and car keys
Some stupid things and obscure ideas were important
public commissions, but with time they couldn't go on
TV shows for which they were paid or go anywhere
without feeling it could have been better
With time, I thought I could do something.
I know it’s bound to happen but I never take chances
Any man who isn't afraid of love sometimes is a fool
We forget all we used to know,
You can't recognize me
And I can't recognize you
Oh, I've been here a few times before
Any man who isn't afraid of love sometimes is a fool
Any man who isn't afraid of love sometimes is a fool
7
Dean sits down at the table, wrapping his hands around the cup of hot coffee waiting for him. It’s a delicious, smooth drink and I’m eager to see his reaction to it.
“Next time, I won't take milk in my coffee,” He reminds me.
“Oh, okay,” I say, remembering all of the other times I’ve seen him drink coffee black, including this morning. “Sorry about that.”
“It’s fine. I’ll still drink it.” He unzips his coat, but doesn’t take it off, like we might not stay for long. Mine is unzipped and wrapped around my shoulders like a shawl instead of a coat.
“What’s going on in that weird little head of yours?” Dean asks me.
“Want to see Andy's very first live performance?”
“As an Andy McKinney super megafan, there’s no way that my answer is anything but yes.” Dean smiles, trying to hide his grin behind his coffee cup.
“Give me your phone.” I smile back.
He hands me his phone, with the YouTube app open. In the empty search bar I type in ANDY MCKINNEY. I scroll through the few official music videos, the tens of videos taken at concerts,until I reach one that I uploaded a long, long time ago before he even hit it big.
“I recorded this,” I tell Dean. I press PLAY and turn the phone to him. We watch the video together. It starts off with a black screen and disembodied laughter as I orient the camera, but once it’s focused on the light, a young, fresh-faced Andy holding his guitar on a small stage comes into view. “It was a New Year’s Eve party at our hometown bar where I convinced him to perform. He said he only knew one song.”
A very young video Andy strums his guitar, coughs, and nervously begins.
Dean laughs when he realizes what the song is. “This is the only song he knew?”
“Shh, just watch,” I smile, tapping the edge of the phone.
Video Andy is hesitant at first as the crowd laughs around him. “The past and the present and the future,” Andy continues slowly, but then, he finds his groove as the crowd settles and cheers for him.
When he reaches the part of the song with the multiples, you can hear video-me cheer loudly in the background. “Three, six, nine.” Andy sings, a wide smile plastered on his face. “Twelve, fifteen, eighteen.” You see the joy spread across his face when he spots me in the crowd. “I can’t hear you!” The crowd sings along with him.
