Happy Monday after the Super Bowl Everybody. Did the ending turn out the way you wanted? I didn't much care either way, but enjoyed some of the commercials. Where we are now is only about ten miles from the stadium so it was a pretty busy week around here traffic wise. It will be good to get back to the usual patterns.
I know I've mentioned for a while that I have been in a writing drought. I'm still there and I don't have a new story for this week. I've tried a couple, but there only half done and I don't like either one of them. So, after two years of weekly stories, my creative brain is on sabbatical. I'm going into the archives, as all of you can do, because they're all posted on the side, but for some reason I really liked this one so I'm posting it again.
I can't promise for next week, but we'll see. Hope you enjoy this repeat.
The Band Play On
Today was
the last day of a tour that took them through 42 states during the past eleven
months. Both band and crew members were exhausted. It was grueling work – the
crew had the chore of putting up and taking down the equipment and stage
effects every single day at each venue,
and for the band being on stage playing for two/three hours, a night under
those blazing hot lights when temperatures often reached over 100+ degrees was
anything but glamorous. Outsiders thought the life of performers was all glitz
and glamour. That’s because they were looking at it from the outside in, not
the other way around. Being on the road and away from home was not easy. It meant little sleep, lousy food and cramped
quarters; and it was hell on relationships.
He looked
out over the audience and even with the lights shining in his eyes, he saw her.
She was real, not the imaginary version he had pictured over the last couple of
years. Right now, he is not 44 years old
but 26 and remembering.
SIXTEEN
YEARS EARLIER
Rowdy
bought a ranch, Rivers’ Roost, in the hill country of Texas.
He planned to retire there once their musical career was over. It was his place to unwind and forget about
being a “country rock” star. During one of his extended stays between road
trips, he met Cindy Travers. Cindy was
working behind the counter in Johnson’s Feed when Rowdy met her. She was born and raised in Odessa and was a cowgirl in the real sense of the
word, not the Hollywood version. She was
sweet and down to earth and had no idea that he was part of Rivers Rangers,
which suited him just fine. One of the
things he loved about this part of Texas was that no one cared about his fame, 95%
of them never made the connection, so he could
live as normal folks did while he was there. His dates with Cindy consisted of going on
picnics, horseback rides, evenings at the
drive-in theatre, an occasional visit to one of the local bars if there
was a live band, stuff he hadn’t done since he was a teenager.
On one
of their nights out, a Rivers Rangers song was playing on the radio, and Cindy
was singing along. The DJ announced that
the group, along with several other bands, were giving a concert for The
Children’s Network at the Fort
Worth Convention Center
and that tickets were available.
“I
sure would love to see those guys in concert. I listen to them all the
time. They are one of the few groups I would travel to Fort
Worth to
see."
“Really,
do you know anything about them?” Rowdy asked.
“Other
than they’ve been around a while and play great music, not much. I know there're four of them, but I don’t even know what they look like.”
He
loved her innocence and hoped that what he told her would not change anything
between them.
“You’re
right, Cindy, there are four of them. Two of them are brothers and the
other two childhood friends.”
“So
you must like them too if you know about them.” Rowdy was still in awe of her
naivete.
“Oh
yeah, I know all about them. If you
would like to go to the concert. I can get you a front-row seat and a backstage
pass.”
“I
would love it but it would be too
expensive.”
“On
the contrary, it won’t cost me a dime.”
“How
can that be?” she asked.
“I’m
Randy Rivers of Rivers Rangers.”
“No,
you are not; your name is Rowdy.” Rowdy laughed.
“Yes, Rowdy Rivers but my real name is Randy. Rowdy is just a nickname my mom gave me as a kid,
and it stuck. My longtime friends and
all of my family call me Rowdy but my given name is Randy. Think about it for
just a minute. The name of my ranch is Rivers’ Roost, and my last name is
Rivers.”
“But
you’re so normal,” she told him.
“When
I’m here with you, I’m normal. My other
life is anything but normal. We’ll go to
the concert, and you will see what I mean.”
She
came to the concert and couldn’t believe how different everything was from
home. There were what seemed like
thousands of people clamoring for his time and attention. Girls of every make
and model were all throwing bras, and undies, trying to stuff things in his
pocket, people pulling him this way and that for a picture. She was overwhelmed and couldn’t wait to get
out of there. He saw her panic and
quickly could remove her from the havoc
and bring her to a quiet place.
“How
do you do cope with this turmoil? This is craziness.”
“Yes,
it is, but I wanted you to see what my life was like when I’m not with you.”
What
Cindy saw was just a fraction of what usually occurred backstage. She was appalled at the way grown men and
women behaved. If she had dressed or acted like some of those young girls, her
daddy would have taken a strap to her backside and wouldn’t have cared that she
was a adult woman.
On their
way home after the concert, Randy asked what she thought.
“I loved
the concert itself. The music was fabulous,
but I couldn’t believe some of the things that went on backstage and in the
dressing rooms. Thank Goodness, Rivers
Rangers behave themselves."
“I don’t
want you to think we are angels. Back when we started out, we were pretty
raucous too. We’ve just mellowed in the last five or six years,” he told
her.
“I like
the way you are now. I could never be like those girls and if that’s what
you want or expect, I don’t think we should be together,” she told him.
“Believe
me, that is not what I want anymore. As a matter of fact, if you ever
tried acting like any of those girls, I would bare your bottom and spank the
devil out of you.”
She
giggled. “You think I’m kidding?” he asked her.
“No, I
giggled because earlier when I saw the things those girls were doing, I said to
myself that my daddy would strap my bottom.”
“He might
do it, but he would have to stand in line behind me.”
__________________
FAST FORWARD
He heard
the chants and the foot stomping from the audience that brought him back to the
present. He began to play and was going through the motions when all he could
think about was her and what she was doing here.
His mind
continued to wander to the beginning again.
Cindy and
Rowdy had made it ten years before they split. Rivers Rangers popularity
continued to grow and every year it seemed Rowdy was home less and less. Once in a while, she would travel with him,
or meet him on the road for a couple of days until she couldn’t take it anymore
and would retreat back to Rivers Roost. However, once Buck was born; she stayed
behind and waited for Rowdy to come home. When Ashley came along two years
later, Rowdy surprised her by bowing out of the tour for the following
year.
Rowdy was
glad to be off the road and settled into family life and ranching. The first couple of months were bliss to
Cindy. The kids loved having their daddy around, and Cindy was thrilled to have
a husband who was in her bed every night. They fought like any other couples,
mostly about Rowdy spoiling the kids and Cindy being so frugal, but the
make-ups were fun. He would threaten to take her over his knee; she would act
all indignant and fight him every step of the way, but she loved it and those
trips over his knee always ended with the most mind-blowing orgasms.
Cindy
began to notice Rowdy’s restlessness. Suddenly,
his guitar was dusted off, and he began playing occasionally. He would hole himself up in the studio for
hours. When the guys stopped by during a break in their tour, he became really
moody. He was finding fault with
everything and everybody.
“Stay
away from Daddy. He’s grumpy again.” He heard Buck say to Ashley.
He felt
bad about his behavior and knew it was related to the fact that he missed
making music. He loved his wife and kids, but it wasn’t enough. He had spent a good portion of his life on
the road and he missed the music and the camaraderie with the guys. Truth be told, he was jealous when the guys
would relate stories of events that occurred on the road. The other guys didn’t
have wives anymore; they were free to come and go without any familial
responsibility. Their spouses decided it
was not worth being married to someone who was never home, and even when they
were home, road life often interfered with their family life. There were still promotional spots, rehearsals,
wardrobe fittings, photo shoots to get in before they took to the road again
and then there were the ever-present groupies
and the fear that one day their loved one would give into the temptations
constantly being offered. None of them,
except for Randy and Cindy, ever made it more than two or three years.
He tried
talking to Cindy about his restlessness,
but she didn’t want to hear it. She
didn’t understand why being with her, and the kids wasn’t enough to keep him
happy. They started bickering at each other until finally Rowdy had it and made
a decision he hoped would solve the problem.
“I’m
doing a weekend gig with the guys when they come through Dallas next weekend.”
“But next
weekend is my Daddy’s birthday party,” she told him.
“Tell him
I said Happy Birthday,” and he went out and slammed the door behind him.
She
followed him out of the door, still hollering at him.
“That’s
enough, Cindy. I don’t want to hear any more. I need a break.”
“What
about me, when do I get a break?” she asked him.
“Go now
if you want. Just be back by Thursday.”
“Oh,
you’d like that wouldn’t you, it takes away your guilt for going next weekend.”
“Either
go or don’t go. I’ll be here until Thursday.”
Cindy ran
up to him, hauled off and gave him a hard kick in the shins. He grabbed her and hauled her over to the
tack room. He grabbed a set of leather
reins, yanked her over a hay bale and started wailing on her behind. She was kicking and screaming at him to stop. Suddenly, she heard Buck’s voice.
“Daddy,
stop, stop. Don’t spank Mommy anymore.” He stopped and threw down
the reins. Cindy stood up and went over to Buck and said it was alright
that she and Daddy were just playing a game. She hugged him tight.
“Where’s
your sister? Let’s go inside and get some lemonade and cookies.”
She and
Buck walked out of the barn and toward the house, passing Rowdy on the
way. He was leaning against the fence, staring off into space. She
stopped.
“Next
week when you go to Dallas, don’t come back
here until you have made up your mind what you want.”
The weekend gig in Dallas was a mistake. When he rejoined the
group, he realized what he had and what he was giving up. Unfortunately, fate
stepped in and changed the course of his life.
It was
true what was written and heard about roadies.
They were a determined group, and although it was fun at first to have
such rabid fans; it soon lost its luster. Some of them would maneuver a band
member into a compromising situation and then had a friend take a picture and
sell it to one of the “celebrity” publications. Rumors of affairs and one-night
stands that never happened were often the cause of many a marriage break up.
Wives and
girlfriends had to have thick skins, and lots of trust in their guy and Cindy
had that for years. However, now she was
older and Cindy worried about the constant barrage of young, sexy girls
throwing themselves at him. Lonely guys
often fell prey to temptation. Even though Cindy should have known better, when
the story made the front pages of the “celebrity rags” that Randy Rivers of
River's Rangers was back on the market, she still fell victim to believing the
rumors.
When
Rowdy explained it was all untrue, Cindy was too hurt to listen and told him
she wanted a break. She said she would take the kids and move into town.
He didn’t want to uproot Cindy and the kids; so he moved into the foreman’s
quarters on the ranch. This arrangement allowed Rowdy access to his kids
when he was home. Cindy agreed that as long as he honored her wishes to
stay away from the house, the children could stay with him when he was in
town. As hard as it was on him, he had honored this agreement and hadn’t
set foot in the main house since the split.
Buck and
Ashley were devastated by their parents split. They got to spend time with
their dad because he still lived at the ranch, between road trips, but it
wasn't enough. Even after five years, they still wished their parents
would get back together. Actually, it’s what Rowdy wanted too. Cindy
still held his heart in her hands.
PRESENT DAY
Rowdy
couldn’t wait until their set was finished.
He wondered if she would come backstage or just wait until the concert
was over and waited by the bus. When the
audience called for an encore, he actually groaned. The band played three more number and Rowdy
practically ran off the stage.
Cindy
wasn’t backstage. He asked a couple of
people if they had seen her, and everybody told him there hadn’t been anybody
backstage asking for him. He began to
think that maybe his imagination had played tricks on him. He had an hour before they were due back on stage,
and he went out for some air.
Standing
away from the crowd, he saw her. He smiled,
and she smiled back at him as he walked toward her. It was a little awkward; he
had all he could do to keep from enveloping her in his arms.
“Hello
Rowdy,” she said in the sweet sultry voice he loved so well.
“Hello
Cindy. You look great, but then you always did, even with a dirty face and
hair all askew from working at the ranch.”
“Thank
you for that.”
“What are
you doing here Cindy? Everything’s all right, isn’t it. Jeb would
have let me know if anything was wrong.”
“I need
to talk to you,” she told him. “I didn’t want to do it over the phone.”
Suddenly,
he had a feeling in the pit of his stomach and it felt as if the ground had
just dropped beneath his feet.
“Sure, do
you want to do it now or meet me later.”
“I’d like
to meet you later. I’m staying at a hotel in town, The Carlisle.
Why don’t you come meet me afterward? I’m in Room 420.”
“Sure,
are you going to give me any clues?”
“We need
to talk,” was all she told him.
The next
two hours and forty-five minutes, lasted for days. He kept messing up the
chords and getting dirty looks from his brother.
“What the
hell is the matter with you? You keep fucking up.” Wes asked his brother
during a break between songs.
“Cindy’s
here.”
Wes
nodded his understanding, and told Joe and Jack to be aware and ready to take
over at any time. He knew how his brother still felt about Cindy and her
showing up at a venue didn’t bode well for Rowdy.
The
minute the show ended he bolted. Through his manager, he arranged for a bag, a
cab and a room when he returned from meeting Cindy earlier. He grabbed a
quick shower, changed clothes and hopped on the elevator. He rapped on the door
and heard her voice.
“It’s me,
Cindy.” He heard the slip lock slide back,
and the door opened.
Once
again, he had all he could do not to take her in his arms. He loved her as much now as the day he took
her as his wife, and it was killing him that he couldn’t act on it.
“How was
the show?” she asked.
“Like all
the rest, over,” he answered. “How are
the kids? I skyped with Buck the other
day.”
“He
mentioned it. Ashley is busy with her
school project. Hard to believe next
year will be entering high school.”
“Okay
Cindy. My stomach is in knots, and
although I’m not sure I want to hear what you have to say, it needs to be said
eventually.”
“This
isn’t easy for me either, you know,” she told him.
“I know
that. What’s up?”
“I’m
seeing someone. It’s starting to get serious,
and I want to file for divorce,” she told him.
“FUCK,
FUCK, FUCK” was all he could think to say for a minute.
“Who is
he? Have the kids met him? Do they know what you’re doing here?”
“His name
is John Sanderson. He’s the pharmacist
at the local drug store. I met him when
Buck had that infection a while back. The
kids met him and they like him, and no, they don’t know why I am here, or that
I am here. I wanted to tell you in
person. I don’t expect things to move
that quickly, but I didn’t want it to come as a shock when you are served with
the papers.”
“Do you
love him?”
“I like
him well enough.”
“That’s
not what I asked. Do you love him?” She didn’t answer him and
looked away.
“So you
don’t love him.”
“He’s a decent
man; he likes the kids, and he is good to me and I’m tired of being alone.”
“Have you
slept with him?”
“I don’t
think that is any of your concern, Rowdy?”
“You’re
right and I really don’t want an answer because I don’t want a picture of you
and some other guy in my head. Is lonely an excuse to hook up with some guy you
don’t love?”
“Rowdy,
I’ve been waiting for five years for you to decide that I’m more important to
you than the damn music. I’m not getting any younger and John is a good
man and loves me.”
“I love
you too and I’m a good man.”
“Yes, you
are. I can’t deny that. However, John Sanderson will be in my bed
every single night of my life. Can you say that?”
“Yes,” he
answered so quickly he shocked her.
“Yes,
then why haven’t you done it?”
“Why
didn’t you tell me you wanted to give us another chance? You know how I feel about you; I've never
held back. I have just been honoring
that damn agreement you made me sign when we separated. I didn’t want to jeopardize not being present
in my kids lives by pressuring you into something I didn’t think you wanted.”
“I always
wanted you; I didn’t want the lifestyle.”
“Well, it
seems we’ve been at cross purposes,” he told her. “What will it take for
you to forget about this and take me back.”
“You know
the answer to that, Rowdy.”
“Okay.”
She watched him take his phone out of his pocket and dial a number.
“It’s
me. I’m through, do whatever you have to do. I’ll tell the
guys.” He dialed another number.
“Wes, are
Joe and Jack with you?”
Wes
replied, “Yeah; we're just winding down here in the bus. Are you with Cindy?”
“Yeah. I wanted you to know I’m quitting as of right
now. I just called Jeb and told him to
do whatever is necessary. I won’t be
back this time so don’t hold my spot. I
know what’s important now,” and he ended the call.
This time
he did what he wanted to do earlier, he went over to Cindy and took her in his
arms. They melded together like hot glue.
The
following morning, Cindy and Rowdy boarded a plane headed to the Midland Airport. He called Jeb to have a car
waiting for him.
“I’ll do
it this time bro, but don’t forget I don’t work for you anymore,” and laughed.
“Yeah,
that’s going to take some getting used to.”
Cindy
told him “Welcome to the real world.” He laughed and his hand found her bottom,
giving her a gentle pat.
_________________________
Rowdy
decided the best way to celebrate their getting back together again was to
throw a big bash for friends, family and neighbors. He hired a caterer who specialized in
barbecues, had several kegs of beer, tons of sweet tea and a band that did
covers of Rivers Rangers. Wes, Jack and
Joe flew in for the event, so did Jeb, who commented that he’d done a good job
organizing everything without help. Cindy
piped in that he needed lots of help and laughed. Rowdy popped her bottom when no one was
looking.
During
the party, Rowdy tried getting around to greet everyone. He went up to this one older couple and
introduced himself.
“Hi, I’m
Rowdy Rivers. Welcome to the party. I’m not sure I know you.
Are you new around here?”
“Fairly
new. I’m John Sanderson and this is my wife, Emily.”
“John
Sanderson, John Sanderson, the pharmacist.”
“Yes, I
met your wife when she was picking up a prescription for your son Buck.”
“I see,
well welcome to the area. Hope you’re enjoying yourself. Be sure to
stick around for the fireworks.”
“We plan
to,” they told him.
Rowdy
went off to find Cindy. He found her in
the kitchen mixing up a batch of margueritas.
“I just
met the nicest older couple,” he told her.
“Oh
really, who?”
"John Sanderson and his wife Emily.”
The color
drained from her face. He watched her start to squirm.
“Yeah,
you better squirm. You made up that whole damn story.”
“Well, it
worked, didn’t it.”
He
laughed. “Yeah, it did. It doesn't mean you are not going to pay the
piper for that little charade. Tonite,
when everyone’s gone and the kids are off doing their thing; you are going to
get a spanking that’s going to light you up good.
“Fireworks
after the fireworks,” she said.
“You
bet,” he told her.
“I can’t
wait.”
See you later for more Aimless Ramblings.