Today People

by Barbara G. Tarn

  "Uh?" Mike stared at her, puzzled.

  Debby smiled. "At least you didn't spend over ten years with her, like I did with Ricky," she said.

  "Right. You're right, she's a brainless sex-bomb."

  They smiled at each other.

  ***

  The morning after both Kyle and Mike looked awful, but no one dared question them.

  "Saw Mandy and Francie leave their room this morning," Debby whispered in Bonnie's ear.

  "Bitches," Bonnie muttered.

  Debby shrugged. "I wonder how they convinced Kyle to stay."

  "Drugs?" Now Bonnie was worried.

  "Dunno. Better keep an eye on both of them."

  Mike picked up a magazine and started flipping through it. He stopped on a picture of the girl in jeans, advertising makeup. He stared at it with disbelief – she was very different from how he had seen her, but still recognizable.

  Bonnie and Debby sat by him, one on each side.

  "Are you picking up the next model girlfriend?" Bonnie asked.

  "No... No. I actually met this one in Las Vegas," Mike answered, still staring at the picture.

  "Really? Weren't your hands already full that night?" Debby teased.

  "Yeah, but I hoped she'd join us. She looked different, though, very... Bonnie-ish!"

  "Thank you," Bonnie giggled. "And you invited someone like me to one of your orgies?"

  "It wasn't an orgy. Besides, she hates me."

  "How can you tell?" Debby asked.

  "I can tell," Mike assured. "And I saw her boyfriend."

  "Your seductive smile didn't work?"

  "Very funny. She said she doesn't date rock stars, but now that I know she's a model, I don't want to date her anymore!"

  "That's good news!" Bonnie exclaimed. "No more brainless women by your side!"

  "She talked like someone who actually had a brain, you know?" Mike said.

  "Maybe that's why she turned you down..." Bonnie suggested with a mischievous smile.

  He stared suspiciously at her. "So I deserve only brainless women?"

  "No, but you seem to be attracted only by those."

  "I'm not! I want a good-looking girlfriend, though!"

  "Then look for another top model."

  "Why did you hate Carrie so much?"

  Bonnie shrugged. "She's everything I'll never be. And she used you."

  "Maybe I used her as well," he retorted. "Maybe she was the right one for me."

  "We're jealous of her beauty," Debby said. "Your next girlfriend better be less pretty than us."

  He smiled against his will and shook his head, closing the magazine. Bonnie and Debby took turns to kiss his cheeks. Sisterly kisses. But now they both knew the rock guy had a heart.

  ***

  The band's van pulled over in front of the house. First out was Jeff, the cameraman, who started filming the band members.

  "Well, we're here to meet our biggest fan," Benny told the video-camera.

  "Yeah, we had a survey on our web page and he turned out to be the one who has more collectible on us than anyone else," Mike added.

  "He's a boy, so his favorite band member is Debby," Kyle said, hugging Debby who grimaced.

  "Let's go, guys, let's see if his memorabilia collection is as complete as he says!" Debby said.

  "You mean, if it matches mine?" Bonnie joked – but not really. She did have an impressive collection.

  They all headed for the door and rang the bell. Billy was in his early twenties and wore a Pearls of Wisdom T-shirt.

  "Hi guys! Glad you could make it! I'm Billy, come in!"

  His room looked like a Pearls of Wisdom shrine with a wall dedicated to all the posters and pictures of Debby, right by the bed.

  "Oh my god, he has a poster of Rachel's Gang! Where did you find it, man?" Mike asked, shocked.

  "On E-bay, and it wasn't even very expensive," Billy answered proudly. "Now they start at a hundred bucks!"

  "Geez, it must be our high school friends!" Debby commented.

  "Or maybe Rachel herself, she loved that picture and she kept many of the posters!" Bonnie scoffed.

  "You do have an incredible collection, Billy!" Benny said, impressed. "Where did you find all this?"

  "Well, since my obsession with Debby started five years ago, everybody knows what I look for. Some are gifts, some I bought, and some I exchanged with other fans."

  "I was never that obsessed with anyone, so I'm very impressed!" Kyle said.

  Mike pointed at Jeff and the camera. "Hey, Billy, can you tell us how this started?"

  "Oh, sure, it all started with the Street of Love video. The song is so sweet and Debby is so beautiful..."

  "So you only like Debby's songs?" Benny asked, amused.

  "I think you should give her more space," Billy said.

  "I have all the space I need, thank you!" Debby assured, uneasy.

  "But you could be the lead singer, like Rachel was! Hey, look at this." He picked up an unlabeled VHS and put it in the VCR – a recording of a Rachel's Gang show at the high school theater.

  "Oh, my, God! This guy has things even we don't have!" Mike couldn't believe his eyes.

  "That's definitely Rachel trying to make some money on her past!" Bonnie said.

  "No, it could be Alan, he usually was the camera operator at school!" Debby added.

  "Yeah, right, do we have his number?" Mike asked them.

  "I can make you a copy, if you want," Billy offered. "The point is that you should have a female lead singer."

  "And lose all of Benny's fans?" Kyle smiled. "Are you kidding?"

  "OK, let's say fifty-fifty? You'd buy more male fans, especially if we could see more of Bonnie too.."

  "No, thank you!" Bonnie promptly declined.

  "Thank you for your advice, Billy, we really appreciate it," Benny said, ever the gentleman.

  "Yeah, we love all the fans feedback, we'll give it a serious thought, promise," Mike added.

  "We should try a duet, sometime... Benny?" Debby pondered.

  "We could work on it!" Benny nodded.

  "That would be great!" Billy enthused. "The demo you sent out to the fans before More Pearls was amazing, why didn't you do it again with Millennium Wisdom?"

  "New record company, new policy," Benny apologized.

  "Yeah, we asked them if we could do it, but they forbade us," Kyle added.

  "We thought about sending out rough versions, but we were advised against it, so we gave up," Debby continued.

  "But your request will be featured in the Millennium Wisdom DVD now, so you never know. Record guys might change their mind for the next album!" Mike concluded.

  "I also wanted to thank you for the Meet & Greet passes. Great idea! I've been using mine since the More Pearls Tour, and it's always great meeting you guys."

  "Same here, apart from a couple accidents," Benny averted his eyes.

  "Yeah, sorry about that. See why I say you could get rid of some female fans?"

  "Why, what would you do if you could get close to Debby?" Mike asked, amused.

  "Mike!" Debby protested. Hadn't Jerry been enough?

  "What? Just curious!" Mike shrugged.

  "I'd ask her out, and then what happens off camera on the date is none of your business," Billy said.

  "Uh, thank you, but I have a boyfriend, and we'll get married at the end of the tour," Debby said, embarrassed.

  Mike and Bonnie exchanged glances, but didn't say a word.

  "I understand, but if you split with him, you know where to find me," Billy insisted.

  "Thank you, Billy."

  "Can I have my picture taken with you – again?"

  "Of course."

  Billy gave his camera to Mike who took three or four pictures of the couple, Debby not really enthusiastic in spite of herself.

  "Thanks. Can the camera guy take a pic with the whole band?"

  Jeff put down the video-camera and took a few more pictures of band and fan.

&n
bsp; "Thank you so much, guys, you really made my day! I'll see you tonight at the show!"

  6.

  Kyle left after that show to fly back for his promised day off, so there was one less member on the tour bus the morning after. Mike signaled Bonnie to give up her seat and she let him sit next to Debby.

  "Why did you tell poor Billy you're getting married?" he asked the keyboard player.

  She shrugged. "It sounded nicer than 'no, thank you, kid, I'm not interested'."

  "So, when will you tell the world you're single again?"

  "Does the world really need to know?"

  "I'm sure your fans would love the info."

  "I'm not available for them anyway. I mean, I tried that too, but it doesn't really work for me."

  Mike stared shocked at her. "You mean you dated a fan?"

  "Yeah, but I didn't invite him to my room like you do," she replied with a shrug.

  "I could imagine Bonnie's face if you had!" Mike scoffed.

  Debby smiled. "She was with me."

  "Oh. I should have known."

  Mike pondered. "What about me? I'm single too, at the moment."

  She stared at him, uncertain. "Why me, and why now?"

  "Because... we're not in high school anymore, Ricky's gone, and I think it's the right time for both of us."

  "And you already had Bonnie, right, got it." She nodded and averted her eyes.

  "What has Bonnie to do in this? I asked her out because you were already going out with Ricky, remember?"

  "Right, sorry. Sorry, Mike. Guess you just took me by surprise."

  "OK, now you know, so what's the deal?"

  "I don't know, relationships within the band don't seem to work very well."

  "Joyce is our sixth member, and her marriage is still very strong."

  "She was smart, she married Benny! But Ricky had to quit to stay with me, and Bonnie let Benny go..."

  "Why not give it a try? Just because Benny and Bonnie didn't last..."

  "Nor Bonnie and you, not to mention your passion for groupies and fans."

  "Are you trying to be nice to me because we're friends?"

  "Well, I'm trying to be honest..."

  "Then just say 'Mike, I don't trust you'."

  Debby looked him in the eyes, serious. "Mike, I don't trust you."

  "See? It's not that hard. And you haven't hurt my feelings cause I saw it coming anyway. But I had to ask."

  "You're really confusing me today. What do you mean now?"

  "I mean I've changed. Carrie hurt me badly. I used a couple of girls because my self esteem was below the ground, and had to take drugs."

  Debby straightened her back, alarmed. "Hang on, Mike, we've always said 'No drugs'!"

  "I know, but I was really suicidal," he admitted.

  "I wonder why Kyle covered you," she grumbled.

  "He was drunk, he didn't notice. I was so sick the day after, I decided to quit immediately."

  "I know what day you're talking about! When you split with Carrie and said you didn't want to date models anymore! But you've been sober ever since."

  "Definitely. It feels good when you're high, but then you crash down and it's even worse."

  "So, are you done with your rock 'n' roll experience?" She looked at him, relieved.

  "You could say that. I'm ready to love again, and be the good guy you always wanted me to be."

  He was serious for once, and she almost couldn't believe her ears.

  "We like you the way you are," she said hesitantly.

  "You're contradicting yourself, Debby!" he chided.

  She was about to answer, but preferred to kiss him instead. They looked at each other in the eyes, then kissed again passionately.

  "OK, you win," Debby said, still breathless.

  He smiled and hugged her, then they noticed Bonnie was looking at them. She smiled and showed her thumb up.

  "You're next, we'll find you someone!" Mike warned her.

  Bonnie shrugged. "Why? I don't need you to find me someone!"

  Mike turned back to Debby.

  "Does she have a love interest?" he asked in a low voice.

  "I think so, but she won't tell me who he is," Debby answered.

  "How can we help her, then?"

  "Mike, she doesn't want to be helped. We're not in high school anymore, 'Please, tell him I like him!', when she'll want, she'll tell him and live happily ever after."

  "And you have no idea of who it can be?"

  "No, sorry. Why was Kyle drunk anyway?"

  "He got problems with Betty. I guess that company brainwashes its employees, 'Don't have a relationship with anyone in the music business, it's baad!' – can you imagine?"

  Debby chuckled. "Oh, shut up, Mike!"

  ***

  Kyle arrived at home at 11.30AM. He dropped his duffel bag and went to the kitchen for a snack. He heard noises – muffled laughter – from the bedroom and tiptoed there.

  Betty and Ricky were on the bed, Betty in home clothing, Ricky as if just out of the office. They were talking and giggling and seemed very intimate.

  Kyle stopped on the door, speechless. "Bastard!" he whispered.

  It was enough for the other two to notice him. Betty screamed and Ricky looked defiant.

  "Kyle, what are you doing here?" Betty demanded.

  "I came to talk," Kyle said with a frown. "I thought you were at work, I planned to call you later."

  "Well, I'm here, as you can see," she retorted. "No more need for that serious talk, I guess."

  "No, I guess not," Kyle averted his eyes. "You deserve each other. Can you keep my stuff until the end of the tour?"

  "Sure."

  "Fine. See you then. Or maybe I'll call to make sure you're at work before collecting."

  "Whatever."

  "Fine. Bye."

  He left, heartbroken. So that was how it ended. That was what hid behind Betty's strange behavior. That was why she had erected a wall between them. She had a lover. Ricky nonetheless. Bastard. Bitch.

  Kyle grabbed his bag and called a taxi to head back for the airport. Some tears slid down his cheek on the plane, but when he joined the others before the next show, he was serious and barely answered the greetings.

  "Is everything all right?" Mike asked, worried.

  Kyle didn't look at him. "Yeah."

  They were all serious and worried now.

  "I shouldn't have let you go," Joyce said. "You're a total wreck, you haven't slept, have you?"

  "I'm not tired, I'm fine, Joyce," he answered flatly. "The show will go on."

  "Are you sure?" Benny insisted.

  "Yeah. I just don't feel like singing tonight, I'm mulling over a new song and don't want to get confused."

  "Right, sure, we'll take your song out of the schedule."

  "Can this match your lyrics?" Mike played a violent riff on his guitar, forcing a smile on Kyle's lips.

  "Might work," he said. "I'll let you know when I'm finished."

  "Cool." Mike was satisfied.

  Bonnie and Debby weren't convinced, though. Kyle pretended not to hear them.

  "Do you think he split with Betty?" Bonnie whispered.

  "I'm afraid so," Debby whispered back. "Fame changes people."

  "Yeah, the others!"

  "Don't tell me!"

  Kyle wasn't sure if he wanted to laugh or to cry again. He glanced at them as they smiled fondly at each other and decided to lock his heart.

  "Are we ready, girls?" Mike called.

  "Sure, let's kick some ass!"

  After the show Kyle retired with Mike as usual. The guitar player didn't even try to invite anyone to their room. Might be because he was now so obviously taken by Debby, but Kyle felt relieved that he didn't have to turn down groupies' offers.

  "So, you're with Debby, now?" he asked as they prepared for bed.

  "Yep," Mike answered promptly. "So, you split with Betty?"

  "Yeah." He pondered. "Don't tell no one."

  "I w
on't," Mike promised, serious. He thought about it. "Will you consider Bonnie, now?"

  "No, thanks," Kyle answered, a little sour. "I'd rather be on my own for some time."

  "Want me to call my old friends to keep you company?" Mike winked.

  Kyle smiled in spite of himself. "No, thanks. I have enough of women at the moment."

  "OK. Good night."

  "Good night."

  They switched off the lights.

  "Mike."

  "Uh?"

  "Do you love Debby?"

  "More than I thought I ever could."

  "And did you love Carrie?"

  "I thought so. Guess I was wrong. Like Debby with Ricky."

  "Oh. Thanks. Sweet dreams."

  ***

  Tour bus (lyrics by Debby)

  Here we go, here we come

  another tour takes away from home

  driver's fun, road is straight

  still I'd rather be in my bed.

  Miles and miles we go

  junk food, pizza and more

  Another town, another venue

  another show, another bedroom

  fans and groupies and press

  we're about ready to be obsessed.

  On we go and more to see

  we're already in Tennessee

  more junk food and miles away

  just get ready for another day

  on our tour bus we believe

  that our fans will never leave

  just another show out there

  one more for the road to nowhere

  here we go, here we come

  our tour bus has brought us home.

  ***

  Kyle sat alone with a beer before the show. The place was half empty and the few patrons minded their own business. Until a girl in her late twenties, sitting alone at her table, hesitated, then picked up her glass and went to sit near him.

  "Hi. Sorry to bother you, but you look as if you needed to talk."

  Kyle barely glanced at her. "I'm fine, thank you."

  "Good," she said. "It can't be easy dealing with fame."

  He looked at her, wary. "You know who I am?"

  She nodded.

  He sighed. "The Fan Club statistics say I'm not really a fan's favorite."

  She smiled. "I don't know about statistics, but you're definitely my favorite."

  "Really? Why?" He was curious now.

  "Your song," she stared into space as she spoke. "It was the perfect soundtrack for my love story. It was so similar to yours..." She sighed, dreamy.