We rolled up into the back alley of The Brass Knuckles, which was the bar where they were playin’ at exactly 7:15.  We had barely made it here. They didn’t have much time to get set up or much time to get the sound test completed.  John parked the van and Brian was the first out to open the back doors. The alley was narrow and there wasn’t much room to work. There were trash cans on either side of the alley and the occasional telephone pole with at least ten flyers attached to them.

 “See? It was the luggage causin’ everything to fall out because look! Everything stayed right in it’s place this time.” No sooner than Freddie got his words out, John’s bass slid out of the back of the van along with a drum pedal. “Well, almost.” Freddie added, getting out of the back of the van. Roger followed behind him.

 “Veronica, Lydia…reach down and gather up all of those cords and stuff on the floor in front of you.” John asked of us. We started scooping everything off the floor of the van and into a ball of tangled cable while John walked around the front of the van to knock on the back door of the bar. We each climbed out, our hands absolutely full. We both headed toward the back of the van.

 “Here love, I’ll take those.” Freddie outstretched his arms to me and I handed everything over. Veronica handed the other pile over to Brian. John soon reappeared with the man inside with whom he had checked in. He arrived with three other guys to help them carry all this stuff inside. Brian was pulling things out of the back of the van and throwing them to Roger.

 “Hold on…hold on…” he told Brian lighting another cigarette.

 “Rog! You don’t have time for a cigarette! This is your stuff anyway!” Brian reprimanded him.

 “Just hoooold oooooon….” I was entirely amused as Roger got his cigarette lit. “Okay, throw me somethin’!” Brian did exactly that and Roger headed to the door with it. Veronica and I had retreated to the front of the van as to stay out of the way of this mayhem.

 “Did you bring the list?” I asked of her.

 “Got it in my purse.” Veronica said. I could hear Brian announce that the van had been unloaded.

 “And you’re drivin’ right?” she asked me. I could sense the nervousness in her voice.

 “Yes, yes, I’ll drive.” I reassured her.

“Okay, don’t worry. I make a good co-pilot. Too bad I wasn’t listenin’ when Roger was reading the signs of every business to us. We’ll ask someone where the nearest liquor store is and the nearest grocer.” Veronica said. We leaned up against the front of the van. I could still feel the heat from the engine against us.

 “Yeah, we’ll find somethin’.” I assured her. I breathed in the semi-stale air and looked up to the sky. It was an orange sunset tonight and it was magnificent. The fleeting pale orange stripes chased each other between the buildings.

 “Hey! Hey, are you two with this band?” a voice called to us. It was the man John had met earlier.

 “N…no. No…well sort of…we’re just the roadies.” Veronica called to him. “Here, come here.” Veronica and I walked over to the man at the door.

 “Here. No cover. You drink free.” The man said. He took Veronica’s hand and marked a black “Q” on it with his marker. He took my hand and did the same.

 “Thank you.” I told him as Veronica looked at me. He slipped away again through the door. “I guess it pays to be a roadie.”  She laughed at me. “Let’s get goin’. We need to try and make it back here for at least two songs in their set.”  The door swung open again. It was John.

 “Hey. Did you need somethin’? I heard Veronica asked him.

 “Yes, I needed this.” John took her by the shoulders and kissed her. “You and Lydia be careful. Don’t get nervous if ya’ get lost. You can ask for directions. I love you.” I absolutely marveled at how sincere John’s words were. The way she held on to him was another indicator to me of just how comfortable they were together. The way she pushed his hair back…and how his face absolutely lit up when she did it…it was so very endearing. I had just realized the back doors of the van were open and so I walked toward the back of the van to close them.

 “I love ya’ too.” I heard her say as I straightened the rug that was lyin’ in the back of the van that covered the metal floor. John left soon thereafter and Veronica adjusted our things inside the van, grabbing our purses off of the bench seat and moving them to the front of the van. This rug was also serving to cover the holes where the third seat came up. I wiped my hands together and the back door of the bar came flying open again.

 “Lydia! Lydia! Don’t leave yet!” Roger yelled at me hurrying to the back of the van. I had just closed the back doors and latched them. “You didn’t think I was just gonna’ let you and Veronica leave without seein’ you before the set started did you?” He was out of breath and his voice rather serious. I smiled at him as pressed my back up against the van. I worked my hands around him. His black tank top was very thin.

 “I figured you would need to get set up. I woulda’ understood.” I promised him. “It’s gonna’ be a great show, sweetheart.” Before I knew what happened, Roger had his lips on mine. My head fell back against the glass of the window in the door. It was one of those ‘I haven’t kissed you in over four hours and I’m long overdue’ kind of kisses. I put my hand on the side of his face and I must be honest…my mind raced …wishin’ he’d throw me down in this back alley in front of god and man. I quickly snapped back to reality. I pulled my lips away from his and leaned my forehead forward against Roger’s. “Go tear ‘em apart. We’ll be back, okay?” I still had my hand on the side of his face. It made him smile. He shook his head yes.

 “Bye, babe…be careful, now.” Roger kissed me one more time before hurrying around the van and through the door again. I double-checked the latch and scurried up to the driver’s side.

 “Okay, we’re all set. Let’s get out here on the main road and see if there’s…what?” I stopped midsentence as I was fastenin’ my safety belt. I noticed Veronica starin’ at me.

 “If that is a preview of what’s happenin’ later…” Veronica paused. “…then I am sure as hell glad I’m sharin’ a wall with you and not Brian.” There was another brief silence before I burst out into laugher. Veronica did the same. “Yeah, you could call that a preview then…very mild preview.” I started the van and shifted the stick into first gear. “Your job is to look for either a grocery store or a liquor store. Whichever you see first is great.” I said as we pulled out of the alley and made a left. We drove around the block and headed down the main street. It was crowded tonight and the atmosphere was very electric. We caught the next light red, which actually provided a good opportunity to look around us and see what we could see.

 “Doesn’t look like anything in this block.” Veronica said. I decided to roll my window down. There were some pedestrians waiting at the cross walk.

 “Hey! H…hello!? S’cuse me?” I managed to get someone’s attention who walked over toward the van. “Where’s the nearest liquor store and grocery market?” The guy thought a moment as the light turned green.

 “Go straight. Two blocks. Both are in the same block. You can’t miss it.” He explained.

 “Thank you! Cheers!” I told him rolling up the window and stepping on the gas.

 “We won’t miss much of the show since it’s so close.” Veronica said.

 “Yeah, that’ll be good that we won’t miss the whole thing.” I said watching the crowds on the sidewalks and the streetlights beginning to come on. Several of the businesses’ signs were turning on as well. We traveled down another block and caught the next light green. “I don’t think that man would have told us we could drink free had he known what we were after this evening.” Veronica said.

 “You’re right. If he only knew. Start lookin’ this is the block.” I told her.

 “There! Up there on the right! First Stop Liquors.” Veronica pointed. I immediately began lookin’ on the street for a place to park.

 “Yes! Look they’re pullin’ out!” I told Veronica, quickly puttin’ my signal on.  I worked my way into the open space the minute the car before me pulled away. “This is it, Veronica. Our first stop of the evenin’.”

 “Let’s do this!” she said enthusiastically to me, pulling the list from her purse. I opened my side of the van, grabbed my bag and closed the door; lockin’ it behind me. I turned around on the sidewalk to wait on Veronica, lookin’ both ways. I could feel a surge through my body. I didn’t know what it was but it was exhilaratin’. The evenin’ had disappeared; swallowed by the night. But these streets were anything but dark. This college town was on fire with life and this was only the beginnin’.