Veronica and I had been very successful with out shopping venture. It tickled us to no end and we had everything neatly packed behind the driver and passenger side of the van. We had parked the van in the alley once more and we were finally inside the bar. We had only been there for a few minutes. “My god, this place is hot.” I said to Veronica as we tried to get closer to the stage without any luck.

 “It’s very, very hot in here.” Veronica answered me. I was impressed by the turnout. This bar was extremely full. Veronica and I could barely hear between the scream of Brian’s guitar and all the noise Roger was capable of makin’. We couldn’t find anywhere to sit so we just stood. The only lights were focused on the stage. It was dark everywhere else. 

 “Do they even know we’re here?” I leaned in and asked Veronica.

 “They know. Freddie is a pro at scannin’ the crowd and givin’ everyone crazy hand signs as to whoever it is he sees.” She explained. “Shit….they only have one more song to go.”

 “How do you know?” I asked her.

 “I’ve heard this set at least a hundred times, Lydia.” Veronica laughed. “But yet, they always deliver it like it’s the first time they’ve ever done it.” We had finally managed to work our way toward the wall where at least we could lean for a little while. I dug a cigarette out of the pack in my pocket and lit it. I found myself in that moment again, that moment absolutely mesmerized by the way Roger carried himself up there. He was so full of energy, seemed to love it so much…just….sooo….my dazed state was interrupted by Veronica poking me in the shoulder.

 “Huh?” I snapped back out of my trance.

 “I have no idea how to get to the back door of the bar from here so let’s head out around the buildin’ to get the van unlocked.” Veronica said. I took a long drag on my cigarette and shook my head. She had a good idea. We made our way toward the front door and outside onto the sidewalk. There were several people standing in front of the bar that we pushed through to get toward the corner. Veronica laughed.

 “Can you believe how alive this place is?” she asked me. “It does somethin’ to me, ya’ know?”

 "Yeah…yeah I know exactly what you mean.” I told her. “It’s like…” I shook my head. “I can’t explain it either. ” We both laughed and nearly ran toward the corner of the bar and rounded the corner. It had been divine timing. Veronica and I had just come into the alley as I searched my bag for the keys to the van. The back door of the bar came open

 "Holy....shit it's hot!" We could hear Brian as he peeled his sweater off the minute he came out and threw it in a ball on the ground. Freddie was shortly behind Brian, fighting his clothes in a similar manner.

 "Oh, it's like a heat wave in there! My eyeliner has surely fallen victim to sweat!" I heard him say as he leaned up against the wall. The three guys from earlier who had helped unpack from the van came out through door with their hands full. I quickly got the doors open and loading began once again.

 John was the next to come out, his hands full. He had already stripped his shirt off and it was tied around his waist. One of the helpers took John's load off his hands so he could make another trip.

 "Veronica, how about I drive back so John will have a chance to cool off?" I asked her. Even though the alley was only lit by a couple streetlight I could tell she rolled her eyes a little.

 "He doesn't really need that much spoiling but I will take you up on it for his sake." She laughed at me.

 "Soooooo fuckin' hot in there!" Roger said as he came through the door with his bass drum. His tank was looped around his belt. In the light, I could see the sweat glistening on his back. He quickly joined John at the back of the van. Brian and Freddie were against the wall cooling off while Veronica and I got into the van. The reloading went much faster, especially with the additional hands from inside. Veronica and I watched as one by one, cases and bags were shoved inside the back. We would be rolling out of the alley soon. Brian was the first inside the van in fact.

 "I see we’ve got a new driver and a new co-pilot." He said sliding over on the bench seat and throwing his sweater in the floor. "I also see someone has been shoppin’."

 "Yes and yes. I answered him.

 "How'd we sound?" He asked.

 "We only got in on like…half of the last number but I thought it was great." I assured him.

 "Did you notice the sound bein’ off? There wasn’t a lag between me an’ Roger?" He continued.

 "No, not at all. Not that I could hear." Veronica assured him. Brian shook his head, contented with this answer.

 "Lydia! You're drivin' us back? Roger asked as he dove past Brian, over the seat and into the back. "That's so sweet…I’m speechless!" He didn't really wait for my answer. Freddie piled in next, also dodging Brian as he climbed in the back.

 "Oh my god…Roger, open that window." Freddie demanded of him.

 "I can't, there's a guitar jammed in it." Roger insisted. Freddie sighed.

 "Brian, open your window!" Freddie told him. Brian reached over and began to pop out the bottom only to find it more difficult than it appeared. John closed the doors in the back and came around to the sliding door to get inside. It had happened so quickly. But I guess it had to considering there was another band behind us awaiting the exact thing we had gone through earlier…except they had a nicer van.

 “Well! Look at this! New driver! And Look at all these bags! Oh my god! You got groceries. That’s the one thing we didn’t think of. Fred, Rog…did you hear me? They got groceries.” John said pointing to the thirteen bags we had perfectly arranged.

"See? I told you, Lydia thinks of everyhin'!" Roger said.

 “You know what…food…that’s somethin’ we didn’t consider.” Freddie said. “Brian…about that window?”

 “I’m tryin’ Freddie.” He answered. Freddie and Roger were leaning forward, their elbows on the back of the bench where Brian and John were sitting.

 “Here. I’ll roll this window down. Veronica, you roll yours down.” I said.

 “No…no John…it’s much too hot for you to lie down on me.” Brian said, giving up on the window.  I looked in the rearview mirror. Sure enough, John was laying over Brian and Freddie had an arm slung over Roger.

 “Freddie! Are you kidding me! Get your arm off a’ me! It’s too fuckin’ hot for your arm!” Roger said trying to fee himself. I was still watching this in the rearview mirror.

 “Lydia,…just go. It’s so damn hot and Brian doesn’t know how to open a window because...because he can't! Did you two enjoy the show?”

 “Yes…yes, what we saw was great. Are you…comfortable?” I questioned seeing as everyone was spread out everywhere.

 “Oh, of course,darling! We lay on each other half naked all the time!” Freddie said, wrapping Roger tighter under his arm and shaking him.

"Freddie! Let....go of me! It's too hot!" Roger squirmed underneath him.

 “No…John…just…no. This isn’t going to work. I am burnin’ up.” Brian told John once more pushing him off his lap. I started the van and soon enough there would be a nighttime breeze rushin’ through this van.

 “Here we go, lovelies…Freddie, that was for you.” I said.

 “Oh, Lydia! You make me blush!” Freddie said absolutely delighted. We headed out of the alley and around the corner. The talk in the van quickly turned into a recap of tonight’s show. It was so very entertaining to me as we drove along. Veronica and I didn’t say a word. We would just glance at each other in the darkness every once and a while and smile. We were still in town, driving along the main street and already Veronica and I couldn’t get a word in edgewise.

 “Roger, you’re bass is too loud I think. That’s all I could hear tonight.” Brian said.

 “It’s not fuckin’ too loud. Maybe I’m too close to ya’.” Roger said in the back.

 “Tonight, I could only hear Brian. I couldn’t hear myself at all. I could hardly hear Freddie. Roger, I agree with Brian, your bass was too loud tonight. Do you think it had something to do with that stage setup?” John asked. And this…this is how the conversation continued as we exited town. Veronica knew the route and showed me where we needed to veer off to the right.

 “You know…they’ll wear themselves out talkin’ about the show for the next twenty minutes.” Veronica leaned over and told me. I laughed. We had left the college streets behind us, hitting the outskirts of the city. The smell of the late September night rushed through the van…it was like inhaling a little piece of serenity. It was like country air, but it was still technically within city limits.

 “So, are you feeling any cooler?” I asked.

 “Oh! So much better, thank you for asking!” Freddie said immediately. We continued down the road, not a streetlight in sight at this point.

 “The turn is comin’ up in a few minutes.” Veronica said.

 “Okay, thanks.” We were the only vehicle on the road tonight. The time was 11:09 and we had another two kilometers to go before making the turn. Veronica leaned over on the open window, crossing her arms and leaning her head over.  I glanced over at her a couple times. She looked so carefree and peaceful. The wind blew through her hair as we rolled along.

 “Right here, Lydia.” She said pointing to the upcoming road. I turned the signal on and slowed down a bit.

 “Are we almost here already?” John asked.

 “We are. I think Lydia drives faster than you.” Veronica told him. “That’s a good thing, John.” She said laughing at him.

 “Hey! I always get you where you need to go.” He said.

 “Yeah, but we always leave a half hour early.” She said teasing him. We hit the long gravel road that lead to the cottage once again. I had remembered we had hardly anything unpacked. I know I myself didn’t have anything unpacked and I knew I needed to change clothes. It was a bit of a bumpy ride down the gravel road but I could see the cottage coming into view. I laughed to myself because I knew Roger couldn’t see anythin’ but a blob.  We traveled a little bit further and finally, I pulled up to the cottage and put the van in parl. I reached over and rolled my window up and Veronica did the same. John wasted no time in bailing out of the van.

 “I call one of the showers.” John said immediately.

 “I get the other one!” Roger said.

 “Hey! Don’t wash that hair, sweetheart. We got a project to do!” I warned him. John was out of the van in no time and Veronica threw him the keys.

 “Don’t worry, Lyd. I won’t I promise.” Roger told me, shoving Freddie out of the way and clambering over the seat.

 “Oh, he can be so aggressive sometimes!” Freddie said crawling over the seat. “Hand me a couple of those bags and I’ll carry them in.” He told Veronica.  Brian was the last to get out, followed by me and Veronica. “Lydia, me an’ Freddie will get some of these?” she said.

 “Of course, I’ll get as many as I can.” I assured her. Once outside of the van, my heart leapt into my throat. It was the first time tonight I had noticed the full moon. It cast a ghostly glow over the meadows. I stopped and stared for a moment. There wasn’t a sound to be heard out here tonight. I noticed that Brian was standin’ on the other side of the van with his hands formin’ a triangle. He was lookin’ through the center. Before getting’ some of the bags out I walked to the other side of the van to see what Brian was lookin’ at. I looked up to the starry heavens and then to him.

 “What are you lookin’ for?” I asked him.

 “Orien’s belt.” He answered.  I shook my head and rose to the balls of my feet, tentatively reachin’ for his arms. My god, he was still half naked and I only touched half-naked Roger. I put my hands on his forearms and pushed him to his left.

 “Venus…” I said. “It’s a perfectly clear night to see Venus. Take a look. The brightest star.” I said letting my heels touch the ground again. I went over to the van to pile my hands full of the remainin’ bags.

 “There it is…looks beautiful tonight.” Brian murmured. I sat the bags on the ground and closed the sliding door of the van. I dug through my bag and found the keys, locking it up. “Don’t you stay out here too long, Veronica and I are cookin’….and you’ll surely freeze.” I told him laughing. I headed inside so excited to get started at the stove with Veronica.

My apologies for this chapter...I know it's way too rushed. I didn't have a chance to proof it the way I wanted. Next one will be better I promise!