Darn, those fries were good too. The cook in this place was a genius.
His inbox was positivelyburstingwith emails that he had been ignoring while he had gotten settled in at his new house.Some of them were the usual things from his agent, the paperwork that he just needed to confirm, the updates on sales of this or that album. He clicked quickly through those and identified the ones that actually needed his sustained attention.
There were still more than he would have liked, but it was better than it had been.
Well, Levi told himself, no time like the present.
He clicked on one from his agent, Janine.
Hey Levi,
Hope you’re settling in okay. I know you’re taking some time away, so I don’t mean to hassle you, but could you drop a line with the record label and reassure them that you aren’t leaving music forever? They’re starting to freak out, and when they freak out, they call me… a lot.
Thanks, Lev. Talk soon,
Janine
Levi stretched his shoulders uncomfortably when he read the wordsleaving music forever. He didn’t actually want to leave his career behind permanently. He knew he would miss music if he gave it up entirely. But the idea of going back, or even setting a firm date on when he planned to return, gave him an itchy feeling under his skin.
But Janine was a great agent, and she had been very supportive of his time away from work. The least he could do was get the label off her back.
Not to mention that he already had an email or four from his representative at the label. Since they were all in the same thread, he clicked on the most recent one.
Hey Levi,
Just wanted to check in—how long are you going to be on vacation again?
Dan Kepler, Olympia Records
Then, from less than a day later.
Hey Levi,
Janine said you’re not on vacation. That you “moved?”
Levi wondered why “moved” was in quotes. He had moved. It wasn’t a euphemism for something else.
That can’t be right though, right? Let me know when you’ll be back in Nashville.
Thanks,
Dan Kepler, Olympia Records
Dan had waited a full thirty-six hours before emailing Levi again, which Levi would have considered an impressive show of restraint, if not for the email from Janine, which implied that Dan had spent those thirty-six hours driving his poor agent up a wall.
Hey Levi,
Okay, Janine has clarified that you did indeed move to Massachusetts of all places. You know there’s like no music scene there, right? If you wanted to do a show in Boston, I could have booked you a show in Boston. But maybe not in the winter. It’s cold up there, man!
I can’t believe you would leave Nashville. Who would ever want to leave Nashville? Most live music per capita in the world, man! But I guess people like to try other places… for some reason.
Just let us know when you’re coming back, okay? We’re at the center of the music world right here, not there wherever you are.
I assume we’ll see you soon.
Let me know.
Please.
