Louder Than Thunder

“Darlene, what happened back there?” Mary asked, catching up with her.
Darlene finally stopped and turned back to them. She looked on the verge of anger and tears.
“I really didn’t want to run into them again, ever.”
“Well, what happened?” Michelle asked.
“Alright, it started when I was seventeen. This one day I was real frustrated because, you know, my mum and I, we didn’t have much money and I wanted to get a nice, newer drum kit to play on and we couldn’t afford it. I was young and I really thought that my playing the drums was more important than paying the bills, or food.
I decided I was going to run away. So I did. I’d heard that there were communes in the Haight district so I came in search of one and I met David that day. I was experimenting with psychedelics at the time and he said that they always kept a small supply in his commune, and he seemed nice so I decided to stay with him there.
"It was alright, staying there. I had a family. I wasn’t allowed to play my drums though. They said it ruined the mellow mood. I would have to buy a djembe and that was the only drum they’d allow. Never bought one; I didn’t have any money, let alone to spare. I only brought my snare and one tom, and they stayed in their cases in a corner the whole time I lived there, which wasn’t too long. After a couple weeks I returned home, frustrated with not being allowed to play the drums.
"My mom was so happy to see me. I could tell it hurt her for me to leave so I promised I wouldn’t - not again. She was already sick by then and it was getting worse. Never knew what it was, but,” Darlene said, sniffling as a tear rolled down her cheek. “We didn’t have enough money to pay for her to go to the hospital. So she just continued working, hopefully to make money for me to be able to go to school, or travel, or whatever I wanted to do. She was proud at me for staying in high school that long because there were so many times I wanted to leave. She died near the end of the school year, and I moved back into the commune until I graduated.
"By the way, I know I say ‘commune;’ I don’t really mean that. Most of the drifters who found themselves there were young women, about my age, like Jen, Nancy and Janie. Occasionally, another boy would drop by and stay for a bit, but mostly it was just David. It was like a harem. It was terrible.
"I was working part-time to add on to the money my mother left me and eventually I was able to afford a plane ticket for London to meet both of you.”
A few streams of tears left her cheeks shiny and damp; her shoulders popped slowly up and down along with her light sobs. Mary put a hand to her face and wiped the tears away gently with her thumb.
“You’ve had a hard life. Now, you’ve got a big break! People are gonna love us!” Mary said.
Michelle didn’t know what to say. She knew that she and Darlene grew up poorer than Mary, but she didn’t know that Darlene grew up that much under herself. It was quite a revelation; although, it was hard to be sure it explained anything about Darlene, considering her tough, independent nature to move past things. However, this child-like side of her somewhat made sense.
“Hey, I tell you what, if we end up paddling our way back to England, we can go stay in my parents’ house. It’s out of the way of the club circuit, but it’s alright. We’ll deserve that rest. We have a pool, and a hot tub, and a fire pit where we can sit around and chat. My mum makes the best tea. They get it from the garden and dry it out in house. I bet you’ll love it.”
“That sounds so nice, Mary.”
“If you want, we could visit my place too. You could play with Eleanor again. I remember she loved playin’ with you.”
“That sounds great too, Chell.”
“Alright, come on. We’re on tour, remember! Let’s go be rock stars again. We can take over the pool.”
“Sounds like fun.”
When the girls arrived at the hotel, they did just that. They had the road crew, the Leatherjackets, and they themselves take over the outdoor pool deck. It was a warmer day.
Darlene, Mary, Eric and Keith jumped into the pool and hung out nearby. A sign hung on the side asking that pool users not bring glass bottles to the pool deck, but try telling Darlene or Eric not to drink a beer while they’re hanging out.
Michelle, Sid and Kurt sat in some plastic lounge chairs, facing each other and chatting. Michelle explained to them a bit about what happened that day with Darlene, just so that they were aware. After all, she knew she could trust them.
“Wow. Poor girl. At least she knows how to handle it though,” Sid remarked.
“I hope so. If her drinking is ‘handling it’, however, then I’m worried. It’s not exactly supposed to be the answer.”
“She’s a merry person, though. I’m sure she’ll be fine.”
“I just hope she’s not bottling everthin’ up.”
“Well, now that it’s out, I’ll bet she’s feeling a lot better.”
“I hope.”
Michelle knew there was something else she wanted to ask him about. She laid back to think for a moment and sat back up again upon regaining the question.
“Oh yeah, remember that time we were writing in your room and you were working on that song? How did that turn out?”
“Not bad. Really, not bad. I’m thinking it might even make an A-side someday.”
“Yeah, that was a good one. I bet it could be.”
“Speaking of singles, Kurt’s getting a B-side on the next single,” Sidney said, patting Kurt on the shoulder.
“No way, really? Kurt, that’s great!”
Kurt smiled shyly, looking up at her from his slight hunched inward posture, created by his awkward height. Michelle smiled at him sweetly. She knew he still fancied her a little, but she really didn’t want it to seem like she was feeding that fire so much as being nice - because he was a nice guy.
Meanwhile, across the pool, Mary was pulling herself up out of the pool and dripping all the way to the chair she left her towel on. Her bathing suit was a fairly modest geometry patterned two piece, the bottoms of it reaching to her belly button. Keith, wearing green and red shorts, lifted himself out as well and walked over and laid out on the lounge chair next to where Mary began drying off her hair.
He looked up at her with a slight grin on his face. She scoffed and turned around to face the pool, where Darlene and Eric were still splashing at each other and swimming around.
“Now you don’t want to talk?” he asked.
“I don’t know. Do you plan on telling me why you wanted to dance? The reason why you kissed me as well, perhaps?”
“Look, I don’t know what it is, I just like being around you, but. . .” he trailed off, searching for words.
“What? What is it?”
“I’m not supposed to like you, alright.”
“But you do anyways?”
“Look, why do you think it’s all about you? It’s all about what you do to me, and how I feel about you whenever we talk.”
“Right, because you’re not a self-centered man at all.”
“Would you listen? I’m so done with you, alright? You wanna know why? You wanna know why I wanted to dance with you?”
Now, they had grabbed the attention of the others. They were being watched as they argued.
“It was because I pitied you! You made a terrible rocker girl, you stood out like a zebra in a herd of brown horses, and you’re ugly! I wanted to make you feel better because you were so fuckin’ ugly!”
“Stop trying to make yourself sound like the good guy! That day you said ‘You look good,’ and I remember that. I remember you saying that! Besides, if I stood out so much, how come you didn’t notice me the moment I walked in?” Mary yelled, demanding answers.
“This is NOT about you! This is not about you, okay?”
“It is! You know bleedin’ well that it is! It’s about both of us and I need to know what it is!”
“Leave me alone!” Keith screamed, storming out of the pool deck like a child.
Mary was left huffing, watching him leave the area. Michelle approached her.
“What was that about?” she asked in a whisper.
“You think I was too hard on him?” Mary asked back.
“We leave you two alone for one minute,” Paul said, flustered as he walked over. “One minute, and you two get on fightin’! What was that about?”
“Nothing. If it was important, I’d tell you. When and if it becomes important, I’ll tell you.”
“Mary, you can’t be playing around with the emotions of the main act’s lead singer. It doesn’t look good.”
“I ain’t playin’ around with ‘is emotions, ‘e’s playin’ around with mine! He wants to make it look like I don’t know what I’m talkin’ about when I have every right to know what’s going on about this.”
“Alright, look, I don’t know what ‘appened between you two, but please let ‘im tell you in ‘is own time. It isn’t right to be fighting like this,” Michelle said.
“Fine. Fine, I’m over it.”
“Are you really?”
“Yes. I promise.”
“Really?” Paul asked.
“Yes. I am over it,” Mary said, an evil glint in her eye.
Paul and Michelle looked at each other and then turned back to her. They decided to leave her alone.
Later that night, they arrived at the show as per usual. It was their last San Franciscan show. Mary had a glint in her eye the whole evening. Michelle and Darlene were getting a little worried by it.
They started their set normally, going through their usual songs. Near the end of their last one, however, Mary began extending her playing, going into a bass solo. Michelle and Darlene shared glances, trying to keep up with wherever Mary was taking them. Their sound was becoming a lot of feedback and buzzing.
It was an angry sound. Michelle, understanding the feeling behind it now, began to scratch her guitar pick against the string, and detuning a couple of them. Darlene loved the destructive sound and began hitting her drums crazily, knocking over her cymbals in the process and laughing as she did. It was all in good fun.
Michelle grew a little annoyed now. She knew they had a little more money coming in, but it wasn’t that much more that they could afford ruining another drum kit. The real frosting on the cake came a second later, as Mary took her bass guitar off her shoulder and swung it towards the amplifier, breaking the mesh covering the speaker in the process.
The last thing to come down was Darlene’s snare, which tumbled off to the side of the set as Darlene slowed down her bashing of the drums leaving only the kick and toms standing. Mary finished off by grabbing hold of the microphone stand and sliding the fret board of the bass against it back and forth in a sexual motion before finally letting the stand fall to the ground.
The audience broke out in applause and cheers as the girls unplugged, thanked them and headed backstage. Michelle had a bone to pick now.