Give Them Hell

Trip Back In Time

After living with Bobby, Rikki, CC, and Bret for a week I really needed my own place. Within three weeks of working at Dakota's bar I had saved up enough money for first and last month's rent at an apartment building not far from wear Dakota, June, and the guys live. All of my furniture and stuff has been sitting in storage so I'm happy that I don't have to pay for the unit anymore.

Dakota and I had picked up my stuff from storage and she's helping me unpack. June is watching cartoons while sitting on piled up boxes. I'm filling up the closet with my clothes while Dakota dresses the bed.

"Bobby really didn't mean to walk in on you in the shower, no matter what Bret says." Dakota says and I roll my eyes. "I mean when you threw that shampoo bottle at his head you damn near gave him a concussion."

"I love them like family but I can't live with them, I got used to living in my own." I explain. "And I'm not exactly used to sharing a room with a three year old."

"Fair enough." My cousin laughs.

We unpack some more boxes before Dakota stumbles on something that raises some questions. Dakota finds an old Chuck Taylor's shoe box that is covered in my black pen drawings. As stupid as it sounds it's my memory box.

"What's this?" Dakota asks and I drop down beside her on my bed.

"My memory box." I say as I take it from her.

I set it on the bed in front of me. The first thing I see is the ticket stubs and the shirt from my first concert. March 13th 1977, in Seattle, Queen's A Day At The Races tour. I had bought the tickets for Frank--er Nikki's birthday that was in December.

They weren't great seats, we were in the middle of the crowd and with me only being five foot three when I started high school I couldn't see very much. Frank could see everything though and he seemed so happy. He didn't let go of my hand the whole time though. About halfway through the concert he looked down at me.

"Can you see?" He called over the screaming fans and blaring music.

"No but I can hear everything." I laugh and he shakes his head.

"Get up on my shoulders." Frank stated and I look at him. "I'm serious, come on!"

Within a few minutes I was sitting on his shoulders. The concert looked so much better from this angle. The lights and the stage and it was amazing. I heard Frank laugh and I looked down at him.

"It's better from up here, right?" He asked and I nodded.

"This is insane!" I yelled and he laughed again

I couldn't hear very well for the next few days and I slept on the car ride home. Actually Frank didn't want to try to sneak me back into my dad's house so we slept in the backseat of his car in front of his mom's house. I knew I'd never forget that day.

The next thing I see in the box is the old and dried out rose that Frank gave me on Valentine's Day. It was originally a red rose but he had spray painted it black.

It was one of those rare Monday mornings that Frank came to school on time. I was half asleep and yawning when I got to the hall my locker was in. See I could never really remember my combination so I was dependent on Frank to open my locker. That morning he was leaning against my locker looking at his boots. I walked up to him and wrapped my arms around his chest. He laughed and kissed the top of my head.

"You look tired." Frank said quietly.

"I am." I admitted.

"You know what today is, babe?" He asked.

"Monday." I mumbled and he laughed.

"Not what I meant but I'll take it." Frank admitted and I pull back from him. "It's Valentine's Day, Dallas."

"Oh right!" I remembered and he grinned.

He removed his hand from behind his back revealing a black rose. I smiled and kissed his cheek.

"I know you love black things so I spray painted the rose black." Frank explained and I kissed his lips.

"I am so lucky to have you." I told him and kissed his lips again. "I love you."

"I love you too." He told me.

I then see the pen that Frank used to chew on when I was helping him with his homework.

We sat in the hallway against my locker with his text books spread out in front of us. Frank's one arm was wrapped around my shoulders and the pen was sticking out of the corner of his mouth.

"This is stupid." He stated and I half smiled.

"Those who can not remember the past are condemned to repeat it." I quoted George Santayana.

"I wasn't involved in Nazi occupied Austria." Frank told me.

"Then how about this? Those who don't learn history are doomed to repeat it." I said and he rolled his eyes.

"Are you saying that I'm going to become Hitler are try to wipe out the Jewish population?" He wondered and I shook my head then took the pen out of his mouth.

"I'm saying that if you don't pass this World War Two test we'll have to study more and that means we have to cut something out." I said and held his pen between my teeth.

"Like?" Frank asked kinda worried and I shrugged.

"Knocking boots." I said and he took his pen back.

"I'm gonna pass this test." He stated, I smiled and kissed his cheek.

"I know you will." I told him.

Next I see the first thing that I stole with Frank and we didn't even get caught! The Led Zeppelin zippo lighter that I swiped from the store. Then I see some Polaroids of Frank and I. My university acceptance letter. The ticket to the first Seahawks game that Mack played in. This box is filled up with nearly twenty two years of memories.

I wonder if Nikki remembers the Queen concert or the black rose or if he remembers the pictures we took together. I honestly want to know if he's the same person I fell in love with eight years ago because part of me might still be in love with him.

"I didn't realize you kept all this stuff." Dakota admits and holds up a picture of us when we were kids.

"I couldn't throw it away, these are all part of who I am." I explain and she nods.

"Fair enough." She agrees.