Carpe Diem, chapter 9
"Hey Mom," I mumbled, "Where is everyone?"
"Ah, well," she started, "This year your party's not at home. So I'm here to blindfold you and take you there."
"O...k..." I let her wrap a cloth around my eyes so I couldn't see. "Mom? I can't see, you know."
"That would be the point, smart one," she laughed. "Here, put your hands on my shoulders. I'll lead you."
She guided my hands to her shoulders and I followed her out the door. She helped me into the car and then when she finally stopped at our destination, helped me out again. I let her lead me around, and finally she stopped. It was absolutely silent and I jerked my head around, trying to figure out what was going on.
"Mom, what the fuck? Where are we?" I called, kinda freaked out as I heard my voice echo back to me. She slipped away from me and I almost screamed, jerking my head around again.
"Okay, now you have to guess who this is," her voice came to me from a little ways off, and it calmed me down. I nodded slowly and reached out in front of me to feel someone standing there.
I slid my hands across their face and felt a huge smile. "Okay, this is Tré," I said immediately.
"How do you know?" Mom asked.
"No one else would be smiling like that at the prospect of me putting my hands all over their body," I shrugged, but stepped forward anyway to see if I could recognize the smell of the person. "Yep, it's Tré." I heard tremendous screams like a crowd applauding after a show. "Holy shit!"
"Don't worry," Tré murmured, pulling me close to him, "It's okay. You just have to identify seven more people and then you're done."
"Oh, wonderful," I muttered sarcastically, "And then what? I take off the blindfold and everyone sings Happy Birthday?"
"Exactly," I could feel him smiling against my ear. "But I'll be the first to say, Happy Birthday."
"Thank you," I giggled, letting him kiss my cheek before holding me away from him.
"Alright, who's this?" he asked, pushing me gently towards someone else.
"Ooh, hat," I grinned, "Hi Jason." I turned to where I thought the people were. "Ladies and gentlemen, I give you Jason Freese!" I grabbed the hat from his head and put it on. "Thanks for the hat."
"Happy Birthday," he answered, "Now this person..." He pushed me forward and I felt a woman's features.
"This is a random roadie," I said.
"How do you know?"
"It's a woman."
"It could be Adie."
"But it's not."
"Why not?"
"Adie has dreads, duh," I muttered, "And this lady has...curly hair."
"Well, I'm not a roadie," the woman said.
I recognized her voice instantly. "Kelsey!" She wrapped me up in a hug and I laughed. "Fuck, I can't see you or I'd say you look good."
"Well, I do," she joked, "Happy Birthday."
"Thank you," I smiled.
"Next..." she led me to someone else.
I put my hands up to their face and I could feel an earring in their right ear. "Mike."
"Man, I was hoping to be the one you couldn't recognize," he whined, but pulled me into a hug anyway. "Happy Birthday."
"Thanks," I laughed, "Who's next?"
He put my hands out to touch someone else, and I was confused for a few minutes, touching their face. "Well, I know it's a man," I started, and thought of a way to figure it out. I ran a hand down their arm to their hand, and picked it up. "Oh. This is Ronnie."
"How'd you know that?" he asked.
"You don't have any calluses on your hand," I replied, "Because you play the trumpet." He turned me to someone else and I felt a woman's long hair. "Oh, well, they wouldn't have one without the other," I shrugged, "This is Lynda."
"God damn!" she muttered, and I threw my arms around her neck. "Alright, two more."
The person stood motionless as I touched their face and then, unable to figure out who it was, poked at their chest and stomach until I accidentally ran into a studded belt. I felt along the belt until I got to their right hip, where I found the buckle. I moved around their side and found a handkerchief. Finally I stepped forward a little and smelled them. "Daddy!" I squealed, and threw my arms around him.
"Hello," he laughed, patting my back, "And Happy Birthday to my favourite daughter."
"That's cheesy, Dad," I giggled, "I'm your only daughter."
"I know," I felt him shrug. "Okay, so there's one last person."
"Well it's obviously Jason White," I said, and I knew if I wasn't wearing the blindfold, I'd roll my eyes.
"Dammit!" Dad yelled, "Fine." He pulled off the blindfold and I looked around.
"Ah, well," she started, "This year your party's not at home. So I'm here to blindfold you and take you there."
"O...k..." I let her wrap a cloth around my eyes so I couldn't see. "Mom? I can't see, you know."
"That would be the point, smart one," she laughed. "Here, put your hands on my shoulders. I'll lead you."
She guided my hands to her shoulders and I followed her out the door. She helped me into the car and then when she finally stopped at our destination, helped me out again. I let her lead me around, and finally she stopped. It was absolutely silent and I jerked my head around, trying to figure out what was going on.
"Mom, what the fuck? Where are we?" I called, kinda freaked out as I heard my voice echo back to me. She slipped away from me and I almost screamed, jerking my head around again.
"Okay, now you have to guess who this is," her voice came to me from a little ways off, and it calmed me down. I nodded slowly and reached out in front of me to feel someone standing there.
I slid my hands across their face and felt a huge smile. "Okay, this is Tré," I said immediately.
"How do you know?" Mom asked.
"No one else would be smiling like that at the prospect of me putting my hands all over their body," I shrugged, but stepped forward anyway to see if I could recognize the smell of the person. "Yep, it's Tré." I heard tremendous screams like a crowd applauding after a show. "Holy shit!"
"Don't worry," Tré murmured, pulling me close to him, "It's okay. You just have to identify seven more people and then you're done."
"Oh, wonderful," I muttered sarcastically, "And then what? I take off the blindfold and everyone sings Happy Birthday?"
"Exactly," I could feel him smiling against my ear. "But I'll be the first to say, Happy Birthday."
"Thank you," I giggled, letting him kiss my cheek before holding me away from him.
"Alright, who's this?" he asked, pushing me gently towards someone else.
"Ooh, hat," I grinned, "Hi Jason." I turned to where I thought the people were. "Ladies and gentlemen, I give you Jason Freese!" I grabbed the hat from his head and put it on. "Thanks for the hat."
"Happy Birthday," he answered, "Now this person..." He pushed me forward and I felt a woman's features.
"This is a random roadie," I said.
"How do you know?"
"It's a woman."
"It could be Adie."
"But it's not."
"Why not?"
"Adie has dreads, duh," I muttered, "And this lady has...curly hair."
"Well, I'm not a roadie," the woman said.
I recognized her voice instantly. "Kelsey!" She wrapped me up in a hug and I laughed. "Fuck, I can't see you or I'd say you look good."
"Well, I do," she joked, "Happy Birthday."
"Thank you," I smiled.
"Next..." she led me to someone else.
I put my hands up to their face and I could feel an earring in their right ear. "Mike."
"Man, I was hoping to be the one you couldn't recognize," he whined, but pulled me into a hug anyway. "Happy Birthday."
"Thanks," I laughed, "Who's next?"
He put my hands out to touch someone else, and I was confused for a few minutes, touching their face. "Well, I know it's a man," I started, and thought of a way to figure it out. I ran a hand down their arm to their hand, and picked it up. "Oh. This is Ronnie."
"How'd you know that?" he asked.
"You don't have any calluses on your hand," I replied, "Because you play the trumpet." He turned me to someone else and I felt a woman's long hair. "Oh, well, they wouldn't have one without the other," I shrugged, "This is Lynda."
"God damn!" she muttered, and I threw my arms around her neck. "Alright, two more."
The person stood motionless as I touched their face and then, unable to figure out who it was, poked at their chest and stomach until I accidentally ran into a studded belt. I felt along the belt until I got to their right hip, where I found the buckle. I moved around their side and found a handkerchief. Finally I stepped forward a little and smelled them. "Daddy!" I squealed, and threw my arms around him.
"Hello," he laughed, patting my back, "And Happy Birthday to my favourite daughter."
"That's cheesy, Dad," I giggled, "I'm your only daughter."
"I know," I felt him shrug. "Okay, so there's one last person."
"Well it's obviously Jason White," I said, and I knew if I wasn't wearing the blindfold, I'd roll my eyes.
"Dammit!" Dad yelled, "Fine." He pulled off the blindfold and I looked around.
