Don't Mention the Rock Star

by Bree Darcy

“I still think you should talk to Corey about it,” I consoled. “You know he loves you to the moon and back – anyone can see that. It’s probably all a big misunderstanding. Stacey is known for bending the truth. What about that time she claimed she’d met the Hoff down at Scarborough Beach and he offered her a role in Baywatch.”

  “What I want to do is to forget all about it,” Dawn said, wiping the mascara under her eyes. “Come on girls, let’s go have ourselves a great night, Stacey Big-ones be damned.”

  “That’s the spirit,” cheered Nikki. “Let’s hit the dance floor, I’ve been practising my moon walk especially.”

  * * *

  I was listening to two women drone on about their sons’ prowess on the cricket field when my eye caught a very unwelcome sight entering the room. “Excuse me,” I said, before dashing over to intercept him at the bar.

  “What are you doing here?” I hissed. “I thought you were at a wedding?”

  “Yeah, unfortunate business, that,” Dan said. “The bride’s father had a heart attack this morning – probably the stress of paying all those bills – so the big day’s been postponed. So the good news is I could make our reunion after all.”

  “That’s great, just great,” I said through gritted teeth.

  We stood in silence for a moment, drinking each other in. Compared to some of our former classmates, time had been very kind to Dan. He was dressed in a sharp black suit and his brown hair was still thick and wavy. He was wearing a Cartier watch and smelt of expensive cologne.

  “So how’s your parents,” I asked cordially.

  “Fine,” he replied. “And your mum?”

  “Good, good.” I looked around. “It seems to be an impressive turnout.”

  Our year leader, Mr Taylor, caught my eye from across the room and scurried over. “How lovely to see our golden couple together again. Nice to see you Daniel,” he said, shaking his hand. “How’s life been treating you?”

  “Can’t complain,” Dan said, filling us on his life in the Hong Kong business world, specialising in mergers and acquisitions.

  “Good to see you’ve done well for yourself. I’ve never forgotten what you did for Kellie here.”

  My face creased in puzzlement while Dan looked embarrassed.

  “Don’t say you never told her, lad.” Mr Taylor turned to me. “Remember how you two were awarded scholarship money for university.”

  “Yes,” I said hesitantly.

  “Well, Dan here arranged for his share to go to you, said you needed it more than him. I’ve never seen such an act of selflessness from a young fellow like that before. I always knew you’d go far.”

  I turned to Dan. “So the five thousand dollars – half of that was yours?”

  He nodded.

  “Why didn’t you tell me? Especially when I used the money to -”

  “Didn’t seem much point,” he interrupted. “You’d already made up your mind.”

  Mr Taylor, sensing he’d put his foot in it, slipped away.

  “I wish I’d known about this. But thank you, it was really generous of you. I didn’t deserve it.”

  “No you didn’t.”

  “I’ll get the money back to you, of course.”

  “Don’t be stupid, Kell. I don’t need the damn money.”

  “You should have told me when we were arguing about going to London.”

  “As if it would have made a difference. You were under Andy’s spell – no matter what he did to you, he’d say jump and you’d ask how high.”

  “That’s not true …”

  Dan looked away, as if bored by our conversation.

  “At least let me buy you a drink,” I said.

  Dan followed me to the bar where I ordered a whisky sour. He took a slug of it, then caught hold of my wrist. “The part that cuts me up the most – you and him were meant to be soul mates who would be together forever. I could just about accept I could never compete with that. But then you married someone else.” Dan took another mouthful and moved his face so close to mine our noses almost touched. “So I had to concede that it wasn’t him, it was me. I was never good enough for you.” He let go of my arm and pulled back to a more normal conversational distance. “But don’t worry, I’m not bitter about it – not any more. So your hubby here?” Dan looked around, trying to pick out the man I married from all the strangers in the room.

  “Yes, somewhere.” There was no way I would point out Curtis to him.

  Dan fixed his gaze back on me. “And what does he do?”

  “He’s a pharmaceutical sales director. He’s a PhD and he …”

  “Sells drugs? How fitting,” he smirked. “And what about the great AJ Dangerfield, he still in your life?”

  My eyes dropped to the floor as my cheeks flushed.

  “Oh, Kellie,” he mocked. “Your poor fucking husband. I find that what a client doesn’t say often speaks volumes. Seems like the more the years go by, the less you change.” And with that Dan disappeared into the crowd.

  CHAPTER FORTY-TWO

  I didn’t feel comfortable in churches at the best of times. My unease probably traced back to the time I attended Dawn’s holy communion and it dragged on so long I almost fainted from lack of food.

  At the worst of times, like Maria’s funeral, there was nowhere else I’d less like to be.

  Only a few people were milling around outside when I arrived. The church, set at the front of school grounds, was a square red brick building that looked more like an administration office. Inside it was all religious pomp and ceremony though, with heavy wooden pews, stained-glass windows and Jesus on a cross behind the pulpit.

  I snuck into one of the back pews. Mum had wanted to come with me but had been unable to find someone to take over her shift. And Nikki was doing a trial with 96fm – her chance at moving from community radio into the big league.

  The mutterings stopped as a solemn Andy crossed himself at the entrance, then walked rigidly down the aisle, not looking at anyone. Gerry walked a pace behind him, head bowed.

  I blinked away the tears as Andy embraced his Aunt Carmela and Uncle Ed. And then an uncomfortable silence descended over the congregation as we waited for the service to begin.

  I was reading the service sheet so didn’t notice Gerry until he knelt down and whispered to me: “He wants you to sit with him.”

  “Me?”

  Gerry nodded.

  “But what about … what will people think?”

  “He doesn’t give a flying monkey about that today.” A few shocked faces turned at Gerry’s raised voice.

  As I walked towards the front pew, the clatter of my court shoe heels echoing through the church, I felt every eye on me. With a nod and a welcoming smile from Carmela, I sat down next to Andy, Gerry on my other side. Andy gripped my hand and didn’t let go through the entire service. When the hymns were sung, when his mother’s coffin was sprinkled with holy water. Even when we followed her casket out of the church.

  * * *

  There were that many people at the wake that it spilled on to both properties. I made myself useful handing around platters of food and couldn’t help but overhear myself being discussed.

  “Is that Andrew’s wife? She looks like she’s put on weight.”

  “No, that’s his girlfriend from when he lived here.”

  “The vegetarian one,” piped up one of the uncles.

  “She was sitting with him in church. I thought it must be his wife.”

  “You know what these rock’n’roll types are like – girl in every port.”

  “That’s sailors you’re thinking of, Francesca.”

  I spied a heavily pregnant Caprice trying to keep a fractious toddler under control. “Peter,” she hissed at a man with glasses and a receding hairline. “Take your son to see his nonna and give me a moment of peace. Please.” Caprice turned to me. “You got kids?”

  “Nah. I still feel like I’m only a kid myself.”

  “Yeah, well stay away from my
fertile cousin then won’t you. You hear he’s got twins on the way?”

  “I did. It runs in your family, doesn’t it – your mum and Maria were twins.”

  “Thankfully that family tradition hasn’t been passed on to me. It’s tiring enough looking after one baby. Not that I feel sorry for Siena. She’s such a bitch.” Caprice took two biscotti from my tray. “Eating for two, that’s my excuse. Now where was I … oh yes, the wife. You met her?”

  I shook my head.

  “The first time, Andrew brings her over for a barbecue, she’s whining about how he should have taken us out to a restaurant, she’s rude to my great-aunt who only wanted to feel the fabric of her dress and … then I mentioned that Andrew could use a trim and offered to get my scissors out and Siena gets all hoity-toity, saying he has a professional stylist now. As if I haven’t got my certificate III in hairdressing.”

  “Don’t know if I like his frosted tips,” I said watching Andy move from circle to circle, accepting everyone’s sympathies.

  “Yeah, well, as long as she doesn’t change Andrew into – excuse me a mo.” Caprice shot off, noticing her son was sipping someone’s discarded beer bottle.

  Another of Andy’s relatives, reeking of garlic and wearing his pants hoicked up to nearly his armpits, cornered me to tell me how much Maria had liked me. “We don’t go for divorce but if some horrible accident was to befall Andrew’s wife, we’d all be happy to welcome you into the family.” The man kissed me on both cheeks before moving off to join the smokers on the veranda.

  Andy passed by and I instinctively wiped the smears of red lipstick off his cheek.

  “Sorry I haven’t been able to spend much time with you. You alright?” he asked, shaking his head at my offer of a salami roll-up.

  “I’m fine,” I replied, deciding not to tell him that his mafia-looking great uncle possibly had a hit arranged on Siena. “I have to be going soon, I’d made plans to meet up with Nikki tonight. But I can cancel if you need me.”

  “Can we crash your party? Give Gerry the chance to meet the infamous Nikki. I really need to get out of here.”

  * * *

  And so the four of us huddled around a table in a beer garden, trying to keep our conversation light. The boys were telling us about how endless hours playing gaming machines had inspired their hotel pseudonyms. Andy was Mario Brothers, Gerry was Pax Mann and Dom was Dom Kee Kong. Heath had been the very macho Duke Newcom.

  “What’s this then?” Gerry grabbed my hand after spotting my engagement ring. With Nikki in tow, I couldn’t risk not wearing it. “Who’s the lucky fella then?”

  Andy spluttered into his drink. “You’re engaged? You never said anything. Sorry, I didn’t even notice the ring.”

  “You’ve had more important things on your mind.”

  “You should have told me.”

  “It’s nothing, really. Didn’t seem like the time or place.” I buzzed a fly away from my orange vodka.

  Gerry slapped me on the back. “It’s nothing! Our Kell getting married! So who is he?”

  “Haven’t you heard about Curtis?” Nikki answered for me. “He’s this PhD student who swept Kell off her feet. About to sweep her all the way to England too, which I’m not happy about.”

  “England?” Andy frowned.

  I quickly related how I met Curtis in Canberra. “Anyway to cut a long story short, he’s got a research post at Sheffield University so I’m off to join him in England next week.”

  “Must be quite a guy to get you to move overseas with him?” Andy’s question was loaded.

  “Who knows, Andy?” Nikki seemed oblivious to the tension. “I’m the best friend and I haven’t even met him to give my approval. And he’s…” Nikki trailed off as she spotted the thunderous look on Andy’s face. She excused herself to check out the bar menu, dragging Gerry along with her.

  “So congratulations are in order, then.” Andy swirled the bourbon around in his glass and refused to meet my eye.

  “I could say the same to you. Double congratulations I believe. Twins?”

  Andy sighed. “Who told you?”

  “You should have told me. All this time you’re whining about problems in your marriage and you’re having more babies. How dare you talk about walking out on your wife. Your mother brought you up better than that.”

  “Don’t lecture me.”

  “You need to face up to reality and stop bellyaching about the choices you’ve made. Four kids before you’re twenty-five – congratulations, that’s some effort.”

  Andy ran his fingers through his hair. “Do you really think I need you giving me a tongue-lashing tonight, of all nights?”

  “I’m sorry.” I looked contrite.

  “Look, can we forget about all this and just go back to being me and you – us – for now.”

  I nodded and he slung his arm around my shoulders. We sat in silence gazing at the stars until Nikki and Gerry returned.

  CHAPTER FORTY-THREE

  The windows rattled and the floorboards creaked as scores of adults reliving their youth stomped in unison to Tubthumping. Only one bald guy, who took the dress-to-impress code to mean his best blue singlet, sat it out, slumped at the bar after possibly downing the full selection of liquor prescribed by the band.

  I was pleased to see Dawn had put her earlier freak-out behind her and was back in Corey’s arms. They made such a fantastic couple, it would be a travesty to allow something that might or might not have happened years ago ruin their relationship. I gave her a thumbs-up, and she gave a wide grin as she returned the gesture.

  Further along, Nikki was cosying up to some muscly guy I didn’t recognise, while Dan had his hands full with a half-cut Stacey throwing her arms around his neck whenever the Danny Boy refrain came on. She must have heard he was single again.

  The excitement ratcheted up to another level when the Proclaimers’ 500 Miles song came on. As everyone, including my husband, locked arms in a mass huddle, I ducked out of the circle. The loud and drunken singing certainly wasn’t doing my tension headache any favours. I moved towards the entrance, breathing in some fresh air and refusing to engage in eye contact with Dan, even though I could sense him looking my way constantly.

  The DJ began to wind down the evening by playing some ballads. Curtis strolled over, dropping a lingering kiss on my lips. “You wanna dance?”

  I stifled a yawn. “I’m tired. I think we should get going now.”

  “Really?”

  “Yes, really.” But first I needed to make a pit-stop at the ladies’. By the time I returned, Curtis was in the midst of an in-depth group discussion about some NASA space project. I tugged on his sleeve, indicating I was ready to go.

  Suddenly, out of the corner of my eye, I spotted Dan approaching. Houston, we have a problem!

  Dawn picked up on my panicked expression and tried to intercept the incoming missile but he brushed straight past her, sliding in next to me with a sly nod.

  While the group discussed the sort of people who would sign up for a one-way trip to Mars (was it too late to nominate Dan?), I rubbed an irritating mosquito bite on my elbow.

  Dan reached across to pull my hand away. “Don’t do that, you’ll make it worse.” Then his expression turned cool. “When you had an itch, you always had to scratch it, didn’t you?”

  Our exchange piqued everyone’s interest and the space conversation died. My former sports teacher Paddy Carley finally broke the awkward silence. “So Kellie, I hear you’re a celebrity reporter now. I always thought you’d end up in politics. I’ll never forget that protest you organised over having to take cold showers when the hot-water tank failed.” He laughed at the memory, us standing around in our sweaty gym gear chanting “we have the power, we don’t want to shower”.

  “Can’t really see why you’d be wasting your time with that Hollywood fluff,” Mr Taylor tutted. “A smart girl like you, you should be writing thought-provoking opinion pieces on topics that affect the state of the n
ation. Not some drivel about the state of some starlet’s marriage.”

  “Mr Taylor, how can you say that?” Nikki leapt straight to my defence. “I’d much prefer to read about Beyonce than boring old Barnaby Alley.”

  “And Kell’s got loads of experience getting up close and personal with celebrities, hasn’t she?” Dan needled.

  “Kellie loves her job, that’s for sure,” Curtis smiled, winding his arm around my waist. “And parliamentary hours would play havoc with raising a family, wouldn’t they darling?”

  “Well I for one am delighted to see you with someone able to hold an intelligent conversation,” Mr Taylor said. “I remember that awful boy you were dating, with the long hair and piercings. Bet you’re glad you made a narrow escape there, girl.”

  I could hear thudding in my ears. Nikki paled, Corey flinched as Dawn gripped on to his arm, and I didn’t dare look at Dan.

  “I think you’ll find, Mr Taylor, that that awful boy has gone on to bigger and better things,” Dan said.

  Please don’t, I begged him with my eyes.

  “You must have heard of AJ Dangerfield?” Dan continued. “Lead singer of Danger Game. He could buy and sell all of us here many times over. A very hard act to follow indeed, wouldn’t you say, Kell? No other guy ever lived up to him. I certainly couldn’t. But of course your husband must have broken the spell he had over you – got the ring on your finger and all that. How is the rock star these days, Kellie? You still calling him? Still meeting up and shagging him every chance you get like when we were together?”

  “Dan, that’s enough,” Nikki hissed. “You’ve said more than enough.”

  “Definitely broken the spell, mate,” Curtis said. “He never even gets mentioned in our house. All in the past. Now excuse me, I’m after another beer.”

  But Dan hadn’t finished. “If I were you, I’d be checking whether Danger Game were touring about nine months before your kids were born,” he yelled at Curtis’ retreating back.

  I spun around to confront Dan. “Andy was right about you. Behind that nice guy facade you really are a nasty piece of work. Hope that felt good, getting that off your chest after all these years.”