The Cure

 

My first concert was The Cure.

Summer of 1996.  I was 16. Still a minor.

I was raised Non-Denominational Christian and therefore very sheltered. But oddly enough I was sent to a Christian Conference center to work with young adults running the facility all summer long. I was the youngest employee but there were folks from 18 up to 40 working as well. It was an education. To my surprise there was plenty of “flesh lusting” among the staff.  College students came from everywhere to work for the summer.  Love matches were made and promise rings were given to young women in a very dramatic Lloyd Christmas, “goodbye my lovoove!” sort of way when everyone went back to school.

We served as dining hall cooks, hospitality servers, and grounds maintenance. It was a very “Dirty Dancing” environment; facilitated lawn games, families, karaoke etc.  I served fro-yo in the Café adjacent to the Dining hall, I wore bell bottoms and had this great disco hits album I liked to play.  It was the Summer of male falsetto

Laura was 25 years old, and as the staff Chaperone.  All the girls were in her care.  She was very cool and laid back and I think she kind of liked me because I seldom received anything other than a laugh or an eyeroll for any of my mischief.

And I was Mischievous!

We girls all planned to go skinny dipping at the pool one night. But I ended up the only one in the water, The other girls just stood there naked next to the pool.  Which sort of struck me as funny at the time because I don't feel like the wet part of naked swimming is the frightening part.   Anyway, the guys must have caught wind of our shenanigans because sadly, just when I discovered the magic of a good  frog kick,  the underwater lights went on and laughter broke out from the woods at the top of the hill.   Getting caught while skinny-dipping sort of seemed like the whole point So I wasn't really surprised. But there was a whole lot of screaming and the lights went off after a few moments of thrill.

 After the pool incident and a motorcycle ride on the back of Kyles the Maintenance guys bike the week before, I was in trouble! And that Sunday the camp Pastor reminded the women about their responsibility to modesty so as not cause the men to sin.  I was reminded of my virtue by Beverly, an engaged girl from a bible college in Tennessee who wore turtle necks and had a thick southern accent.

 

 But Laura pulled me aside and during “our talk” she only laughed at me and told me I had a big butt my consequence was that was not to leave Laura's side for the rest of the Summer.  I was doomed! 

Or at least it seemed.  

But the next sunny Monday Laura told me to come into her dorm and listen to some music with her.  I’m not gonna lie, I’m easy. You put a song on; I’m generally down to vibe with whatever. Laura put on the album “Wild Mood Swings” by the Cure.  It had just come out that year and I really had no interest in them, and I don’t think Laura did either.  But this guy Steve, who worked in the dining hall did, and Laura liked Steve. Laura was bubbly, and Steve was a quiet guy with a nice smile. But Laura brought out this other side of him and it was sweet.

The problem was that Steve was 19 and Laura was 25 and the camp chaperone…I don’t think they weren’t supposed to date but when you're a Non Denominational Christian dating without the intention of seriously considering marriage was frowned upon!  Also, I imagine the age difference and the chaperone thing would have been a problem too.  A woman with a higher status than a man? An older woman? Without the consideration of a Covenant bond? Neva!   

By Thursday Laura and I had memorized most of the album and Laura told me we were “off to Sacramento”. (The armpit of California!) Laura had bought tickets to see The Cure and wanted to take Steve. She couldn’t leave me alone, so I went too. We drove four hours and landed in Laura's digs back at college where her busty and very vivacious roommate Summer greeted us with some cookies that she said I wasn’t old enough to have.

We all got ready. It was kind of funny because Laura and Summer were these very glee club types and Steve was very…if Aiden Quinn were a librarian, sort of guy.

So, we show up and since it’s not very full we file in the front row.  Now, I had never seen what The Cure looked like. (Remember I had just heard of them a week ago.) Up close, and with the make-up it was really something’ else! They seemed old at the time.  There was a  “Sidecar” guitarist to Robert Smith.  Really milking the whole, hey ladies I'm I'm in a band thing and parked it really close to  Summer while he played.

They started with their old stuff, which I didn’t know. Steve seemed happy singing along and so was Laura. Summers eyes kept locking with Sidecar with a sort of telepathic quality.

After every song Robert Smith would say, “The Cure.”  I contemplated this for a while and sort of couldn’t decide if it was weird or extremely cool.  It was almost as if he was TM-ing the moment after every song.  It teetered so far to the side of weird that it spilled over into cool, at least I thought so UNTIL I realized that he was not actually saying The Cure.

 The smoldering stare-down between Summer and Sidecar ended when Summer most likely  received Sidecars mind message and suddenly lifted her shirt for a full-frontal flash.  Caught up in the excitement, I followed suit.  I looked around to see if Laura was going to give me the stink stink eye, but she was too busy with her tongue in Steve's mouth and her hand on his ass to care.  Summer and I let out a squeal and and gave one last jangle. I shit you not, it was the only time that whole evening that there was a single smile on that stage. 

As for Robert Smith, He politely responded “thank you” to Summer  and it was then I realized that “thank you” was what he was saying all along and because of his accent it sounded like, The Cure. 

That night, I slept in the living room alone and didn’t think twice about it. I thought it was really cute how happy Steve and Laura made each other feel.

When we returned to camp, we discovered that Beverly had pre marital sex with Chad (the guys Chaperone) in the men's cabin area.  Chad admitted that it was a moment of carnal weakness and that he wanted to come clean (but resented Bev for spilling the beans).  Beverly emphasized the importance of having other females on site for the sake of accountability and ultimately Laura received the fall out.

"Where were you anyway Laura!?" Asked Beverly in from of the camp director, Laura told everyone she went to make payment on her student loans and be with family, she said that as a minor she was looking out for my safety and she brought Steve because two women traveling alone was dangerous. I concluded that this was not entirely a lie and besides that, their secret was safe with me.  

I reflect on this sometimes and laugh, wondering whither Steve and Laura stayed in touch and if Bev ever married her fiancé. I'll never know.  But I see now that sometimes the things we think are the remedy are really the sickness and vice versa. God Bless!

https://open.spotify.com/track/53pV2CrAU8x6eZ7SaPLRaf?si=8d0b10185f4042b8