FAME and GLORY
Page 31
When Brandee got to the cliff that marks Table Bluff County Park, she pulled to the side of the road and parked.
“Here we are gang. Let's get out.”
Bruce, Suzi, and Diane got out of the black van. They stepped to the cliff area and idly watched the surf roll on to the shore below. Shortly, another car entered the parking area. Out of the second vehicle stepped Tom Ferrari.
“Sorry I'm a little late. Some of these country roads aren't marked too well. I got lost.”
“It’s okay, Tom,” Brandee said. “We haven't started yet.”
“Good to see you folks again,” he said. “I was terribly sorry to hear about Jake.”
The musicians thanked him for his concern. While this reunion had been going on, Brandee had opened the back of the Sprinter and removed a cardboard box from inside. She took control of the gathering.
“I invited all of you here tonight,” she began. “Because of what happened with Jake. That's obvious, I know, but worth stating. First, I want to talk to the members of the group called Brandee.”
She turned to the three musicians who were standing close together, shivering a bit in the cool coastal air.
“We've had some great times. We've made great music together and had a great time doing it. I haven't always been the easiest person to live with. Sometimes I've been cranky. Sometimes I've been impatient. Stop nodding, Bruce”
“Sorry. I didn't realize I was.”
“You were. Anyway, I don't know if we're going to be a group after tonight. If we're not, it's been a great run, and I want to thank you for everything.” Brandee lost her composure for an instant, but quickly regained it. She turned back to the members of the group.
“He has been, and will continue to be, an inspiration to me. He loved me completely. He loved you guys too. You could tell he did, I know. It was obvious how much he loved you guys as more than just friends. You were family, too.”
Diane wept quietly. Suzi swallowed a sob. Bruce cleared his throat. Brandee continued.
“I would like for us to be together as a group. Don't answer for a minute, though.
Brandee unwound the metal clip that held secure the top of the box that she was holding. The clip sprang free. Brandee spoke again.
“These are Jake's ashes. He wanted them to be scattered to the winds into the ocean. He loved the ocean. To him, it meant forever. He said that he felt the presence of God when he saw the waves as they came ashore.”
Brandee took the box that held Jake's remains to the side of the cliff. She knelt and carefully turned the box on its side, letting Jake's ashes escape gradually from the box. Just then, an onshore wind came up, and the ashes were swept towards the sea. In just a few seconds, the box was empty. Brandee stood up.
“I said to the members of Brandee that I want us to be together as a group. I do, but not like it was before. I know that a lot of what happened was my fault. I got so hungry for fame and glory that I fell blind to what was really important. I let little issues get big, and big issues get enormous. I wanted my own way, not most of the time, but all the time. When my husband challenged my monarch ways, I looked for someone who would tell me 'yes' all the time, even if the answer should have been 'no'.”
She stopped for a moment, then added, “Even if the answer should have been 'Hell no!'”
Shaking her head at some of her memories, she continued. “Losing Jake has changed me. It's shown me what's really important. It's taught me to put aside for good the things that took me away from the loving arms of my husband and dear friends. I guess it's past the time that I should have grown up, but that's what has happened since Jake took his life, out of hurt and grief. That brings me to why you're here, Mr. Ferrari.”
She turned to look at the talent scout, speaking directly to him.
“I need to get together with the rest of the group so we can decide for sure, democratically, how we want this to go. We need to know from you, though, is Arista still interested in us if we use a different name?”
Tom Ferrari shifted his weight from his right foot to his left. He was surprised to have been put in the spotlight all at once. He answered with the first thing that came to mind.
“What name do you have in mind?”
Brandee glanced at the members of the group. They leaned forward, as anxious to know the answer to this as Tom Ferrari was.
“J-A-C-O-B-Y,” Brandee said, spelling it out for him. “A tribute to the man that made us a group in the first place.”
Tom thought for a moment. “I'll have to check with New York, of course--”
Brandee interrupted, “Do that, then. Tell them that a name change of some kind is non-negotiable though. I don't want to go on stage as Brandee again.”
Tom smiled, “Let me finish. I started to say that I would have to check with New York, of course, but I don't see how that would be a problem. You don't have the kind of branding yet that would make it hard to change your name. Your fame is regional, and not that firm so far. We hope to change that.”
Brandee nodded, and turned to Bruce, Suzi, and Diane. “How about it? Will you play with me? As Jacoby?”
The three musician members of the group formerly known as Brandee looked at each other. Bruce answered, not unkindly, “Let me have a word with Suzi and Diane”
Brandee nodded, a lump rising in her throat. Bruce enfolded Suzi and Diane into a makeshift huddle. After a minute or so, the huddle broke up and the musicians looked at Brandee with sober expressions on their faces. Bruce spoke for them. “On one condition.”
Brandee looked perplexed. “What's that?”
“That we spell it J-A-C-O-B-E-E. I've gotten kind of used to playing behind an E-E.”
“Deal!” Brandee cried out, rushing into the arms of her friends.
- END -