Chapter 13

Saturday brought another victory on the mat for Zach, but one that was much tougher than the match against Brian Melbourne and Salem Catholic. This time the outcome was in doubt until Zach took his opponent down with a fireman’s carry late in the third period, putting him ahead by 7-3. It took a full five minutes for him to finally catch his breath after he finished wrestling. Even so, he felt much better about his stamina than he had the last time. As Assistant Coach Hancock pointed out afterwards, he didn’t wilt in the final period.

“That’s what I’m talking about!” Hancock said loudly in the locker room. “See? Keep your head out there, stay calm, and you won’t gas at the end. That was a heck of a fireman’s, too.”

The next day Dumphries picked Zach up at noon, and the two headed to Fauquier’s house for band practice. For once, Zach had had the luxury of not feeling rushed. He had already gotten his running out of the way earlier that morning. It didn’t matter when band practice ended because all he had after that was a little homework to take care of. For the first time in a while he thought he might enjoy the practice session. They would be rehearsing for a multi-band concert called ‘Asbury Park Rock Festival’ near the Jersey Shore.

The serenity lasted until they were halfway to Fauquier’s, when Dumphries told Zach what he had learned from Fauquier the day before. “You don’t have any matches or anything on Friday night, right?” he asked.

“No,” Zach said. “Just practice. Then two matches on Saturday.”

“Good,” Dumphries said. “Because the schedule changed for Friday. Instead of starting at nine-fifteen, we’re starting at eleven-thirty now. Joe traded times because it means we get to play ninety minutes instead of forty-five.”

“What? When did all this happen?” Zach asked.

“He told me about it last night,” Dumphries replied.

“What’s he thinking?” Zach asked. “Eleven-thirty at night? That’s when we’re starting?”

“Joe said you told him you were okay with anything before midnight,” Dumphries said.

“I meant being done by midnight, not starting at midnight!” Zach said. “I can’t be staying out all night with you guys. We have a huge match the next morning. I’m supposed to be at the school at seven to get on the bus with the team.”

“I’m sure we’ll be off-stage by then,” Dumphries said with a smile.

“Thanks, wiseass,” Zach said.

“Well, you better tell Joe today that you’re not coming,” Dumphries said, turning serious.

Zach sighed. “I never said I wasn’t coming,” he said.

“Cool,” Dumphries said. “Otherwise there was going to be one nasty fight when we get to Joe’s.”

“But seriously,” Zach said. “It isn’t going to be easy.”

“It’s your own fault,” Dumphries said. “You’re trying to do too much. Just tough it out.”

“That’s easy for you to say,” Zach said. “You’ll be copping Z’s Saturday morning. I’ll be on the mat with somebody who’s trying to rip my head off.”

Despite his misgivings Zach said nothing when Fauquier announced the schedule change before practice started. He would find a way to get through it, as Dumphries had put it. Both the wrestling team and the band were showing signs of impatience with him and it seemed like a bad time to get stubborn. He put it out of his mind and joined the guys in the day’s rendition of ‘Fire House’. Practice was about to begin.

~~~

The ride to the rock festival, most of it along two-lane roads through New Jersey’s Pine Barrens, took about two hours. Fauquier, Herndon and the equipment rode in Fauquier’s van, while Dumphries and Zach trailed in Dumphries’ Dodge Swinger. Fauquier had been surprisingly agreeable when Zach mentioned that he and Dumphries would be leaving as soon as possible after they performed.

It turned out that the concert was being held in the grandstand of a horse racetrack that had closed down years earlier. Clusters of rock fans in black tee shirts sat in the rows of hardback chairs in front of a temporary stage. Many hadn’t bothered to occupy seats, choosing instead to stake a claim to some aisle space. There were more of the same crowd crammed into every corner of the concourse area where racing forms, hot dogs and beer had once been sold from now-decrepit stands and kiosks. Most attendees were drinking and nearly all were smoking. Zach made plans to spend as much time outside as possible.

“What did you guys bring?” Dumphries asked when he saw the cooler that Fauquier and Herndon were carrying. Before he could answer the next band started their set off with Black Sabbath’s ‘Iron Man’.

“Beer, mostly,” Herndon said. “And chicken. We stopped off at KFC before we met up with you guys.”

“I’m starved,” said Dumphries. “What are we waiting for?”

“Let’s go eat it in there,” Joe suggested, gesturing in the direction of the stage. “I heard some MTV guys came down from New York to sign some new bands. I bet I can pick them out.”

A few minutes later they were camped out in a row of seats. Fauquier, Herndon and Dumphries were chomping chicken, drinking beer and smoking cigarettes all at the same time. Zach looked at his watch and saw that they wouldn’t even start their set for another two hours. “I’ll be back in an hour to help set up,” he told them. “I need to get some air.” He spent that hour walking around outside in the parking lot and in an adjacent field. When it was time to go back he was relieved to get in from the cold even though he knew he’d be back in the smoke. After he stepped inside he noticed that his boots and the cuffs of his jeans were smeared with mud.

The smoke was thicker and there were a lot more people milling around than before. Zach moved slowly through the crowd, looking around for the rest of his band. He found them after he’d worked through the concourse. They were setting up equipment on the left side of the stage while another band was on the other side playing something by Emerson, Lake and Palmer.

“I didn’t know we could set up while they’re still playing,” Zach said after hoisting himself onto the stage. “Or else I would have come back sooner.”

“What are we playing, anyway?” Herndon asked. “Joe, did you write up a set list?”

“Yeah,” Fauquier said. “It’s in my case. I’ll get it out in a minute. It’s all hard stuff tonight. Sorry Zach, I know you love those sappy ballads. And we’re playing straight through without any breaks,” he added. “I never tracked down those MTV guys but they must be here somewhere. We’ll give them an earful to think about.”

When they started, about twenty minutes later than scheduled, Zach thought about how long ninety minutes really was. With no down time, this show was going to be hard on his voice. Joe had penciled in several AC-DC songs which were particularly hard on the vocal cords. When the ninety minutes were done he knew he’d be ready to stop.

Once their set began Zach remembered what he loved about the music, the way he always did. They started out with The Clash’s ‘Death or Glory’, one of his favorites. Suddenly he couldn’t get enough of the rush that usually came with being on stage. He knew from the first note that it would go well. The next day was going to be a difficult one but as soon as they were on stage it became a great night.

It was a few minutes after two o’clock when Dumphries and Zach finally climbed into the car for the ride home. It could be worse, Zach thought. At least I’ll get a couple of hours to sleep after we get there. “Are you okay for driving?” he asked Dumphries. “I was going to try to sleep but I can drive if you want.”

“No, I’m cool,” Dumphries replied. “I didn’t drink much since I knew we’d be splitting early. Anyway, it’s not like you have a driver’s license,” he said with a grin.

There were other ways besides drinking that could have impaired his driving ability but Zach trusted his friend enough to know he didn’t need to ask. “Okay, you mind if I sleep?” he asked. Without waiting for an answer he zipped his coat up the rest of the way and propped his head on the door. Before allowing himself to fall asleep he took stock of the situation. He was extremely thirsty because there had been nothing at the concert for him to drink. He had a mild headache, probably because he was dehydrated. His clothes were muddy and he smelled like smoke, but those were things that could be easily taken care of once he got home. He was on-weight and drug-free. All in all he was in pretty good shape. After resolving never to put himself in a predicament like that again, he drifted off to sleep while Dumphries drove.

~~~

“Son of a gun!”

Zach was still half asleep when he heard Dumphries yelling. “Son of a gun! You bastard!”

Not sure if he was dreaming or not, Zach tried to shift positions but ended up waking himself up in the process.

“I can’t believe it!” Dumphries said. Only then did Zach notice that the car was sputtering and jerking. The engine died seconds later. Dumphries guided it onto the side of the road as red lights came to life on the dashboard. “The battery just died!” Dumphries said angrily. “And I don’t have my spare!”

“Geez, Toby,” Zach said. “You’re kidding, right?” He looked at his watch and saw that it was nearly three-thirty.

“I can’t freaking believe this,” Dumphries said as he banged his fists on the steering wheel.

“Try it again,” Zach suggested. When Dumphries turned the key they heard the starter chugging but the sound grew feebler by the second. “Once it’s dead, it’s dead. That’s how it always is with this car,” he said.

“This is bad,” Zach said. “Really bad. Now how do we get home?”

“Maybe Joe and Bo will come by soon,” Dumphries said.

“Yeah, and maybe not,” Zach said. “They may stay all night for all we know.”

“Look, we just have to find a gas station that has a repair shop,” Dumphries said. “They’ll have to have a battery we can buy. Stay here and try to sleep in the car. I’ll start walking. I’m pretty sure I saw a huge Exxon around here.”

“I’m not staying here,” Zach said. “I’ll come with you. I won’t be able to sleep anyway.”

“Cool. The Jersey Devil comes from around here. We’ll stand a better chance of surviving if there are two of us,” Dumphries said.

They locked the car and started walking. There were no crickets or any other wildlife to break the silence. Zach prayed for a car to come by. Besides making him feel less isolated, he hoped maybe they’d get lucky and somebody would give them a ride.

“I hate to say it, but I’ll bet if it was light out we could still see the car,” Dumphries said after they’d walked for twenty minutes. “We haven’t gotten very far.”

“Maybe we should run,” Zach said.

“Yeah,” Dumphries said. “Let’s try it.”

They broke into a jog, running side by side on the empty asphalt roadway. Zach veered across the double yellow line in the center of the road so they occupied both lanes. It wasn’t long before his feet began to ache. Running in loose, heavy boots instead of specially-designed sneakers was taking it’s toll. Dumphries was wearing boots too, though, and he wasn’t complaining, so Zach ignored the pain and kept running.

Dumphries crossed the yellow lines after a few more minutes and grabbed Zach’s coat. “I need a break,” he gasped. They both stopped running and Dumphries bent over at the waist.

“You didn’t last long,” Zach said. “I could do this all night.”

“That’s pretty good, Zach,” Dumphries after he stood back up. “You used to be in sad shape just like me. Now I see what you were doing all summer.”

“Maybe you should go back,” Zach said. “You’re out-of-shape ass is slowing me down. Besides, maybe somebody will stop at the car.”

“Okay,” Dumphries said. “Maybe you’re right.”

“But what’ll you do if somebody does stop?” Zach asked. “Don’t leave me out here in the woods, man.”

“With the Jersey Devil, you mean?” Dumphries asked. “Well, if I somehow get the car going I’ll look for you along the road. Just don’t leave this road.”

Zach ran in the black of night without seeing any sign of a gas station. Every quarter-mile he passed what looked in the dark like a produce stand, but nothing else. About twenty-five minutes after leaving Dumphries he saw some light down a side road that intersected the one he was running on. Even though he’d told Dumphries that he wouldn’t, he decided to turn down that road and run to the light. As he got closer he realized that it was a good decision. He’d found a Sunoco station. Judging by the fluorescent lights that bathed it, the station was open.

After reaching the station he approached the tightly-sealed steel and glass shed where he saw an attendant leaning back on a chair reading a magazine. The attendant looked nervous, Zach thought. Zach couldn’t blame him. If a muddy, sweaty guy appeared out of the darkness and walked directly at him, he’d feel nervous too. “Hey, how’s it going?” Zach called out. The attendant, who wore a shirt with ‘Bill’ scripted over the left pocket, had a baby face that he tried to cover with a patchy beard. He didn’t look much older than Zach.

“Can I help you?” Bill asked. His voice sounded robotic as it was transmitted electronically through the cheap intercom mounted in the window.

“Yeah,” Zach said. “I need a new battery.”

“All we have is gas during overnights,” Bill said without moving a muscle.

“Come on, Man,” Zach said. “You’ve got to have one around here.”

“I’m only allowed to pump gas,” Bill said flatly.

Zach could see that the guy couldn’t care less about his problems. He had a commitment to his team, though, and this was his last chance to make good on it. He leaned on the glass, trying to look like he wasn’t in any hurry to leave. “Can’t you look around in there?” he asked pointing to the service bays.

“There aren’t any parts in there,” Bill said. “Just tools.”

“I’ve got to have a battery,” Zach said without budging.

Bill shrugged before slowly tipping his chair forward to stand up. “I guess I can take a look,” he said. “You’ll have to wait outside.” He opened the door and walked past Zach before pulling a ring of keys from his pocket. By the time he reached the other building he’d selected one. Three minutes later he emerged empty handed. “They don’t keep batteries in stock. When they need one they order it. There’s nothing I can do for you.”

Zach thought for a second. “How much do you sell a new battery for?” he asked. “If it were daytime, I mean?”

“I don’t know,” Bill said. “I could look it up.”

“Is that your car over there?” Zach asked.

“Yeah,” Bill answered.

“I tell you what,” Zach said. “I’ll pay you full price for a new battery if you give me the used battery out of your car.”

“Yeah, right,” Bill sneered. “Then what do I do for a battery in my car?”

“Just order a new one, like you were saying,” Zach replied. “This way you’ve got a brand new battery for nothing.”

“You’re desperate, aren’t you?” Bill asked.

“Pretty much,” Zach said. “What do you say?”

“Okay, why not?” Bill replied. “Why wouldn’t I do that? A new battery is a hundred dollars,” he said.

Zach snorted. “You just remembered, huh?” he asked. “Whatever.” Luckily Fauquier had already handed out shares their pay for playing in the festival. It was barely enough to cover the cost of the battery. He handed five grimy twenties over without another word.

“There’s a bunch of tools behind you on the table,” Bill said. Zach picked up everything he thought they’d need and they walked over to Bill’s Saturn coupe.

“Do you want me to do it?” Zach asked.

“I don’t know how to do it,” Bill admitted. “I’d probably blow it up.”

Although Zach was no master mechanic, he had spent enough time under the hood to handle a menial task like pulling a battery. As soon as the battery had been removed Zach was back on the road. He’d never realized how heavy a car battery was. Running while carrying it turned out to be more challenging than any physical training he’d ever put himself through. Whenever one arm felt like it was about to give out he passed it to the other, holding it like a football. Even before he turned back onto the original road both arms ached. He kept going anyway because it was coming up on five o’clock and he was running out of time.

What he could see of the scenery was all the same. The evergreens and the pale strip of sandy soil on each side of the road seemed endless, and he began to worry that he accidentally run past the car without seeing it. Just before he decided to turn around, he saw the shape of car, about two-hundred feet ahead. He looked at his watch and saw that it was five-thirty. He was exhausted and his nerves were frayed but there was still hope.

When Zach reached the car he could see Dumphries sleeping in the front seat. He rapped on the window and then carried the battery to the front of the car. “You got it?” Dumphries asked. “I never thought you’d make it.”

“Yeah, I got it,” Zach said. “Let’s throw it in and get out of here.”

Dumphries got out of the car and opened the hood while Zach dug out the wrench and screwdriver he had slipped into his pocket when Bill wasn’t looking. They disconnected the old battery, removed it from its greasy mount and bolted the new one into place. The engine started up like nothing had ever gone wrong after the terminals were connected. Zach picked up the old battery and heaved it into the woods using a two-handed shot put motion.

“Why’d you do that?” Dumphries asked. “I get a seven-dollar credit when I return the old battery.”

“Bummer,” Zach said. “Come on, let’s go.”

At six-thirty they were approaching Chapel Forge Township. There was time before the bus would pull out, but not much. “It’s too late to do anything but go meet the team,” Zach said.

“Sorry about the car, I feel like I messed you up,” Dumphries said.

“It’s okay,” Zach said. “I’ll make it. Can we swing by my house? I have my gym bag all packed, sitting by the front door.” He leaned his head back and closed his eyes. It had been a long night, and now he was in for a long day.