notes from the drawing table: welcome to chapter 4. A short chapter that brings Kim back to Michigan and to the story. This takes place a week or so after Linday's return. (and it's a chance to send Victor and Laurie off to their next pursuits).

Published today on Busy Phillips (and Linda Cardellini's) birthdays. Happy birthday Ladies! Maybe I should watch the shows they are on. Busy is pretty comical in Cougartown from the few episodes I saw during the first season.

Please read and enjoy. DTaC.


Life at the Top

4. The Music Never Stops

"Aiiiiieeeeegggggggggggghhhhhh! No. No. NOOOOOO"!

"Oh man Victor – she's freaking out again."

"Hey – Kim, are you ok? We're almost to the state line. We'll be home in just a few more hours."

"That's' the problem . . . I don't wanna be home! Home SUCKS"!

"It'll be ok Kim – just stay calm," the sweet and ever-smiling Laurie said, hoping to mellow Kim out before she got started on another one of her rants.

"Yeah, man – everything's gonna be cool," Victor, perpetually laid-back and positive, added.

"You have no idea how insane my life is."

"It can't be that bad." Laurie tried to reassure, then continued: "Anyway . . . we just had a great trip . . . a great tour. Now that we're back, you have so much to look forward to."

"Yeah – that's easy for you to say. You guys graduated. You get to leave this shitty place. I have to go back to that pit for another year. It sucks. Sucks. SUCKS"!

"C'mon, Kim. You're going to be a senior. It's the best year ever. Me and Victor had so much fun last year. You're going to be the Kings and Queens of the school."

"Whatever. Then what? I don't get to move to California and go to Berkeley like you two. I'm gonna have to get a shitty job, in shitty Chippewa and live a shitty life until I die."

Victor sighed and looked to Laurie who returned his gaze with an expression that was part pity and part exasperation. They'd put up with a lot of this from Kim Kelly since they'd left Colorado almost three days ago. While she had been excited, wide-eyed and fun on the way out, she had turned into an irritable, sullen, anxiety-ridden ball of nerves on the way back. They almost regretted no letting her jump into that van after the last Denver show and ride to Los Angeles with those California Dead heads. Talking her out of it was no easy task, but they knew it was for the best. Kim was no more than an overgrown child at times, not wise-beyond-her years like she naively believed. Although it was Lindsay who talked Kim into joining them, the two experienced road-trippers felt personally responsible for her safe return since they'd talked Lindsay in to coming in the first place.

As the question mark decorated, white and tan microbus sped up highway 94 towards the Michigan border, Kim, blonde hair blowing in her face from the open window, cheerlessly watched the terrain pass by.

"Is it always like this"? She finally asked, forlornly.

Victor glanced in the rear-view mirror and caught his passenger's expectant eyes, not sure what answer she was hoping for.

"What do you mean, honey," Laurie began, like a mother speaking to a child.

"You know – does it always end like this? Do you always feel . . . this . . . crappy . . . when it's over? It's so depressing."

"Well . . . it's always a bit of a bummer when we leave after the last show but we've just learned to deal with it. Victor and I just try to relive the whole thing over again in our heads for a few days. We get stoned, talk about our favorite moments and songs from each show; laugh about all the fun times we had and talk about all the cool people we met. Then we start looking forward to the next Dead tour."

"You guys make everything sound so easy . . . so cool," Kim said, while seemingly trying to absorb and visualize what Laurie had just told her.

"I can kinda still hear the music in my head," Kim added after a few moments of thought, sounding content for the moment.

"You just hold on to that, hon," Laurie soothed, "that's the best part. The music never stops. Right, baby"?

"Right, Laurie-bird," Victor agreed, taking one hand off the wheel to grasp his wispy girlfriend's outstretched hand.

The next few miles passed in silence except for the eight-track playing The Moody Blues "Days of Future Passed" lowly.

"Holy shit – the SIGN"!

"What"?

"The Sign! We forgot to do it when we left. Damn! We have to moon the Welcome to Michigan sign! It's a tradition. We do it every time we leave the state."

"Really"? The pigtailed Laurie asked, skeptically.

"Yeah, really," Kim teasingly countered.

"Well . . . it should be just up ahead," Victor informed from the driver's seat. "We're almost there."

"C'mon, c'mon, c'mon, Laur," Kim cajoled, shaking the reluctant Laurie's arm. "Ya gotta do it with me! Who knows when the next time I'll get to leave this crappy state"?

"There it is"! Victor called out, uncharacteristically excited.

"Slow down, slow down, slow down," Kim screeched back.

The two girls, Laurie fighting back giggles, positioned themselves knees up on the seats, dropped their blue jeans and aimed their bare asses out the windows at the blue and white welcome sign. Kim whooped and hollered, then out of the corner of her eye caught sight of some of camera-toting tourists heading back to their car, which was pulled off the highway just ahead of the welcome sign. Kim quickly spun and jabbed her head out the open passenger side window and screamed as loud as her lungs could muster as Victor stomped on the gas and the VW sped on down the highway.

"Look Mommy – a BUTT"! Thirteen year old Joey McCintyre pointed out, delighted. The rest of the McCintyre family looked up just in time to see the oddly painted, VW Microbus passing slowly and a female face squeeze out of the window next to the offending 'moon', and scream: "WELCOME TO MICHIGAN, MO T H e r f - -"

The rest of the exclamation was lost as the putt-y VW picked up speed and zoomed away.


under the table: Hah! That was quick and fun for me. I can see Kim, Daniel, Ken and Nick getting endless laughs 'mooning' on unplanned roadtrips to nearby states/Canada. I'm sure kids still "shoot the moon" for easy laughs. (oh those High School bus rides . . . memories) So...let me know what you think. Review good or bad. (but no guarantee I won't "moon" the computer screen !) Thanks for reading. DTaC.