Famous in a Small Town(15)

Thank you so much!

Sophie Kemper

It had been a long time since Megan had been back to Acadia. Maybe it was possible. Maybe she would come and play the fall festival.

I left my contact info at the bottom and pressed send.

It was worth a shot.





eight


A giant sign stood along I-70 on the way to Acadia that read, in imposing block letters, two feet tall each, WHERE WILL YOU SPEND ETERNITY?

The follow-up sign came a tenth of a mile or so later, equally imposing, white letters on a black background: JESUS CHRIST HAS THE ANSWER.

We had a group chat, the five of us, called WHERE WILL YOU SPEND ETERNITY, and since its inception, everyone had to periodically sound off with our own answer to the question. Like someone would ask WWYSE, and Brit would say, At the YYS watching Tyler chew his fucking nails, or Terrance would say, In line at the Burger Shack because you know those onion rings take time, or Dash would say, Praying for y’all. Seriously.

Flora always gave a very sweet and well-meaning answer to the actual question, like w/ my best friends in the world!!!!! or w/ our Lord praising Him!!!!!! .

The morning after Tegan’s party, I tapped out a message to WWYSE: What if Megan Pleasant played the fall festival?

No one answered immediately. Not that I thought they would, but part of me had hoped it would instantly spark a conversation. Great idea, Sophie! That’ll totally raise the money we need! She’ll definitely do it!

So I went on:

Like what if she gave a concert?

People would flip their shit

She hasn’t been here in a few years, and she’s pretty famous now We could raise a lot of $$$ for the parade

Brit replied a little while later. I was surprised she was awake.

I see a couple problems with that

Such as? I replied.

For starters, she hasn’t been here in a few years, and she’s pretty famous now So?

So.… … how exactly are you going to convince her to come?

The Pleasant family had moved out of Acadia a few years ago. That’s probably part of why she stopped coming—no family here to visit. Even still …

There’s got to be someone in town with a connection, I said. Some old friend who could contact her, or know how to get in touch with her family. They were from here. She loves Acadia.

Uhhh you know what they say ???

Lord help me I am never going back

That’s just a song

LORD HELP ME BUT I AM NEVER EVER GOING BACK

She sent a link a moment later, headlined A PLEASANT PLACE: THIRD ALBUM SEES COUNTRY DARLING LEAVING HER HEARTLAND BEHIND.

I frowned and typed, That’s just rumors.

Why would they print rumors? Brit replied.

Dash chimed in then: Why does anyone make anything up? For clicks and money Terrance too: I know that’s why I do literally everything And finally Flora: I think it’s a great idea Sophie!





* * *



I thought about my message to Megan all day at work. I regretted it—it was too short, I wrote it too fast. I should’ve drafted it, revised, proofread. I didn’t feel like I captured it at all—what the band meant to me. How it was intrinsic to the town, to us as friends.

Dash and Brit were on the drum line. Side by side on their snares, what they did was precision, like surgery; it was deft and purposeful.

Terrance was in brass on trumpet. “Flashy,” he would say with a grin, and it was true—the trumpets got the coolest solos.

I was in the woodwinds with Flora—her on flute and me on clarinet. My rented clarinet was the same one that Ciara had played—I made sure to ask for it special. It still had some of her stickers on the case, halfway peeled off. Ciara never loved band like I did, though, only did it because she didn’t want to play a sport. For her, it was an obligation, a box to check, but for me … it was a community.

I loved it. Everything about it. The field on a Friday night, the crunch of the grass underfoot. The fancy uniforms for performances and competitions, the T-shirts and shorts for parades and afternoon games. I loved that moment when we got something on its feet, when we combined the music with the formations. I loved practicing through the neighborhood behind school, marching up and down the streets, past Flora’s house and mine, past the library and the park.

We were the Pride of Acadia, and no one was prouder than me.





nine


Ciara:

I saw a mullet today!!!!

Sophie:

!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Ciara:

It was incredible

11 out of 10

His hair was like … righteously thick 90s Dad would be SHOOK

Sophie:

Lolololol I can’t believe he ever had one Ciara:

Right?

Like not even just that it was a thing But that it was HIS thing Sophie:

90s Dad went on to land 00s Mom Ciara:

I know

Their 90s hair looks combined Would have been too powerful Sophie:

It was def more like a half mullet by then Ciara:

Yah

Business in the front, office worker’s going away party in the back Like sheet cake and a card from Barb in Accounting in the back Sophie:



I feel like a mullet spotting is good luck Ciara:

Yes! Love it!

The new four leaf clover It’s decided