Fly the Rain by Robert Burton Robinson Read Free Book Online Page A

and coke they want. I’m sure the kids have heard our radio
ad.”
    “ Maybe we should have made
the games free too,” said Lenny.
    “ Hey, we can’t give everything away,”
said Billy-Eye. “We’re only charging a quarter for the games as it
is.” He walked back out into the main hall. “Is the refrigerator
all stocked up?”
    “ Yes, Sir,” said Craig.
“It’s loaded with frozen pizzas, hot dogs, and condiments. And
we’ve got plenty of hot dogs buns and candy.”
    “ And the soda
fountains?”
    “ Ready to go.”
    “ And I see you got the ice
machine set up.” Billy-Eye smiled. “Great. I’m proud of you
boys.”
    At 5:50, two of their female
employees unlocked the main door and walked out. There was a line
of about 150 kids waiting to get in. The two girls each had a bag
full of red plastic cups, printed with the Billy-Eye’s Arcade and Dance Barn logo.
    “ What’s your
name?”
    “ Cassandra Smith,” said the
first girl in line.
    The employee wrote the girl’s name on a cup
with a magic marker, and handed it to her. “Hang onto your cup if
you want free soft drinks. If you lose it, you’ll have to pay a
dollar to get a new one.”
    Cassandra looked at the cup.
With the cool logo, it was a free soft drink cup an d a souvenir.
“Okay, thanks. Are y’all about to open the doors?”
    “ In about ten
minutes.”
    **********
    “ Hey, where are you guys
going?” Craig rushed around to the front of the group of fifteen or
so kids who were heading for the door.
    “ We’re tired of listening to
bands,” said one girl.
    “ Yeah, it’s getting boring,
Man,” said one of the boys.
    Even Craig had to admit that
the current band, The Orange
Peelers , was not that good. But Cindy
and her band was up next. They would be the last band of the night.
He needed all the kids to stay so they could cheer loudly and
persuade Billy-Eye to hire her band.
    Just as the kids reached the door, it
opened, and four dazzling young women walked in. Each one was
wearing a black, tight stretchy T-shirt and shorts, partially
covered by a bright orange long-tailed tuxedo coat. The women stood
five inches taller than usual in their black and orange high-heeled
boots.
    Without even speaking to each other, all of
the would-be defectors changed their minds and turned to follow the
women.
    The Orange Peelers finished their last song,
and began to pack up their equipment and carry it off the
stage.
    Craig walked over to where Billy-Eye was
standing.
    “ So, this must be Cindy’s
band,” said Billy-Eye.
    “ Yeah. Well, it’s not
really her band. But she’s the drummer.”
    “ They look hot. I’ll give you that.
What do they call themselves?”
    Craig was about to answer
when he saw Sondra take a king size bed sheet out of a bag, and
drape it over the blackboard. The bold, orange lettering
read Orange Puke . There were splatters of orange and green paint around the
edges that were apparently supposed to be vomit. “There you go.”
Craig pointed to the sheet.
    “ That’s the funniest name
I’ve seen all night.” Billy-Eye laughed. But they’d better be
awfully good if they expect to win. Because I really liked Chemical Rose .”
    There’s a long road on the
outskirts of Orange that’s lined with petroleum plants. It’s known
as Chemical Row. If you’re visiting the city, you might want to
hold your nose when you drive down it. Orangites are used to the
stink. So, one of the bands thought it would be funny to name
themselves Chemical
Rose . When Sondra had heard the name,
she wished she had thought of it herself.
    Craig watched to see how the crowd was
responding. By the end of their first song, the kids had gathered
near the bandstand for a close look at the flashy girls on stage.
Their music was somewhat better than that of the other bands, but
Craig was not at all certain that Billy-Eye was being swayed.
Sondra had told him that the special song she wrote would be last.
She had assured him that it would give