by Alexie Aaron
The new songs were received well, and I imagine that sales were good after the concert. I hoped that the concert was covered by the local press. I waited until the last of the stragglers left the audience before making my way to the stage. I found that I wasn’t the only one curious about the light tower. Harry stood there with the event manager. He introduced us, but I admit his name didn’t register because my focus was on the tower. I blinked twice, seeing that two segments of the tower were sawn through. The tri-poled tower was holding fine until the vibrations from the large amps started the separated segments to bounce away from each other.
“It could have killed someone. If my trigonometry is right, I think Meyer and Alex would have been hurt or worse,” Harry said, showing me the figures he put together beside a crudely made drawing.
“All I know is that I saw it bending and alerted Sidney. Thank God, your guys got there in time.”
“Thank God, you were out there watching,” the manager said.
“Do you have any cameras on the stage when it’s idle?” I asked.
“Not any that would pick up this tower. We have the security cameras trained on the expensive equipment on stage.”
“When was the last time the stage was inspected?”
“Right after Simon was electrocuted.”
“That means someone had to do this last night or today. I would think someone would have heard the sound of sawing through metal during the day. There were people in and out.”
“But not until this afternoon’s rehearsal,” he informed us.
“Harry, I think you need to talk to the people running the lights,” I suggested. “When was the last time anyone had been in the tower, etcetera?”
We did another cursory examination of the stage. The manager left, and Harry and I returned to the light site.
“You were like Spiderman climbing that wall, Harry. I didn’t breathe until you were back on the ground,” I admitted.
“We make a good team, Cin.”
“I think so, Harry. Um, I understand Alex is going to stay and party. What are your plans?”
“I don’t have a car. I came with Alex.”
“Here.” I handed him my keys.
“You’re giving me the keys to the BMW. Are you crazy? How will you get home?”
“Sidney, or I’ll get a cab,” I said, trying not to blush.
“I feel like I should give you the talk, Cin,” Harry said seriously.
“Don’t.”
“I was just kidding. Don’t break the guy’s heart. Tomorrow, we’ll sort all this out. Keep your phone on just in case,” he instructed.
“Sure. Don’t call unless it’s an emergency, please,” I pleaded.
Harry raised his right hand and repeated the Boy Scout promise, which I noticed didn’t say anything about interrupting me on my date.
“Have a good time, Cin,” he said before he left.
I contemplated going down into the air-conditioning, but the thought of that band lounge, full of drunk and high people, had me cooling my heels on the stage as Sidney packed up his equipment.
Alex came up to retrieve a few of his things. He asked me to help him carry some things to his car. As he loaded the equipment into the trunk, he talked nonstop about the concert. I didn’t tell him about the tower. I wanted him to enjoy the evening. Tomorrow was soon enough to nurse hangovers and take stock of the experience in full.
When I returned, I found Sidney on stage rolling cords. He was busy, so I hung back and studied my date. The chemo had lowered his body fat drastically, but he had maintained his muscles, probably from the movement of his equipment. His brown hair was spikey but thick. I didn’t have a read on his age, and I could have kicked myself for not checking out his birthdate when I had his license in my hand. I had the bad feeling that I was more than five years older than him.
I felt the tendrils of insecurity creep towards me. It was then that Sidney noticed me and the look on his face banished the Kraken of fear back to the depths.
“I’ll be through in about ten. I have to make an appearance downstairs. I hope you don’t mind. And then we can take off.”
I nodded. “Can I help?”
“No, thank you. I’m a bit persnickety about my stuff.”
“He’s a bastard,” one of the roadies commented.
“Don’t listen to Eddie; he’s jaded,” Sidney said and went back to work.
Eddie came over and handed me a laminated piece of paper. “This is the set list. I don’t know, but it could be worth something in a few years.”
“Thanks, I’ll save it for Alex.”
“Alex the bass player? How do you know him?”
“He’s my son.”
“No shit?”
I nodded enjoying the confusion. “I’m responsible.”
“He’s a good kid. Talented.”
“Thank you.”
“Eddie, Cin’s a fine musician herself, plays clarinets. I saw her play with Zgap.”
“No kidding. Zee’s a perfectionist.”
“Oh yes, I was just filling in. I was a wreck by the end of the concert,” I admitted. “I normally play in symphonic bands. That was quite an experience.”
“Hey, you’re a survivor, just like Stoneridge.”
“Guess so.”
Eddie smiled and got back to work. I wandered around the stage, staying out of the way of the crew clearing the equipment. At one point, Meyer came up and supervised the packing up of his drum set. He exchanged a few barbs with Sidney and the others before striding across the stage towards me.
“You’re Lathen’s mom.”
“Cin,” I said, holding out my hand.
He wiped his sweaty hand before shaking mine. “The kid’s got talent.”
“Thank you, so do you.”
“Any monkey can do what I do.”
“I think, then monkeys must be very talented percussionists.”
He shook his head at the compliment. “You know you can come downstairs? The liquor’s flowing.”
“I’ll be down. I’m waiting for Sidney.”
“Really? Cool. Well, I’ll see you later then,” he said and left the stage.
Sidney walked over. “I’ve a load of stuff to take to the van, and I want to wash some of the sweat off. Can I meet you downstairs?”
“Sure, I’ll be in the hall.”
He nodded.
I found the stairs, and when I opened the door, I was blown away by the cool air. I passed a women’s washroom, stopped, turned around, and walked back to check my makeup. I’m sure Sidney wasn’t the only one who needed to get rid of some sweat. I was happy to see I had the place to myself. I looked at the woman in the mirror and saw that I was glowing. I repaired my makeup where needed. I had a feeling, the vipers in the lounge would be looking for any flaw to pounce upon. I took time to use the facilities. As I washed my hands, I wished that I could have a drink in me before entering the band lounge. I hoped that I wouldn’t thwart Alex’s good time by being here, but I was Sidney’s date and would pretend Alex was just another band member.
I moved my hands through my curls, pulling down the ones that the humidity had shortened. I blushed, thinking about Sidney’s hands in my hair, his lips on mine. Oh god, what was I doing here?
The door opened and a woman breezed in. She glanced at me before going into a stall. I didn’t want to make chitchat in the john, so I left as soon as I heard the stall door’s lock click.
I turned the corner, and the party seemed to have spilled out into the hall. I smiled and walked around until I found an empty place to lean against the wall. It wasn’t long before Sidney joined me. He kissed me lightly before putting his arm around me.
“Shall we?”
“Sure.”
He guided me past the various groups. Someone handed him a few beers. I took a long pull of the icy brew and found it refreshing. We inched our way towards Elijah. People were introduced along the way. I caught about a third of the names. I no longer w
as Alex’s mom; I was Sidney’s girl. I liked that. I nodded to Harry who was chatting up a young woman wearing very expensive clothes. I suspected this might be Mandy Broadhurst. Harry was drinking water. Inwardly, I was overjoyed, considering he would be driving my car home.
“Cin, this is…”
My attention was forced back to Sidney and the polo-shirted man in front of me.
“He’s the band manager,” Sidney finished.
My inner librarian came up with the name that I didn’t hear.
“Nice to meet you, Mr. Richards.”
“Tom, call me Tom. I understand you’re the one that spotted the light tower problem. Thank God, you were here. I haven’t told the band yet.”
“That can wait. Let them enjoy their success,” I said.
“We’ll talk soon,” Tom said before moving off to talk to someone else.
“Sidney, the girl stealer,” Elijah greeted us. “I turn my back for five minutes and Stoneridge moves in.”
I couldn’t tell if Elijah was teasing or not. The rocker was fragrant with whiskey. He held on to the bottle of Jack Daniels that he had drunk a good quantity of.
“It was a fantastic concert. The crowd loved the new songs,” I said quickly.
“Do you think so? I need honesty here. Too many suck-ups.”
“From where I was sitting, the audience was enchanted, and by the second chorus of the second new song, they were singing along.”
“That’s good,” he said. “Thanks for coming.”
“No problem.”
“Stoneridge, you take care of her, or I’m going to break your scrawny neck,” Elijah said.
A young woman tapped Elijah on the back, and I sighed in relief as his attention was diverted from us.
“Let’s leave,” Sidney said, pulling me closer.
“Yes.”
It took a few minutes to extract ourselves from the throng, but when we hit the hall, Sidney grabbed my hand, and we ran down the hall and didn’t stop until we hit the exit doors.
He patted himself down. “Keys, check. Wallet, check. Hot redhead, check and double check.”
I laughed and reached up, drawing him in for a kiss. He wrapped his arms around me, and his hands slowly moved on my back while we kissed.
He pulled away and held my face a moment and said, “I want to finish this somewhere more private. Is that alright?”
“Yes.”
“Cool. Do you want to follow me?”
“No, I gave my keys to Harry.”
He looked surprised but pleased. He angled his head and asked, “This is real, isn’t it? Not just a concert hookup.”
The butterflies returned. I nodded.
He took a deep breath. “I’m so glad. Come on, before I lose my nerve.”
I followed him to his van. He opened the passenger door, leaned in and grabbed a bunch of papers, tossing them in the back before saying, “My chariot is at your disposal.”
I got in, and he shut the door. For the thirty seconds it took for him to get to the driver’s side, I examined my feelings. What the hell was I doing? I’m not an easy woman, but I wanted the night to continue. Sidney, I felt, was the right one to break me out of my post-divorce cocoon. He was the kind of adventure I wanted tonight. How I would feel in the morning was another matter. I pushed common sense into a cupboard in my mind and decided to let my emotions set sail tonight.
“I live a little ways from here,” he said, getting in. “It’s a small place, but it has an air-conditioned garage which is very important for my equipment.”
He backed out, and as we passed my car, he slowed down. “Last chance to bail.”
“I’m not going anywhere.”
“Thank God. Cin, you’ve turned me inside out. Is it just me or is there chemistry here?”
“It’s not just you.”
“This isn’t a mercy date, is it?” he asked, not looking at me.
“Not on my part. Is it on yours?” I asked.
“Oh god, no. Although, you may have been an item on my bucket list,” he admitted.
“Bucket list?”
“That’s a list of things you want to complete before you die. When I was diagnosed, Vicki thought I should make one. I started it as a lark, but as things got more and more serious, the list became a lifeline.”
I listened to his concerns and experiences with the different doctors and other medical professionals he had to deal with. “I had a girlfriend at the start of this, but she bailed when my hair fell out. My head’s too knobby to be attractive without hair.”
Before I knew it, he was pulling into the long drive of an isolated ranch house. He pulled around back and raised the doors of a three car garage. He pulled the van inside and looked over at me. “This is the heart of Stoneridge LTD. I normally empty and clean up the console after an outdoor concert.”
“Go ahead, I’m not going anywhere.”
“Good. I’ll only be a few minutes. Let me let you into the house, and you can check out my medicine cabinet and drawers while I’m working.”
I laughed. “Any particular drawers?”
“All of them,” he suggested. “There are some mixers in the fridge and liquor on the counter. Make yourself at home.”
He walked me over to the house, and after he disarmed the alarm, he flipped on a few lights, kissed me quickly and left.
I found myself in a small galley kitchen. True to his word, there was a counter full of booze. It looked like he must have bought them recently as none of the seals were broken. I looked in the refrigerator and found soda and mixers. There were a few limes rolling around in the vegetable bin. I took a lime and Coke and cracked some ice. I found a large glass in the cupboard and made myself one hell of a large drink of courage, Jack and Coke. Once the drink was made, I wandered out of the kitchen, turning on a few lights and illuminating the small, comfy living room. The furnishings were male. Comfort was the main attraction. There were a few pictures scattered around on end tables. I picked up a few frames and studied the family shots. I saw a younger, stouter version of Sidney standing with an arm around Vicki and another older woman, I suspected was his mother.
“That was taken before my mother died,” he said from behind me.
“So early?” I asked.
“Traffic accident. Damn snow bird ran over her Mazda with a two ton RV.”
“I’m sorry, Sidney.”
“I think the only consolation prize for possibly dying from this cancer is that I’ll see her sooner than expected.”
I didn’t know how to respond to that, so I kept quiet and moved to the bookshelf. Sidney turned on the stereo and put on a soft rock station. I saw a series of books that looked like yearbooks. I took in the dates and almost jumped for joy. Sidney Stoneridge graduated the same year I did. I turned around and smiled.
He was staring at me. “What are you smiling about?”
“It seems that we graduated the same year.”
“And that made you smile, why?” he interrogated.
“I suspected you were younger than me.”
“Would that have bothered you?”
“A bit.”
“Why?”
“Vanity and… vanity.”
He laughed and walked over, picked up my drink and put it on the table. Next he drew me in for a kiss. “Come here, you vain vixen,” he said huskily.
The kiss lasted through the first song and halfway through the next. By the time we parted, my knees were weak. The song playing was perfect for a slow dance, and he guided me around the room. I fought the urge to lead. When the song finished and while the DJs ran their commercials, Sidney left me and returned with a drink he fixed for himself and some snacks. He sat next to me. I took a long drink from my glass.
“Do you mind if I take my shoes off?” I asked. “They’re killing me.”
“Let me,” he said.
I lifted a foot, and he slid the sandal off and started to massage my instep. That felt so good. I think I moaned. He
looked over at me and grabbed the other foot. After the footwear had been discarded, he massaged that foot and then began working his way up my legs. I didn’t object when he eased my tights off my legs.
He sat up and pulled me to him. The music played on, but I no longer heard it, my heart was beating so hard. I remember us leaving the living room and the softness of the bed. But, driven by years of built up lust and the chemistry between us, all I cared about was returning the pleasure I was receiving.
Chapter Six
In the morning light, underneath the shower spray, Sidney asked about the scars. I told him there were long, painful stories attached to them, and I promised to tell him later. I ran my hands over his body and laughed as he giggled.
“I’m very ticklish,” he said as we toweled off.
I was amazed how relaxed I was. Here I was in, basically, a stranger’s bathroom, naked, trying to untangle my curls. Sidney left and returned with a t-shirt and a pair of cut-off sweatpants and handed them to me. I was amazed that I could pull on the shorts. The tee was big on me. I suspected these came from the pre-chemo drawer of clothes. I was thankful I didn’t have to try to fit into the size Sidney was now.
I walked out into the kitchen to the smell of bacon.
“Bacon, I love bacon.”
“Oh, that’s for me. You get yogurt.” He watched my face fall and started to laugh. “Oh, darlin’, I was just kidding.”
“Very funny. Bacon is no joking matter,” I said. “Can I help?”
“Toast needs buttering.” He nodded in the direction of the counter.
I started humming “Redheaded Stepchild.” He looked over at me and winked.
The coffee machine finished, and I navigated through his cupboards and found two mugs. I remembered from the outdoor café that he put milk and sugar in his coffee. I opened the refrigerator and grabbed the milk. After I had fixed his coffee, I set it next to the stove and returned to my toast project.
He kept stealing glances at me. I understood. It was a little awkward being in someone else’s kitchen, let alone a man I just met two days ago. He must be feeling the same thing. “If we keep smiling at each other, our cheeks are going to hurt.”
