Another entry in the “Meet...” series, this one is about a calico-colored goat named Davie. Hope you guys like it!
—————————————————————Getting off the train in Richmond was a breath of fresh air for Davie. Gone was New York City and it’s scary school system, with bullies in every hallway and traffic and pollution since he lived in a poorer neighborhood in Brooklyn. But his mother found a good job as a professor at VCU and his father began working as a session drummer and found work in a Richmond recording studio. Walking down the steps of Main Street Station, Davie, his two older brothers Chris and Barry, his little sister Annabelle, and his parents Marty and Donna, piled into a minivan taxi to take them around Richmond, visiting the museums of art and science, shopping in Carytown, and seeing a few of the beautiful parks and tourist attractions the city had to offer. The taxi then took them the rest of the way to their new home in Pleasant River, in the heartlands of Virginia.

They passed rolling hills that grew taller and taller, passing farms and smaller towns and cities as they drove next to the James River and eventually, the smaller river called Pleasant River. By the time they got to their new house and settled some mattresses and furniture they grabbed from their hauling van that had come early, it was already late afternoon, so they decided to get Chinese-Cuban fusion food near Rivers-Mouth Street. However, Davie, the more wide member of the family, wanted to get some good, fattier food at the diner he saw as they drove through town. In New York, his family was always trusting in the goat, almost always allowing him to walk to his friends' houses alone since he was twelve. After the streets got meaner and more people began drinking, smoking, and fighting in shady alleys near their home, his parents clamped down on the freedom of going out alone at night. Now, in such a kind and peaceful village, his parents saw little worry about sending him to the diner. “Just be back at 8:00 sharp, or you’ll find yourself in trouble!” warned his father, but his mother looked back at the goat and winked, mouthing, “I’ll give you until 9:30.” Davie smiled and walked to the nearby restaurant as his parents and siblings made their way to La Luzhou.

As he walked down the street, he looked over to see an elderly ram fussing at a Rottweiler and a bear, both of whom flipped the finger at the ram. “Well, every place has to have its bad apples..” Davie thought as he crossed the street and made his way into the diner. When he pushed open the door, he looked in awe as a wolf danced on the tabletop, singing rockabilly while an otter sang backup vocals and a mouse who stood atop the wolf’s head strummed an air guitar. “WELL C'MON BABY, GET THE SODA POP!!! AND WE GOTTA KEEP IT COMING, DON'T LET IT STOP!!! NOT EVEN WHEN THE MUSIC DROPS, WOOO!!!” Everybody in the diner, instead of jeering and laughing, joined in for the final verse,”CMON BABY, GET THE SODA POP!!!” Everybody began cheering and patting the trio on the backs, petting them on the heads and raising their shakes and sodas into the air. A group of teens in the back jumped up, slapping people in the back of their heads and spilling some drinks as they pushed past the trio and sulked to the door. “Move it, can-eater!!!” a squirrel yelled at Davie as the group stormed out of the restaurant. Davie walked down and approached the three friends to compliment them on the performance. Suddenly, the goat slammed into a wall of fur and looked up to see a monstrous wolf standing above.

The goat began to get up and opened his mouth to apologize, when the otter said “Hey kid! Don’t worry about him, he’s a big pushover, aren’t you Alexi?” “Ahhh shut it, Galley! Take a dip in the lake, why don’t you?” said the wolf while smiling at the otter. “Oh, I already took a dip thank you, you know, Stephanie is a great swimmer!” The mouse burst into laughter and the wolf stifled a laugh. The wolf rolled his eyes and grinned as he jokingly snarled “Alright, losers, shut up and finish your food already…it’s bad enough I have to feed you guys in the first place, I don’t wanna mess with any of you joking about my girl!” The giant timber wolf looked down and said “Sorry about that! Guess I didn’t see where I was going! Name’s Alexi, nice to meet you!” The goat smiled and took the wolf’s hand. As he looked over to the three friends and Alexi,he said “My name is Davie. I moved from NYC.” “The mouse squeaked, “Nice to meet you! I’m Ricky!” The otter said, “Name’s Galley, I moved from a fishing town near San Diego a few months back.” “And I’m Matt, it’s nice to meet you Davie!” said the white wolf.

The goat awkwardly shuffled and asked, “So, I saw you guys sing, you in a band or something?” “Yeah, we call ourselves The Raiders.” said Galley, “We play Alternative and Classic Rock. I’m the bassist of the group, Matt and Ricky are the guitarists, they change lead and rhythm roles depending on the song, and we all sing for the band. We got a drummer but he isn’t the best. Doesn’t put on much of a show either, just plays and goes home. I've wanted to change him since last week, but there’s no one to change him out with! Well, there’s no other drummer who likes us.” Davie thought for a second, before asking, “What about me?” Matt looked over and asked, “You play? What are your genres?” Davie said, “I play a little hard rock and some metal.” “Er, I don't know about this Matt. It’s not really our style…” stated the mouse.

Matt looked at the goat, and said, “We’ve got a show coming up in two weeks and I don’t think we can afford to have a bit of a plain drummer, but we don’t have much practice time, so we’re gonna give you one shot! I’ve got the perfect song that I think is up your alley, you know the song ‘A Little Lust’?” Davie exclaimed, “Are you kidding me? First real heavy hitter I played, known the song since I began playing gigs!” Matt smiled and said, “Awesome! Come over to my place on Saturday, we’ll see what you’ve got! But before that, let’s grab some dessert! Alexi, wanna come?” Alexi immediately said, “Let's go already! Dana!!! Close up for me, will ya?”