croydoncars

[dykedvonte]

I think acting like Jimmy’s struggles on Earth were like legal or related to being a criminal are so odd. Not in a bad way but just odd.

Like don’t get me wrong, I personally believe he’s had a run in with the law but I feel like it’d be minor, not even something that would get him a record. It could’ve, but it was dropped, not worth the time to pursue someone that down on their luck, probably not a dime to his name.

He’s a bad guy don’t get me wrong but it’s seems like his issues were with not being well-adjusted? In the whole sense, he’s snarky and unnecessary rude. He’s quick to anger and says things to pit people against each other. He likely doesn’t have many friends and we know he’s not financially well. I think tacking on bad traits diminishes the fact of what he did. Trying to fit him to that obviously evil arch type is a little bland to what he actually is. He’s normal enough to be a minor blip on the radar and that’s how he gets away with what he does.

Jimmy is ultimately scared of being in trouble. He gets into it but panics. He hates being confronted and he just doesn’t do things were he knows or perceives a bad outcome will happen to him.

[len-zefflin]

This one is for the lovely anon whose message I can’t seem to find for some reason (I swear it was there last time I checked) who requested Jimmy’s reaction to finding Robert and Bonzo are a thing. I hope you like it. It was really fun to write!

My inbox is still open to prompts, so if you’d like to send some more go ahead!

Jimmy isn't that drunk. Or at least that's what he would like to think.

He would also like to think the room he just broke into is his own because if he doesn't reach the bathroom in the next ten seconds he'll probably explode.

"Who the fuck's there?" Bonzo calls out from where he's tucked in in bed with some bird. So it isn't, in fact, his room, Jimmy thinks.

"One second. I gotta take a piss."

Jimmy's pretty sure Bonzo just called him some ugly names but he couldn't care less. Right now it's only the toilet and him and knowing his bladder won’t burst is the best damn feeling in the world.

When he emerges from the bathroom the drummer is still watching him from the same exact spot. The blanket around him is neatly tucked around what appears to be the body of a curly blonde, but her face is well hidden by it.

"Sorry mate. I really needed to use the loo. I could have sworn this was my room, though."

"Well it isn't, so get the fuck out now," Bonzo replies sharply.

"Don't be like that, mate. Surely that bird there isn't more important than your friend. Who is she? Do I know her? Have I fucked her?"

Bonzo lets out an exasperated groan.

"You're shitfaced, Page. Get out of my room before I make you leave."

If he wasn't intrigued before, Jimmy sure is now. John isn't the type to get attached to groupies and he definitely doesn't act this way towards them. There is probably more to it than meets the eye.

"She must be quite special, that girl," the guitarist says and before anyone can stop him, grabs the blanket and removes it from the bed with one swift move, exposing the bird underneath it.

Except there lies a bloke instead of a bird. And it isn't even some random fan. It's fucking Robert.

Robert Plant is, in all his naked glory, laying in Bonzo's bed and Jimmy isn't drunk enough to miss the fact that they clearly fucked.

"Well, look at this," he says. “Who would have thought it’s Robert? Bonzo, did you know Robert’s naked in your bed?”

It’s such an asshole-y thing to say, he knows, and does it just to see Robert go absolutely livid, as if the whole situation is draining all his life essence from his body. He remains quiet, looking anywhere but into Jimmy’s eyes.

It takes Bonzo no longer than a few seconds to get on his feet and walk towards where Jimmy is standing. His aura isn't exactly friendly and Jimmy finds himself matching each one of his steps with one step backwards on his part.

“You have three seconds to get the fuck out of my room, Page. Otherwise you won’t like what’s gonna happen.”

Jimmy is pretty sure John won’t actually hit him, or at least he’d like to think so. They have fought before, yes, but it never resulted in violence. This time, however, drunk as they are, he decides not to take any chances and leaves without any more fuss.

“Oh my god,” Robert lets out an exasperated sigh as the door finally closes. “I’m gonna die.”

“You being your usual dramatic self certainly won’t help,” Bonzo says dryly. He reaches for a cigarette and offers one to Robert too. The singer refuses, phased by how calm the other man seems to be.

He gathers enough courage to get out of bed and search for his clothes, previously scattered all over the floor in the heat of the moment.

“How can you be so calm? Jimmy just walked on us. He fucking knows.”

Bonzo genuinely laughs.

“Have you seen how drunk that son of a bitch was? I doubt he’ll remember anything by morning.”

“But what if he does? What if he tells someone? What if he...?”

“... fires us? In the midst of a tour? Where would he find another drummer as good as me? Besides, we’re tied by a contract. He likes to think he's the boss, but he can’t do shit.” 

Robert pouts because yeah, Bonzo might have a point but that doesn’t change the fact he is such an asshole sometimes and seems to take everything too lightly. This way of living has its charms indeed and is part of why he loves John so much, but now he would like nothing more than to punch him right in the face. And Jimmy too if he gets the chance.

“I’m gonna die,” Robert concludes, zipping his pants.

“Nobody is going to die, Percy. It’s not a big deal. I mean, what’s the difference between us fucking some birds or each other?”

“The gender. And the fact that the birds we usually fuck are not our band mates. Now excuse me, I’ll retire to my room so I can digest what the hell just happened and die.”

Bonzo is about to ask Robert to stay. The thing is, he’s not that good with words of reassurance that sound meaningful enough for his curly friend, so before he’s able to say anything the other man is already gone. He makes up his mind to pay him a visit later that night.

There isn't a prize for convincing Robert Plant to do something he doesn't want to do, but there should be, Bonzo thinks on their way to the restaurant, because fuck, did it take all the persuasion he’s got to get him to leave his room and join them for breakfast.

“Oh, hell no,” Robert says upon the sight of Jimmy being his usual chaotic self, eating vanilla ice cream for breakfast all by himself. “I’m not hungry anymore.”

Bonzo manages not to roll his eyes too hard and practically drags the man towards Jimmy’s table.

“Robert! Bonzo! Good morning, mates!” he says cheerfully.

“You’re awfully happy for how early it is,” John remarks.

“Nah, that’s just my coping mechanism. I haven’t slept for 38 hours and I’m still high as a kite.”

Robert manages to let out a tortured chuckle that somehow makes things even more awkward.

“I’m gonna take a piss. Don’t kill each other until I’m back.”

Robert tries to argue in vain. There is no way in hell he’ll remain alone with Jimmy. But at the same time, he can’t exactly go with Bonzo to the bathroom given the weird circumstance they’re in.

“I don’t need to know all the personal details, mate,” Jimmy jabs at him.

“Oh, but you do,” Bonzo teases before leaving their sight.

Robert keeps trying to find an excuse to leave for ever and never come back. Something bad is going to happen. He feels it.

“Are you okay, Robert? You seem really pale. I’d give you some of my ice cream but I don’t want to.”

It’s now or never, he thinks, not even paying attention to what Jimmy says to him.

“About last night...”

“Mm? Man, I was so drunk. There was this girl that just came to me and flashed her tits and then this guy...”

“So you remember?”

Jimmy raises his eyebrows, clearly not pleased with being interrupted. 

“About you and Bonzo? That’s what it’s all about? Is this why you’re acting like you’re a bird on her period? Who even cares?”

“I thought you would. Care, I mean.”

“You know what? I do. Because if Bonzo wasn't shagging you, then I sure would have.”

The blue of Robert’s eyes become even deeper when his pupils dilate and his mouth opens slightly. “What?”

“You’re not the first bloke to suck a dick, Plant. Get over yourself. Though I would never have suspected Bonzo likes ass that much...”

Robert’s shook is big enough that he gets startled by Bonzo dragging his chair across the floor so he can join them again.

“What did I miss?”

“Jimmy said he wants to shag me,” Robert says, and the fact that these words come out of his mouth seems unbelievable.

As usual, it’s hard to read Bonzo; half of his expression looks ready to murder Jimmy and the other half looks mildly amused. He settles for:

“I’m gonna spit in your ice cream, Page.”

Robert never felt more inadequate in his life, and he’s supposed to be the outgoing, carefree one of the lot.

[livelikebrent]

Stop 2: Part 1: Friday in Ocean City, MD

This is part one of two for my weekend down in Ocean City, Maryland. But this post will be my favorite one for quite some time. 

Amy and I high-tailed it out of Philadelphia and down to Ocean City, Maryland the Friday after Brent’s funeral. Brent’s parents bought a beach house a couple of houses down from his aunt and uncle’s spot. Brent loved Ocean City and had been spending summers there ever since he was young. What started out as family vacations with family friends, turned into Brent and his crew getting rowdy in their own rentals and hotel rooms to then crashing with his cousins at their house. Recently, Brent and his brother Ryan (I’m sure, their mother as well) had been dropping more than subtle hints…such as pulling up house listings to chat about and finally received Mr. Evans’ “blessing” more or less. It finally happened this past November and Brent told me, “I never thought I’d see the day.” I’m glad he did.

As we made our way down, I reached out to Brent’s cousins, Jared and Janelle, along with his brother to ensure dinner plans were as much of a priority to them as Amy and me. There are endless options for dinner or where to get fresh seafood as well. But I had a special request for my first trip without physically having Brent by my side. It was a place I’ve been wanting to go and in return, Brent had wanted to take me but we simply never got around to it. It is called Mother’s Cantina. It’s a small joint that I knew nothing about…but for some odd reason had been drawn to it.

Everyone agreed to go to Mother’s so we headed over for a late supper. As soon as we walked in, I was into the ambiance. It was small, filled with eclectic Tex-Mex decor…and some Washington Redskins paraphernalia hanging from the rafters. Yeah, apparently it’s a Redskins watch bar. The place was split with two sides: a bar side and a cafe side. Due to the wait, we ended up with a table in the cafe. I didn’t mind because honestly, I figure any restaurant with a wait is a positive sign. We get our table for 8. Our waiter approached, a gnarly skater that looked to be in his mid to late 30′s. I couldn’t help but notice and stare at his giant tattoo on his shin. It was the Oakland Raiders’ logo. Now, I’m not going to stop and say, “Whoa, that’s a sign because it’s Brent’s favorite football team.” But who is a Raiders fan in Ocean City, Maryland? I didn’t make mention of it but smirked and figured it was just a coincidence.  We had a filling dinner of beers, guac burritos and tacos to name a few and were kept busy by Brent’s beloved 3 year old niece, Finley. P.S. - Order the fish tacos and get them sauteed not fried! By the time we wrapped up, Brent’s brother and sister-in-law took Fin home for bed. The remainder of us decided to go sit at the bar for a drink or three and find a spot for a sticker.

The bar was packed. Brent’s cousin, Jared, disappeared. When he came back with a Natty Boh in hand, he said he tagged the bathroom. Solid tag but I wanted everyone to be able to see the sticker for this location. I asked Jared to show me where he placed his “#LiveLikeBrent” sticker and I snagged this photo of him.

By the time we got back to the bar, Jared’s sister had already asked the bartender if we could place a sticker along the mirror behind all of the bottles of liquor. I hadn’t noticed right away that there was already a collection of them there. He gave us the O.K. as long as we did it quickly before management came out. When looking at the mirror, your eyes are immediately drawn toward a “Rookie Driver” sticker so I slid back behind the bar and popped one right up there.

I slid back out from the bar, we got a round of drinks and hung out for a bit at a high top. It wasn’t long before I felt a tap on my shoulder. I turned around to find a blonde curly haired women that had been sitting at the bar now standing there. I looked at her probably with a puzzled look on my face and said, “Hi!…” Her response? “I’m sorry, are you from Wilkes-Barre?” I had no idea who this person was. I mean, I know Brent knew A LOT of people…but most of the time I can recognize faces at the very least. The question mark on my face turned instantly to a deer in the headlights look. I told the woman I was not from Wilkes-Barre, pointed to the group behind me and said, “But they are.” She looked at them, back at me and started to tell me, “I saw you behind the bar placing a sticker on the mirror. I didn’t pay you too much attention and figured it was for breast cancer awareness or something.” She paused, “Not that there’s anything wrong with supporting breast cancer!” We chuckled and she continued, “I’m just pretty sure my friend told me about Brent the other day.” I unfortunately did not capture her name, so for the sake of this post let’s call her “Monica.” I told Monica that I was Brent’s girlfriend, pointed to the group again and explained they were Brent’s cousins and friends from the Wilkes-Barre area. I mentioned he had passed (which she knew) the previous weekend and we were going around with these stickers in honor of him. Monica then continued to say she’s seen the hashtag on Facebook (Yes! How awesome!) and she was so sorry for our loss. It was crazy. We began chatting with her and she introduced us to her significant other. Monica went on to tell us she frequents Cafe 99 back home in Northeast Pennsylvania. This particular bar is actually one Brent would frequent as well for beer and boneless buffalo bites. He always joked that the bar tender there, Jimmy, could run for mayor and win with just being written in on the ballot. I’ve met Jimmy on several occasions at Cafe and I will say, he is one awesome guy. I couldn’t tell you what else was discussed with Monica after that point. I think I was still somewhat blown away for what had happened. But then Monica left the bar with her friend for the night as did we.

In addition to Mother’s Cantina I had one more request for that Friday night. I wanted to take a quick photo of a hotel I’ve always admired for it’s neon lights at night and cool pastels during the daytime, Flamingo Motel. Brent and I have driven past it dozens of times but didn’t have the opportunity to make a quick stop for a photo. So we walked a couple of blocks, got the shot and began walking back towards Mother’s and what was essentially the direction home. As we were walking and sharing some memories about Brent at the beach it was decided we would swing by another solid OCMD bar, Fish Tales.

Fish Tales is a spot on the Bahia Marina that overlooks the bay on 21st street on the island. We grabbed some drinks at the dock bar, Janelle bought a round of fireball, we honored Brent and hung out. It must’ve been close to 1 in the morning at this point. Janelle’s fiance, Kevin, and Jared were out on the dock chatting and most likely making friends. Our good friend, Amy, Janelle and I decided to find a seat and finish our drinks outside. The weather was perfect. It didn’t take too long for a couple of guys to approach us. I get it, three girls slugging back some orange crushes, sitting outside enjoying a summer night…we looked fun. We ARE fun. Anyways, enter: Harry and Corbin. These two took seats between us and gave us the old, “Hey Ladies, how’s your night going?” They looked about my age, late twenties. We entertained the fact that they wanted to chat with us. They introduced themselves and Amy asked where they were from. Corbin was telling me where he grew up and I vaguely remember him saying he went to Siena College. I can’t recall where in New York he said he grew up because I overheard Harry tell Amy, “I grew up in New York and went to West Virginia University.” I immediately looked at Amy, then to Janelle and over to Harry. Amy hadn’t inquired about where he attended college. I even asked her again the next day. It was hard to believe but Harry had no reason to make that up. I asked him to “prove it” and to sing us a little John Denver. Jared and Kevin came over to see what the fuss was all about and we had our little “Kumbaya” moment and sang “Country Roads.” The guys were nice. We told them all about Brent until the bar closed. We toyed with the idea of wandering around. But we had such a wonderful night with everything that had happened - we decided to end it and go home for a last call.

There is no doubt in my mind Brent came down to Ocean City with us for a night out on the town. I know people who have lost loved ones see signs and communicate in different forms with them. Whether all three of these signs were a coincidence, I’ll never know. But I have a feeling that “coincidence” is not the proper word to use this time around.

Photo Credit: Amy Kroll