AT 29

by D. P. Macbeth

  “Taking better care of myself.”

  “It shows.” She turned back to Ellis. “I suppose you want to know what’s on Miles’ mind.”

  “Now that you mention it.”

  “He wants Jimmy to put out some music.”

  “That’s what he told me.” Ellis nodded at Jimmy. “Depends on what he wants to put out.”

  Cindy went back to her desk. “Be careful with him.”

  “Is he serious about some of my old songs?” Jimmy asked.

  “Yes. Likes all of it.”

  “Why be careful?”

  “He’s not like Daisy.”

  “That’s good.” Jimmy never made a secret of his dislike for Daisy’s tactics.

  “No, I mean he’s under pressure to bring in money. He called me last night and gave me a week to get two new albums out the door. He’s going to put pressure on you, too.”

  “I’m not worried.” Jimmy smiled, almost serene. “Just happy to have the chance to work again.”

  “You won’t get to call the shots.”

  “On the music?”

  “I don’t know. Definitely not on the business side.”

  “What’s he got you working on?”

  Cindy rolled her eyes. “Right now, I’m fulltime with two groups from England. I’m trying to get their albums out at the same time. We’re stuck on the last two cuts. He’s anxious, they’re burnt out and I’m frazzled.”

  “Ellis looked at his watch. “Time to go.”

  ***

  “Mr. Dorman and the elusive Mr. Button. Thank you for coming in.” Miles gestured for them to sit in the chairs in front of his desk. “We have a few things to talk about, but first, let me ask you, Mr. Button, where have you been and what have you been doing?”

  Jimmy bristled at the no nonsense tone of the question.” I had some health issues to attend to.”

  “Are you healthy now?”

  “Yes.”

  “No booze?”

  “A few beers, that’s all.”

  “That’s booze.” The comment was a slap.

  Ellis interjected, “As you can see he’s in good shape. Much better than when he left town.”

  McCabe turned his attention to the agent, pondering. “Yes, but his reputation precedes him.”

  “I’m in the room. Talk to me,” Jimmy broke in, defensively.

  “Okay.” McCabe reached for a folder. He slid it across the desk toward Jimmy. “Take a look at this.”

  Ellis and Jimmy leaned forward and read the cover page, ‘New Contract’.

  Jimmy let it lie and sat back. “What’s this all about?”

  “Let me spell it out for you. First, you agree to make a new album. Second, you agree to assist on any project of my choosing that involves new talent we bring in. Third, you pay costs incurred for damages and punitive actions resulting from your last appearance in Atlantic City. Fourth, you don’t leave town without my approval. And, fifth, no booze.”

  Ellis fidgeted in his chair, looking first at his client and then McCabe who glared ominously at both of them. “We already have a contract.”

  “The current contract is null and void. I expect you to sign this one today.”

  Flushed with anger, Jimmy gathered himself to leave. Ellis put his hand on his arm. “Can you elaborate?”

  McCabe tapped the folder. “Blossom needs to get back on the map. Mr. Button, here, is the only one making money for us at the moment although I intend to change that. I want him to get into the studio and give me something.”

  “Rumor is that you want to release some of his older material.”

  “Old, new, I don’t care as long as it sells.”

  “So, that means he has artistic control?”

  “No inflammatory lyrics, poor taste or profanity.”

  Ellis looked at Jimmy. “That’s not a problem. What about the other points?”

  “Cindy Crane is working with two groups from England. She’s behind schedule. I want Mr. Button to work with her and have something ready by the end of the week.”

  Jimmy spoke up, “What am I supposed to do?”

  “Figure out what’s wrong and fix it.”

  “What if I can’t?”

  McCabe shot him a cold look. “This is not a negotiation.”

  Ellis tried to defuse the tension. “We’ll see what can be done. What about the other conditions?”

  “I settled with the Convention Center for fifty grand. VooDoo9 will take another fifty. That money comes out of your client’s pocket.”

  “You expect me to just write you a check?”

  “If you’re short I can hold back on future earnings.”

  Jimmy studied McCabe’s face. There was no doubt the man meant what he said. “Why do I need your approval to leave town?”

  “I said before, your reputation precedes you. This is a business. I can’t have the people I’m paying disappear whenever they feel like it. You seem to have a history of doing that. I have no interest in chasing you all over the place when things need to get done.”

  “I won’t be put on a leash.”

  “Call it what you wish, but you will, under your new contract with Blossom Records, fulfill your obligations to this company. That means showing up when you are required and producing quality work on time.”

  “What if I’m on the road?”

  “Same rules apply.”

  “You can’t expect me to be at your beck and call twenty-four hours a day!”

  McCabe leaned back in his chair. “Plane, train, bus, car, performance, interview, practice, recording sessions or whatever, you will be there on time and ready to work.”

  Jimmy looked at Ellis who, to his shock, nodded in agreement. “You agree with him?”

  “When you weren’t drinking too much you always made your commitments.”

  Ellis was right. Regardless of his propensity to steal away when his ego was wounded, Jimmy was scrupulous about his obligations. He never missed a performance and made sure he put in the work needed to keep it good. The mess six months earlier was an aberration brought on by his heavy drinking, something he did not intend to let happen again. Still, the new contract was unexpected. Ellis seemed to be betraying him.

  “How do you expect to police the drinking?”

  “Simple, if I notice a hint of booze on your breath or in your behavior all bets are off.”

  “I have a beer now and then.”

  McCabe softened his stance slightly. “If you see what I’m trying to accomplish, you’ll recognize that I want this label to succeed. I can’t watch you every minute and I’m not planning to. A beer here and there can be okay, but not if it leads to another Atlantic City. I will not tolerate it.”

  Jimmy sighed in frustration. Ellis took the cue. “Let me take a few minutes to confer with my client.” He turned to Jimmy who was shaking his head. “Let’s go talk.”

  “Here, take the contract with you.” McCabe gathered up the document and handed it to Ellis. “I want it signed today.”

  Jimmy could not contain himself. “And, if I don’t?”

  “You can sue. I’ll counter sue and tie you up in knots, using the terms of our current agreement, which you have broken by your actions in Atlantic City and your subsequent six month absence from the studio. If you think you can sign with somebody else I’ll sue them, too. Then I’ll drag everything out forever. You won’t be recording or performing for a very long time. Now, that may be acceptable to you, but you still owe the hundred grand. I’ll come after that and make sure everyone knows about it. You’ll be seen as a washed up, deadbeat drunk. I suppose eventually your talent might give you a chance to overcome what you’ve done to yourself, but it will be a long time before anyone will take a chance on you. Sign the contract, adhere to it and we can all get something going now. Dig in your heels and it gets miserable for you.”

  Jimmy’s face colored. He expected some repercussions, but not to be corralled so tightly that his every move would be under a micro
scope. At that moment all he wanted to do was fight this arrogant executive. The tone of his voice, his uncompromising attitude and his demand for an immediate decision, coupled with threats, was intolerable. No matter what he’d done to sabotage his career, he was still a minor name in music circles. He did not deserve to be treated this way. Sure Blossom was the first label to give him a chance, but he had delivered and he was beginning to believe he could do it again. Why would this inexperienced newcomer risk losing his only proven talent? It didn’t make sense. And, where is Ellis in all of this? Isn’t he supposed to have his back?

  As soon as the two men exited Miles jumped from behind his desk and began to pace. He was nervous. He knew he was taking a big risk, one that Cindy had warned him against. She still believed in Jimmy Button. He thought about their conversation the day before.

  “Don’t be too heavy handed with him,” she cautioned.

  “I need to be in charge. That’s the only way I operate. If I’m to turn this business around, everyone needs to toe the line. He can’t come and go when he pleases. We have to have discipline.” He saw her face grow soft and heard her voice turn soothing like his wife used to do whenever he was facing a dilemma with one of his tirades.

  “You need to develop a light touch. Watch and wait. If he comes back healthy you’ll know he’s ready to work. It’s not about being the boss. It’s about his potential to help you achieve what you want.”

  “I’m supposed to overlook everything?”

  “You need to make accommodations where they serve your interests.”

  His conversation with Jimmy’s agent was different.

  “My client needs a wake-up call.” Ellis had requested the meeting. Miles was caught off-guard by the striking man’s pronouncement.

  “What do you mean?”

  “Carrot and stick. Nothing too onerous, just enough to keep him focused so he can get his groove back.”

  “I don’t understand.”

  “The last two years have been awful. No new music, bad play. He went from being an up and comer to opening for some lesser acts. Drinking’s got to stop.”

  “What’s he doing now?”

  “Working on it.”

  “I need to meet him.”

  “Yes, but we have to be prepared.”

  “What do you suggest?”

  “Put him back to work. That’s what he wants. The band’s all done, but he isn’t. He needs to stay off the booze. Make him think that’s the only way.”

  “You’ll back me up?”

  “As long as he doesn’t think it’s my idea.”

  “Why are you doing this?”

  “I want him to make it big. This might be his last chance. Simple as that.”

  Now, pacing in his office, Miles thought the same about Blossom. Jimmy was the key. He couldn’t count on the two English groups. He knew it would take time for them to build an audience, assuming their albums were any good. Jimmy was his best chance to bring in new revenue fast. He nervously looked at the door, wondering what he would do if Button didn’t sign the new contract.

  Ellis led Jimmy down the hall to a vacant office. He closed the door and turned to face his client.

  “What’s the problem?”

  “You’ve got to be kidding!” Jimmy exploded.

  “You want to keep drinking?” The accusation stung.

  “Of course not.”

  “Then I ask again. What’s the problem?”

  “You, for one. He’s putting me in a box and all you do is sit there agreeing.”

  “You want to work again?”

  “You know I do.”

  “He’s giving you the chance.”

  “He’s putting me under his thumb.”

  “He’s protecting his interests like Daisy never did.”

  “He’s making money from my work.”

  “That’s what he’s supposed to do. It’s what I’m supposed to do. And, if you will wake up and face the facts, it’s what you’re supposed to do.”

  “I make music.”

  “He’s a businessman and so am I starting now.”

  “Then you’re fired.”

  Ellis’ eyes widened. He shook his head in disbelief then stepped closer, nose-to-nose.

  “I’m going to pretend you didn’t say that. We’ve been together a long time. I’ve watched you come close only to see you drink it all away. You ruined something good with that fine woman down the hall. Four guys who depended on you lost their livelihoods. I’m sitting on my hands wondering where my next check is coming from. That man down the hall is scrambling to save this record label. He thinks this is a business and he’s running it like one. He doesn’t know a thing about music, but he knows what it takes to make money. Right this minute he thinks that’s you. You’re lucky he does because there isn’t another exec from here to California that will give you the time of day. What’s the problem? It’s you! It’s always been you! Don’t you ever tell me I’m fired again because anyone in his right mind would have walked away from you six months ago. So, here’s the deal.” Ellis put his hand inside his coat pocket and brought out a pen. “I’m signing this contract. Then I’m leaving. You do what you have to do, but if you don’t sign it, too, you can forget about me because I’m gone.”

  Ellis scribbled his signature, tossed the contract on the vacant desk and walked out. For a full minute Jimmy stood, mouth agape, trying to make sense of what was happening. He felt abandoned by the one person he counted on to protect his interests. Ellis had been his friend and confidante longer than Cindy, his agent and protector throughout the years of the band’s rise. Even during the past two years when the band slowly disintegrated, Ellis remained upbeat, working with Cindy to keep things together, find new gigs and hold Jimmy to his obligations. Now, it seemed, his friend was siding with the dictator down the hall.

  Why should he trust this new man who ruled Blossom with an iron fist? Daisy, with all her eccentricities, was never so demanding, never so uncompromising. Why should he give in? If he wanted a beer it was his right. At twenty-nine, he was a free man. He didn’t need someone’s approval to leave town.

  What would happen if he refused to sign? It seemed clear that he would lose Ellis. This stopped him cold. What did George say about Bucinski? “He had dreams, too.” The same could be said for Ellis. Jeff Hines? What was it? “Stop snatching defeat from the jaws of victory” He realized that he only wanted to find the joy his music once delivered. He couldn’t face another minute without it. If he signed he was back in business. He thought about the song he wrote for Peggy. It was important to him. He wanted to record it. He looked at the pen in his hand. What other choice did he have?

  Miles hid his relief when Jimmy pushed the contract across the desk. “Where is Mr. Dorman?”

  “He left.”

  “Do you both agree with the terms?”

  “With one exception.”

  “That is?”

  “I want to use my real name from now on.”

  McCabe referred to his notes, always within reach on his desk. “That would be Buckman. I don’t know. Your public recognition is tied to Button.”

  “We both know the band is finished.”

  “You have your fans.”

  “They’ll know my music.”

  McCabe hesitated. “How often does someone change his name in this business?”

  “I want to start over.”

  “Let me think about it.”

  Jimmy nodded. “You have your conditions and I have mine. Now, what do you want me to do with the English groups?”

  Twenty-Nine

  The little boy who tearfully took Sister Marie’s hand as he watched the battered red pickup drive away, took longer than other orphans to find his place. For Sister Marie it was a mystery. At first, she treated him like all the others, with caring warmth and gentle discipline. She monitored his progress, knowing that it was vitally important that he mix well and find friends who would aid his adjustment to his new world. Y
et, as the weeks passed he played alone, clinging only to her when challenges arose.

  Nigel Whitehurst talked little and when he did it was always a question about his father. She parried his entreaties, trying to turn his attention to other things, but she sensed in this child a superior intelligence that recognized her deception and would not be put off. He was bigger than most of the boys his age, more coordinated as well and he spoke with a command of language beyond his years. This, she knew, was born from loving attention that must have been provided by his parents. What happened to them? Why did that big man, obviously so in love with his son, simply leave the boy behind? What became of him and where was the child’s mother? She doubted there would ever be any answers. There seldom were with the children who came to Saint Malachy’s.

  She decided to treat Nigel differently from the others. He needed more guidance, at least for a while, until he could assimilate. Something happened to him that hampered his ability to trust the world without his father at his side. She would take the man’s place as best she could until the memory of whatever it was faded. She stole time with him alone in the early mornings and at other times when the rest of her charges were engaged in other activities. During these times she nestled him in her arms and squeezed him to her so he could feel safe. They talked as a mother and child might, about simple things and the goings on all around. She used these private times to draw his attention away from the darker thoughts that plagued him. Gradually, he stopped asking for his father and after a year, when he was four, he began to find his way. Sister Marie let him go, but she continued to watch his progress with special care because periodically he withdrew into a distant loneliness she recognized as depression.

  He started his schooling a year earlier than normal. By the time he was five, he had taught himself to read. His precocious nature was uncommon among the children, many of whom had academic challenges. His willingness to learn caught the attention of his teachers and by the age of ten he distinguished himself in all of his subjects.

  He physically outpaced his peers as well. At eleven he stood nearly six feet tall, lanky, but with a prowess on the field that enabled him to join the school’s football team, competing with boys four years older. By thirteen, he led the team to the city schoolboy premiership. He reveled in the glory of his accomplishments, garnering self-confidence. Sister Marie maintained her vigilance, finding comfort in his eventual escape from the painful unknown memories that had once kept him isolated. A bond developed between the religious administrator and the budding star. The many hours spent together continued through his youth. For her, it was a chance to tutor a vibrant mind, to fashion that intellect with all that she knew to be good and right for she believed that intelligence without character had no value. Nigel came to view her as his confidante, the only person he trusted with his deepest thoughts.