FicWad

"I was bedridden for a week. On the days I did wake up my mother would give me iced cold water, ice cream and medication after eating. I couldn't move my entire body. I felt like a big bag of flour. During my dreamland visit I learned from my mother that Kimberly and Deena had visited me throughout the week. I had a strong feeling that Black Wolf didn't coming, but that was Danny. He never showed his emotions around others, not even us and we'd been friends for two years by 1965. I recovered by Saturday morning and dressed and went downstairs for breakfast. I felt so empty that I ate six blueberry pancakes with bacon and eggs. My mother noticed how hungry I was and told me not to eat so fast. I slowed down as she instructed. she laughed and said I'd been out for a week and was back with vengeance."

"I swallowed my food and smiled as well. After breakfast I helped my mother with the dishes and asked if she needed any money and she said that we were caught up financially. I walked for two blocks where I met up with Deena and Kimberly. I was amazed at their hairstyles. Kimberly had dyed her hair to a dark brown with platinum blond on the bottom. It curled like waterfalls and it became her. Deena had her hair bumped with a bang covering her left eye. Her hair made her look grand and flashier. I complimented them on their hair and they said thank you. We then walked to Danny's house. When we arrived Kimberly rang the doorbell. A few moments later we heard Danny asking for confirmation. Kimberly said it her and Deena with a surprise."

"When he opened the door there stood I stood in between our two female friends. I hugged Danny and for a moment I felt my body get hot and I backed away. I know I liked guys but I KNEW FOR SURE I didn't like Danny. We walked inside and headed to the diningroom. Danny told me the songs they rehearsed in my absence and I wanted to sing so we went to the backyard. When we got there we took our places. Danny came outside with electric guitar around his neck. He told us we were going to sing Psychedelic Firefly first. It was soft rock mixed with psychedelic. As we harmonized I heard everyone singing but I heard Deena's voice loud and clear. She was really into it and I enjoyed watching her smile and have a groovy time."

"After we finished singing Psychedelic we sang Downward Spiral. This one was more heavy lower toned and melancholic. Danny really knew how to arrange our voices and arrange the music accordingly. We finished practice off by singing Flying Nightingale. Afterward we all walked to Jade Monopoly. We headed to the bar area where we were greeted by Cody and vice versa. He was glad to see us altogether again. We sat down and ordered soft drinks. Cody said it was good to see the whole gang together and I said it sure as hell was good to be back after a week of agonizing pain. Cody laughed as we placed our nickels on the countertop. Cody took our tendered money and went to the kitchen and prepared our orders.In the meantime Deena told Danny that Kimberly had performed here a few weeks back."

"Danny looked hurt by the news. Kimberly told him that it was just her and Deena and plus I wanted to entertain an audience. Danny nodded his head in understanding. For a second I could've sworn I saw tears in Danny's eyes as Kimberly told him this. I guess he felt since we were a team she should've told him about it and we could've performed together when Alvin recovered. A few moments later Cody came out with our drinks and placed them in front of us. Cody said that Kimberly blew the roof off the place when she sang here. Alvin chuckle and Kimberly's face turned a bright shade of pink at Cody statement. She said that she didn't think it was all that great but she reiterated that she had a good time. We drank our soda's and played pool for the next hour and a half. April came around and we realized there was a month left of school. We had planned on going to Maryland that summer."

"Danny wanted to see Mama Valery because he claimed she "gave him a reason to keep singing." We spent the entire month singing new material for the summer. In June we traveled to Ella Mona and sure enough Mama Valery's dementia worsened. We went to the streets with our talent and it was the same as before the cursing, the spitting and the brawling. We persevered and kept on singing anyway. We sang for Mama Valery for breakfast and dinner. We were out singing on the streets during lunch hour and Carol brought us lunch from Mama Valery's house. We stayed there the entire month of June. The following month we commuted from Kingsley to San Francisco. We sang on street corners everyday for the entire month but no avail. There were days I wanted to faint and others I wanted to stay inside. But I knew I wasn't the only one who wanted this and it would've been selfish of me to think otherwise."

"In August we returned to school where nothing really changed except we weren't sitting in one class all day. We did our usual assignments. I helped a new student that hailed from Louisiana get around school. By lunchtime he had knew where everything was. September was one of my favorite months of the year because it fall and the leaves changed colors. I loved watching them fall to the ground. My mother and I would sit out on the porch looking at them together. My brother Jason was still up to no good. He was having sex with girls. As for my friends and I we gathered at Danny's house and rehearsed new material. We did that for the remainder of 1965. We traveled to Maryland for Thanksgiving and Christmas. We went to San Francisco the last week of December. It was very groovy and fun. Two years had gone by and nothing changed except my romantic life. I was dating a guy from Baltimore named Ryan Milstead. He was very distant towards me. I tried my hardest to make him smile but to no avail. It wasn't until November 1966 that it happened. We danced at a concert together and it I felt we were the only thing that mattered."

1967 was when things started to get crazy. For me personally I was dealing with Jason's bullshit and moms stress started worsening. Her doctor prescribed her some stress medication. I was twelve at the time so if she had to check into a rehab center I was capable of taking care of myself. During this time Jason had a pregnancy scare. It made me happy internally mainly because he was fifteen and wasn't able to support the infant or the mother. When our mother found out what he had done she beat the living day lights out of him and told him that she wasn't about to take care of anymore children. He told her she was wrong because she was his mother and it was her job to care for any children he had. She told him the exact opposite of what he just spouted. I just looked on shaking my head. He knew just as well as I that he couldn't take care of the child if it was born. Even the mother wouldn't be able to take care of the it. I don't think her parents were pleased either. Around that time Deena informed me that her parents were trying their hardest to send her to a group home because they felt she was depriving them of their lives. Deena was so emotionally damaged that she didn't go home. Instead she stayed with Danny. I couldn't believe her parents were treating her like that and to make things worse there wasn't anything we could do for her. Thankfully there actions were denied because Deena wasn't being abused and there house was spic and span. Also her parents made a hefty annual income to support her"

"I hoped my mother was alright. That night I packed a suitcase and headed to Deena's house. I stayed there for three days. During my stay I slept in the guestroom. It smelt of roses and cinnamon which I liked and adored. In March we were given another group project. As usual my friends and I partnered up. We took on our usual roles. One thing was different though, Danny was very touchy feely with Kimberly. She would politely remove his hand. I could tell she didn't like him like that. Sometimes I wondered if Danny already or knew or tried until he cracked her. A week later I was walking down the hall when Kimberly punched Danny in his face. I didn't ask either of them anything and went to stand next to Danny. I had asked him what was going on. He sighed and said he kissed Kimberly and Deena saw. My face went from confused to shocked in a millisecond. I asked him if he knew that she didn't like him like that and he said he wasn't sure. I knew Kimberly's actions spoke very loudly. The first week of May Deena and Kimberly made up and Danny was dating Lucille Mortenson the captain of the cheerleading squad. We had final exams and an end of the year dance. That second week Kimberly and Lucille fought across the street. Lucille said that if she won Kimberly would have to pay her twenty dollars."

"Kimberly said if she won she won and if she lost she lost. Kimberly held her own against her but ended up losing. She paid Lucille her twenty dollars. But what Kimberly didn't agree with was Lucille telling people she knocked her out with one blow to the temple. Kimberly was upset but didn't request a rematch. She believed she won some and lost some. She was satisfied with the results because she said it kept her grounded. I was worrying about my mother because she was still in the rehabilitation clinic. I didn't want to go to the dance knowing she was there. It would make me feel guilty but I went nonetheless because she would've wanted me to have a good time. At the dance I wore a gray suit. Kimberly wore a peach dress, Deena wore a teal and purple long sleeve and Danny wore a suit jacket and jeans. When the four of us came into the school Lucille took Danny by his arm and they walked to the auditorium together. Kimberly took her hand we walked to the auditorium together. When we got there Lucille kissing all on Danny. It was very un-ladylike and disrespectful. She wanted the entire school to see who was on her arm.

"I think the biggest pleasure she got out of it was that Kimberly wasn't with him. I think Lucille knew just as well as everyone else that Kimberly didn't like him that and she voiced it several times. Deena and I danced with each other. While we danced I saw Kimberly dancing with the star quarterback of our school football team Gary Rathbone. I thought it was strange for Kimberly to get with a jock but maybe she saw something in him we didn't. The dance ended and school was out for summer break. Danny was still prostituting himself to survive. By this time his clientele expanded and he gained some female customers. But nonetheless the bulk of his income came from his male clients. He told me he made enough to last him for the month and that was it. He said he wanted to live where he wouldn't have to worry about finances and said that's why we were working our asses off to make it big."

"Kimberly told him that eventually his prostituting days would be over and his musical talent would bring him comfort. We continued writing new material and we traveled Ella Mona before the Summer Of Love on June 13. Mama Valery had lost a considerable amount of weight. I remember Carol looking like she had saw death itself. On June 16 we sang Flying Nightingale for her. I remember she was smiling like she always did. She died that evening in her favorite nightgown and recliner. Kimberly's uncle Albert and aunt La'Donna were there with their sister Carol. They were by her side. Her last words were that she wanted us to perform at her funeral and for Carol, Albert and La'Donna to execute her estate accordingly. Danny, Deena and I were crying. Danny took her hand and he was crying. I think he may had seen death more than Deena and I. I 'd been to funerals but I was an infant so those don't count."

"That was something I got to experience first hand. She was a sweet woman with a wise mind. She raised her children to the best of her abilities with her husband and she was able to die in a place she felt comfortable surrounded by loved ones. The following week in Grey Forest, California we attended her funeral. La'Donna had eulogized her and my friends and I had collaborated and wrote a song called You've Won. None of us were churchgoers and we didn't want to sing it in the gospel genre either, so we sang it in our usual psychedelic form. People were in tears because Danny did the honors. The way my voice sounded it wasn't fit for a home going song. Kimberly was too depressed to sing and Deena felt it was a family matter and didn't want to invade. Also Danny had one of the most emotional voices in our group. We also felt he would be able to connect to the song."

"When the funeral was over Danny and I consoled Carol and two of her siblings. helped the pallbearers carry Mama Valery's casket to the hearse. Afterward we waited a few minutes for Carol. When she came out we drove to the cemetery. It wasn't a long procession. She was buried next to her husband. Kimberly's other aunts and uncle didn't show up. How could you not say goodbye to the person who birthed and cared for you? It really blew my mind and pissed me off. As we were getting into Carol's car Kimberly said she wasn't surprised they didn't show up. She said that what they would come for though was the inheritance. I was sure Carol, La'Donna and Albert would handle Mama Valery's estate professionally without bickering with their siblings. We rode back to Kingsley and sat around on our hands. We all were too depressed to talk or even sing. We spent the entire day comforting each other. The following week we were sort of back to normal and we sang some new material that we had all written. Kimberly and I took the lead on all the songs. We made a rule that we would never sing covers or standards."

"We felt more authentic if we had sang original material. We practiced all day with a few breaks and dinner. At nine o'clock we walked home and said our goodbyes to Danny. When I got home I asked mother if she was feeling okay. She said that she was fine and that she just needed some rest. I helped her to her bedroom and laid her in bed. After I tucked her in I asked her if she needed anything. She smiled and said no thank you. I kissed her goodnight and walked to my bedroom. Mother was tired and dinner was already prepared. I took a shower and came down and fixed myself a plate. As my food was warming up in the microwave Jason walks into the kitchen. He pushed me aside and asked me what I was cooking. I pushed him back with more force and said that I was warming up dinner that mother had made earlier."

"He chuckled and walked to his room. I just ignored him and got my plate from the microwave. I walked to the table and sat down. I blessed my food and began eating. I thought about the two previous weeks events. Mama Valery died and we went to her funeral the next week. I don't think I'd be able to piece myself back together especially if she died while I was twelve. I cleared my mind of the negativity and thought about positive things. We still weren't famous yet but it felt wonderful just thinking about if we were. I finished my dinner and washed my plate and glass. Afterward I headed upstairs to my room. I wrote some new songs and went to bed at ten thirty. The next day we sang our new material and Kimberly had an emotional breakdown. It had been two weeks since Mama Valery died but to Kimberly it was as if she died just yesterday. She dropped to her knees and began weeping. For the first time Danny took the initiative and knelt down next to Kimberly and comforted her.

"She wrapped her arms around him and cried. Although he was caressing her back soothingly I saw a tint of red showing on his face. I knew he liked her but I also knew that she didn't feel the same. After Kimberly recovered and felt well enough to continue we resumed singing. Deena had a more motherly sound to her voice that day. It was almost like she could feel what Kimberly was feeling through her voice. While she was singing Deena placed her hand on her chest and dropped to her knees. Her breath became short and she fell back into the couch. We all became panicky and wondered what to do. She managed to tell us she was okay and reached into her pocket and pulled out a bottle. She popped it open and poured a pill in her hand. She opened her waterbottle and took a sip. She put the pill in her mouth and swallowed it. We all surrounded her and asked if she was okay. She said that she was fine and took a deep and much needed breath."

"I asked her if she had something wrong with her and she said she was born with a heart disease but she would be okay. She elaborated that whenever she overexerted herself or her blood pressure would rise up her heart would beat fast. Danny asked if the disease was hereditary. Deena looked at him smiling and said no. She said she was the first in her family contract it and that her parents told her it would be the death of her. I chuckled and said that whether or not it would her parents should pay more attention to her. She said that it would never happen because she said her parents told her if she was smart she'd keep singing get herself some medication for her disease. Kimberly said that she was going to give Deena's parents a piece of her mind. I agreed with Kimberly. Her parents needed a dose of their own medicine. Deena was their only child and they were depriving themselves of the experience of raising a child because of their selfishness and bitterness. Deena seemed fine with it because she felt that it was their loss not hers."

"She also said once she attained stardom she would sever her ties with them. Kimberly hugged her and told her everything was going to be okay. She hugged her back and we sat around for an hour and forty-five minutes. When Deena felt okay we started rehearsing again. I felt that even though she was going through what she was going through Deena still should've spoken up and stood up to her parents. It wasn't my place to say anything so I didn't bring up the subject again. Rehearsal was the same nothing new except Deena hit a note that she couldn't before and she felt elated about it. After finishing rehearsal we went to town for the annual Kingsley Emancipation Parade. Although we weren't born felt as if we were because we had lived here since we were younger. As we walked down the sidewalk people looked at us strangely. They didn't want us there because we weren't natives to the state. I didn't care and neither did my friends."

"We wanted to see the parade like we did every year so we weren't going to let a few dumb people deter us from seeing it again. When we got there we saw floats and they were adorned with statues. As each float passed they described its history in briefness. As we were there I noticed Danny staring at Kimberly and Deena looking at Danny. Now we were twelve and thirteen at the time and your feelings are usually in full swing by that age. We stood side by side watching the floats pass by. The parade ended around noon and we headed to Jade Monopoly. We were finally of age to go in, although we were already coming here as middle aged children in the early sixties."

"Cody greeted us and he must have had us memorized because he already knew what to get us. We placed our nickels on the counter and he collected them and went back to the kitchen. By this time Barry and I had broken up but remained good friends. We had too many differences and it made our relationship unworkable. Barry had come in a few minutes later and ordered a iced cola. I greeted him and gave him a hug. Deena was surprised that we didn't work out. I told her we were better off as friends. She looked at Barry smiling and he smiled back. Kimberly had asked Cody if he attended the parade and he said no because he didn't particularly care for them or the city of Kingsley.

"I couldn't agree more. I liked California but I didn't particularly care for Kingsley. I mean it gave my mom a chance to get herself back on her feet financially but the city was to uppity for my liking. I don't think mother liked it either but she had to make do in order to support us. The only attraction that I liked in Kingsley was the Jade Monopoly teen club and the dock. Other than those things Kingsley was exorbitant for no reason at all. I guess the people who lived here believed that if you decide to move here you better be ready to pay for high end property regardless of your financial situation. Mother told me that back in the fifties Kingsley was way cheaper and affordable. I guess with the war it caused things to inflate quickly and drove residences away. New York was expensive but we made it. We were dirt poor. We never owned a house we always lived in apartments or rented houses. It made my mother feel bad that we couldn't own any real estate. I knew sooner or later things would change for us we just had to wait for the right moment."

"I was so induced into my own thoughts that I didn't hear Danny calling out to me or Cody placing my soda in front of me. I looked at Danny and he asked me if I had any oppositions about singing off electric guitar. I told him no as I took a sip of my soda. I sat in mental seclusion thinking about where I would be in the next two to three years. I was just a teenager but I also knew that adulthood was right around the corner and I would have to figure out a plan for survival and I knew mother nor Jason wouldn't be there to pay my bills. After sitting in Jade Monopoly for an hour I said goodbye to Cody and my friends. I walked down to the dock alone. It was the perfect place for me to clear my head.Nothing eventful had happened until the end of the year. That December Deena's aunt Victoria died. Deena was completely devastated and broke down. I never saw her like that before. "

"Kimberly and I didn't attend the memorial service, but what we were told by Danny shocked Kimberly and I. He said he comforted Deena at her house following the service. This was a rare gem moment for Danny. Him comforting someone was something I wish I would've witnessed. Now I'm not saying he was lying but he just seemed like the unemotional type of guy. He said that she cried for most of the day and he held her tightly in his arms shushing her breathlessly. I was really proud of him for stepping up and taking care of a friend in need. On that day I was really proud to be a Lone Wolf."