[center][i]"Though we escaped the illusory grasp of Cheyenne territory, Slim's powermongery only grew in fortitude. Days were counted by his watchful eye, nights by his abrasive bacchanalia, and I became trapped under fear, doubt, and ignorance. But still we pressed westward to California, to our promised land, like the Israelites and the forebears of America, who cast off the shackles of unjust society to make for the desert wild. This hope became embodied in my son, Josiah, the cynosure of my happiness and my only devotion. As despots are want to do, Slim became jealous of devotion to any but himself. He became increasingly aggressive to me, knowing full-well of my doubts in his leadership, turning my widowhood to mockery and my motherhood to sin. I suited the role of the outcast, and where I was once the chaste pastor's wife, I was now a nigger-loving harlot. One night, Slim stumbled into my tent, and I was woken by the cries of my son, as well as the reek of whiskey and bourbon. I sought to shout, but found my screams stifled by his greased hand covering my mouth. The hypocrite, who so warned me of Julius's imminent savagery, now sought to defile my honor he professed to protect, and revealed himself the true rapist. He held a knife to my neck, and warned that were I to make any further noise, he would splatter my child's blood upon the tent's canvas, and so I resigned myself to my fate. But the Lord has a strange sense of justice. I had closed my eyes when I felt Slim lifted from my body before his pants could fall to his ankles, and opening them, saw the scrawny Carolinian tossed to the ground outside my tent. Atop him was a black ghost illuminated by candlelight; Julius, who had taken the bowie from his hand, and was stabbing it into his chest whilst the drunkard screamed in agony, then fell silent into the arms of the devil. I sat by watching, shaking with perspiration, tugging tight to my sheets. After all life had been drained from Slim, Julius stood up and looked back at me, silently. He was covered in blood, and his once Adonis-like face was now gaunt and wild. His clothes, the same as the last I had seen him in, were torn to rags, and one of his eyes had been shredded from its socket. I said nothing, he retreated to the shadows, and my silence remained as the whole of the camp came and questioned me as to what had transpired. The next day, we pressed onward, Julius having vanished. To California, our hope. To Esperanza."[/i] - Eliza Montgomery, Autobiography [/center] [hr] They decided that this faux-grunge edginess really wasn't their thing after a long talk with Tom. The band of tight jeans realized that they should go back to their roots in blues, which Tom assured them would have a revival any day now. And they were no longer 'Firebrand'-a better name would come to them. After not-Firebrand had left, Tom sat on a stool in the recording studio plucking an E blues progression; this new band had brought back some memories. The guitar he played was sleek and new; a studio guitar, some two thousand dollar Martin bought with the company's money. It felt awkward in his hands, with Tom being much more used to the guitars he's been playing since the sixties, the polished wood sliding clumsily along the old rocker's calloused hands. But he still tasted the Delta as he plucked along. Greg, the producer who had taken on the brunt of the firm's labor, approached him and sat on the stool next to him, just watching for a while. After one final turn around, Tom landed on an E7 before muting the Martin and looking up with a sly grin. "Still got it," He said with a mocked braggadocio. His employee smiled back at him, and Tom stood and leaned the guitar against his stool. When it became evident that he was planning on leaving, Greg spoke up. "You can't stay a bit longer?" "Uh...no can do, gotta meet up with Ali," he explained while he put on his coat. Greg frowned, but followed him to the storefront, where a few people were browsing through the records and memorabilia. A couple of them turned their heads with eyes widened when Tom walked in the room, but he only politely nodded to them. Greg stopped him as he went for the doorway. "You gonna let me know when you'll be back in?" Tom turned around slowly, looking to his fans and customers, before turning his gaze back to the producer. "Shit...I'm sorry man. I-I haven't been myself lately. I'll try to check in more, there's just...there's been something in me. Something I knew was coming, but..." He trailed off, and looked down at the pale yellow floor. It had recently been waxed, and he could see his reflection. "Let me know if you sign that band." The balding producer frowned, resigning from pressing him any further. "Will do boss." Nodding, Tom sniffed in, took a look at his kingdom, and walked out the door. [hr] [h3]1971[/h3] He stared blankly at the letter, his face was white, and his fingers were numb. [i]'How could this happen?'[/i] he thought to himself, but he knew the answer. He was a hippie, he was a pinko, and unlike most hippies and pinkos, his family was poor. Daisy was pacing back and forth in front of him. "There has to be something you can do Tom...I mean..." "No." She stopped in her tracks at his words, and felt a rage build up in her. Turning to face him, her eyebrows were knit in frustration. "What do you mean no?" She stepped forward and leaned down to look at him, but the young man didn't dare to make eye contact. "You've protested this war for [i]years[/i], and now what? You're gonna...fucking fight in it?" "Yeah." She just stared at him blankly, her mouth wide open, before turning away in shock, sitting on a chair and starting to weep. Her husband sighed and ambled over to her, placing his hand on her shoulder. "Hey-" "Don't touch me!" She shouted, wiping her eyes. Standing up, she crossed her arms, and now was the one who refused to make eye contact. She was silent for a second. "You know...you pretend like you give a shit. Like you care. You take on all these causes, and you protest, but I know the truth!" She moved closer to him. "You don't give a shit. It's all about you. The only person you care about, Tom, is yourself!" The next thing Daisy knew, she was staring at the ground, and felt a sharp pain on her cheek. Tom was standing over her, heaving with rage. It took a second before he started apologizing, but it was too late. She left, and he was alone in their living room. [hr] Alison clung tight to her husband's arm, and they walked silently through a park in Mission Hills. She had gained weight in her old age, but neither of them cared; it was just a part of getting old. They finally sat down on a bench and watched as children played and young couples embarked on the same journey they had all those years ago. Resting her head on Tom's shoulder, it didn't take long until she started to cry. "Hey there," Tom said as he tried to soothe her, wrapping his jacketed arm around her and rubbing her up and down her own. She wiped at her eye, and sighed as she looked up her husband, feigning a smile, and he smiled back, but he didn't have to put on his for her sake. He kissed the top of her head, and they went back to watching the park. "How was the store?" Alison finally asked after a while of silence. "It was alright," Tom said. "Saw a new band from Santa Maria. They were okay." The silence resumed, and a cold wind blew through the park, while the children began to gather towards an encroaching ice cream man. "You...look, I know it seems hard, Tom, but you have to fight! For me, for-" "I know, Ali." He replied. A word hung in the air, one that neither one wanted to say, and had refused to say since the doctor's office yesterday. "Look, we've been getting ready for this for a while now, we knew it was coming, now I just have to push." "You don't have to go through this alone, Tom! You've got me, and the kids." He looked away, a tear welling in his eye, but she pressed on. "We can beat this, together!" Tom didn't respond, and started choosing his next words carefully. "Ali...all of us get cancer." He said the word. "We usually don't make it through." She started to speak up, but he cut her off. "But I'll try...for you. And the kids. And the grandkids. I'll try." She sighed, and settled back on his arm. "I guess that's all I can ask for."