Daron's Guitar Chronicles: Vol 4

273 QUESTION OF TIME

QUESTION OF TIME

When we got back to the bus, we were dusty and sunburned, but all in good moods. The only other person I saw was Carynne, sitting at the picnic table, reading a newspaper.

I sat down across from her. "Was this your idea?"

"What, stopping at a campground?"

"The educational experience."

She gave me a sly smile. "I stole the idea from Dave Richards, the tour manager for Battleaxe. One of the first roadtrips Waldo took me on, they stopped here. It's about halfway. I would've preferred an actual booking in Santa Fe of course, but it just didn't work out."

"It was cool," I said. "Ziggy wants to stop to buy more film he took so many pictures."

"They sell it at the shop down the road." She folded the newspaper. "But we'll hit a truckstop later, too. Once we get into Colorado."

"Okay."

"With any luck, we'll be at Red Rocks in time to load in before midnight. Thank god they don't have a show going out, or we'd have to wait until tomorrow." She looked up at me. "You doing okay?"

"Why does everyone keep asking me that?" I wasn't complaining, I was serious. "Do I look distressed or something?"

"No. Just checking," she said.

"How about you? You need someone to check on you, busy-bee?"

"I'm good," she said with a smile. "Now that we're really on the road-road."

"You wanted to get out of LA, too, I guess."

"Yeah. Not my favorite place anymore. My mom still lives in the Valley, you know."

"Which Valley is that?"

"'The' Valley, the Valley that Valley Girls come from." She raised an eyebrow at me.

So I still didn't know what that valley was called, but I knew what she meant. "Did you see her while we were there and I missed it?"

"No. No, she doesn't approve of my wanton, rock and roll lifestyle." She sniffed in what I guessed was an imitation of her mother. "I think she thinks I'm nothing more than a glorified groupie."

"Most people have no idea what goes into doing what we do," I said. "Not that I'm defending your mom, of course."

"Yeah." She looked a little sad.

"Well, I for one am very glad you decided to go into your uncle's business, and that you work for us. And you're damn good at what you do."

That got a real smile out of her. "If I'm so damn good at what I do, why is everyone late getting back to the bus?" She looked at her watch. "Jeez, you guys."