by Amber Nation
“Maggie?? Maggie Walker??” We heard being muttered a bit slurred from a male voice behind us, followed by a, “Sir I need you to come back and sit down,” from another.
Maggie tensed and sighed as she let her arms drop and she stepped back away from my embrace. Turning towards the voices, her face immediately turned red and morphed into a look of disgust and hatred as she recognized the man.
The man stumbled towards us, a sly grin appearing on his face, as the other Paramedic was quickly coming up behind him. “Well I’ll be damned. It is you. Little Maggot, I mean Maggie Walker.”
“Excuse me?! What the fuck did you just say?” I roared, immediately taking a defensive stance, my blood beginning to boil. No one fucking talked to Maggie that way!
I felt as if I were a volcano getting ready to erupt, the molten hot lava which was my anger running rampant.
Maggie placed a gentle hand on my arm, urging me to calm down. But there was absolutely no way I was going to stand down towards this fucking dick, it didn’t matter who the hell he was.
Standing now right beside me, Maggie crossed her arms over her chest, and spoke in a tone so full of distaste, that I had never heard come from her before, “What do you want, Rick?”
Staggering his way towards us a little more, I made sure that my body was angled towards hers, offering my protection if needed. I didn’t like his actions and I didn’t appreciate his words.
“Oh you know, I was just passing through this here little Podunk town, and had myself a little fender bender-“
“You are the driver of the pickup truck?” Maggie interrupted and pointed towards Sheridan’s mangled car, “That is a little more than a flipping fender bender! Are you drunk, Rick? Seriously it isn’t even noon yet!” she forced out.
“Little Maggie Walker, I don’t ever think I’ve heard you speak so many words.” He looked her up and down, taking in her appearance. “You’re still wearing those glasses I see, but at least your clothes fit and are clean.” He looked at me while pointing at Maggie. My temper was flaring to an all-time high. “You see Maggie and I went to high school together. Me being captain of the football team and her being a complete and utter NOBODY!” He spat out in her direction, “Her clothes were three sizes too small. Everybody made fun of her! She was a social freak!”
Maggie started shrinking away from me, until I put my arm around her and grasped her shoulder. She wasn’t going to stand down from him, not from anybody, not anymore.
“It isn’t her fault that she grew up in less than ideal circumstances, but now at least she can say that she’s made something of herself, which is more than I can say about you.” I pointed towards his protruding beer gut, and rumpled clothing. He was drunk, which from the state of his appearance, and his nonchalance about it, happened pretty frequently.
Deputy Ethan Bradley came up behind Rick the dick and clasped both hands behind his back, putting a pair handcuffs on his wrists. “Sir you need to come with me, we are going to have to test you to see if you are indeed publicly intoxicated, if so there will be a matter of charges to attend to.” Ethan said, while dragging Rick off in the opposite direction.
I looked at Maggie, whose eyes were trained to the ground, she wasn’t here with me in the present. Rick’s words sucked her right back into high school, back into memories that were best forgotten.
“Maggie baby, come back to me.” I said, as I stroked her cheek and lifted her face underneath her chin. Once her eyes were locked on mine I continued, “Baby, don’t even bother to listen to him. Look where you are now. You are successful, you have your own place and your own things, and if I must say, you have a pretty sexy boyfriend too.” That made her giggle, which was the exact reaction I was looking for.
Rolling her eyes, she said, “I want to go check on Sheridan before we leave.” She walked over to where Mikey was getting ready to close up the back to the ambulance. “Hey Mike, hold on a sec. I want to say bye to Sheridan.”
Maggie climbed up into the back of the ambulance, and sat down beside her and grabbed onto her hand.
I looked to Mikey who was closely watching Maggie and Sheridan’s interaction. “Mags did good today, huh?” he asked still looking at the girls.
“Maggie did amazing. She is just…” I put my hands in my pockets and rocked back on my heels, “she’s it man… Do you know that feeling? I know we don’t talk or hang out much outside of the band and that should really be remedied, but do you know that feeling, where if you couldn’t be near her you would suffocate? That she’s the air you need in order to breathe? I’ve had my share of women, but no one, not one single solitary one could ever hold a candle to her.”
He sighed and longingly looked at Sheridan, “I think I can understand where you are coming from.” I knew he was finished with the conversation when he said, “Hey Mags, I gotta get to the hospital.”
Maggie hopped down from the bumper and Mikey closed up the back doors, and drove off in the direction of the hospital.
Grady and I were gearing up for what should be a big night for Emmy Lou’s. Since it had been several months since The Nation’s Capital had performed, we were expecting a huge turnout, which meant getting everything organized and in order for a smooth sailing night.
I was hoping that this could all be kept as a surprise for Maggie. The only people she talked to on a regular basis were in on the secret, so I should be safe.
After the events unfolded this morning, the last thing I wanted to do was leave her by herself at her apartment, but she assured me that she was fine.
It was so different caring about someone else’s well-being above your own. Definitely a good different though. I would do anything for Maggie. I would lay my life on the line. I would move heaven and earth for her, I know that sounded cliché but it was one hundred percent true. I never thought I’d fall so deeply in love with someone in such a short amount of time.
My nerves were beginning to get the better of me. Not just because it had been quite some time since I had performed in front of a crowd, no that was the easy part. It was performing in front of Maggie. Her opinion of me mattered. I wanted her to be proud of me. I wanted to see the reflection of love in her eyes that she could possibly feel for me. Maybe that was why I couldn’t tell her about my job yet, I didn’t want to see betrayal or disappointment shining back at me. The longer you wait, the worse it’ll be, asshole.
The bar was beginning to fill up as I helped Tessa and Grady prepare drinks behind the counter. It was close to six forty-five, so Maggie should be arriving soon. I needed to get myself set up on the stage.
“Hey guys?” I yelled over towards Grady and Tessa, receiving their attention, I continued, “When Maggie shows up, get her situated on a barstool and just tell her I’ll be a few minutes.” I awaited their affirmation, which was in the form of a nod, and made my way through the door down the hall that led to the stage.
I was the last member to make it backstage, Brock and Mikey were already getting their instruments ready. And in Toby’s case, his voice.
“Is everyone good on the added song?” I asked, not looking at anyone in particular.
Toby puffed up his chest as he took a deep breath, and released a long drawn out sigh, “I guess,” he said as he started stalking towards me, shaking a pointed finger. “She’s going to friggin’ kill me ya know?” He placed his hands on his hips. He was always after the dramatic effect. “It’s like a girl code or something not to send drunk photos, or in this case drunk videos to anyone outside of those present.”
“Oh God,” Brock chuckled and held up a hand, “I don’t want to see it and I don’t want to know about it. Tessa came home last night and told me that Maggie got pretty wasted. I tuned out the conversation about five seconds into it. My wife gets a little on the wild side while intoxicated, so I try my best not to know what goes on. It’s better to feign ignorance then to hear a long drawn out story of how her bra ended up in the toilet.”
I raised a brow and look
ed at him quizzically. How in the hell did this conversation just turn from talking about Maggie’s drunken dancing to undergarments ending up in the toilet?
“Don’t ask, don’t tell. That is my motto, man.” Brock emphasized.
Shaking my head to the entire messed up conversation, I walked up next to Mikey, who was making sure his drums were at the proper height.
“Hey man, did you hear any word about Sheridan before you got off of shift?” I spoke in a low voice, only loud enough for him to hear.
“Yeah. I asked around after another run we had to the hospital. She broke her foot and has a few bruised ribs. The doctor said that she should be good to go in a day or two.” Mikey’s face was full of concern and grief.
Feeling my phone vibrate in my pocket, I took it out to see Maggie had texted me.
Maggie: I’m here. Where are you? The bar is slammed!
I hurriedly typed out my response since it was almost show time.
Charlie: Just have a seat on a stool and sit tight.
A year or so ago, Grady renamed and revamped the entire bar. What was once known as Finnegan’s was now the legendary Emmy Lou’s, named after Emmalynne. When he remodeled the bar he remodeled the stage area as well, adding a curtain, so bands could get set up without hundreds of eyes on us. That always weirded me out for some reason.
I went to pick up my bass, which was resting on its stand next to my amp. I slid an arm and my head through the strap and adjusted it to where it felt most comfortable. I always felt amazing whenever I played. I felt much like I did playing hockey as I did playing guitar. It gave me a rush, a thrill. To have eyes on me while I was doing something I loved and enjoyed tremendously. My guitar and I were one with each other, like it was an extension of my arm. I could always play the chords with ease. It was what was familiar to me.
Running my hand down the neck of my guitar made me realize how much I longed to touch Maggie. I wanted to become familiar with Maggie. I wanted to be able to play her like a fine tuned guitar, and be able to hit all of her right chords. I could imagine us becoming one together, not knowing where one ended and the other began. My determinism was wearing thin and I wouldn’t be able to resist her much longer. Just the thought of her naked, and us wrapped up in each other, sent tingles down my spine. I needed to get my mind out of the gutter before the curtain opened and the entire crowd received a show that they didn’t intend to.
Bending down to pick up the cord so I could plug my guitar into my amp, the curtain began to open.
The stage lights came on and I had to adjust my eyes to the lighting, having to squint to make out the faces amongst the crowd. The bar erupted in cheers as everyone started jumping up and down and clapping, which made it impossible in trying to locate Maggie.
I focused my attention on Toby so he could make his grand entrance speech, one thing that was a well-known fact about Toby. He liked to hear himself talk. If it involved a speech, Toby was your guy.
It made me question his choice of profession. He would’ve been much more suitable as a car salesman rather than an accountant. He could talk out his ass about anything, he’d make a killing selling cars.
He was dressed tonight in a pair of tight skinny jeans that left absolutely nothing to the imagination, a black and white polka-dotted button up shirt that was tucked in. That wasn’t what made Toby’s outfit stand out though. It was the huge gold studded belt and matching gold metallic loafers. I personally thought he looked ridiculous, but as long as he was comfortable and no one degraded him, I was cool with it.
“Good evening ladies and gentleman,” Toby sang out slow and melodically, as he took a bow. “You are all in for a real treat. I know you haven’t seen much of The Nation’s Capital as of late, but we decided to remedy that for you tonight. So you should all count your lucky stars,” he pointed to several members of the audience, “that we love you enough to give you a KICKASS show!!” He finished with a shout and the crowd erupted. It had been over a year since I have known Toby, and I still wasn’t used to his flamboyant tendencies. You just had to roll your eyes and get on with it.
I spared once last look at the bar since everyone had finally settled down and my eyes instantly found Maggie. Fuck me. She looked gorgeous. She had what looked to be skinny jeans, a plain white blouse that had gold sequin sparkles on the shoulders, and was that?...gold pumps. Toby and Maggie could’ve very well color coordinated tonight’s selections. Hell, knowing Toby he did. Her hair fell down in soft waves, which I loved. I couldn’t wait to be able to sift my fingers through her hair as I sank myself in her heat. I wonder if she would be opposed to me pulling her hair?
And there went the straining in my jeans again. At least I could adjust the strap of my guitar to make things a little less noticeable. I flashed Maggie a cheesy grin which she instantly returned and then blew a kiss in my direction. I was a sucker for her kisses. Yup I was done for.
We went right into our rendition of Lynyrd Skynyrd’s “Simple Man”. This song wasn’t an easy song to accomplish, but with Toby’s chops, it was definitely possible. It was one of the longest songs we had ever performed, but our heart and soul went into it just like everything we did.
I really let the words to the lyrics sink in as I played. That was what I wanted to achieve in life, to be a simple man. I didn’t want all of this excess baggage and guilt that I had to carry with me on a daily basis. I wanted to love with my entire heart and be happy in my accomplishments that I achieved on my own.
As the song dwindled down, I spared a glance out to Maggie and I caught her wiping a stray tear from her eye as she was resting on an elbow against the countertop. Tessa was bent forward on the bar with her chin cradled in her hands next to Maggie. They were both entranced in our music.
We needed a song that was more fun now and got the crowd moving. This song Maggie knew very well, as it was in fact the same song that was playing as she did her little tease dance last night.
I started playing the guitar riff intro to “Pour Some Sugar on Me” by Def Leppard and immediately Maggie sat up straighter in her seat. A scowl appeared on her face as looked accusingly at Toby. Toby was singing the beginning words, and he started shaking his head as he directed his attention to me. He gave me his ‘I told you so’ look and glared. I couldn’t help but release the chuckle that built up from deep within my chest. Mikey joined in on the drums and we started rocking out. I was normally not one to get into the song, but even I started jamming around the stage, bobbing my head with the beat to the music.
I couldn’t imagine being back in the eighties with all of the famous hairbands. I just didn’t think I could rock the long ass hair or the mullet. That right there alone made me decide that it wouldn’t have been a good thing.
After a full minute or so, I could tell that Maggie was relaxing. A full smile appeared on her face as she tilted her head back and started laughing. I wasn’t close enough to tell but I could recall from memory the smoothness of her skin on her neck, perfect for nipping and biting. Shit, I really needed to start thinking about something else, but it was so hard when she was constantly on my mind.
We played through the rest of our set list, and when we were finished I turned to place my bass back in its rightful place, I felt arms wrap around my waist from behind.
I turned around and was met by the most gorgeous pair of ice blue eyes imaginable. The woman they belonged to was the center of my entire world.
She clasped her arms behind my neck and leaned forward to give me the briefest of feather light kisses.
“Hey baby, so what did you think?” I asked a bit skeptical. I literally felt like I was on pins and needles awaiting her response.
She seemed to be taking her sweet time, contemplating her answer. I really had to try and refrain myself from picking her up and yelling for her to spit it out already.
Totally out of love though.
What felt like ages later she grinned and said, “You were absolutely amazing, you flipping goof. Were
you really that worried that I wasn’t going to like it?”
“Well, yeah,” I shrugged my shoulders, “it matters to me what you think. I want you to be proud of me,” I stated shyly.
“I couldn’t be more proud of you, and I couldn’t ever think anything bad of you. Charlie, you rescued me from my own personal demons. You are my knight in shining armor who just so happens to wield a guitar. And don’t you ever forget that. But… I do have a bone to pick with you, Mr. Hennings. Why didn’t you tell me Toby told you about my dancing to that song? And don’t you dare tell me you didn’t know, I saw the look in your eyes when you began playing.”
My voice constricted at her words. I’m her knight in shining armor? SHIT! Well, she certainly shouldn’t say that she could never think anything bad of me, she didn’t entirely know me, yet.
“Uh…” I avoided looking into her eyes and she started poking me in my ribs trying to get my attention. And only because I was extremely ticklish did I direct my attention back to her.
No, becoming aroused due to the fact that she was touching me had absolutely nothing to do with it. Oh hell, who was I kidding? She could be sick with the flu and look at me and I’d still end up with the same reaction.
“Toby actually recorded it and sent me the video…”
I was waiting for the response that I knew she would ultimately have. Her eyes grew wide and her mouth flew open, and snapped shut instantly.
Three, two, one…
“Toby!!!”
Half of the bar stopped what they were doing to direct their attention to us on the stage.
I heard the panic in Toby’s voice as he said, “And that’s my cue to go…”
He looked back at the two of us, “Sorry doll but it was just too tempting. And believe me, I did you a favor. BTW you look incredible.” He winked and jumped off the stage and disappeared out of sight in the sea of people.
