Insomniac Folklore Tour: Home

August 4th

We were supposed to have one final show yesterday in Springfield, but it fell through at the last minute, so by popular vote, we decided to head on home. Thus, the tour ended as it began: unbroken Illinois landscape on either side, muggy heat, a breeze tossing through the driver’s seat window, fluffy clouds in a chalk-blue sky. We listened to music, we ate at Subway, we weathered the traffic jams in comfortable silence. There was a beautiful symmetry to it.

First we stopped at my house and surprised my family with my early return. Tyler and I had a weigh-off to see who was heavier (fattest person is band leader, we have said all tour long) and I beat him by four pounds. We ate supper together and blurted out disconnected stories from tour to my family. But the sun was below the horizon, and it was time for Adrienne and Tyler and Amanda to head back to their family’s house, and me to stay at mine.

The feeling of loss and separation I felt when we said goodbye was ridiculous. “See you in three days,” I said, which is our next show. “That’s so far away!” Tyler yelled, and I couldn’t agree more. The four of us group-hugged in my driveway, and I held onto the three of them, unwilling to let go. I was extremely glad to be home with my family, but I also didn’t want the tour to end. I didn’t want to give up my travel companions to the grips of real-life friendships. You think you’d be sick of people when you’ve spent every waking hour with them for the past month. Not true in this case— I miss them already.

One last hug, one last wave. I watched the white van trundle down our driveway and out onto the street. Then I turned slowly, blinking my misty eyes, and turned inward to home, to family, and back to real life.

~Lisa Shafter