Page 74 of The Heartstrings of Harry
I wanted to see Harry.
Ineededto see Harry.
But there was something I had to do first.
And I knew exactly where I was going.
* * *
The second I pushed open the door ofRaven’s General Store, the bell overhead let out its tired old ring, and I was immediately hit with the smell of dust, musty leather, and what I could only describe as wet dog… even though Old Man Raven had never owned a dog in his life.
I hadn’t been in here for over a year.
I’d forgotten how cluttered the place was.
Every available inch of wall space, counter space, and floor space was stacked with… stuff. Not organized in any way that made sense. Just… stuff. Paint thinner next to children’s coloring books. Cans of Spam stacked against bags of potting soil. A wobbly pile of VHS tapes threatening to topple into a cardboard box labeledClearance: Golf Balls & Rosary Beads—Play and Pray Combo. $5.99 each or Best Offer.
Behind the counter, Old Man Raven was busy trimming a stack of laminated signs with a pair of rusty scissors. When he looked up and saw me, he smiled from ear to ear. “Well, I’ll be damned, if it ain’t Dean Reeves himself. Local boy makes good. Back to honor us with your celebrity presence, huh. You wanna autograph some jars of pickled onions for me?”
“Hey, Mr. Raven. Thanks, but if it’s all the same to you, pickled onions aren’t exactly… on brand.”
I noticed the signs he was making. In Comic Sans font they readWe Heart DeanandDean We Love YouandDean I Want Your Babies. Some had clip-art guitars on them. A few had pictures of random male models who definitely werenotme.
I raised an eyebrow. “Wow. Real high production values there. Although I’m not sure Constellation’s marketing department would approve.”
Old Man Raven shrugged off my comment. “Who cares about them. Better get in quick if you want one. Five bucks a pop. Don’t miss out. I’m expecting these to fly off the shelves like hotcakes.”
I couldn’t help but smile. “I’m good, thanks.”
Old Man Raven kept snipping, completely unfazed. “Suit yourself. So, what brings the rock god to my humble establishment? Is it the two-for-one CD offer? I’ve burned all your music onto blank CDs so your fans can buy them for half the normal retail price. You wanna sign some of those?”
“Oh wow! That’sreallynot Constellation Records approved.”
“Then what the hell is it you want?”
“Actually, I was wondering if the newRolling Stonemagazine came in.”
Old Man Raven’s eyebrow crept up a notch. He reached under the counter and pulled out a glossy stack of magazines wrapped tight in plastic. Right there on the cover, staring back at me like some other version of myself, wasme.Shirtless. Hair messy. Red leather pants low on my hips. One hand holding an electric guitar. One hand in my hair, mouth parted just enough to look like I was thinking either something deep or something filthy.
I felt my face flush the second I saw it.
Old Man Raven tapped the magazine stack and said, “I don’t know about you, but that cover is hot enough to turn evenmegay.”
I coughed, looking anywhere but at the cover. “Yeah, well. It was… my manager’s idea.”
“I ordered extras. Figured the tourists’ll eat it up. You want one… or did you just come in here to critique my CD merchandise?”
I pulled out my wallet and pulled out a twenty-dollar bill. “Yeah. I’ll take one.”
Raven rang it up slowly, sliding the magazine across the counter like it was a porno.
“That’ll be nineteen ninety-nine,” he said.
“Is that price right?”
“Concert surcharge.”
I raised an eyebrow. “Is that a real thing?”
