Big Day Out

Toby was in a predicament. He was at Big Day Out with a few mates. It was their third time. All the boys were pumped to see the Foo Fighters.

The problem was this time Alex, Toby's new girlfriend, had joined.

Toby had identified the potential discord a week before when he noticed that Alex, after a thorough analysis of the festival programme, had penciled in Jonsi playing at the same time as the Foo Fighters. He voiced no protest at that time.

She even laminated a 'final' copy and confirmed Jonsi for the 10:00-10:40 time slot in neat orange highlighter. It was set in stone.

As the days passed Toby grew increasingly anxious. As they went shopping so Alex could buy new sunglasses he stayed silent. And as she programmed her festival playlist for the car journey, Foo Fighters were conspicuously absent.

He did not raise the courage to break his silence until the day of the festival itself at approximately 2145 hrs, when the party of four momentarily stopped outside the porta-loos. From here, the road split to the green stage one way and the main stage the other.

"Sooo ... What's on now?" Toby said, feigning innocence and studying his programme.
"Jonsi babe" said Alex.
The two other boys were already walking with the masses towards the main stage.
"I'm kind of keen to see the Foo Fighters"
"I thought we both wanted to see Jonsi?"
"Would you mind if I, like, met you after?"
"What? you want me to go by myself?
The boys were disappearing from sight. "Well..."
"The Foo Fighters? Are you serious?"
"Or whatever, I'm easy"

Toby had to play this carefully. He knew the Foo Fighters were too mainstream, too masculine for Alex. He feared that even expressing his desire to see them might reveal an uncultured side to his personality that Alex might not find attractive, like when she caught him listening to Nova instead of Triple J.

As the couple continued to debate (which had taken Alex by much surprise) another group of four passed them. A skinny lad dressed in high fashion did a double take.

"Alex?"
"Reilly?"

The two hugged.

"Umm" Alex began, "Toby, this is my ex, Reilly."

"What's up man" Rielly said.

Toby offered his hand for a handshake but received from Rielly only an ironic fist bump.

"You guys coming to Jonsi?"

The invitation from Rielly was directed more at Alex but it was Toby who replied.

"Yeah. We're pumped to see Jonsi."

"Sick."