No one was certain of just when exactly summer began. It just started in slowly, and was in full swing by the time that anybody stopped to notice...
There was certainly a declaration of the new season's beginning, but it was widely acknowledged that the transformation had begun well before that moment. Nevertheless, ceremony was essential to lift the people's spirits, and so it was set that summertime was officially open for business again.
Yeah, no doubt existed that it was fully summer by now, and amongst the circle of friends there was an understanding that it wasn't just any old summer... It was the summer. That summer.
The one that would be remembered for years to come, and would redefine their very concept of the season. And of themselves. This was their summer, no doubt about it. All that was left was for them to take full advantage of it. And there was no question that they knew just how to go about it. The network was already in place. Everybody knew everybody else, and all the everybody elses knew someone who was somebody. And of the somebodies, there were more than enough bartenders and wait staff represented to guarantee that no dry spells were to be forecast. It would be quite a story. And a story built by consensus. Community storytelling, as it were. Everybody contributing moments, only a story when added up. A story of many smaller stories.
(Art, and spoken word, and written, and sleep dep. Being young for a while, and loving every second. Yeh, looks like fun. It's a full social calendar, or an afternoon of remembering who you used to be. and maybe still are.)
Yes, 'twas the sort of summer that was legendary even as it was happening. Each day was mythical as soon as it was past, and sometimes even sooner. They recognized it, and embraced it. Real-time mythology is a rare thing, and must be seized when it occurs. Long afternoons. Lots of sunshine, sudden thunderstorms, everyone runs inside 'til it clears up. Some go back out to get joyously drenched, then reappeared dripping, puddles forming around them.
Legendary, all of it. Not fully formed yet, mind you... Great scenes, but still a work in progress. Nobody minded that in the slightest, though. You're not supposed to know the ending.
Always totally spontaneous. Unrehearsed. Done in one take, full speed ahead, no second chance to get it right. Just keep your head up, smile, muddle through. And if it kept changing from past to present tense, no matter. Everybody understood.
The passage of time suffered somewhat too. Evenings ran into one another, single evenings stretched into three or four. The same faces were there most nights, so when things happened stopped mattering after a while. An endless summer of lost weekends.
Still, there was some sense to it all. It was predicted how the story would progress. "In June, everything falls apart. In July, we pull it back together. In August, we celebrate. And mourn.
...Days as crazy as ever, evenings elongated until they became mornings. And the occasional quiet moment for reflection, and to ensure that everyone remembered just how insane it was the rest of the time. Roll call, see who's present. Make sure everybody was still here. Sometimes it's best to just step off from the party, grab a dim corner, and just sit and watch. If you smoked, you'd have a cigarette. Recall just how much a shot can burn as it goes down.
Then back into it. Acting out more stories to tell later on. Old friends returning. Sometimes people that nobody has seen for years, but sliding back into old routines just as easily as ever.
Yes, it was beautiful. But not always in the traditional sense, sometimes it took a shift in perspective to see it. But always worth the trouble. Anything for the sake of a good story the next day. Not that anybody could think of it in those terms, no one could set out to do specific things for the sake of plot advancement. Not consciously. Just did what seemed right, tried to have fun. Took it on faith that it'd happen. And it ended up that there was always something to discuss later.
Just a crazy rotating cast, playing roles they made for each other, even when they weren't sure what they were doing. Sometimes filling each other's roles, if somebody called in sick. Because they all knew moments like this don't come along often. Everyone knew this summer was to be a brilliant brief eternity. Everyone was ready.
This would be quite a story. And once they thought about it, they realized: Nobody would write their legends. Nobody would mythologize them. It was left for us to do it for ourselves.
All respect due to Max, Benjones©, Dsk3w, Noah, all Mallfellows past-present-future...