Chain Letter

Chapter Three: Last Summer

The concert had been great. Tony's ears were ringing and he couldn't hear himself think, much less hear what the others were talking about. The crowd was thinning but it was still hard walking. There were no lights in the Swing Auditorium parking lot and out here in the valley there wasn't nearly the background glow of electric L.A. It was like being stuck in a black cave with a herd of cattle. He stumbled on broken asphalt and almost tripped Joan, who was holding on to his hand. He felt loaded and hadn't even had a drink. Then again, there had been enough dope smoke in the air to waste the security guards.

"What did you say?" Tony yelled at Joan.

"I didn't say anything!" Joan yelled back, sounding ten miles away but leaning close enough to make him wonder if the evening's fun wasn't only beginning. She was wearing tight white pants, a skimpy orange blouse, and her hair was all over the place, including in his face.

"It was I!" Kipp giggled, hanging on to Brenda, the two holding each other up. They had sure put away the beer on the long drive out to the auditorium. There were still several six-packs left. "Where the hell did I put my car?"

"There it is!" Brenda laughed, pointing so vaguely that she could have meant half the parking lot.

"I drive a Ford, not a Volkswagen!" Kipp shouted. "Hey, Neil, do you remember where my blue baby is?"

Neil did not have a date but they had brought him because he loved music and because he was such a great guy to have around when you're trying to find your car. He didn't drink and appeared impervious to marijuana smoke. He answered Kipp, but his voice was lost in the crowd and the ringing ears.

"You're going to have to speak up!" Kipp shouted.

Using hand signals, Neil managed to get across the message that they should follow him. Tony stumbled obediently on his heels, bumping into Joan whenever possible, with her hanging onto his pants pockets, giggling and cursing up a storm as they dodged people and slid between jammed cars. The maze seemed endless. Finally, however, Neil halted and by golly if they weren't standing next to Kipp's pride and joy---a super-charged '97 Ford. Kipp had parked at the far end of the lot where they could supposedly enjoy a quick getaway. Too bad the exits were all on the other end of the lot.

The wait in the traffic was tedious. The concert had strung them all up and now they had to move like snails. A half hour later and they were still captive of the carbon-monoxide-spouting train. To pass the time, Kipp ---who was driving, naturally ---and Brenda set to work on the remainder of the beer. Joan even had a couple of cans, though her dad always gave her a sobriety test when she got home from being out late, and Tony thought what the hell and put away a couple of beers himself. The alcohol seemed to dull the ringing in his head. Neil took a can, too, after prodding from Brenda, but nursed it carefully.

They were on the verge of a breakthrough to the street that led to the freeway when someone knocked on their window.

"Alison!" Brenda squealed when Kipp rolled down the window, letting in a fog of exhaust. "Wow! It's sooo amazing running into you here!"

"Brenda, I was with you when we bought tickets for this concert," Alison said, ducking her head partway into the car. Her curly black hair was held back with a pin and there were oil stains on her hands. She looked slightly exasperated, unusual for her---Alison always impressed Tony as being in control. He was sitting in the back seat and, for reasons known only to his sober mind, he immediately took his hand off Joan's knee. "Hi Neil! Hi Joan!" She smiled. "Like the concert, Tony?"

He grinned. "Wasn't loud enough."

"Having car trouble?" Neil asked from the dark corner of the backseat. The car in front was moving and if they didn't move too, the horns would start quick. Alison held up her oily hands.