Rusty Summer (33 page)

Authors: Mary McKinley

BOOK: Rusty Summer

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“Well . . .” she admits, “that
is
pretty cool. But dang, girl, you just got back! What should I tell them when they ask where you are now? That you bounced
again?!
When are you going to stay put? They are gonna wanna know if you even want to
be
a Throttle Rocket anymore, Rylee. Jeez, I mean, I just finished telling them that you skated.” She sounds so put out that I simmer down.

“Tell them I'll be back long before the start of next season,” I promise. “Besides, that's when my new TV job starts.”

“Yeahâ'kay . . . whatever.” Bashy's sulking.

Then suddenly I know my name. It was right there all along. I just wasn't paying attention.

“Omg! It's Rusty Skates,” I say quietly, having a realization. It's so obvious I grin out loud.

“What? Iân't hearâu!” hollers Bashy's lil' phone voice. She's breaking up. We are far away.

“Rusty Skates!” I yell.

“Iâinkâ'reâeakiâup . . . !”

“RUSTY SKATES!” I scream. “EXCLAMATION POINT!! LIKE A HEADLINE!”

“O-kayâgawd, I can totally hear you!” she says directly in my ear. The reception is back.

“Bashy, I know my name! Tell them I'll see them in a few weeks! Take it easy, Bashy Bayou! Lots of Love from RUSTY SKATES! See you sooner!!” I bellow at her joyfully and hang up.

We drive. This is good. We settle in.

The day is hot. I look over to The Bomb. She is chill. Her tongue lolls as she smiles at me.

We are over the mountain pass, deep into the flat farms and golden wine country of Eastern Washington. The hazy horizon fades into forever.

Soaring, I roll down the window and crank the tunes.

In Remembrance

To our vets,
The ones who didn't come back and to the ones who did,
wounded in ways seen and unseen.
Let our choices be worthy of their valor.

And with love to our Mandeep Singh K.,
who packed more punch and joie de vivre into twenty-two
years than most people can into ninety.

And for Loyd,
Who left us early and often, and finally this spring; forever.

Sweet dreams, Dad.

Rusty's Retro Road Trip Redux

These are songs I dedicate to all of us, for different reasons. Some of them are 1960s protest songs I've been listening to, and almost all of them are retro. I'll say who each song is for, and why.

For Leonie

“Woodstock,” Joni Mitchell:

Let me start with this song, because it's important to our story. This is the beautiful song that Leonie wowed us with. You will be able to tell The Bomb's part pretty easily.

“Love Is the Seventh Wave,” Sting:

For Leo, to remember there is a deeper wave than this.

“Layla,” Eric Clapton:

What all guys seem to have to feel for Leonieâ(sub
“Leo
” for
“Layla”
)!!

“Guinevere,” Crosby, Stills, Nash, and Young:

This is what Greg would say to Leonie if he could.

“Fragile,” Sting:

For Leo, because she is still learning to be free.

For Beau

“Memory of a Free Festival,” David Bowie:

This is a strange and beautiful story song. I learned all the words after Beau told me his mom used to sing it to him for a lullaby. I totally love Gina!

For my League Wives

“We Bout It,” Derby Girl:

One of our favorites to skate to.

“Boys Wanna Be Her,” Peaches:

This song makes me skate better. It's hypnotic.

“Rebel Girl,” Bikini Kill:

In your game face!

“Skatez On,” Lumidee (ft. Boogie Black):

Another one to rock the drill.

For Me

“Losing My Religion,” REM:

Because, duh.

“Landslide,” Fleetwood Mac:

This is a song for me . . . maybe.

“Piece of My Heart,” Janis Joplin:

This is a song for Shane. Even though he doesn't mean to.

“Tell Me True,” Sarah Jarosz:

This song is from me to Shane. Seriously.

“Space Oddity,” David Bowie:

I heard this song when I was high, talking to the Man in the Moon.

“The Israelites,” Desmond Dekker and the Aces:

I love this songâit's too fun to sing along with.

“America,” Simon and Garfunkel:

Beautiful love song about our country, which I now mean to discover.

For My Mom

“Bridge Over Troubled Water,” Simon & Garfunkel
:

Because she is.

“Blowin' in the Wind,” Bob Dylan:

I included this because I heard it at Mass a lot. Love you, Mom.

For The Bomb

“Jeremiah Was a Bullfrog,” Three Dog Night:

A goofy song she would like (sung by three dogs! :~)

For My Dad

“Papa Was a Rollin' Stone,” The Temptations:

For obvious reasons, I dedicate this to my dad.

“Free Bird,” Lynyrd Skynyrd:

Because this bird you cannot change. That's you, Dad.

“Cat's in the Cradle,” Harry Chapin:

This one's for you too, Dad. Sorry.

“Helpless,” Neil Young:

How I have felt throughout most of this damn trip.

“Bullets,” Fred Eaglesmith:

This song I dedicate to my dad. Shane turned us on to Fred Eaglesmith.

“Hurt,” Johnny Cash:

My dad's song, but also Uncle Riley's. I can't decide.

“Cool Change,” Little River Band:

For my dadâon the ocean and happy. May you always be so!

Antiwar Songs, for Uncle Riley

“I-Feel-Like-I'm-Fixin'-to-Die Rag,” Country Joe and the Fish:

One of the most pissed-off songs of its era.

“For What It's Worth,” Buffalo Springfield:

I love this song for its viewpointâfrom the eyes of a soldier.

“When I'm Gone,” 3 Doors Down:

More importantly: Love me while I'm here. Obviously this is for Uncle Rileyâand all our vets.

“WAR,” Edwin Starr:

I LOVE to sing this really loud! For Uncle RileyâEverybody: HUH!

“19,” Paul Hardcastle:

The average age of DRAFTED American soldiers in Vietnam!! Think about it.

“Fortunate Son,” John Fogerty:

Clear-eyed dis of upper-class ruleâthat only sends the underprivileged kids into combat . . . to this day. It's not volunteer if the military's the only way you can eat, or the only way you can get an education.

“Jumping Jack Flash,” Rolling Stones:

A super-popular song for the American soldiers in Vietnam.

“The Boxer,” Simon and Garfunkel:

A song of leaving, for my Uncle Riley.

“Vincent,” Don McLean:

For Uncle Riley, who went away.

“Once I Was,” Tim Buckley:

This song is so beautiful. It is the score to the final scene in
Coming Home,
an amazing movie about returning soldiers. My grandma says the ending scene should be on an endless loop on those big public screens in Times Square whenever there is talk of warâas a reminder. See it.

“The End,” The Doors:

Of course this is for my Uncle Riley, and all soldiers.

“Roads to Moscow,” Al Stewart:

A haunting song about the Russian Front of World War II.

“Find the Cost of Freedom/Ohio,” Crosby, Stills, Nash, and Young:

Maybe my favorite song of the era, it deals with the people who were shot during the Kent State Protestsâduring the previous time our police force was so militarized.

For GramMer and the Uncles

“It's a Family Affair,” Sly and the Family Stone:

Blood is thicker than water.

“I'm Henry VIII I Am,” Herman's Hermits:

GramMer's bear scaring song. Scared me too.

“Windmills of Your Mind,” Dusty Springfield:

My grandma likes this song. She says it reminds her of when she was cool. Huge hit in the '60s.

“Scarborough Fair,” Simon and Garfunkel:

GramMer sings this to Raven for naptime.

“Blackbird”; “Across the Universe”; “Dear Prudence”; The Beatles:

Songs my grandma used to sing to me for naptime.

“Lean on Me,” Bill Withers: