Chapter Eleven
Bonfires
Song: One of TheseNights—Eagles
June 26th, 1975
Darren and I gathered sticks to put in the fire pit.We stumbled around, finding twigs and breaking off branches from fallen limbs.We arranged the twigs in a cone shape like I had seen James do, and Ronny lit them on fire with his lighter.The fire did not catch, so Jesse came blazing out of the airstream with a can of gasoline.The gasoline swished around in the red can as he flung it around.
“Be careful with that,” Ronny instructed Jesse.
“Yeah, Ron, you may be my manager, but you are not my babysitter!”he hollered as he carelessly poured it.The fire burst into flames.
“That is more like it!”he howled.
Thomas and Betsy helped Ronny get some lawn chairs from the back of the truck that hauled the airstream.They spread out the chairs in a nicely formed circle.We sat down and anticipated Jesse’s next move.I wanted to please Jesse in every way I could.His music changed me and James’s lives.
Jesse started humming a tune.“So here is the thing ...I am considering starting a solo career.The Matches don’t match my energy anymore.It’s like this fire here.You can have a ton of matches and sticks, but only gasoline gets it going.I am that gasoline.”
“That is up to you.I don’t know what The Matches are like in real life.I do know the tracks sound harmonious.The drums add a steady rhythm, the bass adds this darkness, the keyboard makes you feel like you are falling in love, and your voice brings it all together,” I said, worried he would be offended and wanting to still admire his work.
“You are right there, my dear.The music is great.Life becomes difficult when friendships turn to coworkers, though.That’s what I am doing here.I got to think this completely through.”
Ronny adjusted his posture, making him slouch more.I thought that famous musicians would have bodyguards, not straggly managers to take care of them.
“You guys seem like friends.Have you been friends for a long time?”Jesse asked as he leaned back in his chair.
“Penny met Darren when she got her dog, Fawn.Then Darren introduced us all when we were about six or seven.We hung out every summer after that.Small towns bring people together,” Betsy said with endearment.
“Ah.Nothing is like childhood friends.My bandmates Keith and Mason were some of my pals from fifth grade.”
“Baby!Let's go swimming!”the woman with Jesse cut in.She slipped off her shoes, unbuttoned her jeans, and ripped them off.She rapidly threw her shirt on the dock and dove into the water.
I was amazed.She was going to swim without any thought of a bathing suit.She did not care that her undergarments would be seen.She wanted to swim, so she did.It boggled my mind how someone could be that free-spirited.
Jesse raised his hands in the air.“The woman gets what she wants!”He stripped down into his checkered boxers in the middle of the dock, revealing his hairy chest.
“Should we join?I don't have a swimsuit, but I think we would look weird just standing here,” Thomas said dubiously.
Darren shrugged his shoulders.“This is Jesse Young we are talking about here.If we stand here, we might miss out on something we will never get to experience again.”
I stood there frozen in time.Betsy asked if she could talk to me privately, so we walked over to the bushes.“What is going on with you and Darren?I saw you guys holding hands under the table.I am your best friend.You can’t keep these things from me!”she said, shaking my shoulders.
I knew I would have to explain myself.I wished it wasn’t right then, but Betsy was right.She came forward about her and Thomas.I had to fess up.“Please don’t tell anyone.We kissed last night.I don’t know if we are together, so please don’t pester me with any more questions.We are taking it slow.I really don’t want to strip in front of him.That would make things even more weird.I think we are leaving soon and don’t want the last time we see each other to be hardly clothed.”
“Remember what I said on the phone the other day?You have to start living now!I am super proud of you for getting some.It is about time you started showing interest in a boy other than Elvis.I promise to keep my lips sealed as long as you go swimming, so be a big girl and take off your clothes.”
There was not much difference between wearing a bikini and my bra and panties, other than the fact that one was more nerve-wracking.The situation was unbelievable.I typically wore a swimsuit under my clothes every day in the summer.But I was preoccupied with talking to Darren and spaced my own rules.
Betsy was the first to strip.Thomas followed shortly after.Betsy wore a pink lace bra that stood out from miles away.When Darren removed his clothes, it gave me the courage to do it, too.I looked down at my tighty whities with disappointment.Why couldn’t I be like Betsy?She knew how to impress boys and used her power without hesitation.
As I wrapped my arms around my body to hide it, Darren whispered, “You look beautiful.”I blushed as he picked me up by my waist and tossed me into the water.
“You jerk,” I said with a gasp.The water was more refreshing than cold.I urged Darren to join us.
He jumped right next to me.The water rippled around his body, splashing me.I lay on my back and floated, trying not to think about how I was being perceived.I wondered if my mind would ever be as light as my body when I let it become one with the creek.
“Does floating feel like crowd surfing?”I shouted to Jesse.
