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Present Day June 10, 1999
Christen Heath is sliding the large tray of enchiladas into the stove when she hears the dogs barking and then the back door open.
“Hi puppies!” a female voice squeals as the dogs whine and Christen smiles. Her daughter is home. Twenty-three year old Sasha Jamie Heath is currently preparing to play in the Women’s World Cup with the U.S. National Team. Her team had just played the final friendly in Portland, Oregon last week and Christen and Tobin went to cheer her on. The team is in camp until they leave next week to start the opening of the tournament in New Jersey in a game against Denmark in Giants Stadium in New Jersey.
This is a welcome surprise as Sasha had told her she wouldn’t have a free day until later in the week. The additional footsteps Christen hears is also a surprise, indicating her daughter is not alone. She heads toward the hallway as Sasha barrels into the kitchen.
“Mom!” she greets loudly, arms out as she crashes into her Mother.
“Hi, Sunshine,” Christen smiles as she hugs her, “hi girls,” she greets the five soccer players trailing into the kitchen.
“Hi Mama C,” they greet in unison and it makes Christen chuckle. She releases her daughter and moves to hug each of the young women.
“Where’s Ma?” Sasha questions, plucking a piece of chopped tomato up from the cutting board and popping it into her mouth.
“She’s out back working today,” Christen responds, “you girls hungry?”
There’s a bunch of replies of ‘oh yeah’ and ‘of course’ and Christen laughs, “Well how about you help me cut some more vegetables up. I’ll get some more chicken out, how does chicken tacos and cheese enchiladas sound?”
“Mom, do you have any salsa?” Sasha asks, tossing a head of lettuce to Julie Foudy. The soccer players surround Christen at the island, offering to do tasks and catch up with her since she saw them in Portland last week. Sasha had made the National Team earlier in the year and had fast become friends with this group of young women. As defenders, Carla Overbeck and Joy Fawcett had taken Sasha under their wings with Julie Foudy, Mia Hamm and Kristine Lilly loving Sasha’s easy going nature and strong work ethic. They were a fun crew and wonderful mentors to her.
“What’s Ma got going on today?” Sasha asks as they work, the chicken simmering in a large saucepan.
“It’s a pick up day,” Christen informs her.
“Oooh, who’s coming?” Sasha asks excitedly, knowing there’s sure to be some big stars in the music world stopping by. “Is Uncle Roger or Uncle Tom coming by?”
“I don’t think Uncle Roger is,” Christen replies, referring to Roger McGuinn, the former leader of the rock/folk band The Byrds who were popular in the 1960’s and 70’s. “and I think Uncle Tom is still on tour,” she explains. Uncle Tom would be none other than Tom Petty who is currently travelling around the country with his band The Heartbreakers.
“Aw,” Sasha frowns, “did you know Uncle Roger sent me a care package when we were in camp last week?”
Christen smiles, “No, I didn’t,” she replies, “but Annie said she got one too at school,” Annie is her other daughter who is at the University of Arizona and plays for the volleyball team.”
“You don’t have any idea?” Sasha whines, wanting to be able to prepare her friends for the possible stars who might stop by today. Her teammates know her Ma was involved in the music business and had made many friends that were rock stars and did work for them.
“You’ll just have to wait,” Christen shakes her head, “I don’t know either,” she continues, “that’s why I figured this would be a good spread,”
Soon the kitchen crew follow Christen out the back door, leaving the dogs in the house, their hands laden with trays of food and condiments to the large barnlike structure past the pool and near the guesthouse. The music coming from it only meets their ears when Christen opens the side door to enter. They set up the food along a long table just before the kitchen area on the far wall, past the three tables with chairs surrounding them. Bathrooms are located on the back wall through a small hallway.
The interior of the building in simple, allowing for the construction of this barn to shine. The high vaulted timber ceiling is old, the stain bringing out the woodgrain and giving it a rustic and homey feeling. Past this large area is a glass wall where the empty control room is located. The main console is up against the far wall with sofas and chairs behind it. The final area is where the musicians play, the drums set up on a small riser along the back wall, encased in sound proofing glass shields. There’s a grand piano and a setup of three keyboards along the right side with microphones on angle stands placed nearby. There’s four spots for musicians, with a load of guitar stands and microphones on stands nearby.
“Woah,” Mia says as she looks wide eyed at the setup, “this is so cool,”
“Yeah,” Sasha smiles, squinting to see who’s playing, “I think it’s just Ma and her friends jamming right now,”
Tobin looks over and her eyes go wide when she sees Sasha, a large smile spreading across her face. She turns and says something to the others and the music stops and she’s unstrapping her guitar. She strides across the studio, through the door into the control room and out to the family area.
“Sunshine!” Tobin shouts happily, her arms spread open as her daughter races to her, leaping up and wrapping her legs around her waist. Tobin takes to steps back, laughing and she holds her daughter. Mother and daughter were a splitting image: Sasha looks almost exactly like her Mother. Same brown hair and eyes and the same long, athletic lanky frame and the same height. “How’s my little hippie?” she asks, letting Sasha get her feet on the ground.
“Good Ma,” she replies, her smile wide, beaming at her, “the gals are here, too,” she gestures, as if Tobin hadn’t noticed. As Tobin makes her way to the soccer players and the other musicians tumble out of the studio to greet Sasha.
“Hey Mia,” Tobin grins, hugging the soccer player, “how’s it going?” Tobin and Christen have been able to be at most of the friendlies this spring and summer leading up to the World Cup. Since it’s going to be held in the U.S. they have the tickets and hotel reservations to be at all of the matches, leading up to the final match.
“Good, this place is so cool,” Mia looks around, a grin on her face. Tobin chuckles and moves to Julie, “Yo, Julie, how’s the ankle?”
“It’s good, Mama T, how’s your shot?” she jokes, referencing the last time they kicked a soccer ball around.
“Not as good as yours,” Tobin chuckles, “but if we had played when I was in my prime,” she shakes her index finger at her and laughs.
Julie looks at her for a moment, “You know, I think you’d kick my ass,” she answers seriously, “Sash has told me about how much you played when she was little,”
Tobin shrugs, chuckling, “That was another life,” she says easily, giving a head nod to Pinoe who is lifting Sasha off the ground. She hugs Carla and Kristine, talking to them about the last match in Portland and jokingly teases Joy about having to take care of another kid in Sasha. Then she moves towards Christen, giving her the smile that’s reserved only for her.
“Hi beautiful,” she murmurs, giving her a hug and a kiss.
“Hey there, sweetheart,” Christen grins, giving her a kiss back, “ready for lunch?”
“Tacos?” Tobin sniffs and looks over Christen’s shoulder, “Enchiladas, too?” she says excitedly, giving her a wink, “You still know the way to my heart,” she snickers.
“That’s ‘cause you’re so predictable,” Christen sasses back as she releases her wife, narrowing her eyes playfully and giving Tobin a look when she swats her butt lightly.
“Your parents are so cool,” Carla sighs, “my parents don’t even act like they like each other. Yours are so love in love still,”
Sasha beams at her, “They really are,” she agrees proudly and then laughs, “it’s kinda sickening sometimes,”
“I heard that,” Tobin says, popping a nacho chip in her mouth. “How’s apartment hunting going?” she questions sarcastically, her eyes sparkling with amusement.
Sasha bounds over to Christen, wrapping her in a hug from behind, “I didn’t tell you?” she smiles, “I decided I’m never leaving, I’m staying here with you two forever,”
Tobin rolls her eyes, “Aw, geez,” she says, smirking at Christen, “we’ll really have to limit our chasing each other around the house naked then,”
“Agh!” Sasha shouts, dropping her hands from around Christen and holding them to her ears while her teammates laugh at her.
Christen claps her hands, “Alright, let’s eat,” she suggests, “soccer players first,”
“You really know how to push her buttons, huh Sam?” Ashlyn Harris saunters over to Tobin and lightly punches her arm as she laughs. Sam is her nickname for Tobin and it goes back to when they were in college together.
Tobin turns to her, “Just like you do with Ava,” she replies with a smile, having witnessed similar exchanges before.
Meghan Klingenberg comes to Christen’s side, “So,” she says, “any word on the patent?”
“It’s under review and I should hear something from them by the end of next week,” she informs her.
“Sweet!” Kling, as she’s called, does a fist pump and nods, “That’ll be awesome,”
Tobin smiles widely at her friend, “It’s really going to make recording pianos so epic,”
“Well, it has been for you since I made it,” Kling chuckles, “now I just want everyone else in the world to buy it,”
“What are they talking about?” Julie bumps Sasha while they pile food on their plates.
“Kling made some sort of recording device that attaches directly to the strings of a piano for recording or something,” she states, “and it records the strike in like, the purest form or something,”
The five soccer players look confused. “So, like they don’t have to put microphones above them then?”
Sasha shrugs, “It’s new technology,” she says, “nobody has tried to do it before Kling,” she nods at her friends, “they’re all geniuses in engineering music stuff.”
“What are you guys whispering about there?” Megan Rapinoe asks loudly, “I’m hungry, keep the line moving,” she grins at them.
“Who’s coming in today, honey?” Christen asks Tobin quietly as they hear a car pull up outside the studio.
“That should be Jewel,” Tobin says, smiling as she sees the singer opening the door. She sets her plate down to greet her. The soccer players are stunned into silence as they see her enter. They’ve seen her videos on MTV and some of them have gone to her concerts.
“Hey,” Tobin says as Jewel hugs her and they exchange greetings. “You hungry? Chris made her famous enchiladas,”
“Hi Christen!” Jewel greets, “You made enchiladas?” she asks as she approaches her and they hug.
Christen chuckles, “I knew you were coming today,” she jokes and hands her a plate.
Tobin introduces Jewel to the soccer players as they eat, proudly bragging about how they’re going to win the World Cup on home soil. She brags about each of the girls as if they’re her own, embarrassing them with her praises.
“Ma!” Sasha shushes her, “She doesn’t want to hear about that,” she says, “can we talk about something else?”
“What?” Jewel questions, “I was in Portland last week,” she says, “you guys killed Denmark. Mia, you’re goal was awesome and Carla, I don’t even know how you defended that ball on the corner kick.”
The soccer players are stunned as Jewel laughs. “I like sports,” she says good naturedly, “and I love soccer. I’m rooting for you guys,”
“Thanks,” Julie says shyly, “it means a lot,”
“Us women have to stick together,” the singer continues, “it’s a men’s world out there and we have to support each other.”
As they eat, the soccer players ask Jewel questions and most of them are about life on the road, having shared similar experiences. Jewel laughs as she answers their questions, claiming this is better than any interview she’s ever been subjected to before. She sets them at ease and when they finish eating, Tobin looks at her watch and nods to Ash, Pinoe and Kling.
“How about we do a sound check?” Tobin suggests to the singer who nods and brings her plate to the kitchen.
Tobin hangs back while Jewel joins the musicians in the studio space, cleaning up a little. The soccer players bound into the control room, claiming couches to hang out and listen. Christen helps Tobin finish up and they walk into the control studio holding hands.
“Play some of our songs, yeah?” Christen asks quietly, beaming at Tobin, thinking how she looks so good with her faded jeans and in her tight white t-shirt with a black vest over it, a beaded necklace hanging down and her arm muscles popping. Of course she's barefoot, as usual and that adds to how cool she looks. Tobin winks at her and gives her a soft kiss and heads into the studio.
Sasha reaches her arms out for Christen to sit next to her on the couch with Carla and Joy. Christen feels blessed as she holds her grown daughter in her arms. The studio room mic is on and they can hear Tobin talking to Jewel about the new pick ups she put in her electric guitar and how she straightened the neck out. Then they’re walking to the mics and Tobin is asking about songs and then Jewel nods and smiles and clears her throat and they begin with Tobin counting off.
“One..two..three…” she says and the music starts. The guitars start and then Kling on the keyboards kicks in and as soon as she recognizes the song, Chrsiten smiles demurely at Tobin when she steps up the mic to sing.
“I remember yet before we met
That every night and day
I had to live the life of a lonely woman
I remember meeting you
Discovering love can be so true
When it's shared by two instead of one”
Tobin’s eyes are only on Christen as she plays rhythm guitar while Jewel takes the lead. She’s grinning at her and singing in earnest.
“When you said you love me (when you said you love me)
We could not be parted (we could not be parted)
And I built my world around you (I built my world around you)
I'm so thankful that I found you
And loving you is sweeter than ever
(I ain't never felt like this before)
Loving you has made my life sweeter than ever, sweeter than ever.”
Christen feels Sasha look up to see her face and she knows she’s blushing like crazy and it’s insane that Tobin can do that to her after all of these years. The song plays on and the soccer players are in awe watching the group as they have fun with it, Jewel jumping in with Kling, Pinoe and Ash to sing backup.
Christen fingers the necklace she’s wearing, it’s the one Tobin bought for her at Woodstock and her mind wanders back to that fateful time back in August of 1969.
Flashback: Day One, August 15, 1969
“Ali, this is crazy,” Christen says as she struggles with her hard suitcase of her belongings down the two lane road. They had taken the train, Ali convincing Christen to take a chance and do something wild before the enter their junior year of college and going to the music festival across the country. It had taken a lot of persuading, but somehow Christen had managed to convince her parents to allow her to go.
“That’s what we want,” Ali looks over her shoulder at her, batting her eyelashes, “we want the wildest trip there is!” she smiles at her. Just then a pick up truck slows, “You want a ride? Hop in back,” the driver yells and Ali pulls Christen around the back of the vehicle.
Christen realizes the tickets they bought to fest were useless, there’s nobody there to take them, it’s a mass throng of people and it’s making her eye twitch at the sea of humanity that’s looming ahead on the hill. She makes uncomfortable small talk with the others in the back of the truck who are impressed her and Ali came from Cali to attend.
She’s relieved when they hop off on the access road, but it lasts for less than thirty seconds when Ali pulls her into the crowd, wanting to get closer to the stage. She recognizes Richie Havens playing ‘Handsome Johnny’ and sings along as they pick their way through the crowd.
They find a spot that Ali deems perfect and Christen decides to stand on her suitcase to get a better look. The stage is quiet, people rushing over with instruments preparing for the next act. She’s hot, she realizes, looking down at her jeans and white blouse, glancing around to see if she fits in with the rest of the crowd. She does, except she might be one of the few women with the most clothes on she discovers, she’s probably the only one wearing a bra. A girl walks by and puts a flower in her hair and kisses her cheek and then moves on. The smell of marijuana is heavy, smoke everywhere around the two.
Ali is dancing next to her, accepting a beer can from a guy ad passing it Christen. Ali kisses the man and receives another beer, letting her hand brush his cheek as he moves on. They crack the beers open and smile, toasting each other and taking a drink. This is certainly the craziest thing Christen has ever done in her short life. She’s twenty years old and comes from a rather liberal household. Her parents aren’t hippies, they tolerate hippies and appreciate their peaceful means of protest and believe in their movement. It was her Dad who caved in after Christen had to promise shouldn’t have unprotected sex with males or females and risk getting pregnant or acquiring any STDs. Her sisters were in shock that she was going, thinking she was having an early mid life crisis.
But Christen wanted to see for herself what it was like. She only watched news programs and felt they were skewering the positives of the hippies and their fight for peace and equality. She saw the protests on campus, but it wasn’t the same. She went to concerts, but it wasn’t the same. She really didn’t have any friends who she would consider being a hippie. Most of her friends came from similar households and shared childhood stories. She didn’t know anyone who was drafted to serve in Viet Nam, no family, no friends. There was something compelling about going to Woodstock for this event. She couldn’t shake it that something amazing, life changing would happen there.
Sweetwater is playing and she doesn’t know their music but it’s okay, she’s still a bit nervous and there’s people closing in around them. She’s offered pot and refuses with a smile, saying she prefers to drink. The guy next to her grins and asks if she wants something to relax. She shrugs and he pulls out a flask and produces a shot glass and pours her a small amount.
“This’ll relax ya,” he promises, watching as Christen downs it, grimacing at the taste of cheap warm vodka and then he pours some for himself and drinks it as well.
It’s a while later and things begin to change. Christen feels lighter, she swaying on her suitcase barefoot, having kicked off her sandals, holding Ali’s hand as they dance. Everything is beautiful and she’s feel truly at peace and alive and there’s this cute girl looking at her from the side and they keep smiling shyly at each other. She has a daisy woven into her long brown hair and she has high cheekbones, with a yellow flower painted on one of them. Her eyes look kind and she has a narrow nose with plump lips and Christen wonders what it would be like to kiss them. Maybe bite one and give a tug, like she’s seen in movies. The stranger has a cutting jawline and is wearing a beaded Native American choker around her long neck and a bikini top and is just gorgeous. Christen really begins to stare at her, looking over her prominent abdominal muscles and how the v-line runs down to her cut off jean shorts and sandals and her smooth tan skin and muscles. Everything is beautiful and she can’t stop smiling, but then someone walks by wearing a black shirt with the devil on it and the devil talks to her and she gets scared, suddenly clinging to Ali.
“What’s wrong?” Ali asks with bewilderment, looking all around them.
“I’m scared!” Christen cries, nearly falling off her suitcase, “The devil talked to me!”
Suddenly the people around her aren’t looking so friendly and their smiles look predatory. The air becomes a little clogged, the smell of pot thick.
When Ali realizes Christen is on something, she begins panicking because she doesn’t know what to do. She tries to get Christen to pick up her suitcase so they can find help but Christen is convinced she’ll die if she gets off it. It’s a standoff when Christen crouches down, folding herself into a ball and refuses to move. “You stay here!” Ali points her finger at her, “Don’t move one inch!” she’s intent on finding a first aid tent and takes off through the crowd.
Christen promises she won’t and begs her to come back and make the ground safe. She hugs herself as she looks down at Ali’s suitcase, watching it closely as it opens up and rows of sharp teeth glisten in the sun and a split tongue slithers around within it in a threatening manner as if it would swallow her down. She stands back up, her arms extending from sides to balance herself and she feels slightly woozy, like her movements are in slow motion. The case shuts quickly but the ground is still slowly churning around her. She feels someone bump her shoulder and turns to see the pretty girl with the brown hair.
“It’s safe, I promise,” she says kindly, her voice low in timber and appealing to Christen. Christen just stares into her brown eyes, watching with fascination how the colors swirl with flecks of brown, tans and gold moving slowly around her irises. “I think you got dosed,” she says softly, exuding kindness and a certain calmness and surety that makes Christen trust her instantly. “You just have to ride it out, okay?” She looks at her with genuine concern, waiting for Christen to nod mutely, unable to speak at the moment. “How can I help you feel safe?” she asks, tilting her head to really look at her, giving her a shy smile, the braces on her teeth reflecting in the sun.
“Hold me,” Christen squeaks out, “I’m so scared,” she cries, “the ground isn’t safe and the suitcase wants to eat me,”
The woman moves to hug her but Christen places her hands on her shoulders and spins her around to stand in front of her. She climbs up on her back, crossing her legs around the woman’s thin waist and the woman takes hold of her legs. “We have to watch the suitcases,” she informs her, pulling at her broad shoulders to move back so she can keep an eye on them. Christen holds onto the woman, feeling safe and she shuts her eyes and listens to the music. Vibrant colors swirl under her lids, moving with the music and she finds it enjoyable.
The girl sways with her on her back as Tim Hardin plays ‘If I Were A Carpenter’ singing along with the crowd and Christen nuzzles into her neck to hear her voice. As she listens, Christen realizes the woman’s low voice comes across in the color orange as the music takes on shades of blues and purples like an amazing sunset. She’s mesmerized by this safe stranger who she smells like the ocean and has this unique scent mingling with it. She wants to do this all day.
Ali comes running back, looking panicked until she sees her, protectively reaching out and putting her hand on her shoulder. Christen hers her and keeps her eyes, disappointed the woman has stopped singing, but the colors are pretty while the girl is talking to Ali. She doesn’t pay attention to what they’re saying but when the song is over they start walking through the crowd of people. She begins to panic again as her arms brush up against people as they weave their way through the throng ad she tightens her grip on the girl and she closes her eyes and keeps her head burrowed against the strong woman’s neck and attempts to recite the order of succession for the presidency in case anything happens to President Nixon to calm herself.
The music isn’t as loud anymore and she can feel a breeze and doesn’t feel trapped in the crowd. “The poor thing is probably dehydrated,” a pleasant woman’s voice says, and a hand softly brushes her hair back. Christen lifts her head and opens her eyes to find kind brown eyes looking at her, similar to the ones of the person holding her so carefully. “You’re safe here, dear,” she says, “I’m going to get you something to drink, are you hungry?” She nods her head slowly, thinking of the small breakfast they had on the train early this morning. She’s still holding onto the woman who simply begins to walk her towards an orange nylon tent. Christen turns her head to see Ali following them carrying their suitcases.
“I’m going to let you down, okay?” that low voice states and Christen straightens her legs to stand. The girl turns to face her and looks relieved, “Everything’s gonna be cool, alright? You can chill here,” she invites her, “have a seat on the blanket, the shade will feel nice.”
“It’s okay,” Ali encourages her, “come on,” she says, setting down their suitcases on the grass and taking her hand to the blanket spread under the trees near the orange tent. The stranger comes back carefully balancing two plates and two plastic cups and Ali reaches out to take the drinks. She sets one by Christen and then passes her a plate with a sandwich and a handful of chips on it. Christen looks up searchingly at the woman, silently asking her to stay and help her. Everything feels so alien, as if the act of eating was a concept that was just on the tip of her tongue but with watching Ali taking a bite and chewing Christen isn’t sure what to do.
The woman must sense Christen’s dilemma for she eases herself onto the blanket, each move slow and gentle, smiling at Christen as she sits next to her. Christen immediately moves to sit with her, positioning her body in between her spread long tan legs and leans up against her. She feels the rumble of her quiet chuckle from her chest against her back and finds it soothing. She turns her head to smile brightly at her and is rewarded with a beaming one from her in return.
“This is a ham and cheese sandwich,” she offers her, holding half in her hand before her, “just take a little bite and chew. It’s gonna taste so amazing,”
Christen does and as she chews, she finds the woman to be correct. It is amazing, possibly the best meal Christen has ever eaten before. She moans appreciatively as she takes another, the stranger patiently holding the sandwich for her until after the fourth bite when Christen takes it in her own hands to eat it herself.
“Sweetheart,” the kind older woman is now standing at he foot of the blanket, “would you like something to eat as well?” surveying how Christen is all over her daughter and sensing it’s the drugs in her system. “Never mind, I’ll bring it out,” she smiles and turns around, walking barefoot on the grass, her loose dress slightly rippling with the soft breeze.
“Sweetheart?” Christen questions, once again turning to gaze into those brown eyes. The woman’s eyes grow smaller as her cheeks rise as she smiles widely, “I’m Tobin,” she introduces herself, “and your friend Ali told me your name is Christen,”
Christen smiles widely at her, nodding to her vigorously as she takes another bite of food. She notices Tobin pluck a chip off her plate and hears her stomach rumble. She offers her a bite of her sandwich and smiles wider when she takes one. They both chew and smile with closed mouths and Christen sighs happily. This is beautiful. Christen moves slowly to take a sip of her drink and pleased to find it’s fruit punch flavored Kool-Aid. She smiles and giggles, feeling like a little kid having a picnic. She offers it carefully to her new friend, slowly tilting the cup as she drinks.
“Thank you,” she says, smiling widely at her, her brace covered teeth on full display.
“Sure,” Christen sets the cup down on the blanket, then looks at her again, giving her just as big of a smile, “sweetheart,”
Present Day: June 10, 1999
Christen shakes her head from her little visit to her past, looking around at the soccer players sprawled on the leather couches. She feels content with her daughter at her side and she smiles when she looks up to see Tobin opening the door for Jewel to come into the room. They’re both holding guitar cases and the girls jump up to crowd around them. Tobin ends up pulling her camera out to take a couple of photos of the girls with Jewel and then the singer is on her way out the door.
Ash, Kling and Pinoe go outside for a bit and Tobin sits down on the couch next to Christen.
“Mama T, what is it do you? Do you fix guitars?” Julie asks with curiosity.
Tobin nods, sipping on a glass of water, “Yeah, pretty much, here and there,” she answers casually, “we service equipment for bands and do special work on instruments. Sometimes people come here to record or mess around in the studio,”
“Do you produce records?” Mia asks, finding this so interesting. Sasha doesn’t talk much about her parents, explaining her mother is a patent lawyer and her ma is in the music business. That’s partly why they convinced Sasha to bring them with her today, they wanted to visit with her parents in this setting, not one when they were in soccer mode. The rookie is a great person and they wanted to get to know her parents because they’re so cool. They’re not like other typical soccer moms.
Tobin shakes her head, “Nah,” she grins, “that’s too stressful. We mostly record demos and jam sessions,” she explains.
“Tobin and the gals actually upgrade instruments with new technology to work wirelessly with the amps. Kling and her piano invention will change how sound technicians record it and how they set up for live performances,” Christen explains, knowing that her humble wife wouldn’t give them a complete picture. “Ashlyn and Pinoe are mostly studio musicians and play on jam sessions and actual records for artists, Tobin and Kling do it every once in a while. Tobin, Ashlyn and Kling have created new patented inventions for guitars, drums, keyboards and amps and mixing boards. Plus, they used to have their own company, perhaps you’ve heard of Sam Ash Music?”
“That was you?” Carla asks with surprise, “I bought my first clarinet there when I was eight.”
Tobin smiles, “Yeah, me and Ash built it up, franchised it and then sold it off,” she explains, “it became too much and with Sasha and Annie being little, I wanted to be around more,” as the soccer players let that soak in, Tobin moves off the couch, “Ooh, Lenny’s here,” she mumbles, walking to the door to greet him as he enters with Ashlyn, Pinoe and Kling.
“Why does Ashlyn call your Ma Sam?” Mia whispers to Sasha, “Why did they call it Sam Ash music?”
“They thought it would be better to have a name like Sam so industry people would think a guy ran it.” Sasha whispers back, “And Sam is my Ma’s nickname. Auntie Ash gave it to her in college.”
“But what does it mean?” Mia tilts her head, still whispering.
Sasha glances at her Mom before leaning over to answer, “Auntie Ash says it means Stupid-Ass Motherfucker, but I don’t know if that’s the truth,”
Christen chuckles over hearing them, “It is,” she laughs, “you’re Ma was pretty wild back then,” she says easily.
They’ve just rocked out to Lenny Kravitz’ big hit “Fly Away” and are talking about the guitar features and other songs. Christen sits back down on the couch, loving watching Tobin in her element. She hasn’t sat in on an afternoon of pickups in a while. After a few minutes, they agree on another song to play and Pinoe grabs her microphone and struts to the center of the studio, smiling wildly, ready to give a performance. The music starts and the soccer players exclaim they recognize the song, sitting up and taking notice.
Didn’t I make you feel, like you’re the only one for me?” Pinoe rips into the classis Janis Jopling tune.
Christen smiles and makes eye contact with Tobin who shakes her head at her and flashes her the peace sign.
Flashback: Day Two, August 16, 1969
Tobin has her hands on Christen’s hips, holding onto her from behind as they watch the stage. Janis Joplin is there, not ten feet away performing her one of her biggest hits ‘Piece Of My Heart’. Christen is swaying to the music, her hands above her head, letting her head move from side to side. Ali is next to her, dancing with Tobin’s best friend Ashlyn who she met yesterday after they had eaten lunch. The long haired blond was tall and muscular, heavily tattooed and obviously smitten with Ali. Ali seemed to feel the same way about her, but they haven’t had time to talk to each other about it yet.
Tobin is singing behind Christen and it’s making her feel all sorts of things. Tobin was so kind to her yesterday, making sure she felt safe and didn’t get scared by the things she was seeing. Tobin and her Mom guessed she had been doused with mushrooms and LSD which accounted for her heavy trip and kept reassuring her she would be fine. The three laid on the blanket, staring at the tree above them and listening to the music most of the afternoon. The sound was subdued as they were behind the stage and to the right, the large Winnebago located near an outcropping of trees. They were secured from the crowds of people and would hear the noise of the helicopters bringing musicians in and flying them out.
It was during this time she learned Tobin had just graduated from UNC with a degree in electrical engineering. She worked with her Dad in his shop, making and fixing electric and acoustic guitars. He was here to help the bands, fix any problems and keep the music playing. She met him and Tobin’s best friend Ashlyn during dinner. They were nice. They left right after to go backstage as a drizzle of rain had begun. She was still experiencing the effects of the drugs, but was growing used to it and it wasn’t as intense as it had been earlier. Tobin’s mother kept checking on her, reassuring her she would be fine. She was really sweet.
Tobin, Ali and her retreated to the blanket, talking about school, their childhoods and what they wanted to do with their lives. Christen started feeling better, things weren’t moving as much anymore and her head felt slightly clearer, so she joined Tobin and Ali in the trailer, offering to wash the dishes and help clean up. Tobin’s Mom Cindy kept checking on her, offering her ideas of fun things to think about to keep her from being frightened, calmly explaining how her brain wasn’t processing things to her truthfully right now and it would pass soon enough. She had her sit at the small kitchen table with her and brought out a coloring book and markers, coaxing her to color whatever she wanted to. It calmed her and helped center her.
Christen feels pretty sober when Jeffrey and Ashlyn came back, both of them looking tired from their long day even though the music is still playing. Jeffrey explains they don’t know the bands that are in this stretch of the schedule and have taken care of the people they normally work with so they called it a night. It’s still early and they decide to check things out. Tobin offers Christen a pair of tennis shoes to wear since she lost her sandals. There’s some daylight left so the four girls venture out into the crowds, seeing how the grass has turned to mud. They walk through the area of vendors, looking at the clothes and jewelry and bongs being sold.
Christen finds a lovely necklace but doesn’t purchase it because it’s forty dollars and that’s a lot of money to shell out for it. It’s a thin gold necklace with a small pendant of a flower with a few colorful stones representing the petals. She does purchase a long white flimsy dress with embroidered flowers along the bottom hem and stitched along the chest. She can’t wait to wear it and twirl to the music.
Ashlyn nearly pierces her foot through her thin sandal on an empty syringe and that sobers the group as they walk back behind the stage, flashing their passes strung around their necks. It opens a discussion about drugs between the four. Tobin abides by pot and sometimes acid, depending on the surroundings and the kind of trip she wants. She swears off all injecting and snorting anything. She doesn’t want to get hooked on any kind of junk. Ashlyn agrees although the look she sees Tobin briefly give her, Christen thinks maybe Ashlyn does more than just pot. Ali surprises her in her confession of smoking pot leaving Christen the only one who hasn’t tried anything. Well, besides acid, but she’s not counting that just yet since it wasn’t something she actively sought out to do.
Tobin doesn’t try to encourage her or push her to try pot, she just says if she wants to try anything while she’s here, let her know. The most important thing is to trust who gives you anything. Christen finds that really cool and knows she wants to smoke pot and get high while she’s here and she wants to do it with Tobin. That would be an experience to take back home with her. She can just imagine talking to the girls in her sorority about it.
That night, Ashlyn sets up another tent before the rain comes down harder and Tobin insists that Ali and Christen should sleep in the orange one. Her and Ash would take the navy one. Christen finds it endearing how cute the lanky girl is, escorting them to the trailer so they can use the bathroom and brush their teeth in the kitchen sink. How she makes sure they have plenty of blankets and will be warm enough and she gives them a Tupperware tumbler with water in it in case they get thirsty.
After breakfast the next morning, Cindy takes Ali and Christen to wait in a short line to use make a collect call home.
“I’m fine Mom,” Christen assures her Mother, “My new friend Tobin is here with her family and we’re staying in a tent with them. Her Mom helped us get to a phone this morning because she knew you would be worried after seeing this on the news. They’re so nice, Mom, really.”
“Oh honey, I’m so relieved,” her Mom says, “they don’t do drugs, do they?”
“No, Mom,” Christen replies, “her Dad fixes guitars and stuff for the musicians, he’s working here,” she says earnestly, “They’re really nice and normal and have been so amazing,” she says, “They must have realized Ali and I were completely out of our element,” she chuckles.
“I think an angel is looking out for you,” her Mom says.
“I think you’re right,” Christen smiles, thinking of Tobin.
Now they’re here having fun in the best place of the whole venue, listening to Janis Joplin sing her heart out. Christen is wearing her new dress with a pair of Tobin’s low Converse sneakers. The gym shoes are a perfect fit and that’s how she feels about Tobin, she can't explain it, it's just something she knows deep down. She steps forward out of Tobin’s grip to twirl in front of her, turning to face her and sing along. They hold hands as they dance and sing and Christen has never felt so alive in her life.
Present Day, June 10, 1999
Christen rises with the soccer players, singing as she eyes her wife playing on the guitar. They hold eye contact, both mouthing the lyrics. Christen dances just like she did back then, raising her arms and twirling to let her dress billow out. The girls are loudly singing beside her, dancing as well, yet Christen only has eyes for Tobin. As the song ends, she fingers the necklace, the one Tobin had bought her. That day long ago, while Christen was looking at dresses, Tobin had gone back and purchased the necklace for her. She fingers the pendant and mouths ‘I love you’ to her and Tobin silently repeats it back to her. She’s broken out her moment when the girls start clapping and cheering loudly. She gives Tobin another shy smile and does her best attempt to wink at her and then twirls around to sit back down.
“Mama C has got the moves!” Kristine jokes and Julie whistles her appreciation.
“That’s what good living will do,” Christen jokes as she sits back down. “Now girls,” she says, “is there anything we can get you to help while your stuck in the hotels for so long during the World Cup?”
She ends up fetching a pen and notepad, making notes of what her and Tobin will buy for the team. Carla tells her she’ll arrange it so they can drop it off before they leave from Carson for New Jersey next week. After Lenny leaves and Tobin and the others sit down, Ali comes in holding a grocery bags and giving Ashlyn a kiss before shoving the bags into her hands and greeting the other adults with hugs. She gives Sasha a long hug, telling her how proud she is of her. Sasha introduces her to her teammates as Aunt Ali, just like she did when they met Ashlyn, Pinoe and Kling.
Ali explains she was out doing errands and Ash texted her so she wanted the girls to have a special dinner and she stopped to shop. Tobin is eagerly rubbing her hands together as she looks over the steaks and seafood Ali brought, elbowing Ash and telling her how she wants to cook them. The two take the bags back to the house to prep the meat and return with Sarah McLachlan in tow. The singer greets everyone, playfully teasing the soccer players about beating Canada last week to their surprise. Once again, the soccer players just don’t realize how popular they are becoming with the World Cup fast approaching.
Sarah sits at the piano and the group plays a relaxed version of the Tom Waits classic ‘My Ol’ 55’ and then they discuss the piano pickups and Kling shows her the new tuning system and how it works. While they mess around with different settings, they discuss music and bands and Sarah is checking out her guitar, strumming it and adjusting the levels. She’s joking with Tobin about the last time she was here and how she ended up staying the night from the wine they had consumed.
Tobin sends a wink over to Christen as she straps on her electric guitar, biting her lower lip as she adjusts a foot pedal and messes with a few chords.
“Sam! Stop flirting with your wife!” Ashlyn yells at her and laughs, tossing a balled up piece of paper at her. Tobin flips her off and gives Christen a shy smile as she waits for Pinoe to get ready.
Julie leans over to Sasha, “Are you parents always like this?” she asks quietly.
“Pretty much,” Sasha replies, “this is just a Thursday to them,”
Julie shakes her head, “That’s pretty awesome, kid,” she says nudging her. “I hope you know how lucky you are,”
Sasha looks her in the eyes, “I do,” she replies, deadly serious, “I really do.”
Julie nudges her again, “You’re pretty awesome, kid,” she smiles, “This is a normal day?”
Sasha nods, “Yeah, Ma usually spaces her appointments apart so they have time to jam and make sure everything is cool. But Ma always is done before dinner,” she looks over to the clock, “so I bet there’s one more appointment after this one.”
The music starts with Tobin taking the lead of the song ‘Get Together’ originally recorded by the Younglbloods and made famous by The Byrds a few years later. Sarah begins to sing and Ali and Christen share a smile.
Flashback: Day Three August 17, 1969
The four are sitting on a blanket with both Ashlyn and Tobin holding guitars and playing. Tobin begins to sing ‘Get Together’ as Ali sways and smiles at Ashlyn. Tobin is looking at Christen as she sings and plays, her fingers expertly moving up and down the neck of the guitar, easily strumming the song. Christen sings along softly, feeling a little self-conscious, but when Tobin gives her an encouraging smile she starts to sing a little louder with more confidence. Soon the four are singing with joy and the song ends as a light drizzle begins to fall.
It’s raining and Christen is dancing, watching Tobin spin around with her arms out wide, her head up laughing as she moves. Ali and Ashlyn are holding onto each other, kissing passionately. It’s late, way past midnight and Jefferson Airplane is playing on the stage despite the torrential downpour.
Last night, the two slow danced during Joan Baez’ entire set in the rain, their skin soaked and not caring and kissing each other until their teeth started chattering. Ali had already gone to Ashlyn’s tent so Christen naturally followed Tobin to hers. Tobin had a towel in the tent and gave it to her before she shed her shirt. It wasn’t the first time Christen had seen a naked woman, she had sisters and there was gym class, but this was different. Tobin lifted her soaked shirt off and tossed it outside, revealing her small pert breasts. Christen stared and Tobin let her, smiling sweetly at her.
There had been no discussion about sexuality or sex between them but Christen couldn’t deny she was deeply attracted to Tobin and vice versa. Tobin slowly undid the top button of her jean shorts and Christen boldly stepped forward and placed her hand on her wrist. With her other hand she slowly undid the buttons and then used both hands to slowly push the wet jeans and her underwear down. Tobin stepped out of them and bent down and tossed them outside.
The lights from the backstage area cut through the trees above the tent allowing for the inside of the tent to glow with a soft orange tinge. “You’re beautiful,” Christen says heartfully, “inside and out,” she says, then she turns around, looking at her over her shoulder, “Will you undo me?”
Tobin swallows audibly, stepping forward to untie the back of her dress and guide it down to the ground, letting Christen lay a hand on her bent back while she stepped out of it. Tobin gently placed it outside the tent and turned to see Christen slowly lowering her panties, giving Tobin a shy smile. She steps out them, playfully kicking them out onto the wet grass. She grabs Tobin’s hands, bringing them to her breasts, “Take this off, please,” she urges. Tobin leans in and kisses her, letting their tongues meet and slowly brings her hands behind Christen’s back and unclasps her bra and slowly slides the straps down her arms. She tosses the material out of the tent and smiles at her. She steps closer, “You’re so pretty, Chris,” she says and the way it rolls off her tongue makes Christen feel warmth deep in her chest. “You’re so smart, so sexy, I mean look at you,” she goes on.
Christen often felt she was rather mousy with her frizzy curls and bookish nature. She was often passed over by the boys in school, yet she bloomed after graduation and in college she had dated often. She dated both boys and girls in fact, finding a more intense closeness with women. Yet her priorities with her studies often derailed anything from getting serious. But she was social and attended parties and knew how to drink and not get wasted, learning to maintain that even buzz that one acquires through practice and knowing what your body could handle.
She had sex with men and messed around with women, yet never had sex with a woman yet. She wasn’t positive if she was ready, but she sure wanted to see if she was with Tobin. “You’re shaking,” Tobin notes, bending down the retrieve the towel and beginning to dry her skin gently and slowly. It’s sensual, there’s intention behind it, a loving gesture with a hint of sexual tension. Christen sees how Tobin’s hands tremble when she nears her pelvis, unsure what to do. Christen uses her hands to guide hers over her skin, giving her a reassuring smile. Once she’s dried off, she takes the towel and dries off Tobin, marveling over her skin and musculature as the towel collects the raindrops.
“Let’s lie down,” Christen suggests, now very much in control, taking Tobin hand as they lay on the pile of blankets. She pulls Tobin to her, feeling her hot skin against her, exciting her. Their mouths connect and it takes Christen desire for Tobin to another level. “I haven’t ever,” she blurts out when they break for air, feeling the need to get that out in the open.
“It’s okay,” Tobin says tenderly, moving to kiss her neck, “I’ll do whatever you want,” she says in between kisses, “we go at your pace,” she insists, “we only do what you feel comfortable with,” she says, pulling back to look down at her, “I will never push you or make you feel like you have to do something you don’t want to do,” she says solemnly and with such honesty, it makes Christen’s eye tear up. Tobin looks alarmed and she pushes off her, getting on her knees.
“Are you okay?” she asks hurriedly, looking as if she might cry herself if she had done something wrong.
“Sweetheart,” Christen soothes, wiping her eyes, “I’m crying because you’re so sweet and thoughtful,” she says, her hands reaching for her and bringing her down on top of her, “I’ve never met someone who thinks of me first,” she says, pressing her against her chest, loving the feeling of skin on skin. “I want to sleep with you, I want to have sex,” she says quietly, “but maybe tonight we could just hold each other and kiss.”
Tobin pulls up again, “I’ll follow your lead, okay?” she says, “You do what feels good,”
Christen pulls her back down, laying her hand on her jaw, “I will, sweetheart,” she says and pulls her to kiss her.
Present Day June 10, 1999
Christen smiles thinking of how kind Tobin was that night, how she wanted to be with her with no expectations, only to do what she felt good doing. She let Tobin touch her breasts and kiss them and suck on them and she thought she was going to cum just from her doing that. Tobin never escalated things, always checking in if she was okay. It was sweet and there was an innocence to it that she loved. There was and still is a certain innocence to Tobin even now.
Sarah visits for a little while before she has to leave and pack for her tour, speaking candidly with the soccer players about hotel life and hacks she’d found over the years to help make it manageable. She’s a nice woman, very down to earth and easy to talk to. Then again, Tobin and Ash never seek out musicians with issues whether it be drug problems or stories they hear about them being difficult. They don’t chase after who is popular, instead they just let the word of mouth keep them busy.
Tobin is technically retired from the music business after selling off the Sam Ash company. She dabbles with guitars for artists and when she gets bored, she’ll mess around with ideas on components or new pickups or make a guitar just to be busy. Sometimes someone will call her and ask to come over to mess around with a sound they want to achieve and they’ll hang out or awhile. Sometimes she’ll agree for someone to come over to record a demo.
Ashlyn, Kling and Pinoe are much busier being studio musicians. Ashlyn used to go out on the road but when her addiction issues became serious and endangered her relationship with Ali, she stayed off tours after completing rehab. It was a tense time back then, Ash was urging Tobin to sell the business, mostly so she could buy drugs with the money. Tobin agreed only to have it written in the contract that most of Ashlyn’s money would go into a trust fund and other various financial arrangements to protect her.
Pinoe has a band and she plays out on most weekends at a gay bar and emcees drag shows sometimes. When she’s not doing that, she’s laying down bass lines for other musicians here in the studio. Kling teaches at music at the local high school and occasionally takes on a talented student to tutor depending on the instrument they play.
Ali is an accountant, formerly the Sam Ash head accountant and is partially retired like Christen is. While Ali keeps up with Tobin’s studio business and does work for Kling, she spends most of her time shuttling her Ashlyn’s daughter Ava to school and dance and softball practices and games. Christen works on the patent applications that Tobin, Kling and Ashlyn come up with and other than that had been content being a stay at home Mom for Sasha and Annie. Now that Annie is in college and Sasha out on her own mostly, her and Tobin are free to do what they want. Sasha travels with the National Team and spends much of her free time visiting friends and family and traveling. She's told them it doesn't make sense for her to have a place right now, since she travels so much. It would be a waste of money Christen and Tobin agree. They live rather frugally yet are generous to friends and family. They enjoy traveling now, visiting both sets of parents and siblings and nieces and nephews. Balancing Sasha and Annie’s sports schedules was sometimes tricky and they had purchased a condo in Tucson to make campus visits easier. They spend time there hiking in the national parks and skiing at Mount Lemmon Ski Valley.
All in all, Christen feels blessed with how things worked out, it was sketchy at times, mostly her worrying needlessly about their status and if she was able to give Tobin what she needed yet Tobin always assured her she loved her and was looking at the big picture. For many years while she was in college and studying for the bar, she felt their relationship was unbalanced with Tobin always giving more than her. But it was that Tobin always believed in them when she wasn’t sure. Law school was tough and at the time they weren’t living together and Tobin did so many little things to make her life easy, all while taking a night class each semester at the local college by her and working her ass off and building a business that would eventually become a prominent company in the country. Tobin continually took classes in the evenings, always keeping herself up to date with technology and ended up getting her Masters Degree in Electrical Engineering after nine years.
Christen fingers the pendant again, thinking of how this piece of jewelry had become a promise to her. It was Tobin’s promise to be faithful and steady and always think of her, no matter the distance. It was just like the promise that came with the ring Tobin slid on her finger this spring when the two had a civil union in a court room, granted by a judge because a law had just been enacted in January to allow them to marry. She discreetly wipes her eyes when she stands up, intent on using the bathroom and running to the house to make sure they have enough vegetables for tonight’s dinner.
Christen smiles when she enters the studio, giving Sheryl Crow a wave as she finds a spot to sit. Sasha makes grabby hands to her to sit next to her and Christen squeezes on the couch, her nearly adult child sitting on her lap.
“How’s Annie doing Mom?” Sasha asks, “I haven’t heard from her since last week,”
“Volleyball is going good,” she informs her, “she’s dating a boy and your Ma is a wreck.”
Sasha laughs out loud and then covers her mouth, her eyes wide, darting back and forth. She tells her teammates what’s going on with Annie, who is two years younger than her and the one who makes her parents turn grey haired. She’s a little wild.
“Did Ma fly out there to meet him?” she asks, an amused look on her face.
Christen shakes her head, “No, but she sent her an email with gynecologists in her area and wants proof of visit and to see her prescription for some form of birth control.”
“What happened to Miss Free Love?” Sasha giggles, knowing how hilarious it is when her Ma gets worked up about her sister.
“She’s just worried because Annie’s in Arizona and she doesn’t want her to have a bad experience,” Christen explains, “it’s hilarious though,” her voice drops and she leans in close, “She talks to her about birth control and being careful and then gets off the phone and talks to me about being excited for grandchildren,” she chuckles.
“She just wants to be a good mom,” Sasha says sagely, “and she doesn’t even know how awesome she is,” she gives Christen’s arm a little pinch, “you do, but you don’t gloat about it like she would to me,” she smiles. Tobin and Sasha definitely share their own strange sense of humor and have their bickering and teasing routines down pat. It’s always full of love and sometimes downright hilarious how they act together.
“You’re sweet,” Christen presses a kiss against the side of Sasha’s head and hugs her tight for a moment.
“Hey, Mama C,” Mia calls out, “Sasha said you and Mama T met at Woodstock. Is that true or is she making up stories?”
Christen grins, “No, she’s telling the truth, we met there and have been together ever since.”
Julie sits up straight, “You have to tell us the story,” she begs, sliding off the couch onto her knees, clutching her hands together, “please!”
“Yeah,” Carla and Kristine chime in, “Sasha never gives out the deets,” Carla adds.
Christen glances over to see Tobin in a serious discussion about the guitar in Sheryl’s hands, pointing at different parts and talking animatedly. She shrugs, “Okay,” she agrees, much to Sasha’s shock, “I’ll tell you.”
She begins her tale, sharing a warm smile with Ali as she talks about how young and clueless they were simply hopping on a train and going cross country in search of an epic adventure. Ali joins her as they talk about the political scene at the time, the war in Viet Nam, protesting for peace and racial justice. Christen truthfully tells the soccer players of her naivety in accepting a drink from a stranger and how Tobin found her and kept her calm. She doesn’t come out and say she was on acid, but she thinks they get it.
She shares with them how the music was so meaningful to them, how important and powerful the lyrics were and how the protest songs drew attention to their causes. She told them how Tobin worried so much about her brother who was in Viet Nam and then after he came from and tried to adjust back to life here. She tells them how political they were for their age, voting when they turned eighteen and understanding the politics of their city, state and the country. She confesses how easy it was to share deep conversations with Tobin and how their worldview was so similar and even their thoughts of religion were closely aligned. How each day they learned something new about each other and their feelings deepened for each other.
Ali takes over and gushes about how in love Christen and Tobin were right off the bat, how sweet they were to each other and just clicked perfectly. “Christen and I were freaking out on Sunday, thinking about having to leave Tobin and Ashlyn. Then the most amazing thing happened.” Ali shakes her head, “I swear it was like the universe paired us,”
“Our train tickets were for Monday afternoon and we were talking about how we would get to the train station. Ashlyn asked if were going home or straight back to school. She said her and Tobin were driving to California on Tuesday and wondered if we wanted to come with them,” Christen smiles at the memory, “They had a warehouse Tobin’s father bought for a new store and Tobin and Ash were going to run it. It was actually Tobin’s graduation gift from her parents and it was something she had been talking about since high school- opening her own music store.”
“My professors were super relaxed about missing school, in fact, many of them were going to Woodstock themselves and had cancelled classes. I needed to be back on campus on Thursday for a class and Ali did too,” Christen explains, “so we did it.”
“What did Grandma think of that?” Sasha asks, not hearing this part of the story before.
“Oh, she knew Tobin was leaving, it had been planned for months. Ashlyn came with to Woodstock to work and earn extra cash but Tobin came just for the fun of it. Grandma liked me instantly and was incredibly sweet and welcoming. She made me call my Mom and check in and then made me call her again to tell her about driving back. She gave Nana her number and they talked and haven’t stopped since,”
“Did Nana think you were crazy?” Sasha’s eyes were large, reminding Christen of Tobin’s just like they did when Sasha was born.
“She wasn’t as excited about it as I was, that’s for sure,” Christen chuckles, “but she had no choice, really. She was comforted that I promised to call to every day on the road and then she felt even better after talking to Grandma.”
She points to the wall that holds framed photos. “There’s a photo of all of us before we left that day,” she smiles, “and there’s one of your Ma and I,”
Sasha jumps off the couch, knowing she’s seen these photos but now she has context. She studies the photo of her parents. “You both had flowers in your hair?” she grins at Christen. The photo was taken by the orange tent, her and Tobin sitting on the blanket, Tobin holding her from behind with her chin resting on her Christen’s shoulder, Christen’s hand on Tobin’s forearm, the two smiling widely camera, Cindy insistent on taking many photos throughout the four days. Christen is wearing her new dress with her legs extended and bare feet showing and that day she had let her hair dry naturally into the curly mess she usually felt it was and she felt good about it. That morning Tobin had tossed her bra out of the tent, encouraging her to free the titties and she did. But then, back there and to this day, she’s claimed it, she's claimed it all, embracing her hair, her culture, her identity, her black heritage and her sexuality. It was being in the presence of almost five hundred thousand people her age who were authentic and Tobin’s gentle encouragement that firmly set her in this mindset.
The other photo is the four of them in front of a truck, Ashlyn and Ali on one side of the front of a panel and Tobin and Christen on the other, all four of them smiling big, excited for their new adventure. They were young and tanned, with their lives ahead of them.
“Mom,” Sasha looks at her, “you two should totally recreate this picture,” she says seriously. “It would be awesome.”
Christen smiles, thinking it would be fun to do, she knows she could convince Tobin. She decides they’ll do it, but she wants to surprise her daughters. “Yeah, maybe,” she shrugs, thinking she would give her a copy when she’s home for Thanksgiving. Tobin would totally get a kick out of recreating the photos. She'd probably want to do all of them in their photo album from Woodstock and the first few years of their relationship.
“Why were the flowers so important?” Julie asks when she turns away from the photos, “I always see them in photos from back then but never really understood,”
Christen considers it for a moment, “It was the time,” she states, “the political climate, the social and racial climate, the call for peace,” she explains. "The imagery of a delicate flower fighting against a cruel world." Then an idea pops into mind and she stands up. “Hang on,” she says and walks over to the door and catches Tobin’s eye. Tobin speaks with her for second and nods and smiles. Christen disappears outside for a moment and returns with two yellow flowers. She strides over the Tobin and says something as she delicately places the flower in her hair and then Tobin does the same for her. They kiss softly and grin. Sheryl gives Christen a hug and they laugh and Christen joins the girls in the control room. Before she sits, she turns up the volume a little on the control board. “This song kind of explains it,” she states, “and it’s better when you play it loud,”
Tobin picks up her acoustic guitar and looks at her audience separated from her by the glass. “Why don’t you guys come on in here for this one,” she suggests, “don’t be shy,”
“You’ll probably recognize this song,” Tobin says when enter the playing space, “so feel free to sing along with us,” she nods towards a wicker basket, “pick up an instrument and play,” she wiggles her head and makes a face, “just get groovy with us, man,” she jokes.
“One, two, three,” Pinoe counts off and they start to play. Sheryl is sitting on a stool, a grin on her face as she jams with Tobin with her acoustic guitar, swaying as she plays.
Christen grabs a tambourine and stands in front of Tobin and dances with her eyes closed, just feeling the music. Sasha hands out tambourines to her friends and dances over by Pinoe and sings with her, she knows this song by heart. Ali grabs a tambourine and stands by Ash behind the drums. The soccer players are not shy and they feel it’s safe to let loose here since they know the Heath’s pretty well and start dancing and singing along.
“If you're going to San Francisco
Be sure to wear some flowers in your hair
If you're going to San Francisco
You're gonna meet some gentle people there
For those who come to San Francisco
Summertime will be a love-in there
In the streets of San Francisco
Gentle people with flowers in their hair
All across the nation
Such a strange vibration
People in motion
There's a whole generation
With a new explanation
People in motion
People in motion
For those who come to San Francisco
Be sure to wear some flowers in your hair
If you come to San Francisco
Summertime will be a love-in there
If you come to San Francisco
Summertime will be a love-in there”
When the songs ends they let out a cheer and Carla looks thoughtful as they put their instruments back in the basket. “I get it,” she says quietly, “you were fighting for something big,” she nods and turns to Mia and Julie, “kinda like how we talk about getting equal pay same as the men,”
The two young women nod as they consider what their captain has just said. “Well, if we win the World Cup, maybe they’ll start listening,” Kristine Lilly proposes.
“You might not get it fast,” Christen cautions, glancing down at her wedding ring, “civil unions just became legal in this state only this year,” she says, “and that’s because we fought for it for years. Racism is still alive in this country. But you might just be the ones to get the conversation started and help push the future teams to get it,”
Tobin sets her guitar in the stand and puts her arm around her wife, “Just think of that song when the fight is gets hard and think of us old hippies who thought we could save the world,” she chuckles, “We’ve made some progress, but there’s more left to do,”
Sheryl looks around at them and frowns, “I hate to leave,” she says, “but we can do one more before I go?”
Tobin shrugs, “Yeah, sure, whatcha wanna play?”
Sheryl gives her a knowing smile, “California Dreamin’,”
Sasha comes up next to Tobin, “Ma,” she says, “Mom told us about when you guys first met,”
Tobin arches an eyebrow at Christen and then smirks, “Did she tell you about the part when we got super high and had amazing hot sex on a blanket in the field during a rainstorm?”
“Aaah!” Sasha claps her hands over her ears as Tobin laughs and the others laugh and picks up her guitar again. Then Sasha crosses her arms and scowls at her, “I want to know about my sperm donor,” she says firmly, but there’s a hint of a smirk and her eyes are dancing. This is a little game her and Tobin play often. They show their love with gentle teasing. She moves over to Christen and leans against her, forcing her Mom to put an arm around her and protect her.
Tobin laughs, “Well,” she says as she strums a few chords, “legally you’ll know in a few years,” she says, which is her standard answer. It’s true, there is a legal agreement between Tobin, Christen and the father of Sasha. “but I don’t know, I’m pretty sure it’ll blow your mind, man,” she teases.
“When I’m twenty-five?” Sasha asks, knowing the answer but playing along for her friends benefit to witness this crazy exchange.
Tobin bops her nose, “Yeah, man,” she says, her voice low and words exaggerated, “and that’s gonna be one trippy story,” she turns to Ashlyn, “let’s hit it,” she says and starts the song.
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