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“Are you sure this is okay?” I asked Connie once again.
Luke and Josh had made themselves comfy in the backseat. There was so much leg room in this Caddy, that for once, none of us felt the slightest bit cramped.
“Absolutely. This car’s been sitting for two solid weeks. It needs to be driven, and I sure as hell won’t be doing it. I can’t even think about how to maneuver such a big car,” she said. “I read online that this thing weighs over four thousand pounds. It takes all my strength just to close a door. When I’m strapped in, I can’t even reach the dashboard.”
She held out her arm, and because the seatbelt held her body in place, her fingers were a good two to three inches away from the dash.
I remembered that Connie liked everything in miniature form. I didn’t know what Dusty was thinking when he left her this plush classic Caddy, but he must’ve had a good reason. Dusty never did anything without giving it some real thought.
“Let’s do this,” I told her and turned the key in the ignition.
Much to everyone’s surprise, the V8 engine turned over without a hitch and revved like it was brand new. Dusty had taken good care of his cars, his family, his land, his horses, and his friends. This pristine vehicle was a testament to his character.
Before we could even pull away from the curb, there were several folks watching and waiting for the big event.
“Who are all these people?” Luke asked, leaning forward so no one else could hear him.
“Friends, neighbors, and people who’ve been waiting for this car to move,” Connie said. “You know how this town is. Everybody’s always up in your business. I like that, but sometimes it can get overwhelming.”
I recognized several of the older folks from when I lived in town, Francine Hall who ran the kids’ bookstore, Scarlett Camarari, and Henrietta Cruz. Henri was old when I’d lived in Cricket. I couldn’t even imagine how old she must be now. Doctor Charles had stopped to watch, waiting with the others for us to pull away from the curb. I never forgot her. She set my broken arm when I was fifteen. I thought I’d never be able to play the guitar again, but she’d assured me that I would. The woman was a goddess in my book.
Some of the younger people who’d gathered, I didn’t recognize. The town had changed quite a bit since we left, and I had to admit, I liked it better now… but I still preferred Sweet Whiskey.
“Let’s go,” Luke bellowed right behind me. “This is too weird with everyone watching.”
“Here we go,” I shouted, checking the street for any oncoming traffic. I pulled out to applause and cheers, and we all waved as if we were the tail end of a long parade.
“Where to?” I asked Connie, as we drifted up the street.
Folks lined Moon Street as we drove by, waving. We couldn’t help but wave back, especially to the kids. I even beeped the crazy deep-sounding horn a few times. Way too much fun!
“Sweet Whiskey,” Connie finally said once we passed all the friendly onlookers. “It’s such a pretty day, let’s see what that town and the dance hall look like.”
That was all I needed to hear.
“Whatever you say,” Josh said from the backseat. So far, he’d been quiet about everything, but then Josh wasn’t much of a talker. He liked action more than words, and now that we were moving, he felt as if he could say something. “We’re here, back in Cricket, with a potential band deal, because of you. We failed you once before, and now we want to make it up to you. None of us would blame you if you told us to go to hell.”
Connie kept her eyes on the road in front of us and never glanced back at him or any of us.
“He’s right, Connie. Without you, we don’t have a band,” I told her. “And we’re good with that, but we couldn’t give up without at least coming here to ask you if you wanted to get back together again. That said, let’s have a little fun, even if it’s for the last time.”
Still no reaction from her, no smile, no recognition that we were kissing her feet, or even that sweet ass of hers. She was either defiant, or she just didn’t give a fuck. Either way, the woman had us by the balls, and we all knew it, and now she knew it.
The question remained… what would she do about it?
Seeing her all grown up had given me thoughts I probably had no right to have. But fuck, she still tore me up inside, even after all these years.
We’d all been in love with her at one time or another, but of course, we were young and awkward, so nothing much happened. By the time everything fell apart, she was still a virgin, at least as far as any of us new. Not that we hadn’t tried our best to change her status. We did. But with Connie, it was more than that. We’d each wanted her as our girlfriend, but that never happened. Especially once the band got rolling. She didn’t want to play favorites and make anyone feel uncomfortable.
Connie was then and probably still was, a kind and fair person. We’d all admired that about her, even though it had killed us to admit it.
Probably still did.
All we wanted now was to try to convince her to sing with us again. Without her, we didn’t have a band. We’d tried other lead singers, but none of them compared to Connie, and now that we’d seen her video, it only solidified our beliefs.
Not only that, but we’d also done her a great disservice. We could see her talent in that video, and even if she didn’t want to sing with us, perhaps she would consider a career of her own. Either way, we had to at least try. We couldn’t allow the past to define all of us any longer. We were all better than that.
“Have you ever spent any time in Sweet Whiskey?” I asked her as we cruised up the road, trying for some general conversation.
