Manic Monday

One: Welcome to Rockridge, Oakland, California

Honestly, I didn't think I would miss Rockridge this much, I sure as shit didn't miss it during first year, and I'm not entirely sure it was Rockridge that I missed. I missed my folks (I mean obviously, I'm not a monster), I missed my best friends, Geri and Bran (they went to a university in a different state than me), but arguably worst of all I missed Gold Digger Records.

I've worked at Gold Digger Records since I was fifteen years old but I've been going in there since before I was born. I inherited my love for music from my mom, who is now a music executive, and she used to take me in there all the time when I was a kid. The store smells like vinyl and leather with traces of whiskey and smoke lingering in the air, it smells like happinesses. If I could live there I would without question and I spend most of my paycheque at this place, at least I get a discount.

The owner, Roger Lois, opened Gold Digger Records in 1969 and named it after his ex wife. Since Rog is well into his seventies now his son, Dennis, has been running the shop and he has been since like 1987. Both men are loads of fun and really laidback working with them was a breeze, even if you saunter in half an hour late because you overslept.

Anyways, after I graduated high school I went off to university in New York, I'm currently studying music history and theory at New York University. Geri moved to Florida to go to the Florida State University but I think she followed her boyfriend there, Bran was the star of our high school's football team. Now that second year is finished I'm back in Rockridge and I didn't realize how much I missed it until my parents were driving me home from the airport, I found myself ecstatic to be home despite not feeling homesick once.

Being reunited with Geri and Bran was wonderful, the three of us have been good friends for most of our lives. The pair of them also surprised me with the best birthday present anyone has every given.

"Def Leppard live in Daly City." Geri had said and waved the tickets in my face. "We'll call it a late birthday present."

My nineteenth birthday had been November twenty-eighth.

"No way!" I gasped and reached for the tickets.

"First row and everything." Bran proudly beamed.

"These must've cost a fortune." I shyly responded and handed the tickets back. "You guys really shouldn't've."

"Please!" Bran intercepted and snatched the tickets back. "They're just as much for us as they are for you, we all love them."

What he said was quite true, we all love Def Leppard. Given, it was me that bullied them into liking them back when we were little kids but nonetheless we all love Def Leppard now.

The concert is set for this Saturday, six days out and I can't hardly wait, Def Leppard and the front row! We had went to one of their concerts when we were about fifteen and we sat in the nosebleed seats, and Bran's mom had to take us, but it was the greatest day of my life! I cried for an hour in the parking lot after the concert, it was like a dream or an out of body experience, I was floating for the next week and a half. If that was the experience from the cheap seats I can't even fathom what it's going to be like from the front row, what a dream.

"Honestly, babe." Geri begins as we wander towards Gold Digger Records. "You work there, don't you get sick of it?"

Geri stands about three inches shorter than me in her kitten heels that she tends to wear, realistically she stands about five foot three barefoot. Her blonde hair spirals into curls that hang down to her elbows and her chocolate colour eyes study the sidewalk ahead of us, her black pleated skirt flares while her walks and her emerald green top is tucked into the skirt. Geri always looks cute, like a preppy pixie.