She wouldn't look at me. Not while this Idaho kid was around. Only a few weeks ago she was still coming over to my house at least twice a week, and whenever me and Stan turned up at the beach, it was never long before she appeared. Beautiful Kimberley Vaughan with her golden hair and dirty mouth. We were going to change the world. Back then in the long days. We smoked, wrote songs on our thrift store guitars, and slowly planned the revolution.
It was going to be so easy, so inevitable that the good would out, and our new land of opportunity, of peace and love would be born. Kim and I would get married and make speeches about what was wrong and what was right, and we'd have a family, five kids and a simple house with a small piece of land. Our destiny fulfilled.
But he changed everything. His name was Stevie, the Idaho kid, and Stan said he was here for the whole summer. He was good looking I had to admit, but real dumb. All brawn and no brain Ma would say and I tried to tell Kim he was only after one thing, but she wouldn't listen.
'You're so jealous Donald Hagen,' she would tease, biting her lip and twisting her hair around her fingers.
'I'm so not,' I'd tell her; but I was. Sick feeling in my stomach jealous. Couldn't eat for days jealous. 'I'm just worried for you,' I'd tell her. 'He's a stranger, why are you bothering with him? He'll be gone again soon enough.'
She thought different. 'Stevie says his folks are looking to move out west. His dad's company has an office out here and they're going to relocate.'
She poked me. 'What do you think of that?'
That's what they all say, I thought. And I'll be here to pick up the pieces again. Maybe that is my destiny; just to put things back together. Kim will run off into the sunset with the Idaho kid and forget the life we promised ourselves and I'll still be here growing an old man, waving the stars and stripes and waiting for her to return.
A good read
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