Rock All Night

47




I brought the band’s manager back up as we walked out of the diner and down the street. We were passing by a car dealership, and it was hard to keep Derek’s attention with all the pretty, shiny things on display.

“Derek, we have to call Miles,” I pleaded.

“I can’t,” he said as he walked over to a beautiful, gleaming sports car.

“What do you mean, you can’t?”


“I don’t know his phone number.”

“What?!”

“I don’t have everybody’s phone number memorized.”

“He’s your manager! If you’re not going to carry a cell phone, shouldn’t you at least know his number?!”

Derek shrugged again. “He always finds me. I never want to find him.”

I was really starting to get worried now. “Derek, we have to let them know where we are – ”

“We should get a car,” he announced, apropos of nothing.

“…what?”

“We have to get to San Diego for the show, right?”

“Yeah, but – ”

“So let’s get a car.”

He immediately started heading for the sales office.

“Wait – we can just rent a car!” I said, running after him. “I can rent a car! Wait – no I can’t – ”

Damn credit card was back on the bus.

“We’re already here,” he said as he opened up the front door. Like it would be an annoyance to go anywhere else at this point.

“What the hell, Derek?” I whispered as I followed him inside the glass-and-steel showcase building. “We can’t just buy a car!”

Derek looked at me like I’d said the most ridiculous thing ever. “Sure we can.”

I was just about to launch into all the reasons this was a terrible idea when a twenty-something salesman in an expensive three-piece suit walked up. “Hi – I, uh – sorry to bother you, but, uh – are you Derek Kane?”

Of course it was going to happen like this. Of course it was.

“Yes I am,” Derek said happily.

“Oh, man – oh my gosh!” the guy laughed, and put his hands on his head as though somebody had just informed him he’d won the lottery. “Whoa, this is crazy – I was at your show last night, man!”

“Cool. Hope you had a good time.”

“Had a good time?! You guys rocked – you were freakin’ awesome! Holy shit, Derek Kane, here!”

I don’t like talking about it, because I don’t want to sound conceited – but I’m pretty attractive. I get a lot of male attention. Lots of stares, lots of double-takes. Most of the time it’s not welcome, but it comes with the territory.

With Derek by my side, I might as well have not even been standing there.

I’ll admit, I wasn’t exactly at my best without makeup – but come on.

The guy just kept going on and on about Derek and Bigger and how awesome the show had been and how he had both their records and a couple of bootlegs and –

And then the guy paused, as though it had just now dawned on him why Derek Kane might be in this particular car dealership. “Hey, uh – I just realized… can I help you with anything?”

“Yes you can.”

And then Derek proceeded to buy a car.

Well… not so much ‘buy’ as ‘acquire.’