As he rode through town, he drew curious looks from the locals who had had a bad experience with a motorcycle gang the previous summer. Once they saw he was alone they relaxed and ignored him. He was almost denied a room for that same reason. He passed the skating rink and was surprised how large it was. It would take a shit load of kids to fill that place up on a spring evening, he thought.
At around eight he decided to head to the Rink and try and find Jessie. He assumed his jeans and leather jacket would not look out of place and he needed the jacket to fight the cold evening air. When he pulled up he was amazed at the number of pickup trucks parked randomly up and down the street. The local population of Caseville must be a lot bigger than he imagined. The PA was blasting out Motown, the Rolling Stones, Blood Sweat and Tears and all the top 100 that was fit to skate to. Joe had played a lot of hockey growing up but never laced up a pair of roller skates and from the looks of the people on the rink he would not be breaking that tradition tonight.
Walking to the bar Joe realized that the average age of the crowd could not have been over 22. He ordered a beer and searched for a glimpse of Jessie. If she was skating he would have to catch sight as she passed into view. No sign of a pair of pig tails so far. As nine o’clock approached, the band was beginning to set up. They had the standard lineup, two guitars, bass, drums and maybe a singer. He hoped they were decent because if he got stood up he didn’t want to finish the evening listening to a bunch of shitty musicians.
“Hey mystery man, glad you could make it,” Jessie said as she tapped him on the shoulder. What he saw was not what he expected. She had let her hair down which framed a face much more beautiful than he had remembered. Jeans and boots gave way to a mini-skirt and very high heels which showed off her slender but well-toned legs. He still had no idea of her age but at least he was sure she was legal.
“Wow, you look great Jessie”, he said which came out a lot more awkwardly than he intended. “What would you like to drink?”
“I have a beer going already. Come on; let me introduce you to my friends.” Before he could answer, the band launched in to their first song, “Proud Mary” and Joe grabbed her hand and pulled her to the dance floor. She showed no resistance and looked as good dancing as she did waiting tables. Joe hadn’t danced since he had R&R in Bangkok but still had some moves to show off for his new friend.
After dancing for a couple more fast songs Jessie led him to her table where two other girls were waiting for someone to ask them to dance. “Joe, these are my friends Kelly and Tammy.” They were about the same age as Jessie but not nearly as attractive. Typical, Joe thought; the dogs go trolling with the cute friend and usually go home alone.
“Hi girls,” Joe said with his best smile. “Would you like another beer?” They all nodded but said nothing. Joe was not the typical boy you met in Caseville. He had a way of carrying himself that displayed what was on his arm…Thunder and Steel…not someone you want to fuck with. Jessie sensed her friends’ reaction and took Joe’s arm as she sat down.
When Joe left to retrieve the drinks the girls badgered Jessie with questions about him…how they met, was she going to sleep with him, etc. Jessie told them a little but said she had no plans to have sex as he was just passing through. When he returned they were still quiet as church mice so Joe asked each of them to dance, which broke the ice completely. Jessie watched as her friends were given much appreciated attention. They usually were only observers while others, including Jessie, were having fun. This guy was too good to be true.
Joe returned from the dance floor exhausted. He was having fun and so were the girls. At some point he wanted to break away with Jessie and sneak back to his room. The band was only fair and the lead guitar player sucked but the singer was decent and their covers where passable. Joe casually mentioned that he played guitar and had a band back in the city. During the band’s break Jessie badgered Joe to sit in with them. Soon the other girls were heckling the musicians to let their friend join them and the singer/leader invited Joe to play a couple of songs when they returned for their second set.
Joe reluctantly agreed and the lead guitarists offered Joe his Stratocaster which was plugged in to a Fender Twin-reverb. Joe cranked the amp up until he was getting a nice warm distortion. “Do you guys know ‘All Along the Watchtower’…the Hendrix version?” he asked. Before they could answer, he ripped into the opening chords and riff then walked to the mike…”There must be some kind of way out of here…” Joe’s voice was gravelly from too many smokes but he did the song proud and the band jumped in with enthusiasm.
The crowd exploded with approval and he followed with another Hendrix cover…”Hey Joe”. Jessie was beaming with pride and any reluctance she had to fucking his brains out had disappeared. The audience and the band both wanted Joe to keep playing but he didn’t want to wear out his welcome. He showed his chops but this was not his gig and he knew what it felt like to be embarrassed by a better musician. He handed the Strat back to its owner and hopped off the stage to the embrace of Jessie and her friends.
“You ready to get out of here?” Joe whispered in to Jessie’s ear. Her kiss was the answer he was looking for and they both said goodbye to Kelly and Tammy and walked out to his bike. He took off his leather jacket and placed it around her shoulders as he kicked the Triumph to life. She wrapped her arms around his waist as he pulled out…destination ecstasy.
CHAPTER 17
The morning sun was peeking through the partially open blinds as Joe stirred from a very blissful sleep. He had no idea what time it was but one thing he knew with certainty, Jessie was nowhere to be found. He listened for a moment to see if the shower was running but the room was quiet. Thank goodness there was a coffee maker in his room. He poured some water in the carafe and waited for the weak coffee to brew.
On the small table he found her note scribbled on an old envelope she must have had in her purse:
Dear Joe:
Had a great time last night. You are a very interesting guy. I wish you were staying in town for a while, but seeing as you aren’t I think it best we stop and just enjoy the night we shared. I will never forget you. Think of me once in a while.
Jessie
She was wise beyond her years. He thought of going back to the Roadhouse and try for an encore but she was right. It was time to move on but what a girl! Some local shit kicker was going to score a great wife someday. In the days to follow he would think of her often.
He packed up and looked at his map for his next destination. He had considered riding to East Lansing and visiting Mary’s old dorm. He would ask around to see if anyone might know if she graduated and where she might be living. As much as he enjoyed being with Jessie he still hadn’t reached closure with his first and only love. Visiting her old campus would not help him achieve that goal but he would go anyway.
As he thundered down main street he passed the Roadhouse and there was little miss pigtails staring out the window. She gave him a farewell wave and he waved back, both happy with what they gave each other one lonely night on the shores of Lake Huron. He would indeed think of her once in a while.
The wind had died down and his ride was a lot more comfortable, allowing him to get lost in the flat farmland that was greening up all around him. Cows were starting to graze on the lush grass and the harshness of the past winter was long forgotten. Without a helmet, Joe’s Ray ban Aviators were catching a fair amount of bugs. At least the wind had reduced these collisions that were now slapping him in the face. Once he started approaching the city the bugs gave way to exhaust fumes and pebbles…such being the plight of the lonely motorcyclist.
Joe had no intention of spending the night on campus so he hastened his route to Butterfield Hall and asked the girl at the desk if they kept records of alumni that had stayed in that dorm. She said they didn’t but the Alumni Association would have all the records he was looking for. She gave him directions to the appropriate building and he chose to walk as it was a spectacular sunny day. As he
walked, he started doing the math in his head considering the date she shopped for her wedding gown. Assuming she got married that summer, she would have lived with her husband on campus while finishing her degree or simply didn’t graduate.
At the records desk, he only had her maiden name and they had no record of a Mary Donaldson attending or graduating. Clearly she used her married name so this was a dead end and Joe chose to let it go…for now.
Final stop before heading home was the Tulip Festival in Holland…Michigan that is. The whole town was blanketed in colorful blooms and the locals wore traditional Dutch outfits and wooden shoes. There was even a large windmill to complete the image. Joe was not the only cyclist visiting the festival. He recognized the colors of the Highwaymen, a large outlaw gang from Detroit. This club went back to the ‘50s but their outlaw ways had given way to less law breaking and more brotherhood and beer drinking. These were Harley riders and Joe’s Triumph drew attention and even some compliments. “It’s all good”, Joe thought as he shook hands and shared a beer.
The long ride home was therapeutic for Joe. The wind in his face was cold but refreshing and he was able to lose himself in good memories. He knew he needed to make some long term decisions about his future and decided to take another stab at college, using his GI benefits which were substantial. Finding a new job was another matter and he was totally undecided on how to tackle that challenge.
When he returned to his apartment he received a call from his dad telling him that they were heading to Florida on vacation and asked Joe to take in the mail and newspaper while they were gone. The following Saturday Joe fired up the bike and headed to his folks house. It was around ten a.m. when he passed the mall which was about a mile from his destination.
There was very little traffic and he saw a car up ahead that was making a turn from the mall parking lot to the east bound lane. Joe was going west bound and gradually steered to the right, expecting to pass the car as it cleared his lane. Suddenly the car decided it could not complete its turn and started to back up…directly in to Joe’s path. He tried to lay the bike down but was too close and hit the car broadside, flying over his handle bars and landing on the hood of the car.
Joe was lucky he did not hit his head but his knee and groin area was throbbing as he slid off the hood to his feet. The driver of the car was scared to death for what he had done, and lo and behold, he was a cop. Joe stuck his hand down his pants where the pain was and when he pulled it out it was covered in blood. Fearing the worst, he dropped his pants right in the middle of the street and was relieved to see the cut was on his hand…not his genitals. The growing crowd was shocked to see this young man drop his drawers and, once he was aware of what he had done, he quickly pulled up his shorts and jeans. The driver asked if Joe wanted to be taken to the hospital but he declined and just wanted to get his bike off the road and get to his parents’ house.
With the help of a neighbor of his parents, Joe was able to load the bike into a van and drop it off at a Honda dealer nearby. Joe was still bleeding and sore from the accident and hours later he was in his old home and laying in a warm bath. He knew he was in no condition to do anything but try and ease the pain. His parents were due home the following day and he would rely on their TLC to get back on his feet.
His parents were naturally shocked and surprised to see Joe hobbling around their house when they came in the door. His mom immediately insisted that he stay there indefinitely and his dad did not disagree. With no job and no money to pay rent Joe had to reluctantly accept their generosity and, once he was feeling better, moved his belongings back to the room he used as a child. The police department insurance adjuster was on his doorstep within 48 hours with a settlement offer which Joe refused. He hadn’t been to a doctor yet and was not going to sign anything until he was examined.
After getting clearance from his doctor that he was fine, Joe accepted the check to repair his bike and cover his doctor bills. The cops got off easy in Joe’s opinion. It took almost two months to get his bike up and running but it would never perform as it did before the accident and Joe decided he needed the money more than the luxury of an expensive toy.
CHAPTER 18
The inner city was beginning to look like a war zone, even worse than what Joe had seen in the cities of Viet Nam. Joe’s suburban upbringing shielded him from seeing how tough life really was without an education or vocational training which was an important reason he chose Wayne State to pursue a degree. He wanted to earn his stripes in the urban shit just like he did in the shit of Southeast Asia.
Tuition was reasonable and he saved additional money by living at home rather than in a dorm room, which was in short supply. His plan was to pursue Criminal Justice or Music, maybe a major in one and minor in the other. He was able to salvage a few credits from his community college days and jumped in with a full class load. He had to make up for lost time.
Joe took the money from selling his bike and purchased a used Ford Torino. The car had zero sex appeal but got him back and forth without costing him a fortune in gas. This was the first non-GM vehicle to ever grace the driveway of the Fedorsio household and his dad never forgave him for betraying the “mark of excellence”.
In no time Joe was able to navigate the streets of the inner city which was home to the Wayne State campus. While a naturally gifted musician, he still needed to learn the technical side of music theory and that required intense study. His ear was his crutch that got him this far but that would not be enough to get to the next level. Most of his non-class room time was being spent watching and learning from classically trained guitarists and watching ensembles perform.
One evening Joe was thinking it might be fun to see the home town Detroit Symphony perform. The legendary Mischa Mischakoff was conducting and Joe was able to get a perfect view of the musicians. During intermission he took a moment to look at the program which listed all of the members of the orchestra. One name caught his attention…Allison Donaldson-violin. No fucking way! Mary’s little sister was playing with the big boys! Joe was proud of her as he knew her parents were. He looked closely at each violinist but wasn’t certain which one was Allison.
At the end of the concert Joe hung around to try and catch Allison as she was leaving. The stage manager was nearby and Joe asked which one was Allison Donaldson. The manager was reluctant to give him any information but Joe assured him he was an old friend of the family and had been away in Viet Nam for a while. He hated playing the lonely soldier card but it never failed. The manager pointed to a cute brunette who was packing up her instrument and chatting with other musicians about the concert. Joe decided to wait outside the stage exit rather than approach her right then.
It was a very cold evening and Joe stood shivering with a few other groupies and lit a smoke. One by one the musicians trickled out, some laughing to others, clearly excited about the work they had just completed. Allison walked out with another girl and Joe moved close enough to be seen. He had a week’s worth of beard which may have been the reason Allison walked by without recognizing him. Up close he could see the family resemblance although her facial features were more rounded than Mary’s and her hair was light brown and long.
He didn’t want this chance to slip away so he ran after Allison and asked her to stop for a minute. “Sorry to bother you but I saw the concert tonight and wanted to say how great I thought you played…all of you.” He was babbling a little and expected her to recognize him now that he was in full view and close enough to touch.
She was young but she knew when she was being hit on. “Oh you enjoyed my playing, huh? You have an exceptional ear to be able to pick me out among the entire string section. Thanks for the compliment but I have a boyfriend.” Her friend was giggling and thought Joe was pretty cute and wished he was hitting on her instead.
Joe hastened to offer an explanation. “No please, I’m a musician too. I’m taking classes at Wayne State and I do have an ear for exceptional playing and you were aweso
me.”
“Are you in grad school?” she asked. “You seem a little old to be an undergrad.”
“No I am a freshman. Been away fighting a war for the past few years. You may have even heard about it.” Joe couldn’t hide the sarcasm but he was tired apologizing for his service to his country and pampered kids like Allison.
“Fuck off smart ass”, she replied and turned to walk away but stopped and turned back to face Joe. “Look I respect what you sacrificed fighting that war but don’t assume everyone you meet is a hippie protester. Now leave us alone, please.”
Joe felt like shit. “You’re right and I apologize. Can I make it up to you with a cup of coffee? There is a coffee shop about a block from here on Woodward near Mack.”
Allison’s friend read between the lines. “Hey Allison my ride is here. See you at rehearsal,” and just like that they were alone. Allison’s car was parked nearby but she was torn between leaving immediately or taking up her new admirer’s offer.
“Sure, I’ll have a cup of coffee with you but get one thing straight; the only thing we are sharing tonight is a love of classical music. OK?” Her smile signaled that he was off the hook and they walked the short block to the diner. “You kind of look familiar,” she said staring intently at his face. She still hadn’t made the connection.
The coffee was thick and strong, the way Joe liked it. Allison dumped a shit load of cream and sugar in her mug but never complained. Joe really liked the grown Allison who probably didn’t say ten words to him when he was dating her sister. She had an attitude, a confidence that set her apart from her peers and revealed itself in her passionate and aggressive playing of the violin.
Joe lit a cigarette, forgetting to ask if smoking bothered her. After a couple of drags she asked him if she could bum one from him After lighting her smoke she sat back in the booth and continued to stare at him. “So you were in the army I take it. Were you drafted?”
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