Page 81 of And Still Her Voice
Listen to the orchestraof the ocean.
Numb, I stared out at the horizon, picturing my whole life plummeting off the brink of despair. I couldn’t imagine or even dream of a future. If only I could get into the rhythm of the ocean. Aren’t we after all just children of the sea—part of the tides to return again?
A rogue wave slapped me down and I swallowed the ocean. I threw up and snapped out of my spell.
Turning back, I sloshed to the shore and plopped down onto the sand to wait for the sun to set.
The sun had gone down, stealing away all of the color with it and leaving me behind in a dark, cold world. In the distance, the Harvest Moon rose above the mountains. Next month, the Mourning Moon, and a time for this Honey Moon to let go of past troubles and look forward to a new season and soon, a new year. I got dressed.
***
Under the moonlight, I staggered into a little dive bar near the pier and took a seat at the bar. I ordered a burger to soak up the double vodka tonic I’d also ordered. In the corner, a small band was just setting up as a television blared the news from a counter across from me. I brought the drink to my lips and stopped when I recognized the face of the man named Charles Manson. Heand his followers had been arrested for the murders of actress Sharon Tate and others. He looked straight into the camera as if he recognized me, too. I lost my appetite. Those poor people.
“We dodged that bullet,” Grandma said.
“Seriously? I would never have been in that van if it hadn’t been for you in the first place. None of us would be in this position,” I replied, speaking into my drink, as the television reported how about 500,000 people marched in Washington, DC for peace. It would become the largest anti-war rally in US history. Performing on stage were Arlo Guthrie, Pete Seeger, Peter, Paul and Mary, Richie Havens, and Lazarus Rising. I knew I needed to eat and struggled to take a bite.
“Hey, Honey Moon.” Surprised, to hear my name in this place, I turned to look into the smiling face of some long-haired dude from the group getting ready to play. “Why aren’t you in DC with Lazarus?”
I chewed, then swallowed. “I came home for my dad’s funeral.”
“Ah man, that’s a bummer. Sorry,” he said. “I was going to ask if you’d come up and play something for us, but I understand.”
“Yeah, thanks.” I took another bite, thinking about it for a second. Maybe it’s what I need. “Yes, darling.”
I wiped my mouth and then stepped onto the tiny stage. Setting my drink down on a dinged up upright piano, I took a seat, looking out to a handful of inattentive patrons. “This has been laying on my heart for a while.”
Rain falls through the hole in the ceiling
Stars shine through and I have a feeling
There’sa world for us somewhere out there
A peaceful placefor spirits who share
The need for a quiet hometo lay
No wars or hate, only love and play
A place at long last to rest in peace . . .
By the time I finished, the small crowd had hushed and now clapped. I took a bow. “It was what we needed,” Grandma whispered. “The music.”
I drained my drink, needing another, but before I could order, Ruben walked up. “That was beautiful,” he said, all glassy-eyed.
“Thanks. Don’t look at me like that. Even God can see the necessity of getting drunk on a day like today.”
“I’ll drive you back when you’re ready. It’s what your dad would have wanted.”
“What my dad would have wanted? Fuck.”
“He did love you and his family.”
I stepped off my seat and tried to run, but now my legs wouldn’t cooperate.
CHAPTER 28
Campo Corona
