When Dylan hit the pavement, I knew it was over. My muscles went slack. Knew the kid for 13 years, and I never seen a look in his eyes like that. A look like skulls. A look like a prophecy. I picked him up, shot him a grin that'd make a baby cry. He didn't say a word, didn't even flinch when the lights hit him in the gut.
Shit. How did we get here. For some reason, I thought of Jason Molina. Molina was a good kid. Always knew what we should've, but never realized 'til it was too damn late. You could see it in his eyes. A flicker in those beautiful blues, like the spark from a long-dead lighter. We were outside Jimmy's when I first saw him. Took a long drag of his cigarette, smoothed out his shirt like he was some kind of angel. Heh. As if angels would waste their time in a town like this. I leaned over, smooth as the smoke forming that halo over her head, picked a twig out of his hair, and I knew he was mine. On the way home, he grabbed my arm real tight like I suspected. I think I'm a decent driver, but some people might disagree. You see, I have a thing with road construction. I don't slow.
Molina had an idea when we got back. Kids like him always got ideas. Should have known better than to trust a kid with twigs in their hair. I know better now. We all do. God knows Dylan does, poor kid. Maybe Molina knew all along. Living life so fast, someone's bound to take a mouthful of gravel eventually. But what else can you do in a stuffy town like this? Pray? Heh. Shooting down the road, hot metal blazing, bank tellers wetting their pants - here was Heaven. And if I did it over again, I'd do the same thing. Molina had a plan, and we followed. When Dylan hit the pavement, I knew it was over. The cop threw his shotgun down, and I swear Molina had a glint in his eyes like he knew something. Something cold.
At Dylan's funeral, I thought long and hard. Real hard. How long was I going to live like this? How many more dead friends would it take 'til I found what I was looking for? Did I really think this would bring salvation? Heh. Thought maybe now I'd learn my lesson. Maybe now I'd call it a day. Yeah, maybe. But somehow even then I knew better than that. Molina shot me a glance from his pew like a bullet. It was time to get rich again. Or at least richer.
Ain't got no time for tears:
11.11.06 - Wellington, New Zealand - Bar Bodega
11.12.06 - Auckland City, New Zealand - Schooner Tavern
11.14.06 - Brisbane, Australia - The Troubadour
11.15.06 - Sydney, Australia - The Hopetoun
11.16.06 - Sydney, Australia - The Hopetoun
11.18.06 - Hobart, Australia - The Venue
11.19.06 - Melbourne, Australia - Northcote Social Club
11.21.06 - Adelaide, Australia - Grace Emily Hotel
11.22.06 - Perth, Australia - The Rosemount
12.02.06 - Asheville, NC - Harvest Records
12.03.06 - Columbia, SC - Acme Comics and Records
12.04.06 - Athens, GA - Flicker Bar
12.05.06 - Atlanta, GA - 11:11 Teahouse
12.06.06 - Birmingham, AL - Bottletree
12.09.06 - Halifax, Nova Scotia - St. Matthew's United Church ^
02.01.07 - Groningen, Netherlands - Vera
02.02.07 - Amsterdam, Netherlands - Paradiso
02.03.07 - Bristol, United Kingdom - Cinema Cube
02.04.07 - Manchester, United Kingdom - Green Room Theater
02.05.07 - London, United Kingdom - Luminarie
02.06.07 - Brussels, Belgium - AB
02.08.07 - Karlsruhe, Germany - Jubez
02.09.07 - Geislingen, Germany - Ratschenmuhle
02.10.07 - Hannover, Germany - Glocksee
02.11.07 - Ottersum, Netherlands - Roepaen
02.13.07 - Arhus, Denmark - Voxhall
02.14.07 - Lund, Sweden - Mejeriet
02.15.07 - Stockholm, Sweden - Debaser
02.16.07 - Oslo, Norway - John Dee
02.17.07 - Trondheim, Norway - Klubben atb Stunentersamfundet
02.18.07 - Goteborg, Sweden - Pusterviksbaren
02.19.07 - Hamburg, Germany - Uebel & Gefaehrlich
02.23.07 - Athens, Greece - Planet Music
^ w/ Julie Doiron and Ghost Bees