Off stage his partying was manic. He had even managed to surpass his own legend. Hangers on were growing by the day. Every hotel stay needed Jim Bob to sort out the aftermath. Damage payments for trashed rooms. Bills for drinks. Compensation for distraught chamber maids or room service attendants that had been supposedly traumatised by his actions. Pay-offs for groupies that would run to the press or the police if they didn’t get some hush money.
Eliza had tried to talk to Dirk, but got short change for it. Roughly pushing her away with the short temper that he had developed in between hits.
When Jonny heard he was furious. Heeding Eliza’s request not to freak out was killing him but he agreed to broach it with Jim Bob instead.
“Enough is enough,” demanded Jonny of Jim Bob. “I can’t have Eliza upset by this anymore. It’s not good for the baby. Sort it out, or we’re leaving the tour.”
Jim Bob agreed. What else could he do? He had assisted Dirk when they were on their overly tight schedule in America. Here there was no need. Sure they had a few dates. Some big crowds. But basically Dirk had lost the plot and it was up to Jim Bob to get him back on track.
‘I’ll arrange a band meet.” Jim Bob reluctantly suggested.
“A band meet?” questioned Eliza, “I’m not sure about that. What if Dirk flies off at the deep end?”
“It needs to be all of us. If it’s just me and Dirk, he’s likely to ignore me. All of us, and he might just listen.”
Jonny look at Eliza, gaining her reluctant acceptance before agreeing. “That’s fine. I get that you need us to back you up on this, but you have to lead it and defend Eliza to the hilt. Because if you don’t, I will and that ain’t gonna be pretty.”
Jim Bob looked at Jonny for the briefest of moments to translate what he meant. He had not seen Jonny properly lose his temper, and his first reaction was going to be to laugh. Thinking Jonny was cracking a joke. He would never stand up to Dirk. But that blackness in his eyes told him otherwise. That’s when it dawned on him that Jonny would do anything to protect Eliza. Anything at all.
“Okay. Let’s get this gig over with and then I’ll call a meeting before we set off for the next stop in Austria. It’ll give everyone time to think whilst travelling.”
She walked out on to the stage. He looked across. The soon to be wife and mother of his child. There in front of sixty thousand people. This wasn’t a normal life. Sure it was interspersed with normal stuff but when it came to moments like this, not many people would have moments this crazy.
As ever, she absolutely owned the stage. Sure the lighting helped, picking her out centre stage. Sure she had a voice that powered out well beyond her stature would hint at. Sure she moved around in a way that was hypnotic and mesmerising. But above all she was meant to do this.
Eliza’s voice was different. He was probably the only one to notice it and that was because only he and her knew why. She had mentioned it to her doctor and he had said it was probably the hormones. She managed to hit lower notes than before and sustain them for longer.
He was in awe. How could a woman give him so much pleasure? And a child? And sing and command a stage like that?
His whole body tingled.
Dirk’s rapping of the drum sticks brought him back to reality and he ripped out the first six chords of his solo. Rising to match Eliza’s awesomeness might have been slightly beyond him, but even so he was doing the best he possibly could and made it the absolute performance of his life. Dedicating it in his mind to her.
The reviews of their duet had travelled across the Atlantic. Anticipation high. They didn’t disappoint. The customary lights dimmed. The audible gasp of the crowd when they were revealed. The hypnotic, tear jerking performance. The pre-applause silence and the ear crushing ovation.
Stood in the wings. Jonny thought about the gigs when he first started out. A couple of fans, the rest of the audience there to see an unknown band before the main event or take advantage of cheap beer.
To go from that to this. It was difficult to adjust. The leap had been massive.
A whole audience singing their songs word for word. Chanting until they made themselves hoarse for an encore.
He was still the same. Wasn’t he? The London boy who fell in love with an angel. Who still liked pie and mash and a no frills pint of lager. Who couldn’t give a shit if his shirt was C&A or Armani. Who wrote songs for his band, for Eliza to sing, not for the millions they would make. Who didn’t care if it all ended right now. Or did he?
“Enjoy the moment.” Eliza mouthed to him. “Enjoy it for what it is.”
He snapped out of it. The overthinking that he was inclined to do. How Eliza knew that he was ruminating right now was anyone’s guess. But she was right.
He put his arm around her and smiled, letting the adulation wash over him. Grateful for where he was right at that moment.
After their encore they went back to the green room. As ever, banter was rife. Jim Bob waited until the technicians had their wash up review and then showed them out, locking the door behind them.
“No girls tonight?” Dirk asked, swigging on the bottle of vodka he had snatched from the hospitality table.
“No.” Jim Bob said curtly.
Jonny reached for Eliza’s hand. He thought Jim Bob was going to do this in the morning, not now whilst Dirk was still high.
“We need to get a couple or three things out in the open.”
“Okayyy.” Dirk sat back, crossing his foot up onto his knee and spreading out his arm on the back of the sofa.
“Kurt.” Jim Bob got the guitarist’s attention and curled his hand towards the sofa.
Jim-Bob took a deep intake of breath.
“Okay guys. I’m not gonna beat around the bush. Cocaine. It’s not cool and it’s not happening.”
“Pfft.” Dirk dismissed Jim Bob’s attempt at curtailing his fun. “Are we done, already?” He took another long drink from the bottle.
Kurt, a little more sensitive than Dirk, asked, “What’s the problem with us doing a little powder every now and then? Everyone does it.”
“Yeah maybe they do. But it all ends the same way. It’s a slippery slope. Before you know it, it takes over and this band will suffer.”
“We already are.” Eliza added in defense.
“Look at you, Miss High and Mighty. Was different when you indulged not so long back. Eh?”
“Enough.” Stepped in Jonny.
Dirk looked away.
Jim Bob continued. “The thing is. You won’t see it until it is too late. It has a way of blinding you to what’s actually going on. The niggles. The arguments. The always being right.”
Jonny wasn’t in the mood for reasoning and could see that Jim Bob’s politically correct justification was in danger of being lost on Dirk.
“Truth is Dirk. You’re an absolute dick head when you’re on it and so are you.” Jonny pointed at Kurt.
Kurt flushed up. Blowing out his cheeks.
Dirk stood up angrily.
Kurt held out his hand. “Sit down Dirk.” His voice authoritative but not aggressive. “You’re right. I’ve seen it before, just didn’t realise I’d got that way too. And you…” he put his arm around Dirk. “Look man, we need to curb this shit before it gets the better of us.”
Dirk rubbed his face and then nodded slowly. “Okay. You’re right.” A big grin emerging on his face. “Can you let the girls in now?”
Eliza laughed. “You’re too much.”
“I know, and I’m sorry Eliza.” He went across and wrapped his arms around her. Extending his fist to Jonny, “No hard feelings Jonny-boy?”
Jonny bumped it in agreement.
Chapter Thirty-One
The final show was back in London. Jonny and Eliza glad that it was coming to an end, but also apprehensive about it marking the beginning of the next chapter in their lives. Marriage and babies.
They had arranged for a small group of kids from Jonny’s old school to hang out back stage
. In a way it helped keep Dirk on track with his new squeaky clean behaviour. Everyone knew it wasn’t going to last but at least they would end the tour on the right track.
Halfway through the show, the group of children were brought on to the wings of the stage. Each awestruck by the size of the crowd up front and the view the band had of it. One little cheeky boy waved and the whole crowd waved back at him.
Tammy was in the wings too and caught up in the moment nearly followed the group of school kids onto the stage. Jim Bob put an arm across to halt her. She’d joined them on the tour in Amsterdam and had now come across to London. It was just one of Jim Bob’s ways of holding Dirk to his pact to sober up a little.
She mothered him a bit, which was strange to watch considering she was a good deal younger. But her innocence was endearing and she mollycoddled him in a way that he tolerated, even perversely reveled in.
Eliza really liked her too and didn’t see her as one of the groupies Dirk would normally gravitate towards, she was happy to have her on board. Hoping that Dirk didn’t ditch her in the way he was inclined to do as she was fast forming a friendship with the girl.
To end the tour in London was special. News of them living there was common knowledge now and they could easily claim British band status without any backlash. This was the show that they had agreed to televise. They were ending their work this year on a real high their final performance of “Beautiful Angel” before it was categorised as not new and available to watch over and over on their soon to be released DVD.
It was also appropriate for them to have a final after party. It was well organised. Jim Bob had taken on a full time assistant, George. Together they made a formidable team and Eliza was secretly hoping they would partner in more ways than one. Not that she wanted to say anything to them and jinx it.
The plan was for Jonny and Eliza to do the usual mingling and then leave early. Eliza had got to the end of the tour without any slips, but she was tired now and wanted to go home.
Home with Jonny and just chill.
They arrived with Tammy, Dirk and Kurt. Leesa had not joined them for this final performance, leaving them in Amsterdam to go home to the farm and children.
The production company that were pulling together the video of the show were filming at the after party too. Catching some of the interviews and moments to add in as an exclusive bonus at the end of the video.
Dirk fooled around in front of the camera. Tammy said a few words about how proud she was of the band and what an inspiration they were to any budding artists.
Jonny and Eliza were followed to an interview they had scheduled with a music journalist. They had been given the list of approved questions before the show and knew what they were going to say.
The interview went as planned and they were just on the home straight when the reporter put down his notebook and asked them to comment on the latest revelation in the Helen and Simon saga.
“She’s apparently denied that Simon is the father and so has he. They’re threatening to go on the Andrew Poole show. Going to blow the lid on the whole sordid affair as they have put it. What do you say to that Jonny?”
Jonny looked across to Jim Bob, who responded by pulling his finger across the front of his throat.
Jonny looked back at the reporter. “I’ve got nothing to say about it. They’re quite obviously gold diggers and the pair of them are welcome to each other.”
Shit. That just came out. It’s what he thought, but even so he shouldn’t have said it.
“Nothing to say about it eh?”
He wondered if Jim Bob could do some damage limitation, looking again at their, who was now shrugging this shoulders.
“So what makes you think they’re gold diggers, Jonny?”
Conscious of the rolling camera, now zoomed in on just him. He felt a bead of sweat roll down the side of his face and Eliza gripping his wrist. Should he go on and finish this off once and for all, or stop now. Probably leaving more questions than answers. Fuck it. When did he ever not do what he wanted to.
“It’s proven that I’m not the father. So there’s no story there. Between them they’ve put up this lie to try and extort money from me. Well, there’s no mileage in that, and I’ve instructed solicitors to take out a libel case against them if they so much as whisper another lie about this whole shitty story.”
“So are you not going to go on the Andrew Poole show then Jonny?”
“There will be no Andrew Poole show.”
The reporter looked unnerved for a second, before going in for another question. One too many as far as Jonny was concerned.
“I’ve got nothing more to say on the matter. Ever. So unless you get back to the questions written on your notebook, then this interview is over.”
The authority and resilience in his voice was enough to persuade the reporter to oblige. Flipping his notebook cover back to the front and holding out his hand in gratitude.
Jonny ignored the gesture, pulling Eliza up and away from the interrogation torture chairs.
“Just when everything was going so well,” he murmured to Eliza.
“Don’t give it a second thought,” she said encouragingly. “Jim Bob will make sure that’s edited out of the video and that guy can report what he likes, but as you said, we’ll get a libel lawyer onto him and the editor of his scummy paper if he so much as tries to report anything other than the truth.”
“Yep, too right. I need a drink. A stiff one. You’re okay if I just stay for a couple before we go home aren’t you?” Knowing there wasn’t anything in the house when they got back home.
***
“JB, it’s a bit early for you to be ringing isn’t it?” Jonny was still in bed.
“Yeah, maybe.” Jim Bob was a bit put off by the remark. It was actually afternoon, and although he was used to rock stars that didn’t get up until evening, his time spent over the last couple of years had lead him to believe that Jonny wasn’t a typical rock star. Dirk however. Yeah Jim Bob would never dream of ringing Dirk before five. “Anyhoo.” He continued, “I thought you might like an update on that whole reporter fiasco thing last night.”
Jonny took a while to recollect the incident.
As soon as he had got back home with Eliza they had been sorting stuff out for their housewarming party and hadn’t gone to bed until the early hours. Him persuading her that the only way he could go to sleep after the concert and then the over long discussion about canapés and other catering nonsense was to make love. Long, slow, losing yourself for hours in each other, lovemaking. She hadn’t taken much persuasion and it was practically dawn before they eventually fell asleep.
“Huh,” he acknowledged.
In truth, he was passed caring about Helen and Simon and the drudgery of their persistent lies. Him and Eliza knew the truth and that’s all that mattered. They had moved on, building back up their lives. Their family. As far as he was concerned they could bleat about it forever and he wouldn’t give a flying fuck.
“We’ve had to take out an injunction to stop the show from airing. The judge was very empathetic about it all. Seems like there is a backlash underway about the press and the way they hound celebrities.”
“Good.”
“Also the reporter from last night has been sacked. Although he is likely to pop up somewhere else. Either way, the questions he asked last night, won’t be published. And the video, of course, we’ll still have to edit, but the original film is in safe hands. That won’t be getting leaked anytime soon.”
“Good,” repeated Jonny.
“Are you actually listening to me?” Jim Bob whined.
“Erm, yeah.” Jonny pulled his hands away from Eliza’s breasts. He was entranced by them. They had definitely got bigger, and jiggled now in a way that he had only just noticed. Had it happened overnight, or what? Either way, they were much more interesting than the conversation he was having with Jim Bob.
“It’s all good. You’re on the case.”
&n
bsp; “Okayyy. Cool. I’ll leave you to it then. Speak soon.”
Jonny put down the phone, and concentrated on his new found toys.
Chapter Thirty-Two
“Eliza.” Jonny shouted upstairs. “Where do we want them to set up all the food?”
Eliza appeared at the top of the stairs looking down at the caterers streaming in through the front door with crates full of food.
“Kitchen.”
“Yeah but where in the kitchen?”
“For the love of all things holy,” Eliza chuntered, coming down the stairs with a towel wrapped around her head like a turban. “Why do I have to get involved in every decision around…” She stopped, shell shocked, as she turned the corner and looked through the kitchen doorway.
“Surprise!” they all shouted.
She had her hands up to her mouth and tears in her eyes. All her friends and aunt and uncle had come across from Holland as well as Dirk and Tammy, Kurt, Leesa and the kids.
Jonny came to her side. “They’ve all come for the housewarming party.”
“When did you organise all of this?” she asked him, wide eyed.
“A few days ago. Why don’t you go and finish getting ready and I’ll arrange getting all this set up and then take everyone on a tour of the house.” He had to resist placing his hand on her belly. That was one surprise that they were going to reveal later. Together.
Jonny took them all on a tour around the house and gardens, whilst the caterers set up the spread and Eliza finished getting ready.
One of his pride and joys was the mini observatory that his father had helped him build at the far end of the garden. It was an emotional gesture and he committed to spending time in there with his grandfather, whenever he had the opportunity. He couldn’t wait until his children were interested enough to join them. Passing his love of the sky to the next generation.
They all squeezed in two at a time to have a look. Jonny explaining how the fibre glass rotating dome worked and how far the telescope would reach. There were celestial maps plastered to the walls and he pointed out stars on it that Kurt and Leesa’s children asked about.
Loving his ANGEL Page 21