It is December 12th, 2012 and my friend Emily decided to treat me to my first concert. We had joked about doing something ‘epic’ on the last day of the century that all the numbers would line up. I kiss my mother’s cheek goodbye, and meet up with an empty-handed Emily in a line of rebellious adolescents dressed in only colors reflecting their tormented souls. As I walk over, her eyes scan up and down my frame and she chuckles at my prudish attire. My cheek muscles relax, and my eyebrows become tense instead.
“Hi?” I greet her.
“Aw, you’re so cute. You brought a bag!”
Of course, how else would I hold my snacks, camera, pepper spray, Advil and every other item I could possibly need? My perplexed expression holds.
“I’m just saying, it’s a super intimate venue with standing room only. You might regret it later when you’re being shoved and pressed against tons of people futilely trying to get from the back of the crowd to the front row. I mean by the looks of this lot, who knows, maybe a mosh pit will start. But for now, I guess you can just hold my phone,” she says holding the device out for me to take.
I grip the small faux leather tassels connected to the gold zippers one by one, and gently pull to open each of the many compartments the bag consisted of, looking for a space free enough for just one more item. As I am flooded with lecture and warning about concert culture and all the possible things that could happen, I smoothly slide each of the zippers and play with the shiny chain that is securely hung across my body to further reduce my jittering. I open the middle pouch.
“Chewy bar?”
Featured Photo: Author’s Own
Featured Audio: How To Be A Heartbreaker by Marina and The Diamonds via YouTube, all rights reserved under Fair Use