Still Loving You

Part 2

 "Hey man, is that everything?" Jeff asked, as he prepared to close the van doors.

"Yeah," Eddie answered, glancing behind him. "I think that's it."

"How far is this drive?" asked Gareth. "I've never even heard of this town."

"It's about two hours," Eddie answered. "Look, it's a paying gig and we can't pass that up. I know it's a bit of a ride, but besides the Hideout on Tuesdays, we have to take every opportunity we can get if we have any hope of being more than some townie band."

"Yeah, but Bryxton, Ohio? Who's even heard of that place? Is it some tiny little podunk town?" Gareth scoffed. "How in the hell did we get a gig there?"

"A buddy of mine," Eddie replied, lighting up a cigarette, "his name is Jacob. He opened this club, Eclectic, there. It's not as small of a town as you think. It's a college town so they draw in all the co-eds looking for a good time and some good music. I used to work with him a couple years back at the garage. Anyway, he gave me a call, said he's trying to get some new music in there instead of the same old bands that always play to try and gather more of a crowd. He offered us two hundred and fifty bucks, man, to play Friday and Saturday. He's also covering our motel room so we don't have to take that out of our pay. We can't say no to that."

"No, I agree," Jeff nodded. "It was just so out of left field, but I'm down."

"Alright, so road trip in the morning?" smiled Eddie. "I will see you guys back here bright and early. I'm thinking we will get on the road around eleven. Make sure we have plenty of time to get there, check into our room, and get to the club. We have to be there by five for soundcheck."

"I love how you think eleven is bright and early," laughed Gareth.

"Hey, I am a working stiff these days," Eddie protested. "I am up by eight in the morning most days for work. But eleven is bright and early for me on a day off. Alright buttheads, I will see you tomorrow."

"Okay," they agreed, heading off.

Eddie headed back into his trailer. He lived in the same trailer park he had lived in since he was a kid. But between gigs and his job at the garage, he had been able to move out of Uncle Wayne's trailer and get his own. It had been a proud day for him. Sure, it wasn't much, but it was his and that counted for something. It was definitely more than most people had ever expected from him.

He was beyond grateful for Uncle Wayne. That man had stepped up for him when no one else did. His mom had taken off when he was five. He had no idea where she was, and honestly, he didn't care. She hadn't thought twice about him over the years, so why should he waste his time wondering about her? His dad, well, he knew exactly where his dad was. He was serving time, again, this time for assault and battery on his newest girlfriend as well as dealing heroin.

Yeah, his family was quite the train wreck and that was putting it mildly. He had grown up knowing how this entire town saw him. He was the lowlife, the dirtbag, the freak. He saw the looks the older people gave him as he walked by with his long hair and tattoos, metal band patches all over his vest that he had sewn himself on the thrift store clothes they could afford. He heard the whispers from the kids at school about his parents and how he was trailer trash. He heard people saying that he must worship Satan just because he enjoyed playing a fantasy game with his friends and listened to heavy metal.

There had only ever been one person who saw past it all and made him feel like he could be more than what others saw. There had only been one person who had ever truly believed he was worth more, that he was capable of more. But she was long gone now, lost to him forever. She escaped him and this sad excuse for a life, and he couldn't blame her. What would he have had to offer her? Living in a shitty trailer trying to survive paycheck to paycheck as he scraped money together? That was no life for someone like her. No, she was better off being as far from him as possible.