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WITH AN HOUR LEFT UNTIL we play, the four of us meet in the bar for a quick sound check. There are already a couple of tables of people waiting for the music.
After we go back upstairs and get ready, I quickly call Dakota in hopes that we can talk before starting the night. No such luck. Instead, her aunt answers and tells me that Dakota is out, then proceeds to ask a ton of questions—Why have I been calling Dakota so much? Am I’m looking to make her my girlfriend? And, the worse question of all—am I trying to take Dakota away from her?
Thankfully, Adrian raps on my door and interrupts the call. I tell her that I have to get going, then ask her to tell Dakota that I called. She won’t, of course, but it’s the only thing I can think of to say before hanging up.
Adrian and I are walking downstairs to the bar when Joe appears at the bottom. “You guys are never going to guess who’s standing at the bar.”
My chest tightens and I stop walking. Oh, no. Don’t let it be Butch.
Joe sees my apprehension. “Don’t worry, Ray. It’s not Butch. I can see on your face that you’re worried.”
I laugh sarcastically. “I never thought it would be Butch, and if it was, so what? I was just a bit surprised that you would recognize someone in the bar.” My chest relaxes, and I draw in a deep breath.
When we walk in the bar, I can see Marty, a guy we went to school with, sitting on a stool. Adrian and I give a quick wave and continue to the stage. Joe stays behind to chat, then soon joins us.
We start the night off with CCR and a few songs by Canned Heat. So far, what little crowd there is seems really into it. When we play a Journey song, two of the three full tables get up to slow dance.
On our first break the manager, a portly woman about fifty, tells us how much she likes the band, right before she asks if we can turn it down—a common request when playing small pubs. The four of us join Marty and talk about what he’s been up to lately. We find out he’s in North Battleford on a construction job.
Just before our break ends I head to the john, where it’s quiet, and dial Dakota. There’s no answer. I thought she would have been home by now. I hope everything is all right.
Once we’re back on stage, Joe decides to forgo our set list and take requests, which always gets the crowd more into it. Though, I never expected to be playing a whole set of Country music. Still, if it makes the patrons happy, they stay longer and order more beer, and that makes the bar happy. So, we do our best to accommodate every song request they holler out to us.
THE ONLY THING WORSE than the creaking pipes is the water pressure. I turn on the taps in the shower and hold my face under the pitiful trickle. It seems as though every small venue we play at on the green run has the same things in common: drafty one-pane windows, noisy pipes, and the weakest water pressure possible.
After I’m dried and into a fresh t-shirt and pair of shorts, I grab my phone. It’s 1AM, but last night Dakota said she’d be waiting by the phone and would pick up after the first ring so her aunt wouldn’t wake up. I lie back on the pillow, get comfortable, then dial her number.
Her phone rings once, then twice. The last thing I want is to wake up her pushy aunt. I wait for one more ring, then hang up.
That’s the second time today Dakota didn’t answer. I wish I could call her cell phone, but a while ago she told me it was restricted to local calls only. Confused and a little concerned, I scroll through my phone and check for any missed calls. There aren’t any. Not sure what to do next, I turn on the crappy little TV to distract myself.
I’m flipping aimlessly through the limited channels when there’s a rap on my door. I shake my head, knowing exactly who it is. Joe. And I bet anything he’s come to needle me again about soliciting our names for other bands.
I fling open the door, fully prepared to say I’m in no mood to discuss anything right now, but the words die on my lips. There, in the doorway, is Dakota.
I try to speak, but nothing comes out. She giggles, blinking coyly up at me. “Surprised to see me?”
I’m finally able to get words out. “Wow, Dakota—what are you doing here? I just tried to call you at your aunt’s.”
“Well, I’m not there.”
“I can see that. How did you get here?”
“Maybe you should invite me in and I’ll tell you.”
I grin. “Yeah. Of course. Come in.”
As she walks inside and takes a seat in the small room’s singular chair, I reach down and quickly gather up the sweaty stage clothes that I’d thrown on the floor. After depositing them into a drawer, I sit on the corner of the bed, across from her. “I can’t believe you’re here.” My pulse speeds up as excitement runs through me.
She seems aware of my shock. “Is it okay that I’m here? I mean, you said you’d be okay with me coming to one of your gigs.”
“And I completely am. It’s just...I never dreamt you’d show up to surprise me. I’m blown away. How did you get here?”
“I was at one of my cousin’s place today. She had friends visiting from here. They were heading this way, so I caught a ride this morning.”
“Well, I’m glad you did. It’s a long way to come, though. You must be tired.”
“I am. I’m not sure if it’s because I was in the car since this morning, or because I was scared you might not be happy when I got here.”
“You’re kidding, right?”
She shrugs. “Well, I did take a big chance. What if I showed up and you had someone in your room with you? That would’ve been awkward. Not to mention I would’ve had to sleep in the lobby or some place.”
I shake my head. “I’m nothing like that. The last thing I want is a groupie in my room. It’s just not my thing.” I check the time. “The only problem is that the front desk is closed now, so I can’t charge your room to the band account.”
She yawns, then unzips her hoodie. “Would it be okay if I shared a bed with you?” She grins. “I promise to stay on my own side.”
“That depends. Do you snore?”
“Horribly. That’s the real reason I’m here. I got kicked off the rez for disturbing the peace.”
“Nice try.”
Knowing that she’s tired, I turn the TV off, then lie down on my own side. I keep perfectly still; I don’t want to do anything she could perceive as getting fresh.
She thanks me for not being weirded out by her impromptu appearance, then slowly drifts off.
In the darkness of the room, with only the buzzing of the neon sign outside breaking the quiet, I smile. I can’t believe that this stunning creature is actually lying next to me.
Then, anxiety creeps into my mind. What if, after spending time with me, she’s sees what a bore I am? I mean, I’ve definitely been around a lot of women and know how they act, but Dakota is different. She breaks all the norms I’m used to. She’s independent, funny, sharp....and she’s the most beautiful woman I think I’ve ever seen.
My mind flashes to Butch. How he stalks Dakota. If he could see us now, lying together in bed, he’d probably bust something. Probably me.
Dakota turns onto her back, and the sweet floral smell of her hair wafts toward me. I picture rolling over and wrapping my arm around her. But I wouldn’t, not right now. The last thing I want to do is to make her feel unsafe.
I WAKE TO THE BRIGHT light of the sun lancing my eyelids. I slowly open them and look down at my chest, where Dakota’s head is softly resting.
I feel the corners of my mouth turn upward and wonder if she intentionally snuggled with me or she’d done it while she was sleeping. Staying very still so as not to wake her, I revel in the moment.
Thankfully I can sign for food now that we played and the bar owes us money. If Dakota had shown up yesterday morning, I would’ve been horrified and embarrassed at not being able to cover her breakfast.
After about a half hour, Dakota stirs and opens her eyes. I quickly close mine, in case she’s embarrassed that her head is on my chest. She briefly lifts her head, then lays it back down again.
Inside, I’m beaming. I can’t believe it—she’s completely comfortable snuggling up to me. I could lie here with her all day, but unfortunately the urge to pee is growing, and eventually I open my eyes, fake yawn, then tap her gently on the shoulder. She looks up at me with a smile. “I’m sorry if I crowded you. I got cold last night.”
“That’s okay. Although, your enormously sized head was so heavy that it did cut off circulation to my arm. It’s completely numb. I just hope I can still play drums tonight.”
She looks at me intently. “Are you serious?”
I shake my head and laugh. “Of course not.”
THE SMALL DINER IS packed with locals taking advantage of the breakfast specials. I would suggest that we go to another restaurant, but this place is owned by the hotel and bar that hired us, so we have signing privileges here.
We only wait ten minutes before a group of blue-collar workers in coveralls vacate their table, and after a quick wipe down, the waitress waves us over. We both order the special, which is two eggs, two pieces of toast, and two big sausages.
The café is rumbling with talk and laughter, making it near impossible for Dakota and me to hear one another, so we stay quiet and wait for our food. I slowly scan the busy room and notice that two thirds of the patrons seem to be glaring at us.
Dakota notices the same thing; when our eyes meet, she grins and shrugs her shoulders.
I’m uncomfortable, and I know that Dakota is too. I only wish I could afford to take her some place else. Regardless, I lean across the table and mouth, “Do you want to leave?”
She shakes her head.
After ten minutes, the waitress sets our breakfast in front of us. I’m just about to ask for ketchup when out of my peripheral vision I see the door open and Adrian and George walk in.
Oh great. Just when I thought things couldn’t possibly get more uncomfortable.
It doesn’t take long before the boys spot us and make their way through the busy café toward our table. Without asking, they sit on either side of us and introduce themselves to Dakota.
Adian looks around the room, then chuckles. “What the hell, man. Why is everyone staring at us?”
“Probably because of how good-looking Dakota is,” I say.
“Yeah, well it sure wouldn’t be because of your good looks.”
A few more tables filter out as the waitress takes our uninvited guests’ order. Thankfully, the noise has now died down, and we can hear each other.
“What made you come up to North Battleford, Dakota?” George asks.
“I thought I’d check out your band. Plus, I wanted to get off the rez for a while.”
George is just about to say something else when he notices a couple of older men glaring at us from a nearby table. “Whatcha lookin’ at, old-timers? Never seen a table full of Indians before?”
I try and shut him up, but I can tell by the look on his face and how stiff his body is that he’s going to say what’s on his mind.
“What the hell, George?” Adrian hisses. “Don’t cause a scene, man. Our boss owns this place.”
I glance at Dakota’s plate. She has a long way to go before she’s finished her breakfast and we can get out of here.
George keeps his eyes on the older men. “I’m not trying to cause a problem. I’m just not sure why they’re staring at us. We have a right to come in here and eat, the same as they do.”
“Let it be, George,” I urge.
“I’ll let it be when they quit gawkin’ at us.”
I look over at the old codgers, hoping they’ll divert their attention away from us, but they don’t.
“Do you think we’re a bunch of savages? Is that the problem?” George continues.
Adrian looks anxious. “Stop. Please.”
George smiles at the men. “Maybe us uneducated, lazy, drunk Indians should’ve stayed on the rez and ate our Bannock and pemmican.”
The waitress hears George raise his voice and comes over to the table. “I don’t know what the problem is, but you can’t be doing this in here. Workers come in to eat before work. If those two guys are bothering you, maybe it would be best if you just left and came back later.”
I stand. “Good idea.”
Dakota places her napkin on her food and gets to her feet as well. “I think you’re right. We can always come back after.”
George scoffs. “Yeah, right. Why would we do that when we’re not the ones causing the problem? Why don’t you ask them to leave?”
The waitress puts her hands on her hips. “Am I going to have to call the owner?”
“Please don’t do that,” Adrian pipes up. “There’s no need. We’ll leave.”
After I sign for Dakota and my food, the four of us head for the exit. Just before we reach the door, George yells back at the two old men, “Are you forgetting that it was Indians who the military used in World War II as code talkers? You two were probably there, and us red skins could’ve saved your asses.”
Adraian grabs his arm and turns him to walk out of the building. Once outside, Adrian lights a smoke and glares at George. “You know what, man? Causing shit was exactly the reason we got rid of Butch. Because of him, we’ll probably never be able to go back and play at a lot of gigs. I’m the one that got you into this band, and I’m not going to let you fuck everything up.”
George looks down at the ground. “I’m sorry, man. It’s just that I get sick and tired of always being looked at or judged. None of us did anything to those two assholes, yet still they stared and watched our every move. I’m so sick of that.”
All of us can relate to what he’s saying, but the way he dealt with it isn’t going to change people’s minds. In fact, it would probably just make it worse.
I decide to try and make him see reason. “George, don’t you think that we felt uncomfortable about being leered at too? Of course we did. None of us said anything because we need this gig. There’s not much work out there for us right now. We can’t fuck up the gigs that we do get.”
“Plus, the best way to combat ignorant behaviours is to do nothing,” Dakota says. “Don’t let people’s ignorance affect you. Let it go. They’re not worth it.”
“I know, you guys are right, and I’m sorry if I jeopardized us playing at the bar. Next time we get confronted or bothered by people, I won’t acknowledge them. I’ll just turn and walk away.”
Adrian puts his hand on George’s shoulder. “There are some times that you have to defend yourself, but always try to either resolve altercations or walk away.”
“I know, man. It won’t happen again.”
Dakota and I say goodbye to Adrian and George and head back upstairs to the room. Once we’re sitting comfortably on the bed, Dakota looks at me with curiosity. “Was that true what George said about Indians and World War II?”
“Are you talking about the Code Talkers?”
She nods.
“Yes. It was the Navajo. I think there were initially twenty-nine men who were chosen to use their native language as code so the enemy couldn’t crack it. A lot of men’s lives were saved because of this tactic.”
“That’s incredible. Did they get honours for their efforts?”
“I’m sure they did on some degree, but let’s not kid ourselves. They were nothing more than Indians, or Red Skins. I don’t imagine they received their due respects.”
Dakota nods slowly. “But what a cool thing they did.”
“True.”
“There have been a lot of things that Indigenous peoples have done that we don’t get credit for. We came up with chewing gum, oral contraceptives, and medicines long before the white man colonized North America.”
Dakota smiles. “You’re teasing me.”
“I’m not. Look it up. We even created a form of mouthwash.”
She laughs. “Seriously?”
“No kidding. It was made from the gold thread tree. And the mouthwash didn’t just fix bad breath, but also helped with mouth pain.”
“Wild. I don’t know if I’m more surprised to learn these things, or that you knew about them.”
“My mother is huge on tradition and historical facts regarding indigenous peoples. That’s why she’s always ragging on me if I miss an event on the rez. She wants me to keep myself rooted in our culture.”
Dakota nods. “I think that’s good, though. Too many of our people lose connection with our traditions and culture nowadays.”
“I know. And I am interested in staying connected. I just don’t always have the time to attend every event. I’m working on the band every day. I have very little spare time right now.”
“Speaking of your band, do you think there will be any repercussions after George lost it in the café?”
“I don’t know. I sure hope not. The whole reason we got rid of Butch was because he was causing problems and getting our asses canned and banned. I really never thought George would act out like that. I thought our problems getting bookings were a thing of the past. I guess not.”
Dakota looks concerned. “What can you do about it?”
“Right now, I honestly don’t know. In a way, I think that the best thing may be to cut bait and run.”
“What do you mean?”
I tell her about how Joe solicited the two of us to the musicians wanted page, and how at first I was opposed. But now, with hitting so much resistance getting a reliable and normal bass player, maybe I should look into branching out, at least to test the waters.
Dakota nods. “You know, that may not be such a bad idea. It sucks that you have to walk away from your band, but if George turns out to be a problem, he will only ruin your reputation further. Then, maybe after playing with another group for a while, you can start a band yourself again. A new one, with a clean slate.”
I smile. “I like the way you think.”
She moves closer to me, then puts an arm around my shoulder. “And, if you get lonely while on the road playing new gigs, I can always come and visit you.”
I lean toward her, and am just about to kiss her plump, moist lips when I’m interrupted by a loud knock. I sigh, walk across the floor and open the door.
“Joe. Dude. You seriously have the worse timing, man.”
“It’s important that I talk to you. I’ve just heard about George’s outburst in the café. I can’t believe he behaved that way.”
“Yeah. I know. I was there. Did Adrian tell you?”
He shakes his head. “I went to get breakfast and asked the waitress if anyone else from the band had been in already. That’s when she filled me in on what happened. I knocked on both George and Adrian’s door, but they weren’t around.”
“I don’t know where they are, but there’s no real point of bringing it up with George. I’ve already addressed it.”
Joe looks past me into the room and sees Dakota sitting on my bed. “Oh. Sorry to disturb you, man. I’ll just say one more thing, and we can talk more when you’re not so busy.”
“What’s up?”
“While I was having my breakfast, I looked up that musicians site on my phone. You’re not going to believe this, but the band that was looking for pro players messaged me and asked if I could send a quick video of you and I playing.”
“Two separate videos?”
“Yeah. I guess so.”
“How are we going to do that?”
“I already sent the videos we took a while back, while we were rehearsing at home. The Moby Dick bit solo that you played, then the video of me playing that Yngwie solo. I really think those two videos show our talent the best.”
I shake my head. “Why didn’t you let me choose what to send them? I think there are way better videos that showcase my talent.” I sigh. “But, whatever. I doubt they’re going to choose either one of us. I went onto that site and saw how many musicians replied to that post. Why would they choose us?”
Joe scoffs. “Because we’re fucking awesome!”
Dakota hears this and laughs. “Yeah. And very confident, too.”
AFTER JOE LEFT, DAKOTA and me finally got our first kiss, one like none I had experienced before. Her lips are soft and supple.
