15. Meeting Matty Disco
Growing up, Cameron had always enjoyed going to work with his dad. Dan Ross had been employed as an administrator at the University of Britechester for two decades, working his way up to Vice Chancellor. The UBrite campus was a large playground for young Cam. He was part of a pack of “faculty brats” who enjoyed roaming the grounds, looking for fun. The Rosses allowed this pastime, as long as Cameron avoided getting in any real trouble.
Lauren and Scott Kilgore were among Cameron’s UBrite pals. Their mother was a professor there, and the Kilgores lived in the Gibbs Hill neighborhood, just off campus. Lauren, who was a year older than Cameron, had decided to work for a while before she started university, and she was supervising fitness routines at the Gibbs Hill Gym. That’s where Cameron found himself on a fine late Spring evening. He hadn’t visited Britechester in a while, and he wanted to work out, so why not?
If Cam had been planning on some easy exercise, a surprise was in store for him when Lauren began to direct his workout. She was an intense, demanding trainer, and she put Cameron through a lung-busting run on the treadmill.
“Dang, Lauren,” Cameron called to her between breaths. “You’re not messing around, are you?”
“Nope,” she replied. “You’ll thank me later.”
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Cam knew she was right. The vigorous workout did feel good, and he was just vain enough to want to look his best when he pulled on his lifeguard’s shorts and whistle and climbed onto his stand. He waited for the treadmill to slow down and stepped off. He pulled his shirt up to wipe the sweat off his face, and turned to his trainer.
“Thanks, Lauren.”
“That didn’t take long,” she replied with a smile.
Just then, Cameron and Lauren heard a strange sound coming from the other side of the gym. It took a moment for them to realize the sound was a rather poor rendition of “Funky Sim.” Cam looked at Lauren, his eyebrow arched, as if to say What the plum is that?
Lauren understood perfectly. “It’s Matty Disco.”
Before Cameron could ask his friend to explain further, the man himself had joined them.
Matty looked like he’d stepped out of the summer of 1975, complete with an impressive set of mutton-chop sideburns. His track jacket was unzipped most of the way, revealing his bare chest. He completed his ensemble with a pair of short purple gym shorts and a pair of rather incongruous 1990s neon kicks.
“Hey, sunshine,” he greeted Lauren. “And who are you, brother man?”
“Cameron Ross.”
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Cam reached out to shake Matty’s hand, but Matty offered both his palms, facing upward. “Matty. Matty Disco. Gimme some skin,” he invited.
Cameron paused before he gently slapped Matty’s palms and received some “skin” in return.
“What’s crackin’ here?” Matty inquired. Cameron, unsure of how to respond, looked at Lauren.
“I just finished mentoring Cameron,” she explained. “We’ve been friends forever.”
Matty nodded. “Super bad.”
“Are you a student, Matty?” Cameron asked him.
“I sure am. I study Drama at UBrite.”
Cameron nodded. That makes sense. He’s probably still in costume…
“What have you been up to, Matty? It’s been a while since you were here,” pointed out Lauren.
“Mostly chillin’ at my pad, when I’m not in class. And shaking my groove thing, of course.” Matty swung smoothly into a dance move, accompanied by a few rather tuneless bars of “Oogie Oogie Oogie.”
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“Staying out of trouble, then?” Lauren inquired.
“Ten-four, good buddy. The man ain’t got nothing on me.” Matty assured her. “You know my high is all-natural. Do you copy?”
Neither of the young people to whom Matty was speaking “copied” completely, but they nodded nonetheless.
Cam, Lauren, and Matty chatted for a while. Matty regaled them with a tale of a recent night out, when he “boogied down” with a “foxy mama” from Windenburg. His story also featured samples from “Shaka Do Thang” and Lemaitre’s “Day Two.”
“I hate to cut this short, but I gotta move on out,” Matty declared. “Lauren, you’re as foxy as ever. Cameron, my dude, it’s been real. Catch y’all on the flip side.”
Cameron couldn't help smiling. "See ya, Matty." He waved goodbye...
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And, just like that, Matty was gone.
Cameron turned to Lauren. “He said he’s a Drama student. Is he in character for a role, or…”
“Or. That’s how Matty is all the time.”
“Far out.”
“No, no, no. Don’t you start that, too!”
