Artist Entry: From a Second Story Window vocalist Will Jackson's bachelor party adventure

The night started off in the day time. The sun beat down on us as if we were all afflicted with fiery crimson locks and happened to be a large group of step-children. Sweat poured from under arms causing visible cries of cotton shirts, "Help, I'm fucking drowning here mate!" they would have yelled had they been able -- and perhaps been British. I pulled mine off to save myself the hours of verbal abuse flying from my muddled pits and continued to load the car.

The trip was planned for Charlotte, NC, and the pals were pulling in well equipped with beers of various brands, liquors from across the continent and farther (the Absinthe will top things off nicely), and an assortment of other explicables that Hunter S. himself would fully give a nod of encouragement and an "hrmmm, good good boys!" Needless to say everyone was excited and ready to dive right into the debauchery that is the time honored tradition of Bachelor Partying.

Mine was a crew of rather rough and wiley young gents that I have acquired sinful friendships with since the days of my becoming a man, the meetings include my first endeavor into the sloshy and short, first time I did it club, all the way to my very first indulgences into the visual side of mind expansion, i.e., you should know what I'm talking about. These were some boys with whom I had shared life and limb with at any and all cost. Homeboys one might say, and one of ours was getting hitched.

Now, needless to say, plans had been set and motions had been qued to make this one hell of a weekend. The room was booked down in Charlotte at the Courtyard Marriot, Suite 202 on the M2 level of the north tower, this was an upper level with a lower numeral in description, something I went over with the nice young woman who booked us the room. We had been told that it was a room where were could conduct our bachelordom in peace and quiet, at least to the outside world. I, having already removed my shirt and cracked a beer, greeted my fellow goers of fun with a friendly wave and a few lofty tosses of beers in their immediate direction. They plucked their beers from mid air as the descended upon them with great ease and began, as did I, to toast the young man whose life was about to be joined to another in a mere matter of days.

"To Billy boy, may you enjoy fucking only one woman for the rest of your life!" said a friend by the name of Brandon, a muscular gent of whom we all also knew by the alias Hambone, who followed it up was some hardy har har's or which we all followed suit.

After the toast and the laughs and a few more beers we all blinked a bit and looked at one another. Small bags that could be easily carried on any size airplanes surrounded the two cars that had been chosen to carry this gang of misbegotten souls.

"Who's driving, and where is everyone riding?" A tall lanky fellow by the name of Colby hooted, his eyes swayed behind thick corrective lenses framed in soft gold.

"Toby's driving my car, and I'm drinking. Who's with us you bunch of dogs!" I yelled striding behind Colby and smacking him firmly on his hind end with one hand while pointing at my mates with the other.

I must admit, I was getting rather excited thinking of our lavish room and mini bar just sitting there high in the air, empty and waiting to be ravaged; like those young girls who stroll down Marion drive walking home from high school not quite ready to be taken, but wanting it all the same. I could envision it floating, take the rest of the building away, just our box of sin waiting to be taken over.

The route was simple, 77 South, straight. It is best to plan a trip like this around as man simple directions as possible, especially when people are drinking and otherwise. The cars faired well. A 2007 Toyota Prius, economical, sporty, roomy, and wild as hell with our own Billy the bachelor nestled deep in the back seat smoking away his nerves. He was nervous I tell you. He had no idea what was in store from his foolish friends, God only knows what his mind was cooking up in there; what kind of devilish acts were about to take place down here in the deep southern city of Charlotte, NC...