The light beats a pattern on my retinas as my eye lids slowly slide open. The sun has only just begun its ascent, can’t be that late. My watch says 6.33 but I can’t remember the last time it said the right time. It’s probably more like five. I reach my hand out to the side, the ground is hard and cold, concrete probably. Right, so I’m outside and I’ve slept on concrete.

My hand reaches something smooth, colder then the concrete beneath me. A cylinder shape, No a bottle. I sit upright but the pain that explodes in my forehead forces me back down. I bring the bottle up in front of my eyes. Red wine, cheap; at least there’s still some left. Drinking while lying down is incredibly difficult but I’m pretty sure I’ve swallowed more than I’ve spilt.
I manage to lift my head off the floor. I’m on the band stand.

SHIT

I’m on a bandstand in a park I don’t recognise in a town I’ve never been to before last night.
 
                                              Fuckin rock and roll baby

There had been a girl. What was her name? Where was she?
I must have gone home with her. I must have gone back to hers.
So where the fuck was she now?

                                                                       I want a lover I don’t have to love
              Where are the kids with the chemicals?

There had been a lot of girls. They all wanted me. Of course they wanted me; I’m a fucking rock star now. My song was on the radio. I’m going to be the most famous drummer in the world.
No wonder that gig was so crazy.

I slide my legs over the edge of the band stand and manage to sit leaning against the railing. Take another swig from the bottle. More images rise slowly out of the mist behind my eyes.

I remember; I did leave with a girl but then what?
I search my pockets until I find it. I knew I’d been sat on her bed when I rolled it but we hadn’t got round to smoking it.

                                    Oh well; waste not want not

I light it and inhale deeply, smothering my coughs with more wine.
I can’t keep my head up, everything is spinning. I might close my eyes for a bit.

When I open them again my tongue is sticking to the roof of my mouth and my throat is really dry. I retch, but nothing comes up. I down the rest of the wine to loosen my throat.
And then there she is.

              Well I’ll be damned

It’s her, the girl from last night. I know it is. Walking towards me; across the grass like the ghost from Christmas past.
She’s wearing my t-shirt. My band t-shirt; I gave it her last night. The path she’s taking is bringing her straight past me. I can see her I-pod clutched in her hand and I can just hear the driving bass line of my song over the top of her breathy singing.
Hey

She looks up at me and smiles politely but there’s no recognition in her eyes. She has no idea who I am. She looks down and carries on walking.
   
    Fucking rock and roll baby.

I lay back down on the band stand and close my eyes.