Exhale and Move On

by K. L. Shandwick

  “No weed… in fact, no alcohol at all yesterday,” I added as an afterthought.

  “Then it’s a woman. Rick Fars, are you holding out on me? You finally got yourself a woman?” I stared pointedly at Lily, she knew me well. Too well to lie to her, and anyway I was done lying.

  “Maybe.”

  “I want deets, right now.”

  I glanced ahead and looked at Len, still deep in conversation and decided to come clean.

  “It’s kind of… complicated,” I admitted and shrugged my shoulders.

  Lily squeezed my arm with affection, “It’s me, Rick. Lily. You can tell me anything, you know that, right?”

  “I do. I’m just not sure it’s the right time... for any of us.”

  Bunching her brow, she gave me a narrow-eyed stare, “Now I really want to know. Who is she?”

  My eyes darted to Lennie, and I cleared my throat, “Coral,” I replied because Len and I hadn’t discussed how to do this.

  Lily’s eyes almost bugged out of her head, “Coral,” she mimicked in a low angry voice and glanced ahead to Len.

  “Lennon’s girl? Really, Rick? You have the pick of all the women in this entire world and you take another friend’s girl? Lennon’s of all people, and to think I looked up to you,” she said in a frustrated, furious hiss.

  “Ah, that would be because you’re a short ass. No matter what I do you can’t change that, and what happened to ‘I can tell you anything?’” I replied as I tried to take the sting out of the situation.

  “How many times have you seen Lennie with a regular girl? Look at him,” she said gesturing ahead. "He’s a beautiful man, inside and out. Why would you do that to him?”

  Lily’s hand slipped from my arm and she fussed with the strap of her oversized purse hanging over her shoulder.

  “It’s not what you think.” I began, but she cut me off by holding her hand up.

  “With you men it never is. Next, you’ll be telling me you’re doing Lennon a favor,” she replied in disbelief.

  “I am.”

  “Rick, I respected you. You were the one man apart from Alfie I thought I could always rely on.”

  “Really, Lily? Because I think if you knew the man I was and thought harder you would have asked the right questions.”

  “What the fuck does that mean?”

  “Perhaps you should ask Lennie,” I replied. I was fed up with the way she instantly came down on me.

  “Lennon? He knows?”

  I took a step to the side and stopped, “You may have seen a lot on the road, Lily. I mean we even spent a lot of time together once. How often have you witnessed me tapping a woman of someone I know?”

  Lily thought for a second and shook her head, “That doesn’t mean—”

  “Fuck you it doesn’t, darlin, and fuck you again,” I replied irritated by her assumptions and stormed off toward the others before overtaking them. I called back over my shoulder, “I’m outta here, see you at the gig, everyone.”

  Jed immediately pushed himself away from the wall when he saw me enter the foyer. “You okay, Boss?”

  “Yeah, just tired of people getting up in my business when they’ve no clue what the real deal is,” I replied.

  “What ass do I have to kick?”

  “No one’s. I’m just pissed that people always think the worst, you feel me?”

  “Yep, but that comes with the territory, Rick. Too many people interfere in everyone else’s business in this environment.”

  I stared at Jed and thought what a great guy he was. Usually at the sharp end of what I did for a living, yet he never complained, and still had my back one hundred percent every single day.

  “I guess you’ve figured out what’s going on with me, Lennie, and Coral by now.”

  “Above my paygrade, Boss. All I want is for you to be happy. You’re happy, I’m happy.”

  I smiled and slapped his back. “Still, I figure it may look a little fucked up for many people, but I know with you being around me for so long you’re an open-minded kind of guy.”

  “That I am,” he stated and pulled the key fob for the car out his pocket, unlocking it, and opening the rear passenger door. I slid onto the seat and he shut it firmly behind me just as a fan arrived with a beer mat and a pen. She knocked on the window and Jed was about to move her out of the way when I rolled down the window.

  “It’s okay, Jed, let her give it to me.”

  A short middle-aged woman with an immaculate bobbed haircut shoved the Coors Lite mat through the opening and grinned excitedly. “Hi, Rick, thank you so much. Can you say to my loveliest fan, Mary-Lou? It’s for my daughter. She’s a huge fan of Cobham Street. She has every album, poster, booklet. You name it, she’s got it. We joke about saving to buy the house next door for all the shit… I mean her fan collection, pertaining to you guys. You are her ultimate rock hero,” she gushed as she stared at the mat I handed her back.

  “Is she coming to the gig tomorrow?”

  “Unfortunately, no. Her meanie of a boss won’t let her have the day off. She offered to work two double shifts extra for free if he’d let her go but he wouldn’t budge. She threatened to leave but with only her pay coming into the house, we had to make her see reason about that.

  “Where does she work?” I asked pissed at her boss’s attitude; we’d only played Florida twice in the previous four years.

  “McKyver’s Bar, two blocks down,” she replied.

  "Open the door, Jed." I stated, and he did as I asked. “Get in,” I told her. Glancing up the street, I noticed a few young girls looking at the car with interest. "Quickly, before I get mobbed,” I said. She looked shocked but did as I asked. Jed swiftly closed the door, and he settled into the driving seat at the front.”

  “Where are we going?” she asked as an afterthought.

  McK-whatever’s place. Is that the name of the owner… her boss?

  “No, it’s Dave Benson. He’s a douche. Always hanging around her and getting too close.”

  “Is that so? How old is she?”

  “Nineteen.”

  I could see by the way she was dressed they were experiencing hard times, and I knew I’d have to tread carefully to stay on the right side of the line with her daughter’s boss, so she didn’t lose her job. “Then maybe Dave needs a reminder of what it is to be young.”

  Jed pulled up in front of the diner and I made to get out, but the girl’s mom put her hand on my arm and held me back. “I can’t go in there. If he knows I’ve said something to you, he’ll fire her and that would cause us so much pain as a family.

  “Stay here. Lock the car, Jed,” I ordered as I stepped out on the sidewalk.

  Jed followed me into the restaurant and I spotted the guy instantly. A forty-something guy with a paunch who looked as if he hadn’t taken care of himself. He had greased dark-blond hair and slightly too tight chino trousers with a pair of white sneakers on his feet. Jed looked at me and scoffed, then wandered ahead picking out a table for me that would attract the least attention.

  Dave turned on his heel, noticed where Jed went and immediately scurried down the diner after him. “Excuse me, Sir. You have to wait to be seated,” he said in a patronizing tone that instantly pissed Jed off.

  “No problem, you go right ahead and serve your food. I got this for you,” he replied like he was doing him a favor. I chuckled and wandered up to Jed with my hands in my pockets.

  “Good job, Jed. If you ever lose your job, maybe you could apply here,” I joked and slid into the booth he’d chosen. I glanced up at Dave and pulled out a menu like we had no idea we’d pissed him off.

  “May we have two waters please and I’ll have the—”

  “I’m not your server. I’m the manager,” he stated, like he was better than everyone else and I noticed how hard he’d had to fight to speak pleasantly through his gritted teeth.

  “You are? Well, well.” I said and visibly checked him out. “That’s a plus.” Jed snickered into his menu.<
br />
  I looked to the menu again and glanced back at him, “You still here? Service is a little slow, don’t you think?”

  Dave shook his head like he wanted to tear me a new one but looked at the size of Jed and I saw his shoulders drop in defeat. “Sian will be over to—”

  “We want Mary-Lou. I heard she’s the best waitress you’ve got. She came recommended to us… it’s why we’re here.”

  “This isn’t Mary-Lou’s section,” he replied, indignantly.

  “It is now. You want me to go on Trip Advisor and tell everyone how unhelpful and rigid the management are at McK- what’s this place called?” I asked Jed.

  “McKyver’s.”

  “Hey, wasn’t there an old cowboy show by that name?” I said.

  “That was McIver,” M C I V E R, Dave said spelling it out for me.

  “You still here?” I asked again and saw him turn with clenched fists and march back toward the kitchen.

  Jed chuckled. “You can be a shit sometimes,” he said shaking his head as he bit back a grin.

  “Indeed. But, I’m an excellent shit,” I agreed, and we both guffawed again.

  As I finished talking, a young pretty girl with the longest legs in her denim shorts uniform wandered toward us with our waters on a tray. When she noticed who I was, Jed jumped out of the chair and grabbed her tray when it almost fell to the floor.

  “Oh my, gosh,” she said, visibly shaking in her little white sneakers. Her face was beet red, and she didn’t know what to do with her hands.

  “Hi, Mary-Lou,” I said then smiled.

  Her brow bunched then her fingers toyed with her name badge as she stood speechless. She was star-struck… it still tickled me when they looked at me like that.

  “How’re you doing, sweetheart?” I asked trying again.

  “You’re Rick Fars,” she whispered, her finger pointing at me.

  “Yep, thanks for the reminder, but I’m not so old I’ve forgotten my own name,” I replied and chuckled.

  “I can’t believe you’re here,” she said still staring with wide eyes and she moved almost in slow motion to wipe a wisp of hair that had fallen into her eye.

  “I am, and you can thank your mom for that, sweetheart. She told me you were a fan. We were up the street at a meeting with the press. She was outside the hotel as we were leaving.”

  Mary-Lou shook her head like she couldn’t believe we were there. She got her pad and pen out, but she could hardly hold her pen steady because of how affected she was to see me.

  “Your mom tells me you wanted to come to the gig tomorrow but asshat over there won’t let you take time out, is that correct?” I asked nodding at Douchebag Dave.

  Mary-Lou turned to look at her boss who was glaring pointedly in our direction and cringed before she replied, “Yeah, that’s about the sum of it.”

  “Manager,” I called and waved him down to the table. Mary-Lou jumped, startled by my voice and who it was directed to. He stood still for a few seconds then threw a glass cloth on the counter, looking thoroughly pissed off and strode toward me like he wanted to kill me. Jed scoffed and raised an eyebrow at his attitude. I mean he must have been stupid to show his feelings because Jed was built like a tank.

  “Yes?”

  “I didn’t want to say anything before because we had to have an element of surprise for this, but Mary-Lou here has won a day as the VIP guest of Cobham Street at the Winds of Change Event being held tomorrow right here in Miami."

  “Well she can’t attend because she’s working tomorrow,” he said completely unmoved by what I’d told him.

  “So she tells me. Thing is, I’m donating $25k to the charity on Mary-Lou’s behalf, but she has to be there for me to do that.”

  “She’s working. I’ve told her she can’t have tomorrow off and now I’m telling you guys.”

  “Do you know who I am?”

  “Yes, I do and just because you’re a rock star who is used to having his own way doesn’t change a darned thing. I won’t change my decision.”

  “All right, so who’s your boss?”

  “What?” he asked, his eyes wide in disbelief.

  “You own this diner?”

  “No, I told you I’m the manager.”

  “All right. Jed find out who the owner is and get him on the phone.”

  “He’ll tell you the same as I’m telling you. I make the decisions around here.” If there was ever a fucker I wanted to slap—Benson was him.

  “Not when I tell your boss about the unwanted advances you make toward Mary-Lou and the rest of the women who work here. This ain’t the 60’s Dave. Women have equality these days and there are laws against sexual harassment, or didn’t you get the memo about that?”

  Dave’s face paled and beads of sweat appeared on his brow. “Fine she can go, but she’s gonna work overtime to make it up to me.”

  I looked at Jed and shook my head, “Nah, not good enough, Dave. Are you really as dense as you sound right now? It’s a wonder you made the cut for management or was it because you were the only man?”

  “Perhaps he only became a douche when he got that badge. You know what they say about power going to someone’s head,” Jed said.

  “Is that what happened, Dave?” I asked as I kept up the pressure.

  “Look this is a small business—”

  “That probably pays less than minimum wage, so what the fuck’s the deal with you not at least making your staff happy when you can? What harm would it do for this young girl to have a day off and attend a music festival?”

  Dave stared back, and I could tell his thoughts were empty because he had no reply to my question.

  “None, right?” I asked before he could find an excuse. “So, is she going? Or am I gonna be calling someone to complain about the douchebag behavior you show toward your staff?

  He was either good with his self-awareness or he had no emotional content but eventually he sighed and nodded, “Go. I’ll ask Anya to cover for you.”

  “Eureka! I think he’s got the idea, Jed.”

  Dave rolled his eyes and walked back to the counter as Jed followed him to have a word in his own way. It was better that innocent little Mary-Lou wasn’t a witness to that part, so I kept her talking to me. By the time we left, Dave’s attitude had definitely improved, and Mary-Lou was delighted her rock star hero had staged an intervention with her creepy, letch of a boss.

  Chapter Twenty

  Fresh Eyes

  My phone rang for the first time at 06:45 am on the morning of the event. I’d stayed at the penthouse expecting a lot of phone traffic and I wasn’t wrong. Len was particularly annoyed because we’d only started to shift Coral’s mindset to begin accepting us as a threesome, but that was personal, and work came first.

  Besides, I had needed time on my own the night before as I had band stuff to do with the guys and my phone never stopped ringing until I let the battery run out. Placing it on charge around midnight I crawled into bed and tried to sleep.

  As I was falling asleep the only thought left unresolved from my day was my clipped conversation with Lily. She couldn’t have mentioned it to Lennie though because when I talked to him on the phone he never raised the subject.

  Call after call came in about last minute media opportunities. I knew it was crunch time, so I never turned them down and for the first time since I was a rookie rock star I was keen to do as many interviews as was humanly possible. By the time I arrived at the festival site there were almost as many TV crews as there were road crews.

  Lily and Alfie were working their magic, working the reporters like the pro’s they were. Cody was schmoozing his way around the females doing what he does best, charming the panties off most and playing the innocent with the rest.

  It wasn’t long before Coral and Lennie showed, and I have to say my eyes flitted from one to the other in equal measure. They both gave me secret smiles then smiled at each other and I suddenly couldn’t wait for the day to end. Talk about wis
hing my life away. It was one of the highlights of my career, yet my mind was focused to the point of distraction away from the main event.

  Blue skies ensured a pleasant day and by holding it in late February it minimized the risks of thunderstorms and hurricanes, which Lily and Alfie insisted on after Lily's past accident. With everything in place, it was finally time to bring the project to the people and at 9am the doors opened for the first fans to access the massive festival site.

  With every hour that passed, the grounds filled with fans until the place was positively teeming with a mesh of different fan groups mingling and mulling around the site. It was awesome to see the age ranges from babes in arms, some wrapped in papoose type shawls and at the other end patrons I guessed were eighty plus.

  Witnessing the descent of tens of thousands of people converging with one common aim felt awesome and reminded me why I stuck it out and continued to make music even when I no longer had to do it for the money. It was because the beauty and purity of the universal language of music created bridges between cultures, ages, religions, and any other divisive reason people didn’t otherwise get along.

  “Whose idea was this again?” Alfie asked, grinning widely as he stared out from the massive makeshift stage to the sea of people that reached back as far as the eye could see.

  “Does it matter? It’s gonna be a kick-ass gig, an even better after party, and the cash registers may get their number one album for all the noise they’ll rock by the end of the day.”

  “Do you realize in all this time we’ve never shared a stage since the gig that started Crakt Soundzz on their way at the O2 in London?”

  “Damn how long ago was that? Three years?”

  “Four years just gone,” he reminded me.

  “And to think you were a fan at one time.”

  “Still am. No other band to touch Cobham Street, in my opinion.”

  “Back at you buddy. Well, maybe, except M3rCy, and Flynn’s band, RedA,” I added and snickered, “And Hedon1sm,” Alfie punched my arm.

  “Ouch. What the fuck, dude? I got to play later.”