Part II: Boy Catches Up with Friend
Boy makes it to California. If you don’t know how he got there, you can read about it here.
He buys a boat and names her Rose.
Boy sails Rose north. On his way he calls Friend to catch up. Friend recently returned home from the other side of the world. He retired from working as a Marine for Uncle Sam.
Friend and a girl named Gracie are high school sweethearts.
I’m writing a song about you and Gracie, Boy tells Friend.
Oh, yeah?
Remember the night y’all met?
Friend chuckles. Yeah, I remember. We were at that house party. Cops showed up. You found us in the laundry room to warn us.
Everyone scattered. Y’all disappeared.
They laugh and reminisce.
What was it like when you went off to the Corps? Boy romanticizes Friend and Gracie’s farewell. He pictures soldiers on the deck of a big ship trying to catch their lady’s kisses blown from the dock.
It was hard, Friend admits. Bootcamp was a beatdown. And deployment made it hard to stay in touch. We fought back and forth but then just kind of had to go our separate ways. I was on the other side of the world. She was in college.
That sounds tough, Boy says.
Yeah, it was. But I never wanted to be with anyone else.
Boy and Friend are silent for a moment.
Well, y’all are back together now, yeah? Boy asks.
Yeah, we are. Boy hears Friend’s smile.
What was it like when you got back?
She was there when I got home. We stayed up all night talking and just being with each other. We kind of just forgot all the fights.
Boy thinks of some of his favorite Stones lyrics in Loving Cup:
Yes, I am nitty gritty and my shirts all torn
But I would love to spill the beans with you till dawn
I’m happy for y’all, Boy says, Thanks for sharing. Sounds like this is the real deal.
Thanks. Yeah. I could be wrong, but I think I’ll marry this girl.
I don’t doubt it.
Boy and Friend say their farewells as Boy pulls into port in Ventura with a new song.
Feelin’ Fine EP Update
We are just over 60% funded now which means we have less than $3,000 to go. Go shake out your piggy banks if you haven’t donated yet! Every dime counts and takes this project a long way.
Thank you so much for your support; for donating your dollars, for reading these letters. I’ll get to thank you for listening to the music very soon.
Please share this with anyone you think may be interested in following along.
You can either forward these letters directly or share the links below:
Substack/Website: caswell.substack.com
Kickstarter: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/feelinfineep/caswell-lee-orr-feelin-fine-ep
I enjoy getting to share this story with you all.
Sincerely,
Caswell