Perfect Farewell - A Memoir

did this for my english class. it's my first memoir. enjoy.

“Fill it up”, clap-clap, “or throw it down. I got a forty hour week”, clap-clap, “worth of trouble to drown. No need to complicate it, I’m a simple man. All you gotta do it put a drink in my hand.” This song, among others, takes me back there every time.

June 27^th, 2012. It was the beginning of summer and the air was filled with excitement, but my own world was filled with dread. Dread for what had approached all too quickly. Tomorrow was the beginning of my European excursion. I thought that when this moment arrived I would be running as fast as my legs could carry me towards the plane. Instead I felt like I was being deported with thick chains around my wrists and weights on my ankles taking me away from my home, and preventing me from taking off in the opposite direction. This would be my first vacation without my family and I was already heartbroken over the thought of leaving my mother behind. That is why I was determined to make my last moments before I left one of the most memorable times of my life. Thinking back now, I know in my heart that I succeeded.

                When I woke that morning I packed an outfit perfect for a warm country evening. The essentials for this outfit were my tall, floral cowgirl boots and my old Bud Light cap. Tonight, after having a blast at Darien Lake all day, my closest friends and I would be amongst our fellow Eric Church fans at a rockin’ country concert. My mother accompanied us, but that didn’t break my spirits because she is super fun at concerts.

                It was a perfect summer day outside. The sun was high in the clear blue sky. Its cozy heat mixed with a gentle breeze set an excellent temperature. Birds were flitting through the air singing their charming melodies, creating a utopian mood as our group ventured off for the day. On our drive we cranked the country station and sang loud and proud to our favourite songs.

                Our day at Darien Lake couldn’t have been any better. The smell of cotton candy and popcorn followed us through the crowd everywhere we went. I could always hear people laughing and screaming in the park, along with the chug-chug of roller coasters being pulled to the tip-top of a monstrous drop, right before it released its fury on the thrilled riders. Isabella was extremely nervous for her first experience on the Superman. I could feel her anxiety growing as we climbed higher in the sky. Chug-chug. She took my hand and squeezed with all her might. Chug-chug. As our cart was bending over the top I heard her high pitched squealing laughter. The next thing I knew we were plummeting to the earth below us. Both of our screams were caught in our throats, only escaping them once the first drop was over. Throughout the whole ride we were laughing and screaming together as our hair whipped around our faces. The feeling we got from speeding through the air as fast as lightning was a type of high that made us feel timeless and invincible. It was a spectacular way to start off our day.

“Turn the quiet up, turn the noise down. Let this old world just spin around. I wanna feel it sway-ay-aying, wanna feel it sway. Put some feel good in my soul. Drank a little drank, smoke a little smoke.”

                Once the day got so blistering hot that our bodies started to glisten under the suns striking rays, we decided to head to the water park. After refilling our lemonades for the millionth time that day, Nicole, Isabella and I all headed for the Tornado. Thank God Nicole was there because Isabella and I could barely help move the huge four person tube up the flights of stairs with only our little noodle arms. Once we were at the top and it was our turn to go, we put the tube in the water and stepped into its icy embrace. We sat down (fell down) and got ready to be pushed into the dark tunnel when I noticed, by the expressions on their faces, that my friends shared my feeling of anticipation. Then, with one big shove from a life guard, we were flying into the dark tunnel. We twisted, turned and got water splashed up on our bodies. Then with a sudden drop we were racing into a massive blue and yellow striped funnel. Up, down, over. Up, down, over. This motion was repeated while we screamed and laughed all the way to the end. We got out of the water at the bottom only after splashing each other numerous times and after lots of coaxing from the life guards.

               

                While Nicole went to tan, Isabella and I decided to head to the Lazy River. We both grabbed a tube and positioned ourselves so that we could lay back and hold hands at the same time, ensuring that we wouldn’t drift apart. We spent an hour floating, relaxing and laughing together. It was a perfect way to forget life for awhile and just enjoy the moment. There was always a cute lifeguard around every bend, and they definitely noticed our presence, which was a perk that came alongside the relaxation. I believe that this moment was another crucial bonding moment in our friendship, and I will never forget it.

“Yes I love good cold beer and mustard on my fries. I love a good loud honky-tonk, it rocks on Friday night. Hell yes I love my truck, but I want you to know. Honey I love your love the most.”

                As mid afternoon rolled into late, our group made its way to change for the concert. We all stripped in the parking lot, using other cars as a shelter to block us from wandering glances that might look our direction. Once we got all countried up we made our way arm in arm through all our fellow tailgaters to the concert. Smiling, singing and skipping the whole way there, from the outside eye we would be radiating happiness and youth. We were wild, young and free in that moment with nothing to hold us back.

“She’s as pretty as a picture, every bit as funny as she is smart. Got a smile that’ll hold you together, and a touch that’ll tear you apart. When she’s yours she brings the sunshine, when she’s gone the world goes dark. Yeah she’s heaven on the eyes, but boy she’s hell on the heart.”

Standing up against the metal fence separating where we were in the field sections from the stands, I could smell the sweat of the other fans that were all cramped up around me, along with the scent of freshly mown grass and alcohol. The blue sky transforms from clear blue into shades of burgundies and violets, as the sky holds on to the colours before they fade to darkness and stars. I could feel the intensity and excitement growing in the crowd as we waited somewhat patiently for the opening acts to end and get the part we were anxious to see. Soon the familiar beat of drums reverberated through the crowd. As the roar of the fans was escalating the strobe lights flashed over our heads. That’s when Eric Church’s voice filled the amphitheater and we all sang along with him, “When I think about you, I think about seventeen, I think about my old jeep, I think about the stars in the sky. Funny how a melody sounds like a memory, like a soundtrack to a July Saturday night. Springsteen.” As the song progressed, a time came when he held the microphone out to the audience and we all sung together, “woah-oh-oh-oh, woah-oh-oh-oh....” Over and over the crowd sung this melody together. The build up and unity of it all had a beauty in it that made it all very magical. Everyone was swaying together, becoming one the sound of our voices. It was captivating.

                On the way back to the car we all talked about our experience. We shared what our favourite songs and parts of the show were. We all agreed it was the best and most spectacular concert we had ever been too. The car ride home was much quieter than the one to the park, as we were all falling asleep on each other after an extremely long day. Even though the drive was peaceful, there was a buzz of pure happiness lingering in the air of the vehicle.

“Well I didn’t bleed, and I ain’t black n’ blue. It ain’t hard to tell who got the better of who, cause in the morning light I’m hard to recognize. Yeah Jack Daniels kicked my a*s again last night.”

             While I was lying in bed that night, just before I fell asleep, I started reminiscing the day. I wanted to go back in time and start it all over. I knew that I was going to be leaving the next day, and it would be exceptionally hard to leave my friends after a time like that. However, I couldn’t help but feel happy about everything because I knew I would have great friends to come home to. I wouldn’t have wanted to spend my last day any other way. I now felt that I had enough strength in me to take on my European adventure.

“It’s over when it’s over, ain’t it, baby, ain’t it? Rips ya like a dagger, can’t it, baby, can’t it. Wish we could do it over, damn it, baby, damn it. We had it in the air, and just couldn’t land it."

Author's Note

the font wasnt working properly, so please forgive me for any random font changes.