Free Coda 02 -A to Z by Marie Sexton Page B

in.”
    We sit on the floor like always, in front of the coffee table. He looks over at me and asks casually, “You want to talk about it?” “No.” Definitely not.
    He just shrugs. He’s still smilin’ at me. “Okay.” He opens up the bag of carry out and starts handin’ me food. And just like that, we’re back to normal.
    Toward the end of the movie, he says, “Ang, come with me this weekend.”
    “No way. Not if—”
He interrupts me. “Tom’s not coming.”
That surprises me. Even more surprisin’ is that Zach don’t
    seem bothered by it. In fact he’s still smilin’. Don’t think he’s stopped since I walked in the door. It’s infectious.

    “Why not?” I ask, tryin’ real hard to sound casual and not excited, like I feel.
    “Does it matter?”
I’m curious, but other than that, no, it doesn’t really matter.
    Never would have thought I’d go for somethin’ like that festival. But ever since he asked me, I been thinkin’ ’bout it a lot. Truth is, I never really do anything. Never go anywhere. Never even taken a vacation ’cause I never had anywhere to go. Kinda like the idea of havin’ a few days to just hang out in the sun. Sounds liberatin’. And I’ll be with Zach. I always have fun with Zach.
    Still, I say, “Not really my scene, you know.”
“I know. But you’re coming anyway, right?”
    He really wants me with him. In the end, that’s what decides it for me. No way I could deny him anything at that moment. “Yeah, Zach,” I say, and his smile gets even bigger. “I’m comin’ anyway.”

Zach…
    I NEVER figured out what was wrong with Angelo, but in the end, I figured it wasn’t any of my business. If he wanted me to know, he would tell me. I was just glad that he had worked it out. He was back to his normal self by the next day, and by the time we left for Folk Fest on Friday, he was absolutely giddy.
    Lyons, Colorado was a beautiful little gem of a town nestled right down in the green roots of the Rocky Mountains. It’s sometimes called the double gateway to the Rockies. Originally its economy was based on sandstone quarries, but more recently, it has turned toward tourism.
    Planet Bluegrass is a natural amphitheater on the west end of town, sitting between the St. Vrain River and the mountains. There are two stages, and during the Rocky Mountain Folk Festival, there’s music playing on both from ten in the morning until ten at night. The festival also boasts beer brewed by one of Colorado’s top microbreweries and some of the best food I’ve ever tasted. The atmosphere is family friendly. Kids run in packs like they were meant to and build sandcastles by the river. They can also tube down the river and ride back to the festival on a shuttle bus.
    The campground was a riot of colors. Tents, campers, and popup shade shelters were staked out so close to one another that it was hard to find a path through them. To look at some of the campsites, you would have thought people were staying for a month, rather than just a weekend. They had hung flags and banners and wind kites, and some of them even had rugs. Song circles and drum circles and just plain drinking circles abounded in the campground until the wee hours of the morning.
    Angelo didn’t actually own any camping gear of any kind. I thought that was odd for somebody who lived in Colorado, but I didn’t say anything. He bought a bag but decided to share my tent. We finally found a place in the crowded campground and set up our camp.
    I didn’t know if it was the type of music or just festivals, but I swear there were almost as many lesbian couples as het couples. Gay couples were harder to find, but they were around too. The atmosphere was friendly and open. Angelo stared around for a long time in shock. I could see him, watching all those same-sex couples who were holding hands, kissing, not doing anything to hide. Eventually he looked over at me and said, “I never been anywhere except clubs that it felt