in the world. I’m sure you could get a job there, as well.”
I could see this was going to be a battle, so I decided to change the subject. “Hey, did you talk to Journey? When’s she coming home for her birthday?”
“Your father and I were just discussing that. He said he can’t get a clear answer from her. She’s all about her friends from the university and wanted them to come home with her for their next break which is in two weeks, so he’s thinking about flying them all over here.”
“That sounds like a fun twenty-first birthday party to me. What do they want to do? Did he ask her?”
“He said something about going out to a festival in Austin. Oh, darling. That’s what you can do for her birthday. Take them all to Austin to this festival thing.”
“Mother, they’re adults. They can take themselves.” Okay, I had to get out of here sooner than I thought. I would be expected to keep up with that group and keep them out of trouble for the time they were here, and I wasn’t feeling that at all.
“I know they are, but you went to school there and know all about it. It would be perfect. We can rent a house on the lake for a couple of weeks and get them tickets and of course, you can take a couple of cars, so you don’t have to be with them every single minute. This will be perfect. She’s going to be so excited when I tell her. Let’s see if she can talk with us both now.”
And just like that, I had been sucked into doing something that was not on my radar. “Hey wait. Is this festival a music festival?”
“I don’t know. I’m not sure she said.”
“When are they coming?”
“About the beginning of October. I don’t have a date yet, remember?”
“Mother, no. Just no. That’s Austin City Limits Festival. There’ll be seventy-five or eighty thousand extra people in Austin for that. Do you know what traffic will be like?”
“You did it for years. I’m sure it’ll be fine for a week or two, Lola. Look, she’s answering right now.”
“Hey, honey. I hope we didn’t wake you.” I heard loud music in the background. I doubted we woke them.
“Hello, maman . What’s going on?” She was in her bed, and I was sure she wasn’t alone. I knew how that was going to look if Mother saw a man crawling out of Journey’s bed. She was almost twenty-one years old and lived in an apartment with two other girls. What could Mother expect, calling in the middle of the night?
“Your sister and I were wondering approximately what day you were planning to come home for your birthday. She’s going to take you all to this festival in Austin y’all wanted to do. I thought your dad and I could get a house out on the lake for a week or more. It would be so much fun, and I’m sure the weather will still be warm enough to enjoy the lake.” Mother didn’t take a breath. I hated when she got all worked up about an idea.
“Oh, yeah. That might work. Just a minute.” Journey laid the tablet screen down on her bed turned off the volume, and her tablet moved around like she was getting out of bed. When she flipped it back over, she was still in the same spot, but two more girls were in the background. Journey was obviously talking to them when the sound came up. “My mom wants us to come to Texas for the two weeks and get a house out on the lake in Austin. It’ll be perfect. We can go to ACL both weekends if we want. There’ll be so many different bands in town all week long. What do y’all think?”
The noise that came over our speaker sounded like a cross between a banshee and a hyena. They were obviously happy about it. I looked at my mom, and she was all smiles.
“So, I guess it’s settled. What day will you fly in?” They worked out the details, and I went back to my room. Not what I wanted to spend a damn week, or worse, two, doing. I plopped back down on my bed and saw a message from Gunner on my phone. Oh yeah, I thought, wait a minute. This might be a plan, a fucking good
I could see this was going to be a battle, so I decided to change the subject. “Hey, did you talk to Journey? When’s she coming home for her birthday?”
“Your father and I were just discussing that. He said he can’t get a clear answer from her. She’s all about her friends from the university and wanted them to come home with her for their next break which is in two weeks, so he’s thinking about flying them all over here.”
“That sounds like a fun twenty-first birthday party to me. What do they want to do? Did he ask her?”
“He said something about going out to a festival in Austin. Oh, darling. That’s what you can do for her birthday. Take them all to Austin to this festival thing.”
“Mother, they’re adults. They can take themselves.” Okay, I had to get out of here sooner than I thought. I would be expected to keep up with that group and keep them out of trouble for the time they were here, and I wasn’t feeling that at all.
“I know they are, but you went to school there and know all about it. It would be perfect. We can rent a house on the lake for a couple of weeks and get them tickets and of course, you can take a couple of cars, so you don’t have to be with them every single minute. This will be perfect. She’s going to be so excited when I tell her. Let’s see if she can talk with us both now.”
And just like that, I had been sucked into doing something that was not on my radar. “Hey wait. Is this festival a music festival?”
“I don’t know. I’m not sure she said.”
“When are they coming?”
“About the beginning of October. I don’t have a date yet, remember?”
“Mother, no. Just no. That’s Austin City Limits Festival. There’ll be seventy-five or eighty thousand extra people in Austin for that. Do you know what traffic will be like?”
“You did it for years. I’m sure it’ll be fine for a week or two, Lola. Look, she’s answering right now.”
“Hey, honey. I hope we didn’t wake you.” I heard loud music in the background. I doubted we woke them.
“Hello, maman . What’s going on?” She was in her bed, and I was sure she wasn’t alone. I knew how that was going to look if Mother saw a man crawling out of Journey’s bed. She was almost twenty-one years old and lived in an apartment with two other girls. What could Mother expect, calling in the middle of the night?
“Your sister and I were wondering approximately what day you were planning to come home for your birthday. She’s going to take you all to this festival in Austin y’all wanted to do. I thought your dad and I could get a house out on the lake for a week or more. It would be so much fun, and I’m sure the weather will still be warm enough to enjoy the lake.” Mother didn’t take a breath. I hated when she got all worked up about an idea.
“Oh, yeah. That might work. Just a minute.” Journey laid the tablet screen down on her bed turned off the volume, and her tablet moved around like she was getting out of bed. When she flipped it back over, she was still in the same spot, but two more girls were in the background. Journey was obviously talking to them when the sound came up. “My mom wants us to come to Texas for the two weeks and get a house out on the lake in Austin. It’ll be perfect. We can go to ACL both weekends if we want. There’ll be so many different bands in town all week long. What do y’all think?”
The noise that came over our speaker sounded like a cross between a banshee and a hyena. They were obviously happy about it. I looked at my mom, and she was all smiles.
“So, I guess it’s settled. What day will you fly in?” They worked out the details, and I went back to my room. Not what I wanted to spend a damn week, or worse, two, doing. I plopped back down on my bed and saw a message from Gunner on my phone. Oh yeah, I thought, wait a minute. This might be a plan, a fucking good
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