sittin’ up on the roof
sneakin’ a smoke by the chimney
checkin’ out the moon
and the city lights
he takes off his flannel shirt
and drapes it around her shoulders
slides up behind her and holds on tight
and she says:
“I don’t want this night to end
why does it have to end?”
Summer had sure come and gone; there was one night before she had to go to Louisiana. They decided to spend the night together, one last time. He picked her up; his beat down truck that she knew too well. Nobody talked as he drove them to the old tree house over looking the town. Their dads had built it together, just for them. It had doors and windows and a real working chimney. It was their toddler make-believe castle, childhood fort, premature hideout and teenaged secret stash. They climbed on top of the roof and light up. They didn’t smoke all the time; only when they were together, because they would lecture each other on the dangers of smoking, but never did anything about it. He saw her shiver in the night and took off his flannel shirt.
“Here Rayne, put it on.” Kevin said. She put it on gratefully and he wrapped his arm around her. Rayne leaned her head on his shoulder and sighed.
“I don’t want this night to end; why does it have to end?” she said.
Kevin kissed her head, “I don’t want this night to end either.”
Tomorrow she'll be rollin’ down
I-10 Baton Rouge, LSU
18 years in her rearview
he's got a Friday paycheck
lined up down the block
at daddy's shop
it ain't much but its a job
they've been dreadin this
moment all summer long
the night before
life goes on
To Rayne, this night was going to go as fast as it could. Going to LSU wasn’t her choice, her parents wanted her to go and she had to obey what they wished. 18 years she spent here and in a moment, it was all going to be behind her and she would have to start her life. But without Kevin, she couldn’t picture going anywhere. Kevin had his life planned out too; he would work in his dad’s auto shop and get a paycheck every Friday. It wouldn’t pay for university or college, but he could easily get by. Both of them dreaded the last day of summer; it was one moment they could stand to be without.
a tear falls off her cheek and
right when it hits his arm he says
come on baby
lets get out’ a here
they take one last drive around town
and man it
already looks different
he bangs the wheel and says
“life ain't fair
and this growin’ up stuff, man I don’t know
I just don’t wanna let you go”
“Baby, don’t cry.” said Kevin, wiping the tears off his arm as she cried into his shoulder.
“I’m sorry.” she whispered.
“Come on, let’s get out ‘a here.” Picking her up, Kevin carried her to his car and they
drove around town. In silence, Rayne stared out the window looking at the town as if she never saw it before; it was a new discovery for her. Suddenly, Kevin banged his fist on the wheel of his truck and half yelled:
“Life ain’t fair. I don’t wanna grow up; I don’t really know anymore. But I do know one thing, and that’s that I never wanna let you go.”
tomorrow she'll be rollin’ down
I-10 Baton Rouge, LSU
18 years in her rearview
he's got a Friday paycheck
lined up down the block
at daddy's shop
it ain't much but its a job
they've been dreadin this
moment all summer long
the night before
life goes on
Kevin dropped Rayne off at her house later on, but she promised she would be back. As he held her in his arms one last time, she tried to memorize everything about him. They way his rough hands, blistered from working on cars and guitar held her tiny soft ones. His frazzled hair, that stuck up in random places and always made her laugh. That laugh and that smile, wow. Never in a million year could she forget one single tiny detail about Kevin. Parting for the final time, he walked away with his hands in his pockets as she stared after him in the dark.
yeah that’s what my momma told me
and just like those kids
I didn't wanna listen to no one
yeah there’s nothin’ you can do
there’s nothin’ you can say
and I know how it feels when love goes away
Kevin hadn’t even got to his car when a voice called after him.
“Kevin!” yelled Rayne, as she ran towards him and jumped on him; wrapping her legs around his waist she held on tight, as though for dear life, and sobbed into his shoulder again. Then, with tear stained eyes, she stared into his and kissed him so deeply; this would have been the perfect last moment of summer.
tomorrow she'll be rollin’ down
I-10 Baton Rouge, LSU
18 years in her rearview
he's got a Friday paycheck
lined up down the block
at daddy's shop
it ain't much but it’s a job
they've been dreadin this
moment all summer long
the night before
life goes on
She had to let him go though; he started his truck and drove away as she walked back to her house and shut the door. Sliding down onto the floor, she remembered all the memories they had together and allowed one tear fall down her cheek. It’s the hardest thing, letting someone you love go and this was the night before the rest of their lives went on.
