Rebel Yell

Refuelled, ready and persistent to find Marci before the day is out.

I figured I’d wait till after lunch to go search for my absent girlfriend, who much to my misery hadn’t stayed in bed with me for our promised hangover sleep in. I had heard she was around, but that’s as much I knew and I was quite glad to know that some thief hadn’t stolen her in the night- much to Tre’s imagination.

Today though had started off weird, even without Marci being there, the roadies were all uptight and stressed about numerous of unimportant things that could easily have been a simple job and something about the Montana air screamed ‘unpleasant’. Maybe it was due to the large downpour of rain that had erupted out of nowhere.

“If it was important we’d have been told by now Billie” Adeline nudged me, as I sat across from her and Mike on that stupid bus lounge, next to our bunks. I looked down to my hand where I had begun, once again to chew absentmindedly on my nails. I had my rights to be suspicious, I mean Marci, not even during the time of our ‘cold war’ at the beginning of this tour, had just disappeared into thin air.

“Bill’s are you eating that?” Mike asked, nudging towards my plate of microwave fries that I had hardly touched. I shook my head and slid the plate towards him,

“you don’t think she has done a runner do you?” I asked, as more thoughts about her whereabouts whizzed through my mind, even though most of them seemed absolutely ridiculous. Adeline sighed and nudged Mike as he shoved another handful of fries into his mouth,

“Bill believe me, she is somewhere in this humongous complex, surrounded by big wig officials chatting about tour stuff” he spoke through chomps off food and I decided that I was just going to drop the subject as more and more questions popped into my mind,

“Anyhow, where did Debbie and Tre go this morning?” I asked grabbing at a piece of my hair, hoping that I was going to receive a more satisfying answer than one I got about Marci.

“Cher and Sonny went down to the shopping mall in order to find some baby things” Adeline, who had begun to continue her crossword spoke as Mike nodded in agreement before swilling his food down with his first beer of the day.

“Is anybody else tired?” I piped up conversation and Mike nodded his head quickly,

“Insomnia is the best way to describe my state of mind Billie and really I get so worked up when I see the likes of Sleeping Beauty here and the rest of the snoring chorus at night” I laughed a little because for a fact, Mike had had several occasions of snoring away, much to Marci and I’s humour.

“Guess who bought a teddy bear?” Tre’s voice screeched into the bus and Mike rolled his eyes a little, as we watched Debbie climb onto the bus followed by Te holding a huge brown teddy bear.

“I’m guessing you, unless Debbie has just had a real hairy child” Mike prodded the bear and Debbie shook her head, easing herself down carefully onto the sofa next to me.

“No sign of Marci?” she asked and I shook my head disappointedly, “she’ll be here chick” she nudged my arm as we all watched Tre shove the brown bear onto his bunk,

“See I told you Deb’s, it would fit” he turned around gleaming proudly to himself that he had managed to be able fit a bear onto his bunk.

“Good job and where do you suppose we’ll sleep?” she laughed, as his face dropped before pulling out a photo strip of her and Tre, “make sure you hang these up too” she dangled them in front of his eyes,

“You know, you two sound like my parents” Adeline gingerly added, making sure not to bring up any taboo subject for the both of them. Debbie bit her lip at Adeline before both Mike and Tre began to howl in laughter,

“Guys...” a meek, tired voice sounded from the door and Tre’s eyes suddenly became wide at the occupier to the voice,

“Bloody hell Rhodes, you look so stressed” It was Marci, my head snapped up to see her small figure walk slowly onto the tour bus,

“I have something to tell you and you are not going to like it” she pushed her hair back before rubbing her temple once again,

“You’ve not been hurt right? I’ve been worried sick” I asked out of relief to see her,

“no, no-“ she shook her head, her voice sounding very strained and again, I could see her sort of smile to everybody, “earlier today our bus driver decided to resign from position due to stress and it has taken me the best part of today to get a bus driver at very short notice” she scratched her head as everyone carried on staring at her,

“that unfortunately, even with the powers vested in me by my fucking boss, I have not be able to attain” she slammed her hand against our bunk and I could see that at this moment, she was a force to be reckoned with if anyone dared to object her train of thought.

“so we’re stuck here?” Mike asked with a good intention to go beat up the bus driver but her eyes turned into a crazy stare, as she shook her head, hoping to hold her composure. It wasn’t that she was mad at Mike, I could see that but something had really pissed her off today and it was upsetting to see.

“no, I had to find something or someone in order to carry you and everything on this bus back to California or I’d get fired” she said simply and I gulped, I had forgotten completely that although she was now a part of our little family, she was also in control of this whole operation,
“They can’t do that, that’s bullshit!” Tre swore, his mood changing back into the same mood we had seen back at the Madison’s house,

“they can Tre” she huffed and rubbed her eyes out of tiredness “and they would have if I didn’t find anyone- so I’d like to introduce you to your new bus driver” she held out her arms towards the bus door, as I sighed in relief for the sake of her job but how I wish I hadn’t, “me” her voice trialled off, as everyone’s eyes became wide with surprise. She did not just say ‘me’...did she?

“no Marci, this is not your job- I hardly ever saw that other bus guy because he worked like a freaking owl, I’m not prepared to not see you until the end of this tour” I spat out in anger and she shrugged her shoulders,

“Yeah well, there is me and then there is unemployed me- take your pick” she lifted her hands up and flopped them down by her side but I did not feel like that was a good enough answer.

I was so mad that not one person in the world, other than Marci couldn’t come drive our stupid fucking bus across state borders; I wanted her to be with me not be squinting at strange roads, late at night with only a stupid static radio as company. I was in no way prepared to let her isolate herself from us...i refuse too,

“You know this is fucking bullshit!” I stood up quickly and Marci bowed her head as I flew past her, mad enough that only the downpour of the rain would be able to calm me. I could still hear the silence as I slammed the door too...I knew today was going to be bad.