Goin’ Down the Road
I have lived a short life. Eighteen years on planet Earth does not accommodate for much to take place besides learning how to read, write, and be a “functioning” member of society. Despite this, attempts have been made to make something of the time I have been conscious. If my memory serves correctly, this occurred at some point in middle school. I became conscious of my consciousness in high school. It was there that I realized school and society puts on many meaningless facades. I was left searching for something more. Day in and days gone by as I floated down the river towards whatever came next. When life approaches you with an empty hand, you stare back at that hand until you find beauty in it.
Lying in my bed, staring …show more content…
What I was not expecting at the time was to receive an email entailing the dates for the band’s summer tour. I’d been listening to them for a long time now and even managed to meet a girl with whom I had quite a bit in common with, Mia. We grew very close very quickly after only a few dates and it was not long until I discovered that her father was also a very big fan of the band, to put it lightly. He and I bonded over his boxes upon boxes of cassette tapes he had kept over the years, all of which were tapes of concerts. It was because of our mutual addiction to the band that he felt some degree of trust in me when it came to his daughter, which would certainly aid me when it came to summer tour. Walking up to me that morning, Mia’s eyes lit up as she asked me, “Did you see the announcement?” We analyzed repeatedly what shows we would attempt to make it to. I felt a sense of excitement that I had not experienced in what seemed like an eternity. Coming home that afternoon I popped the question to my parents about making a road trip to East Troy, Wisconsin for two nights to see two shows the band was playing at Alpine Valley. As if they were conjoined they swiftly and unanimously responded, …show more content…
Despite receiving the yes and the happiness that I was going to get to see the band that had rapidly taken over my life, I was worried whether going to see them would live up to my expectations, and if it was going to mean anything at all. Nonetheless July came and we hit the road. In the front seat was Mia and myself, in the back seat was my mother, asleep. I had never been to Wisconsin and did not know what to expect from my first multi-hour drive. We ventured on through Illinois uneventfully before entering Wisconsin. The expressway was broken into two roads, each with two lanes, with a grassy knoll separating them from each other. Surrounding us was sprawling forestry and rolling hills that seemed to stretch on forever. Leaving the expressway, we went deeper into the state and into much more rural territory. Even though we were farther north, it was particularly hot on July 9th and we were feeling the heat in the car. The sun hung over us without a cloud in the sky for shade. There was no cellular connection to help with directions, nor signs to point us in the direction of Alpine Valley. In fact, there were no street signs at all. We were in the middle of nowhere, miles of grassy hills on either side, and as if on cue, American Beauty began to play from the car stereo. “Hey, let’s pull over and take a picture,” I hear come from my right. I pull off into the