Drummer Boys - The Update By Kevin Carson
Hi, I'm Kevin and, as promised, here's an update on everyone in Drummer Boys that you've been reading about... all the people in my life, as far as the story goes. I thought you might like to know where everyone is, what they're doing now and whatnot.
Drummer Boys is a story about my relationships with my family and friends, and with my boyfriend. But he's much more than that. It's based on true experiences but some of the names and places have been changed for privacy. Hey, if this is illegal where you're at or if you're too young to be reading this, then you better not. Getting in trouble isn't cool... believe me, I know... based on true experiences!
All rights reserved. No reproductions permitted without prior permission from me, Kevin. I'm the only one. Copyright 2010.
Thanks to everyone who has written to me about this story. I really appreciate your comments, feedback and questions. My email is: kc.drummerboy@yahoo.com.
My Dad is very much involved in my life, as well as my brother's. Keith and I know we have the best Dad in the world. He still sees Ms. Kirsch, but they never really got seriously involved. It's just a good time.
Keith lived in Ostfriesland, Germany, for a year after high school. He broke family tradition and attended SUNY-Stony Brook instead of Fordham, and is in the landscaping business. He dated Lisa Graham for the longest time, but they eventually split. They're still good friends.
My Dad's parents still live in the same house. I painted their kitchen again. Now it's blue! Grandpa is semi-retired and works 2 days a week at his law firm. My grandmother knits and gossips and still drinks bad coffee. We have dinner with them almost every Sunday. Mom's parents moved into a condo about a year ago, and it's weird to see another family living in their house now. Unfortunately, my grandparents are no longer next-door neighbors, but they'll always be friends.
My Uncle Tom (Dad's brother) lives in Chicago with his family and they visit us often. His oldest son, my cousin Dan, and I used to be friends until I fucked that up recently. My father stayed out of it. My Aunt Laura (Dad's younger sister) is still trying to get her act together, with Dad's help. I stay out of it.
Ellen and Marty Graham (Mark's parents) are fine. His dad is a nice man, but sorta wimpy still. He works for a major record company and travels to the west coast often. Mrs. Graham and I seem to get along much better. But that's because I'm the one who changed. She didn't. They just got a new Jeep, and Mark and I need to break it in!
Lisa Graham also goes to Stony Brook and wants to be a teacher. She'll be a great one because she's very smart and seems to have a way with little kids. I always thought she and my brother would get married someday. Even though they're not dating now, I haven't given up hope :).
Nora Eckert is without a doubt my best friend, for a girl. She doesn't have a serious boyfriend. I guess when she does try to get close to a guy and attempts to explain our relationship, they don't understand. She and I hang out sometimes, because I can't give her up. She saved my life, remember? If I ever have a kid, I'd want it to be with her.
Nora's parents are cool. Her little brother Dylan isn't so little anymore. He's a teenager now. Haha I wonder if Mrs. Graham ever gave Mrs. Eckert the advice about what boys do...?
Townsend's parents sold their big house here on Long Island and moved to North Carolina permanently. Mr. Miller has an apartment since his company is here, but Mrs. Miller hardly ever comes back. I think she took Townsend's death harder that anyone realized. (Can you say "guilt"?)
I really don't like cemeteries, but I go visit Townsend's grave every year on August 6th, his birthday. And I think about him every single day.
Emily DeMarco continued to lose weight, improve her looks, and be nice. We're actually friends on Facebook. Her parents divorced and she and her mom moved to Canarsie, a neighborhood in Brooklyn. I haven't seen her lately, but I do consider her a friend. Strange, isn't it?
Amy Frey turned out to be such a slut!! She's hot, though! Maybe Mark turned her down. I don't know for sure hahaha.
Eric Wolf still plays drums and bass guitar. He's in a band and they play several gigs a month, mostly at a club over in Queens. They've played a few times this summer in a bar in Ocean Beach, near his uncle's place on Fire Island.
The Kramer twins are excellent! We're in touch all the time. Scott is more of a leader than ever, and goes to Penn State in State College, Pennsylvania. He's majoring in engineering and still plays guitar.
Matt Kramer has really come out of his shell. He was the second person to win the Townsend Miller Memorial Scholarship and is a music major at UT-Austin. No surprises with him... his roommate is Nick Stewart! Yay!!!!
And as far as Nick goes... yeah, now the cat's out of the bag! He is also a student at UT-Austin and is studying to be a special education teacher for hearing impaired students. He and Matt Kramer are more than roomies! They're both out and cool about it. By the way, I think it's worth mentioning that Nick and Matt kept up the communication, even though it was a challenge, and they were able to have a strong long-distance relationship for a few years until Matt could move down to Texas for college. If I had just paid more attention to them and how they did it. It's a lesson well-learned.
Allie Stewart and I keep in touch often as well. She's really busy though. She's at Fordham Law, just like Dad and Grandpa recommended. She and Jon are still together. He actually stopped going to law school for a while. I don't know the real reason.
Ms. Kirsch, as you know, is still good friends with Dad. She's focused on her career, though. She replaced that old fucker Mr. Hartman as vice-principal at the high school.
Speaking of Mr. Hartman (that old fucker)... the official story is that he "retired." The truth is he was asked to step down.
Mr. Walters, our band director, is now the head of the Performing Arts department at the high school. Mr. Sanger became the band director.
Our basement rock band, "The Bluebirds"... well, we were asked to play a few more backyard parties, but once school started we didn't really have the time to practice. We had fun doing it though, for a while. But when something fun gets to be a chore, then it's not fun anymore.
We did sorta live on as the pit rock band for our high school's production of "Rent" during my junior year. (Mark and the others were seniors). It was Matt and Scott on guitars, Eric on bass, me on drums and two other guys playing keyboards. Mark got the part of Roger, the struggling songwriter, if you're familiar with "Rent."
Sgt. Dave is still active in Civil War camps and re-enactments. He and I talk once in a while, too, mostly over chat when I see he's online. I told him about a position open at our high school for a history teacher. He applied and is waiting to hear back about the interviewing process. But he was told to start filing for his New York state teaching licensure. I think that means they're really interested in him!
Mr. Lamson is doing fine. I think he's lonely, though. It creeped me out when he always called Mrs. Lamson "mother." She is in a rehab center way out in Suffolk County getting the help she needs. I really did feel bad about that whole situation, with the car accident and the alcohol bullshit, but it wasn't good. Marcie and her husband moved away and she visits her parents occasionally. At least that's what I hear. I really don't know since I don't do their lawn anymore.
Arlo Levinson, the old guy at Walgreens, had a stroke about a year ago. He's partially paralyzed and is at an assisted living place in Brooklyn. It smells like pee. I try to be a good young friend and visit him once a month. The last time I was there, though, I don't think he knew who I was.
Mark's grandparents still have the cabin in the Catskills. Believe me, we had many good times there in summer and winter. Mark and I were always offering to "fix it up"! Grandpa Graham had another heart attack, but is really doing a lot better. He eats a lot of chicken and fish now. And chief Grubek is as nosey as ever, I guess because it's boring as hell up there in the mountains unless there's a bad snowstorm!
And those two Nassau County cops who busted Mark and me that night behind the library... "Officer Flashlight" and "Officer Hard-ass"... they're still partners on the night beat. I've noticed them around town a few times, but believe me, I keep my distance. I was scared out of my wits that night, and to this day I cannot go near that library.
Starbucks is a different story though. I'm in there all the time. I have excellent memories of that place and what Mark and I did in the restroom there! (Yes, Mark... I'll have some extra cream in my misto!). And now there's another Starbucks, far, far away from Long Island that I have a fond memory of. Yes, it involves Mark, and it's all good, but it's not exactly the same kind of memory (wink wink)...
That Mets game that Mark and I took Allie and Nick to... that was the last time I was at Shea Stadium. As you probably know, they tore it down last year and built a new ballpark for the Mets, Citi Field, next to it. Grandpa and I are still a diehard Yankees fans, although I haven't been to the new Yankee Stadium yet either.
Some of our other friends are still around the area and some aren't. I talk to Andy Grimes, but I've completely lost touch with the red-haired kid Joey Savitch. He sorta changed after he decided that masturbation was an OK thing. Jen, the girl Eric Wolf dated, is still in town, but Brigette, the one who sorta liked Townsend, is away at school out of state.
Chris Barnes, the pizzaboy is doing great, too! I guess he still has that girlfriend Matt Kramer mentioned, but I think he's bi. Haha, isn't everyone?? He's at Hofstra University, not far from home.
Mark has gone Hollywood. As you might have guessed, he's at Cal-State Northridge in Los Angeles, California, right in the heart of the San Fernando Valley. He's majoring in music composition and performance and wants to work in the motion picture industry. I just got back from visiting him this summer. That was my adventure! We even made a music video together, to "Free Fallin'". I act sorta goofy in it. It was my idea to make it look like I was gliding down over Mulholland Drive. I almost fell and broke my leg! But the part where I'm wearing vampire teeth, moving west down Ventura Boulevard... that turned out OK. That was his idea.
And just in case you're wondering... we're figuring it out.
Until soon, -kevin.