"You guys are gonna love this…"
* * *
"What the fuckdo you mean I can't go? That's mywifeand this is the biggest night of her life," I shout.
"What the fuck is going on?" Jesse asks, stepping onto the bus.
"Jerry, here, won't let me go to Tera's event tomorrow," I growl.
"Why the fuck not?" Jesse asks.
Jerry shifts uneasily. I'm the most laid back of all the guys as far as demands go, so I know he's not shifting because of me. He's afraid of Jesse and he fucking damn well should be. Jesse is a force to be reckoned with lately. There is no boy left in him. None. That shit is history.
"We have interviews lined up," Jerry says. "There's no getting out of them. Itried, man. I called the boss but these are big ones at major radio stations. As soon as those are over, we're grabbing a plane to go to NYC for the night. We've got another interview on Good Morning America the next morning."
Jesse runs a hand through his hair. "Christ." He paces. "There's no way he can skip the radio shit and meet us in New York?"
Jerry shakes his head. "That's a no-go according to management."
"I want to fire our fucking manager, Jesse. He's a worthless fuck who throws all this shit at us at the last minute."
Jerry sighs and nods. "I don't work for them, I only workwiththem. I work for the record company—just so you don't want to fire me, too. I only do what I'm told, guys. I'm sorry."
With that, he walks off the bus, leaving me and Jesse standing there.
"This fuckingsucks, Jesse. This ishugefor Tera." My anger has reached new levels, that even my ears are hot. I want to beat the fuck out of someone.
"This management is part of the show we won. We have to put up with this kind of shit for the next year and then we're free to find our own. Until then, I guess we're their puppets," Jesse says with a sigh, taking a seat in one of the chairs.
I plop down across from him, slouching. "I don't know if she'll ever forgive me for this, man. Think it's a breach of contract if I just bail on the radio shit and then fly to New York? I'd fucking do it on my own dime."
I'm grasping at straws. I know it and so does Jesse. He looks at me helplessly and shakes his head.
"I don't think that's a good idea. If there was any fucking way I could get around that for you, you know I would."
"I know," I sigh.
"We can find out if you can get there Tuesday or Wednesday. I'm pretty sure she'll still have some of her art up in the gallery and you can celebrate with a night away. Champagne, candlelight, a nice dinner, and some good fuckin' should help if Tera gets too pissed. I don't think she will though, man. She gets it. We've got obligations," Jesse explains.
"And now she does too, which means who the fuck knows when we'll see each other next," I bite out. "This isn't making me warm and fuzzy. I love playing, man, you know I do. I love the touring. I love everything about what we're doing right now, but goddamn it, she's my wife and I'm missing out on a major milestone. This is the start of her career. She stood by us through ours, and now none of us will be there for hers." I sit in silence for a few minutes. "Totally fucking sucks."
"It does, man. I'm fucking exhausted with all the running around they've got us doing. I'm not even up for partying after the shows coming up. We'll be at a hotel since we've got a two-night gig and I'm gonna sleep every fucking minute we're not working," Jesse informs me.
"That's the best idea I've heard today," I answer. "If I could get to LA and back in the time between shows, I'd go without sleep. But I can't. If it were in Chicago, it'd be a breeze. St. Louis is a short jump north."
"It'll work out, Xan. Just call her and tell her what's going on. Tell her how you feel about it—all of it. Just exactly as you told me. Don't try to pretend it isn't killing you not to go. She'll need to see that shit with this. I know you hide that from her when you two talk, but this time don't. Just… be raw," he says.
I nod and tip my head back, looking out the window of the bus. It's a warm, sunny, cloudless day.
"How can such a beautiful day be filled with so much bullshit…"
