catchy!” Marisa looked around and noticed how captivated everyone else was and realized that this was no ordinary boy she was falling in love with… Meanwhile Clair was conflicted. If she didn’t have a chance with Nathanial now – she certainly wouldn’t if he made it in L.A.
Nathanial continued singing. “I watch them touch her, watch them take away…the girl’s got a selfish need…the boy’s got time to bleed it never works out no it never works out NO! Fucking pretentious fucks and pretty little sluts oh it never works out! NO IT NEVER WORKS OUT IT NEVER WORKS OUT NO!”
He walked off for a second, his hostility overwhelming. He whispered something to Jeremiah and Jeremiah nodded as he adjusted the strings of his guitar. Nathanial came back to the center of the stage with what appeared to be newfound confidence.
“Okay Brooklyn, this is a new song called The City That Never Sleeps,” he said. Marisa and Clair seemed to be competing at who could scream the loudest.
“Told you to meet me last night,” his ominous voice flooded the room. “It was so late but you got on the train…anyway...Made sure to leave before you got there, I wanna get you prepared…no one here cares…” Jeremiah stalked the song, his guitar throwing shadows over the empty spaces. “I woke up today and nothing was right…Slowly I started to remember last night…” The catchy chorus made its way in. “Started a fight, stood someone up, Aint it sweet, yeah In the city that never sleeps…So did I make you cry? As the pretty traffic lights…hit the windshield in a cab that sent you back over the bridge, sent you back…oh at least I got you wet so now say thank you! For breaking you in, yeah You bet…In the city that never sleeps…” Nathanial went off to the corner of the stage and let Jeremiah take over. He had his Slash moment in the spotlight. Clair looked at Marisa, who saw no one else but Nathanial and kept watching him even though he’d slid away for the moment.
He came back and poured his heart out for the rest of the song.
“I wanted to be missed! You wanted to be kissed! Well…Oh aint it sweet, yeah…in The city that never sleeps...They say! If you can make it here you can make it anywhere! So now we don’t need to be anywhere, where are you? In a cab goin back over the bridge, I’ll call you when I have a day off, if I ever have a day off.. Hey, you look so tired, and a little scared, What a bunch of wolves can do to one little rabbit, you should find an exit soon, just go on back to Texas…JUST GO ON BACK TO TEXAS! Now…now, shush up, buck up, you saw a body, it happens all the time, I’ll call you when I have a day off…girl…This ain’t the city of dreams, Girl, It’s the city that never sleeps, Girl…”
5 “To Find That Hot Little Sopranos Dancer”
Clair sought Nathanial out right after the show because she knew he’d be a sweaty mess and in a good mood and she loved hugging him when he was in that state.
“Nathanial,” she smiled gloriously and held onto him so tight. He never knew how to react when she did that – when she pressed every part of her against every part of him.
He smiled innocently and looked down at her.
“Okay…” he petted her on her head. He seemed a bit drunk. It was hard for anyone to understand how he felt right after a show – the adrenaline rush combined with a strange vulnerability, the comments from strangers, the now what? feeling taking hold…
“You were amazing,” Clair gushed.
“Thanks.” He needed a drink, so he took her by the hand and cut through the crowd. He avoided the stares from people, not wanting to hear whatever they were about to say. He wanted a different scene – he wanted Los Angeles. He just wanted to get away from it all.
“Marisa’s here,” Clair said as they waited at the bar. He shoved her money away.
“I got drink tickets,” he let her know. “Who is Marisa?”
Oh wow! He didn’t even remember her! This made Clair ecstatic.
“The redhead that comes in the café every day…” she said. This seemed to register nothing, turn on no lights.
“She has big tits,” she added.
“Oh! Right,” he shook his head and smiled boyishly as he handed the bartender his tickets.
“Cool, she came?” he said, walking over to the booth where Jeremiah was stationed.
“Yup.” Clair knew she would go unheard for the next five minutes or so as Jeremiah and Nathanial exchanged a cool celebratory handshake and discussed the show – how did it sound? The sound system here is still kinda shitty. Was it better than the last? Good crowd? Better than expected…
“Ain’t no fucking joke,” Jeremiah said as he held on tightly to Nathanial’s hand, Clair figured that was his way of saying the show was brilliant. Nathanial sat down, looking pretty pleased. And tomorrow he was leaving for L.A.
“Okay, so I have the packing list…” Clair said as Marisa sat down. She wanted Nathanial to know that she was still going – that she still wanted to go.
“Fuck that,” he said, quickly glancing at Marisa – whom he had no idea what to do with – then back to Clair. “What’s more important is driving music.”
“I’ve made a compilation CD,” Clair also let him know.
“Ha! I forgot to say good driving music,” he teased.
“Don’t be a dick!” she hollered right before breaking out into a cackle when he tickled her. Marisa waited patiently for them to calm down, confident she’d be the one getting his attention soon.
“You were incredible tonight,” Marisa told him, locking eyes with him.
“Thanks.” He came off shy around her, staring at the table for a minute.
“So are you guys going somewhere?” Marisa politely inquired.
“Yeah,” Nathanial tightened his sparkling green eyes when he looked up at her. This set loose an army of butterflies in her stomach and she got a little wet. “Los Angeles.”
“Wow,” Marisa’s pretty smile widened. “Really?”
Nathanial smiled proudly. “Its been a goal – for a long ass time – to drive cross country – to…see the world, you know, like Jack Kerouac? But like throw punk into it, throw…The Dead Joneses into it,” he spoke softly and yet very intensely. Clair had never heard him talk like that.
“The Dead Joneses?” Marisa sounded amazed. “I love The Dead
Joneses.”
“How can you fucking not?!” Nathanial blurted. It was wonderful to see him so excited, to see that childlike quality ablaze.
“I mean…” he smiled, showing his strange but adorable teeth and spit made his tongue ring sparkle as he played with his trucker hat, twisting it to the side and then back again so it was straight. He looked around the room, trying to collect his thoughts.
“They like went back, right? And found everything great about rock and roll and threw it back in our faces!” he exclaimed.
“Yes, exactly.” Marisa was not nearly as enthusiastic as Nathanial, for Nathanial’s enthusiasm could not be matched.
“I mean fuck…” Nathanial went on.
“Here we go,” Clair muttered, prepared to hear the same worshipful praise she heard every day when it came to Nathanial’s obsession with Josh Devin.
“I mean what Josh went through as a child, and where he is now…its extraordinary,” Nathanial pointed at the table. “He makes everyone else so boring – like everyone else might as well be dead, dude. It means so much to people like me…people that have just fought for every little thing they have – and are still fighting. It means so much to know someone had the balls to make it, dude.”
Marisa stared at him, listening closely.
“He means a lot to you because he represents a part of you, a part of you that has struggled,” Marisa said. It wasn’t so much what Marisa said as the delicate way she presented it.
“Yes,” Nathanial said, diligently, “He is also what I aspire to be. Oh man,” Nathanial rolled his head around against the back of the booth. “I can’t imagine – being, like, him? Having what he has? Respect?”
“Nathanial, you have respect,” Clair s
aid, wanting to be a part of the conversation.
“He means recognition,” Jeremiah said. “We work really hard – and I think the world does owe you something when you work this hard.”
“You should go,” Nathanial said a few seconds later, looking at Marisa. She wasn’t sure what he meant at first. “You should go with us.”
Clair couldn’t believe it – just like that?! You should go???
“Nathanial,” she laughed, unnerved. “She can’t just go to L.A. – we leave tomorrow morning, this is something someone has to plan months ahead for…”
“Are you happy here?” Nathanial asked Marisa. He felt like they had a lot in common – stuff they hadn’t realized yet. It would be fun to take a stranger on the road.
“Well, I mean…some days I hate it. Doesn’t everyone?”
“Yeah, I guess.” Nathanial was grumpy. He wanted her to go, and he could pout like crazy when things didn’t go his way. He wasn’t going to give up on this one.
“Its not a big deal – I’m sure the opportunity to get in a van that’s all set to go with really cool people and drive from New York to L.A. will present itself again soon.”
“Nathanial!” Clair couldn’t believe how he was behaving.
“Okay,” Marisa grinned.
“Okay you’ll go?” Nathanial yelped like a puppy.
“You’re cute – no, I don’t know…I mean yeah, I hate it here,” she suddenly realized. “I hate it here. The other day I went to an interview and did very well – I did better than I’d done at any