Angry Johnny and the Radio

[Lochie_old]

Angry Johnny and the Radio

 

I tap my fingers nervously on the steering wheel, I hate blind dates.

 

“How long has it been since you’ve broken up with her?” Mikey laughed his awkward laugh that you could tell was forced, but somehow comforting. He swirled the coffee inside his mug and then threw it down his throat in such a manner you could tell it was well-rehearsed for moments like this.

“About six months ago, off the top of my head,” the answer was five months, six days and 11 hours. Mikey finished his abnormal gulp and looked at me with a grin on his face.

“I’ve got a friend who’s looking for a hook-up tonight, just be sure to bring cash, she’s an expensive girl if you know what I mean.” He gave me a wink, as if he was brokering some sort of deal.

 

So I’m sitting here fumbling through my old burnt CD’s, in smudged black ink I pull out one labelled “The Gaslight Anthem” and slide it into my CD player, it’s a mix tape of all my favourite Gaslight Anthem songs I gave to Julie before she left. Two weeks later I got it sent back in the mail.

 

Julie and I were childhood sweethearts; we grew up on the same block and meet in the playground when we were six. Hide and Seek was the game that all the neighbourhood kids played and two young kids were no exception to this tradition. We ran through the woods as the other kids hid closer towards the playground. Julie led me through the thick, dense foliage clutching my small hand.

 

“We aren’t that far away!” she turned around and smiled at me, soon we reached a small clearing and sat together, happy with each others company. When we were 8 we shared our first kiss, when we were 16, with the ink still fresh on my drivers license, we had found a way to drive up to another small clearing that overlooked the city; and there we made love.

 

But things changed over time, college separated us and when we were finally back in each others arms again things felt different. And then five months, six days and 17 hours here I am, sitting in a car cranking ‘Angry Johnny on the Radio’ and hoping that some other desperate lonely soul will listen to my story. I’m not looking for love tonight. I just need someone to listen to me; I need someone to understand that I still miss my childhood.

 

My phone buzzes in the ashtray so I pick it up and answer it; the voice greets me and it's Mikey’s friend Rachel. She says she’s waiting for me so I look around for someone on a phone and soon enough my eyes cast upon some young brunette. I glide up the street and pull in next to her. You could probably liken her looks to an old car, at one point in her time she was beautiful, natural colour and a nice blue shine that lit your eyes on fire. But now that blue is murky, and the natural colour has been swapped for large abuse of make-up and fake tan.

 

She get’s in the car and smiles at me; “Hi, I’m Rachel.”

I offer my hand out in a chivalrous manner and we shake, “I’m Matthew.” I smile my ‘I haven’t been laid in 6 months’ smile and then pull out onto the street.

“Where are we going tonight?” As she says this she applies more lipstick to her lips.

“I’ve got something planned.”

 

She lies back in the seat and lets out a yawn, “I hope you’ve got enough money for where ever we’re going, I’m not cheap you know.”

 

We drive past the city limits and this is when Rachel gets worried. “Where exactly are we going?”

“You’ll see.”

 

After an hour on the highway we take a left and follow Route 86. It’s all coming back to me now as we past small clusters of houses all neatly put together. I can tell the place has changed, it’s become more commercial. There’s a retirement village where the William’s farm use to be, but the playground is still there.

 

“Okay sweetie, tell me where we’re going right now or I will scream.” She digs her nails into my legs and I let out a yelp.

“Just wait!” I yell at her, she sits back in the seat and mutters to herself;

“Mikey always hooks me up with his freaky friends,” she then turns to me and goes, “You better have enough to pay for this, and I expect a lift home.”

“You’ll get extra.” I tell her as we drive off-road.

 

We drive up the dirt-road, it’s obvious others have found the spot ever since I left my hometown; tire tracks indicate the voyage up the hill. After driving through the foliage we finally burst through the clearing, the view is still amazing.

 

I can see everything of what my old town use to be, I turn the keys in the ignition off and admire the beauty of where I grew up. Then I fell something un-zip my fly and a wetness cover me.

 

“No.” I command her and lift her head up, she looks at me like a confused puppy.

“Why?”

 

I do my pants up and then take her by the hand; we get out of the car and sit on the hood. I tell her about the time I got my head flushed in the toilet of our high school as a joke. I tell her the story about the time my friend Tony got so stoned that he tried to choke his own mother to death. I tell her about Julie.

 

She listens, she's a good listener. Then she tells me her story, she tells me about how her father use to come home and abuse her, how her mother put her through college by whoring herself out. She tells me how the only reason why she followed her mothers profession was because being a law intern didn’t pay enough to support both her and her mother. She tells me she isn’t as much as a whore as I think she is.

 

I believe it.

 

“So are you going to do what most guys do after this point?” She says, she pulls at my belt again but I take her hands away and kiss her on the lips.

“No.” I say.

 

We sit in silence admiring each other, and then I pull her close and whisper in her ear.

 

“You’re seeking.”

 

I run into the forest and hide.

Edited February 8, 2009 by Lochie

[Chunk]

Wow, that was beautiful.

I was in need of a good read and I found it right here. I couldn't see any bad grammar but even if I did I would've still loved this story. Good job Lochie.

[mark-2007]

Real nice story. Easy to read and a good ending. Didn't notice any mistakes or errors that disrupted the flow of things. For someone reason I was expecting him to murder that Rachel woman, which would've been sh*t. I loved the ending though.

 

It's good to see some new stuff of yours. What happened to You're Not Afraid Of The Dark?

[Exclusiv3]

Yeah, this is easily digestable. Nothing feels forced here, which is very difficult to accomplish for most writers. When you say...

 

"Then I fell (felt) something un-zip (unzip) my fly and a wetness cover me."

 

I'd just leave it at... "Then I fell something un-zip my fly". It leaves more to the imagination. Very good read, Lochie. Is this your February 2009?