Rock and Roll Never Forgets (The Rock and Roll Trilogy)

by Barbara Stewart

~ ~ ~

  “I love L.A. this time of year. There is so much excitement in the air,” Beth told Phyllis as they were out shopping. The three of them went out a week early and were staying at the beautiful Hotel Bel-Air. The shopping excursion excited Phyllis, and she wore Beth out wanting to go places she’d never experienced. They had a great time looking for their dresses for the festivities, and finally found them at a small boutique on Rodeo Drive.

  They went in to browse and Phyllis would pick out a dress, step into a dressing room to try it on, and then come out to model it. She would prance in front of the big triple mirror, and giggle like a girl. The sales assistants had fun with her, too. She ended up with a beautiful deep red gown. It had long sleeves and a bateau neckline. There would be no skin showing for Phyllis.

  Beth found her dress at the same shop. It was royal blue, and something she really had to dare herself to even try on. She plucked it off a rack and was admiring it.

  “Try it on,” Phyllis encouraged.

  “Oh, I don’t know,” Beth hesitated, biting her bottom lip, contemplating. “I think it’s a little dramatic!”

  “Well you won’t know for sure if you don’t try it on,” Phyllis said. “Go on, just try it.”

  The sales assistant was urging her as well. “It really is a flattering style for you, and the color is perfect.”

  It had only one long sleeve, cut on an angle across the front to the sleeveless side, and cut very low in the back. It was daring…

  She went in the dressing room and stepped into the dress. The zipper was in the side with no sleeve and as she zipped it up the dress hugged her body. She turned and looked in the mirror, and smiled. ‘Andy will like this!’

  Phyllis and the sales assistant looked at each other as she stepped out of the dressing room. “You have to get that one!” Phyllis said. The sales assistant smiled and nodded.

  She walked to the triple mirror and turned, admiring. Then she looked over her shoulder and said with a giggle; “Sold!”

  April 7, 1984 ~I had to consult with the sales assistant on what went under the dress. It was so fitting, I needed to make sure I didn’t ruin it by choosing the wrong thing, and end up on the cover of something!

  On the day of the festivities Andy treated them to a trip to the spa for the works; hair, nails, and make up. Phyllis loved being so spoiled.

  Back at their room, Beth waited until Phyllis dressed so that she could see Andy’s reaction to his mom. She was in a robe, ready to the point of slipping into the dress, but she wanted Phyllis to have her moment. She made a grand entrance, and Andy made a big fuss. He went to her and slipped a necklace with rubies in white gold around her neck. It went perfect with her dress.

  Then, Beth slipped back into the room to dress. She wanted to surprise Andy. It took only a few minutes and when she walked out Phyllis let out a faint gasp. Andy was speechless. He walked over to where she stood and held her at arm’s length. Taking her hand, he made her pirouette so he could see the back. As she turned Phyllis had her hand to her mouth and then it was Beth who was speechless.

  Andy had reached in his pocket and pulled out a beautiful, emerald cut sapphire necklace. He turned Beth toward the mirror and laid it against her neck, letting it drop down her chest so she could see. It was stunning with that daring dress.

  April 10, 1984 ~ I could tell my choice pleased him. I was certainly pleased by his! It was like he read my mind and knew the color and neckline of the dress, or maybe I had read his!

  “Bethy, I wish we were alone,” he whispered in her ear as he hooked the necklace. He then turned her to face him and rubbed his hands down her arms to bring her hands to his lips. Then she really could read his mind…

  She thought he looked so handsome in a tux, she knew Phyllis thought so, too.

  They arrived by limo and walked the red carpet. Someone asked ‘who’ Beth was wearing. Stifling the urge to say something obnoxious like; “Off the rack at J.C. Penney”, Beth made sure to know the name of the designer if someone asked, and she gave a shout-out to the boutique, as well, when a reporter did ask about her dress.

  Phyllis’ reaction to her surroundings brought back a flood of memories for Beth. As they walked, Andy kept his hand on Beth’s bare back, lightly, softly, caressing her skin every once in a while. He liked that dress.

  He got them to their seats and settled, then excused himself to visit with some of the other attendees. He left them after a few minutes to go get ready for his performance. He was singing the nominated song, “Time Goes By” for the opening of the show. Phyllis and Beth loved the performance. It was so beautiful. He was at a white grand piano that rose up out of the floor. A hazy, smoky fog surrounded him as he played. He’d changed into jeans and a long-sleeved white shirt, his hair pulled back in a ponytail. He called the song a “simple love song” and decided that anything else would have been too stuffy. He added a solo flutist to play with him and it was even more beautiful than the original version.

  You wake up one day

  And it’s all slipped away

  The dreams you had are passing

  So much to say

  Gimme one more day…

  Beth saw tears running down Phyllis’ cheeks as he sang. She reached and squeezed her hand. She’d moved into Andy’s empty seat and a seat-filler was in hers.

  “That’s my baby,” Phyllis whispered and laughed, squeezing Beth’s hand harder.

  It was emotional that Andy was up there for the accolades, but also that song. It got in your heart and soul and it was hard to keep from crying.

  After he finished playing, the piano descended into the floor as thunder erupted through the auditorium. A short time later, Andy returned in his tux, back to his seat. He put his arm around Beth and squeezed as Phyllis took his hand, she was so proud.

  Later in the evening Nina Peters, an actress from Time Goes By, came out to read the nominees.

  “And the Oscar goes to…” She let out a whoop, and then yelled, “Time Goes By,” written, performed and produced by Andy Stevens!”

  He won.

  Unlike when they were at the Grammys, he won. Andy sat quietly a few seconds, taking in the moment, before he rose. Leaning to kiss both women on the cheek, he left them to return to the stage. Nina greeted Andy with a hug and the roars of applause subsided as he began to speak.

  “Wow! Wow! Wow!” he laughed. “What a great feeling!”

  He paused, to catch his breath. “I don’t know if I can put all of this emotion into words in my time allotted! I want to thank Franklin for believing in me and including me in such a beautiful project.” He raised the statue pointing in Franklin’s direction.

  “Nathan, man!” He laughed, “Thanks for helping me finish put the thoughts into words, and dreams into music. I need to thank the Traveler guys and their families for allowing me to live this dream. I would truly be nothing without them.”

  “Mom, thank you. You’re the one who gave me the wings, and believed in my flight.”

  He paused, looking out to Beth and took a deep breath. “My Bethy, thank you. Your endless love was the inspiration for the song.” Then he blew a kiss her direction.

  The movie cleaned up, winning the award for each nomination. It was exciting. They took Phyllis to one of the parties and sat with Franklin and the cast from the film. It was fun to take it all in and see all that was going on around them. Phyllis was like a child, glancing this way and that to catch a glimpse of someone “famous”.

  They stayed at the party a while, but made it an early evening, the excitement was overwhelming, all the attention, but exciting as well. They had a suite with two bedrooms and a common area. After a bit of conversation Phyllis excused herself and went to bed. Andy and Beth sat up for a while, sharing a glass of wine, talking, and admiring that statue.

  Finally Andy couldn’t take it any longer. He took Beth’s hand and led her to their room.

  “Just stand there and let me look at you,” he said. He wrapped her in hi
s arms and in a quiet voice he said, “I’ve been wondering something all evening…” he kissed her neck.

  Beth smiled. She knew what he was ‘wondering’. “About this?” she asked and pushed his shoulders down, so that he was sitting in front of her on the edge of the bed. She slid the zipper down on the side of the dress allowing it to slide to the floor.

  Andy’s breath caught in his throat, “Bethy,” he growled.

  “I had to make sure there were no lines showing, anywhere,” she purred as she moved closer. “All those gossip rags and photographers, just lurking, waiting…” she continued as Andy held his breath.

  “Couldn’t have a photo of me with one of those captions saying something rude about my choice of attire for the evening,” she continued. “The gal at the boutique who helped me with the dress suggested this was a way to avoid that,” she flashed a seductive smile his way.

  Andy liked what he saw. He rose and grabbed her naked body and pulled her into his arms. Kissing her, they fell to the bed.

  The next morning there was a picture of Franklin and Andy on the front of one of the newspapers with a headline that read: “Golden Eye and Oscar’s Golden Boy!”

  ~ ~ ~

  June came along and Roddy’s work to convince the “powers that be” that a tour wasn’t necessary to sell albums worked. The new album was successful. It was already selling great, and Andy’s Oscar win enhanced the popularity even more. The song, “Time Goes By” that had already come off the Billboard Hot 100 by Oscar time was back in the top ten.

  In July Andy’s house in Galveston sold, and all of his things went to storage in Corpus Christi. Everything was falling into place for the move to a new house. After much searching they found a beautiful waterfront home on eight acres on the bay about a hundred miles south-west of Galveston. It was exactly what they’d been searching for; two stories, nine thousand square feet, with a huge marble entryway, and an elegant circular, open-arm staircase. The back of the house looked out to the bay and was all windows or glass doors; it was entirely open, with a beautiful view. There were seven bedrooms, eight bathrooms, and the biggest kitchen Beth had ever seen.

  There was a separate, detached, two-story, four-car garage that would be renovated for use as a recording studio and theatre. The studio was a given, but the theatre would be upstairs and was an added bonus. Everyone missed being able to catch a movie once in a while, so this would give them all an opportunity to enjoy some leisure time. The studio wouldn’t be complete for four or five months.

  There was a pool and a pool house. The dwelling they called the ‘pool house’ was so big that they convinced Tom, Needa and their eleven year old son, Drew, to move in. Andy and Beth were looking forward to them being close.

  A couple from Sweden had the house built as their retirement home. They lived there only a short time, deciding to retire to the Caribbean instead.

  There were some minor interior changes they wanted, paint, tile, new carpet, and then they would move in. It was easier to do all that while the house was empty. Until it was ready they were nomads, even more than was normal for them. They stayed at Phyllis’s or the condo in Florida, and lived out of suitcases. They would leave the condo livable so they could stay there when they were in Florida.

  113

  Rock and Roll Never Forgets

  Chapter Fifteen

  October 1984, was a busy month for everyone. The guys appeared on Austin City Limits for PBS, at the beginning of the month. The group made a weekend trip of it. Because Nigel and Christy’s baby was due at any time, she was the only one missing. Before fans recognized them and it got wild, they were all tourists for a day seeing the sights in Austin.

  Nigel made it home just in time. Christy went into labor early and Mark Andrew Rose joined the world at almost eleven pounds, and not quite two feet long. He was so big Nigel joked that he came out wearing running shoes, with a cocktail in his hand.

  Roddy and Andy finally made peace, and it was a blessing. It took a while. First, there was bitterness after their work break-up, then Andy’s discomfort with the fact that Roddy was gay. But eventually, their friendship over-rode both and Roddy and Vince became frequent guests. Vince was a chef, and would come to the kitchen and take over. He learned Andy’s favorite dishes and made them when he came. That was all it took, Andy warmed up to him quickly. Beth loved them being there. Vince made sure the kitchen had all the things a ‘working kitchen’ needed.

  The house was beautiful and elegant, but it was also homey and comfortable. Andy and Beth loved being there and not on the road someplace. Beth loved nesting and decorating. Of all the rooms, they loved their bedroom the most. Andy left the decorating of the house pretty much up to Beth, but they shopped together for their bedroom, and he ended up being very involved in the choices. The room was huge. One wall was all glass doors, floor to ceiling, wall to wall. They faced the bay, so it was very light. Blinds were installed to retract into a false wall, added so they could be closed if they wanted, but the view was not blocked in any way if they didn’t.

  After much shopping and looking they decided on white washed pine furniture that went beautifully with the light sage green they had chosen for the walls and the darker shade green bed covers. Andy chose a small round table in deep mahogany with two upholstered chairs in a deep peach color to sit by the glass doors that overlooked the Gulf. Most mornings, he sat there to enjoy his coffee, and he did enjoy his coffee. All of the artwork was from the artist in Eleuthera. She painted bright-colored floral prints for them that Andy had shipped over. A piece of Eleuthera was with them all the time.

  October 19, 1984 ~ It was cool the first night we slept in our beautiful new room. We opened the doors to hear the sounds. Snuggling in that big king sized bed was the most glorious feeling. Our bed… Our home… Andy got up sometime in the middle of the night and put the Nana quilt over us.

  Andy insisted on security but made sure they were obscure. They were there to patrol the grounds. The band got to a point where it was necessary for safety. There was a big fence around the perimeter of the property, but it was beautiful, not like a prison. Andy suggested that they hire a staff to help keep up what he called, ‘the palace.’ Beth would only agree to the grounds.

  Living in the pool house, Tom and Needa were close if Andy and Beth needed them. They also had their own rooms at the house to stay in when Andy and Beth were away, to make sure everything stayed in order. When they were home Beth didn’t want anyone there. It seemed to her that they were hardly planted anywhere for very long, so she figured she could manage that. Help could come in when needed, special occasions and such. She just didn’t want anyone right there on a full-time basis. Part of it was the privacy issue, but the selfish part of her wanted Andy all to herself.

  ~ ~ ~

  In November 1984, everyone went to Corpus Christi for Thanksgiving, and it was a big celebration. Beth decided to cook, but Vince and her mom were right there in the middle of it with her. She knew there was no way they would be able to stay out of that kitchen. She would tell them to go away, but was just as happy to have them there to help. There were eighteen people there, and they all stayed at the house.

  They decided to have a large Thanksgiving because Christmas would be quick and busy. Kimmy and Lane would be married on Christmas Eve and Beth was the maid of honor. She’d been going back and forth to Florida to help with the plans for weeks. She’d be going to the condo two weeks before to help Kimmy with last-minute stuff. Andy would meet her there. All the guys, wives, and dates, would be attending.

  It would be a beautiful wedding. Andy was singing a song for them that he wrote. No one knew but Kimmy and Lane. They didn’t want to take a chance on nosey gawkers ruining the wedding. They’d already made arrangements for security.

  The weeks preceding held a bridal shower, shopping for decorations and gifts for Christmas; it was hectic. There wouldn’t be a Christmas tree in Corpus Christi because they would be at the condo in Florida. Beth�
��s mom surprised them with a small tree there.

  ~ ~ ~

  Another new year… Christmas was a whirlwind. With the wedding on Christmas Eve the time went quickly. It was beautiful. The church was already decorated with both red and white poinsettias for the holidays. It was an early evening ceremony and Kimmy chose only candlelight to light the chapel. Candles lined the aisle, each attended by the ushers. It was simple, but so full of love. Beth was the only bridesmaid. Lane’s dad was his best man and he had four ushers. This was the first wedding Beth had ever been to where there were more groomsmen than bridesmaids, but that was Kimmy, nothing ordinary for her.

  Kimmy was a gorgeous bride. Her dress was a faint pink organza with pearl beads adorning the bodice. Being tall and thin she could have worn any style dress. She chose one that was straight and fitted to the bottom where it flared out dramatically. With her blonde hair, she looked like a white mermaid. She wore her hair up with pearls woven into it. Her borrowed item was the pearl necklace that had been Nana’s. It was a perfect choice. She carried a small white Bible, from her first communion decorated with a pink satin ribbon with silk Lily of the Valley instead of a bouquet.

  Beth’s dress was a deep red satin, straight-sheath, almost wine colored. It was very plain, but very elegant. She wore a beautiful ruby necklace and earrings that Andy had given her as an early Christmas present, and carried white roses.

  Andy’s song, “Love Will Live” – Kimmy and Lane’s Song, was a beautiful gift for them. It would be included on the next album.

  The reception was a huge party! Vince helped Kimmy with all the catering. There was plenty of food and drink, and they were still at it when Santa arrived, and he did arrive. Kimmy’s dad made arrangements for the fat man in the red suit to arrive at midnight. The idea was to help round things up and get everyone headed home, but it backfired. Santa brought gifts for everyone and ended up partying with them until the wee hours of the morning. Andy was in on it, and Santa gave Beth a box to open that contained a ruby ring to match the necklace and earrings he had given her.