The Break - Chapter 23

Chapter 23 Once again, Ronnie was the first one on the bus. For some reason, he always popped out of bed the morning after a show. It was really odd considering he usually felt as if he was completely drained. Sleep just didn’t help. He pulled his laptop out of his backpack and booted it up. The satellite internet feed was another really cool feature of the bus. It did come with a price. The record company expected Ronnie to check his email every day. With that happened between Ass and Ben yesterday, Ronnie forgot to check his email. The last time he forgot, Randy, the A and R guy, came down pretty hard on him. They almost missed a gig that got added in Boise at the last minute. Feeling a little nervous, Ronnie went directly to his email as soon as the wireless icon showed that there was a connection. In his list of contacts, he saw them. There were two messages from Randy. One was dated yesterday, the other was dated today. “Ah shit.” Ronnie said out loud. “Figures.” Quickly he opened the oldest message. Ronnie, Great news, dude. The CD is flying off the shelves. Tons of stations are playing “Debbie”. It’s a freaking monster. It’s debuted on the charts, number 43. Due to the success, we have managed to set up eight new, very high paying gigs on the west coast over the next month and we are trying to get a few more. I’ll send you the details tomorrow. Be cool, Randy Not really sure he believed what he saw. Ronnie read and reread the message. It was almost more than he could fathom. Trying to make sense of the implications of this message, he was suddenly jolted by a loud voice. “Oh, Ronnie, my man.” Pete said. “You have no idea how fucking great last night was.” “Hey, Pete.” Ronnie responded in a faraway voice. “What’s with you?” Pete asked immediately picking up on Ronnie’s tepid response. Before Ronnie could respond, Ben and Ass walked on to the bus. Followed almost immediately by Schnieder. “What’s going on?” Ass asked sensing the awkwardness of the situation. Feeling everyone’s eyes on him, it finally hit Ronnie. Feeling the adrenaline coursing through his veins, he suddenly found his voice. “Dudes, you have no idea.” He said excitedly. “This is huge, but I don’t have all the info yet. I have to open the other email.” “What are you talking about?” Pete asked. “I got an email from Randy.” Ronnie started. “He said that “Debbie” is number 43 on the charts.” Stunned, the group stood and stared at each other. For a moment, they seemed as if they could not even breathe. “HOLY SHIT!” Pete exclaimed. “That’s what I’m talking about.” “Congratulations boys.” Schnieder said. “Looks like you are on your way.” Shaking each of the boy’s hands in turn, Schnieder patted them on the back. “Hang on a sec.” Ronnie interrupted. “Randy also said they booked eight more shows for us in the next month and they want to book more. I have another email from him that I haven’t opened.” “Well, open it.” Pete said loudly. The group silently stood and watched Ronnie open the email. They watched as Ronnie’s eyes moved back and forth. He emitted a low whistle. “Read it would ya.” Pete said anxiously. “Read it. “Says that our cut will be twenty-five grand.” Ronnie said “That’s like a little over three grand a show.” Pete said doing the math in his head. “So, we’re each going to get like $800 more this month? That’s good news.” “No, dude.” Ronnie said full of disbelief. “We get twenty-five grand per show. That means we would get like forty thousand each in the next month.” Once again, none of them knew how to react. Even in their wildest dreams they never imagined that they would get that kind of money for playing music. Ben fell onto the couch and Ass joined him there. Pete placed his hand on his forehead as if to check his temperature. Ronnie allowed the adrenaline to rush to hit its peak. Then he was able to control it rather than let it control him. It was exactly the feeling he got when he was going to perform. The same feeling that in the past made him throw up. After throwing up before the first several gigs, Ronnie learned to ride the peak without getting sick. Now that he was in the zone, everything slowed down just like when he was on stage. The pieces began to fall in place. “Dudes.” Ronnie said calmly. “Let’s not get caught up in this.” “What are you talking about”?” Pete managed. “I mean. This is an offer.” Ronnie said his mind working on a new level. “We don’t have to take this.” Dumbfounded, the others simply stared at Ronnie. Ronnie stared back. His mind continued to work through the situation. He could hear his father counseling him. For a moment, he thought he should call him, tell him the news and ask his advice. Suddenly, everything was clear. He would call his father, but after he worked through this with the guys. Up to this point, they had been playing because they loved to play. That is the reason they were going to continue to play. But as long as they had the opportunity to take economic advantage of the situation, Ronnie was going to make sure they got the best deal they could. Technically, he had always been the leader of the band. Now, it was time to step up and act like it. All he had to do was to convince the boys that it was in their best interest to treat this like a business deal. One mistake they had to avoid was jumping at this deal like a bunch of dumbass kids which is exactly what the record company expected them to do. The one thing they didn’t realize is that they were dealing with the son of Big Ron Harrison. “Let’s not get all giddy like a virgin getting a peek at her first dick, all right.” Ron said authoritatively. “If there is one thing my old man taught me is, you never take the first offer.” “What are you talking about?” Pete said. “They’re going to give us two hundred thousand dollars for a month of gigs.” “Yeah, but think about it.” Ronnie encouraged. “Why do you think they are going to offer us this much?” “Not following.” Pete said. It occurred to Ronnie that the others had never been in this type of situation. Not that he had, but he had seen his father in action on several occasions. The one thing he saw every time was that Big Ron always kept his cool. He never flinched. “Okay, looking at these arenas they seat like ten, twelve thousand.” Ronnie explained. “And they are charging say fifty bucks a pop for tix, right?” “Sure, I guess.” Pete said. Trying to follow. “So, that’s like a half million per show.” Ronnie continued. “So they want to pay us like five percent?” “What’s your point?” Pete asked harshly. Ronnie maintained his composure. He knew all he needed to do was to remain patient and Pete would get it. “Point is, if we are going to play we should get what we deserve. It’s not like we’re going to get a ton more money.” Ronnie said. “But we want to let them know that we aren’t just a bunch of kids that they can push around. Look, Pete this is just the beginning, okay. We are fucking great and we are going places. Let’s not just act like little puppy dogs.” “I still …” Pete started. The other two band mates were listening intently and watching just as closely. “Ronnie’s right.” Ben said uncharacteristically. Everyone turned to look at Ben. “What?” Ben asked. “I can speak.” Having watched Ronnie intently, Ass saw the deliberation in Ronnie’s actions and the passion in his eyes. “I agree.” Ass pitched in. “We need to do some negotiating. Actually, Ronnie does.” “Huh?” Pete questioned. In that moment, Ass understood that the relationships within the band changed. Informally, it was understood that Ronnie was the leader. Not only did he write the songs, he was extremely talented guitar player. Although Pete was technically a better guitar player and he and Ben were the heart of the music, Ronnie’s playing was the soul of the band. And now it was very apparent that he understood the business better than any of the rest did. “Look, he is our leader.” Ass continued. “He got us this far, let him go.” “Ah right.” Pete said as he shook his head. “I was happy with eight hundred.” Everyone laughed harder than they should have. Ronnie turned back to the email. “Anyone want to know where we are going to play?” He asked. “Yeah.” They all responded. “Looks like from here we go to Seattle, then Bellingham, Vancouver, British Columbia – where the hell is Surrey, British Columbia?” “No freakin’ clue.” Pete said. "Where the hell is British Columbia?" “In Canada, dumbass.” Ass chided. Ronnie and Ben laughed heartily. Pete looked a little stunned, but then he joined in the laughter. Schnieder was staring blankly out the window. “No shit, Canada huh?" Pete asked. “Then it’s on to Victoria, British Columbia, Vancouver, Washington ... “You already said Vancouver.” Pete said. Again, roars of laughter. “What? He did.” Pete said defensively. “Dude, there is a Vancouver in British Columbia and one in Washington.” Ass informed him. “Well, shit.” Pete said. “I didn’t know. I’ve never even been in this state.” Pete looked down and kicked at a gum wrapper that was on the floor of bus. "I don’t even really know where Seattle is.” Pete admitted. "Isn't like on the ocean or something?" "Dude, maybe you should look at a map sometime." Ass chided. “Cut him a break.” Ronnie said with a little smile. “Besides, it's too easy." Ronnie slapped Pete on the shoulder and gave him a big smile. Pete responded with a smile of his own. "Last one is in Portland." Ronnie stated. "Guess we won’t be going home for a while.” Ronnie said. “Is everyone cool with that?” “Hell, yeah.” Pete said. “Fuckin’ A” Ass agreed. “Uh-huh.” Ben added eloquently. Ronnie looked over his band mates, his friends, his family. He felt a huge smile forming on his face. This was what they had set out to do, but what made it even better was that he knew in his heart that it was just the beginning. “All right then, Dudes.” He said cheerfully. “Let’s talk about our strategy with Randy. What are we willing to accept?” ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ As he sat there his blood began to boil. This was completely unacceptable and he wasn’t going to take it. “Put it back.” He snarled. “No.” The other man responded. Standing, he quickly moved toward the other man menacingly. “I said, put it back.” He said as he slowly stroked his black vest. “It’s “One Day at a Time”. You know I have to watch it. Now put it back.” The other man simply glared at Frankie and waited for the onslaught. But it never came. Fortunately for him, the attendants saw that Frankie was getting worked up. Quickly, they hustled up next to him. One gently placed his hand on Frankie’s right bicep. The other reached up and changed the station to “One Day at a Time”. “It’s okay, Frankie.” The man holding his arm said. “Don’t call me that.” Frankie said. “It’s okay, Schnieder.” The man said soothingly, calling him his adopted name.” Instantly, the situation calmed down as Schnieder became engrossed in the television. He just stood staring at the screen. “Evenin’, Ms Romano…” The actor’s voice said. “There I am. There I am.” Frankie said as he pointed at the screen. “It was so good there, before they had to move.” Knowing that he was calm, the too attendants let go and walked over to the other man. “Are you fucking crazy?” The first attendant asked the other patient. “You know what he did to the last guy – you saw it.” “Yeah, well maybe I wanna get outta here.” The man responded. “In a body bag?” The second attendant said. “Fuck you.” The other patient replied. “Just leave him alone.” The first attendant said. “I don’t want to have to clean up the mess.” The attendants walked slowly back to the desk. They kept there eyes on both men for a few minutes. But when the nurse returned to the desk, the two men turned their attention to her. Laughing and joking, they were no longer concerned with what was happening in the TV room. Neither of them saw anything, but they heard the body hit the floor. Turning around, they saw the patient they had warned laying on the floor. There was no blood, but his neck was at a very strange angle. Frankie was still standing exactly where he had been when they left. He was at least forty feet from where the body was. It appeared that Frankie was still engrossed in the television show. The men closed the ground to the body in seconds. They checked for vital signs even though they both knew there was no hope that they would find anything. The first attendant looked up from the body and saw that Frankie was smiling. “Take care of this.” He said quietly to his partner. “Okay.” The first attendant got up and crossed the room to Frankie. “What did you do?” He asked Frankie. “More importantly, how did you do it?” Frankie just stood motionless, eyes glued to the television. “I asked you a question.” The attendant hissed. “Answer me.” But Frankie just continued watching television. Suddenly, the attendant kicked Frankie in the knee. Silently, Frankie fell to the ground. Before he hit the ground the attendant kicked him three more times. Still Frankie didn’t emit a sound. “You’ll talk.” The attendant snarled at him. “Tonight, you’ll talk.” The guard kicked him two more times for good measure. He was preparing to kick him again when he heard the sound of the gurney wheels on the freshly waxed floor. It took several hours for the nurses to remove the body and for the police to investigate the scene. During that time, they interviewed Frankie and let him go back to the room where he was secured for the evening. The last thing the police wanted to do was to interview the attendant that had kicked Frankie. But he was no longer in the room. They looked for him at the nurse’s station, the bathrooms, the cafeteria and the locker room. Finally, they found him lying on the floor in the janitor’s closet. His were eyes bugling out because his wind pipe had been crushed. Immediately, the other attendant led the police to Frankie’s room. When they arrived, the door was locked from the outside. They opened the door to find Frankie sleeping soundly in his bed. <<< Chapter 22 Technorati Tags: Fiction, Online Book, Chapter, Rebeleyeball, Paul Gavin IceRocket Tags: Fiction, Blook, Chapter, rebeleyeball Copyright (c) 2006 Paul Gavin. All rights reserved.