doesn't he look...dashing?" Yesmina asked her, laughing. "Like a pirate!"
"He can't be no pirate!" Azalea laughed, getting to her feet. "Pirates strut! Severus tell us he never strut!"
Yesmina chuckled, and then turned pensive.
"We really should check in on Annie," she stated.
Azalea shrugged and looked at the sky. There really wasn't much to do until the concert resumed later that afternoon, and it did look like it was going to start raining again.
When they got back to the minibus, the rain had started. However, the vehicle was empty.
Azalea went into the VW, sat on a quilt, and started to braid her hair. DeWard and Dawn climbed in with her, but everyone else stood outside in the rain, wondering what to do.
"You all goin' to stand around, get wet?" Azalea demanded.
"Where's Annie?" Severus asked.
"Who know?" Azalea answered. "Maybe she go help at that Hog Farm place!"
"She was in labor, man, so I don't think she'd, like do that," Free mused... Everyone, including Azalea, stared at Free.
"You crazy!" Azalea decided, but there was a slight hint of fear in her voice. "She not due 'til mid-October!"
"Are you sure, Free?" Yesmina anxiously demanded. "Why didn't you say anything?"
"I'm not completely sure, man," Free admitted. "But my old lady's a midwife assistant, I've seen this before. When I told her earlier what Annie was feeling, she said it sounded like she started labor..."
"Why didn't you say something to us?" Severus asked. Free shrugged.
"Like, what could any of us have done, man?"
Severus thought about it, and realized that Free had a point.
"But where is she now?" Steve asked. As if in answer, they heard a woman's scream coming from the direction of the Hog Farm kitchen.
"Sounds like they moved her over there," Free answered, and started to walk in that direction, with Yesmina right behind her. Steve, Angel, and Severus looked at each other, and then turned to Azalea, Dawn, and DeWard inside the VW.
"You coming?" Steve asked his sister. She gave a questioning look at DeWard, then slipped out of the minibus and stood by her brother. DeWard hesitated, and then joined her.
Azalea kept braiding her hair.
"What about you?" Angel demanded.
"She not due 'til October!" Azalea repeated, but another scream from the Hog Farm kitchen seemed to put that fact into question.
"She may be having a miscarriage," Steve said softly. Both Angel and Severus stared at him.
"If she really is in labor this early, it could be due to a miscarriage," he stated. He looked at Azalea, as did Severus. Angel's look for her was one of contempt.
"Okay!" she shouted, sighing as she slid out of the minibus. "If she is having a miscarriage, don't know what any of us can do about it, but let's go and stare at her anyways!"
She stormed off in the direction of the Hog Farm tent, the boys following her.
They spotted DeWard standing in the entrance to the tent, looking confused and scared and trying not to get in the way of people who were coming and going. He looked relieved to see Angel and the others.
"I don't know what's goin' on," he explained. "Dawn and Yesmina and Free are in there with Annie and some other people, they say Annie's having her baby!"
Azalea still didn't look convinced that was indeed the case, but she just stood there, hands on her hips, and didn't make any move to go inside.
Steve on the other hand pushed DeWard to the side and quickly went in. Angel and Severus looked at each other, not sure what to do, then curiosity got the better of them and they tentatively stepped inside the entrance...
It was actually fairly dark because they were at the back of the tent where there was no entrance except for the door. A few battery and kerosene lamps provided pools of light.
Annie was lying on a makeshift cot, the upper part of her body propped up with blankets and bags of oatmeal. A group of people were helping her, including Free's parents.
Yesmina was kneeling by the cot, holding Annie's hand. Free was standing serenely a few feet away, with an equally serene Dawn by her side.
"It would, like, help if you walked around a bit," Free's mother was saying.
"FUCK THAT!" Annie screamed. And then she just screamed.
Yesmina looked at Severus with pleading eyes, but he had no idea what he could do to help.
"Is there anything I can do?" Steve offered. The adults looked at him in surprise.
"Have you ever delivered a baby, son?" Free's father asked, grinning. Steve looked embarrassed, blushing slightly.
"Not really," he admitted. "I did sorta help when Barbara on our farm had a baby last year, and I've helped my dad with birthing calves..."
This statement seemed to actually impress Free's parents, but Yesmina looked at him in alarm. Annie gave a tired laugh.
"I feel like it's fuckin' calf in here!" she screamed. Then she grunted, squeezing Yesmina's hand so hard that she winced, but didn't say anything.
Steve whispered something in Dawn's ear that the others couldn't hear. She nodded, and then ran out of the tent.
"Shouldn't they be bringin' her to the medical tent," a hoarse whisper asked behind Angel and Severus. They turned and saw Azalea poking her head through the doorway.
"Does she look like she can make it to the medical tent?" Severus asked, turning back to look at Annie, who had a grimace on her face.
"She need a doctor!" Azalea exclaimed, a slight whine to her voice.
"She can maybe walk a few steps," Free stated, not turning to look at Azalea. "She probably should, it would help with the labor. But she can't walk to the medical tent. They said they had a nurse here earlier, but she said that there's nothing she can do that my old lady's not already doing..."
Free turned to look at them.
"And she said that they can't get Annie out because the roads are closed, and the helicopters aren't flying because of the storm...so she's going to have to give birth here..."
She turned back to watch.
"My old lady says it's going to be hours..."
Azalea made what sounded like a whimpering sound and ducked back outside.
"Me and DeWard's going back to the minibus!" she called out.
A sadness enveloped Severus' heart. He was very disappointed in Azalea.
"Hours?" Angel asked Free. "How many hours?"
Free shrugged.
"My old lady's helped out where women went on for two days in labor," Free answered. "And then some others only go for an hour or two. It depends. But my old lady said that Annie's baby probably won't come until later tonight or tomorrow morning..."
Severus and Angel stood there with their mouths open. Hours? How could Annie stand it? How would they?
"Is she going to be alright?" Severus asked. "And the baby, is it going to be alright, too?
Free just shrugged.
"Don't know," she answered softly. "It is seven weeks early..."
Benjie came running in from the front of the tent and knelt down besides his wife.
"There's nothin' goin' in or out of here, honey!" he exclaimed, taking her other hand. "I tried to find anything, but the roads are closed and there's nothing flyin'!"
"See?" Free whispered. "She's having her baby right here..."
Severus had never felt so helpless in his life. He felt that there should be something he could do, but he had no idea what.
At that moment, Dawn returned through the front of the tent, with a couple of adults accompanying her. When Steve saw them, he said, "Hi, Mom! Hi, Dad!"
"Howdy, there!" one of the men said. "So what's going on?"
Annie glared at him. Benjie stood up and shook the man's hand.
"Hi, I'm Benjie, we're having a baby," he explained.
"Tom, this is my wife Janet, and these are Patrick and Linda from our farm," Steve's father explained. "Our daughter says you might need a little help here..."
"Most of us give birth on the farm," Janet explained, "so we're fairly experienced in home births."
"Great!" Free's mother exclaimed, standing up and coming over, shaking Janet's hand. "I'm Nierika, and this is my husband Isaac -- we're apprentice midwives."
She rubbed her hands together.
"So, like, let's get this baby thing going!" she laughed.
They forced Annie to get to her feet and supported her as they walked her around the tent. Benjie stood to the side, and then Severus noticed he was no longer there.
Linda brought the boys to the front of the tent, and put them to work boiling water.
"Why are we boiling water?" Angel asked.
"I dunno," Steve answered. "They always have us kids boil water at home when there's a birth. I don't think they ever use it, I think it's just something for us to do to keep us outta the way..."
Angel looked perfectly satisfied to have been put out of the way, but Severus stated, "Well, I am going to make Annie a cup of tea!"
He put a kettle on to boil, and then found a cup, measured some herbs from his satchel into the tea ball he carried in it, and then poured the boiling water over it to steep.
Meanwhile, the rest of the Hog Farm was busy preparing a meal that consisted of a type of spaghetti sauce, and quite a bit of broccoli.
When the tea that Severus had made had steeped, and then sufficiently cooled, he brought it into Annie, who was now lying down with her knees up and legs spread apart, with Nierika, Janet, and Linda looking intently between her legs.
Isaac and Patrick were supporting Annie by her shoulders so that she could sit up. Tom and Dawn were ripping what looked to be sheets into strips...
Yesmina was holding Annie's hand again, and Free was sitting next to her, placidly watching the whole scene.
"You got a ways to go, hon," Janet told Annie.
"Arrrrggggghhhhhh!!" was the only response she made.
Severus went up to Annie, and offered her the cup of tea.
"I made this for you," he stated. Annie just looked at the cup.
"That's, like, a great idea, man!" Nierika exclaimed. She looked at Annie. "You should drink it; you don't want to become dehydrated."
Annie took the cup from Severus with a look of appreciation.
"Thanks, Sev," she said weakly. She took a few sips, and looked up to him in surprise.
"I feel a lot better!" she exclaimed.
"It is meant to give you strength," Severus explained. "And endurance. It helps with pain, too..."
Annie took another sip. She definitely looked more relaxed.
Severus found a small crate nearby and sat on it, waiting for Annie to finish the tea. While Angel and Steve may have been at a loss for a function to do at this time, Severus knew what he had to do today.
Hours went by. On his periodic trips back to the front of the tent to make some more tea, Severus at first found Angel and Steve boiling the strips of sheets that Steve's father had given them. Later, he found them helping out the kitchen staff. Most times Severus found Angel grumbling about Azalea.
"If she didn't want to help Annie," he was saying one time, "she at least could be up here helping us!"
Severus was also curious as to why Azalea did not seem curious about the impending birth of Annie and Benjie's child. And so he was also disappointed with her.
But then again, both DeWard and now Dawn were absent from the scene too, so Severus assumed that Azalea was looking after them.
They could hear the microphone on stage crackle as the concert was set to resume. Someone was making announcements.
"...there's a warning about the brown acid that is circulating, that it is specifically no good," they heard the announcer stating. "Of course, it's your own trip, so be my guest! Just wanted to pass that warning on to you..."
Angel and Severus stared at each other.
"You think...?" Angel whispered to him. Severus shrugged.
"It was fine when you and I had it," he answered, but Angel wasn't convinced.
"Yeah, but it was clear when we got it on us!" he whispered hoarsely, leaning in closer to Severus. "I remember seeing it turn brown when you put something in it!"
"Did I?" Severus asked. "Or did you just dream it?"
Angel quickly stood up straight and stared at Severus warily.
"All I am saying," Severus added, "is that neither of us can be sure anything happened to that stuff, or that what they're talking about is the same thing we made..."
Angel still had a look of consternation.
"Listen," Severus continued. "Even if it is the same stuff we were working on yesterday, what can we do about it? It sounds like those guys decided to 'distribute' it anyway..."
"But if it's bad acid, man, you are responsible!" Angel whispered. "There could be people permanently crazy cuz of you!"
Severus stared at him, showing no emotion.
"You are jumping to a conclusion that you in fact have no basis to make," he said coolly. Angel had never seen this side of Severus' personality, and was taken aback.
"First off, you do not know for a fact that what they just spoke of has anything to do with either of us!" Severus continued icily. "Second, even if it is the same acid you and I worked on yesterday, you don't know for a fact that I indeed did anything to it...don't interrupt!"
Angel had indeed been about to interrupt Severus, but closed his mouth.
"You don't know for a fact that I did anything to it!" Severus continued. "I don't know for a fact that I did anything to it. Neither of us know for a fact anything we did yesterday, do we?"
Angel's face reflected the confusion he was experiencing, which wasn't lost on Severus.
"You know that I am correct!" he exclaimed. "Maybe I did add something to the acid, maybe I didn't. I don't know, and neither do you! And even if I did, and even if what they are now talking about is the same thing, neither you or I have any idea what those guys may have done to it after we left!"
Angel looked close to tears.
"But don't you care, Severus? Don't you feel guilty?"
It was now Severus' turn to be brought up short.
"Guilty?" he asked, then after a few moments thought he stated, "No. I don't feel guilty. I wasn't the one who accepted those guys offer. I wasn't the one who knew fully well what it was they wanted us to do. Anything I may -- I'm only saying may -- have done to it was done under it's influence. I didn't knowingly alter it!"
Angel looked like he had been hit with a bucket of ice.
"If anyone should be feeling guilty, it is you!" Severus continued. "You were the one who got us into it! Feel guilty all you want, if it makes you feel any better. But don't try to make me feel guilty, too!"
The concert had started.
Woman of the country And I whisper sighs
Now I've found you
Longing in your soft
And fertile delta.
To satisfy your longing
For the warmth and
Tender shelter of my body.
"I am going to find Azalea!" Severus stated, turning and leaving Angel, who had a tear rolling down one cheek.
"What's wrong?" Severus could hear Steve asking Angel.
In the back, Annie was screaming in time with the singing from the stage.
Oh you're my
Yes you're my, Delta Lady!
"Aaaaaaahhhhhhhhgggghhhh!"
Severus just glanced at the others, and stormed out into the storm outside.
And I'm over here in England
But I think of you, think about you
Because I love you
Severus thought of Lily, and had the strongest pangs of homesickness since he'd come to America. He forced those feelings to recede. It would not accomplish anything to give into, and wallow, in misery.
Yesterday he had felt so connected to the world; today, he felt so alone.
There are concrete And yet it seems
Mountains in the city
And pretty city women
Live inside them.
The city scene is lacking
I'm so glad you're waiting
For me in the country
A strong desire welled up inside him where the despair had just been. He needed to find Azalea. He had to find Azalea.
But no one was back at the minibus. No one was at the Free Kitchen, either.
What would you think Oh, I get by
If I sang out of tune?
Would you stand up and
Walk out on me?
Lend me you ears and
I'll sing you a song
And I'll try not to sing out of key.
With a little help from my friends.
Severus wondered where Azalea could have gone, and decided that she probably would have taken DeWard and Dawn back to their area by the side of the stage when the concert began. He started to walk in that direction.
What do I do when my love is away? No, I get by with a little help from my friends.
(Does it worry you to be alone?)
How do I feel by the end of the day?
(Are you sad because you're on your own?)
It was not easy getting to the stage. The ground was quite muddy, and not getting any better due to the rain.
Severus found his way blocked by a group of decidedly muddy men, who seemed to find their state of muddiness quite amusing.
But then Severus heard a familiar voice screaming in front of him. He couldn't see what was going on, because there were so many muddy men in front of him.
But it was definitely Azalea, screaming hysterically. And then he heard DeWard's voice screaming "Stop it! Leave her alone! Stop it!"
Severus' heart plummeted into his stomach. He frantically tried to push his way through the crowd of people, as Azalea continued to scream.
Oh, I get by with a little help from my friends.
I'm gonna try with a little help from my friends.
I get high with a little help from my friends.
Yeah, I'll get by with a little help from my friends.
With a little help from my friends...
Woman of the country
Now I've found you
Longing in your soft
And fertile delta.
And I whisper sighs
To satisfy your longing
For the warmth and
Tender shelter of my body.
CHORUS:
Oh you're my
Yes you're my, Delta Lady!
Yes, you're my
Me oh my, Delta Lady!
Please don't ask
How many times
I found you standing wet
And naked in the garden.
And I think of days
And diff'rent ways
I held you, held you closely to me
Yes our heart was beating.
(chorus)
And I'm over here in England
But I think of you, think about you
Because I love you
There are concrete
Mountains in the city
And pretty city women
Live inside them.
And yet it seems
The city scene is lacking
I'm so glad you're waiting
For me in the country
(chorus)
DELTA LADY What would you think if I sang out of tune? Oh, I get by with a little help from my friends. What do I do when my love is away? No, I get by with a little help from my friends. (Do you need anybody?) (Would you believe in love at first sight?) Oh, I get by with a little help from my friends. (Do you need anybody?) Oh, I get by with a little help from my friends.
Joe Cocker
Woodstock - August 17, 1969
Would you stand up and walk out on me?
Lend me you ears and I'll sing you a song
And I'll try not to sing out of key.
(He gets by with a little help from his friends.)
Oh, I'm gonna try with a little help from my friends.
(Does it worry you to be alone?)
How do I feel by the end of the day?
(Are you sad because you're on your own?)
Mmm, I get high with a little help from my friends.
Mmm, I'm gonna try with a little help from my friends.
I need somebody to love.
(Could it be anybody?)
I want somebody to love.
Yes, I'm certain that it happens all the time.
(What do you see when you turn out the light?)
I can't tell you, but I know it's mine.
Mmm, I get high with a little help from my friends.
Oh, I'm gonna try with a little help from my friends.
I need someone to love.
(Could it be anybody?)
I want somebody to love.
I'm gonna try with a little help from my friends.
I get high with a little help from my friends.
Yeah, I'll get by with a little help from my friends.
With a little help from my friends...
WITH A LITTLE HELP FROM MY FRIENDS
Joe Cocker
Woodstock - August 17, 1969