Post Super Bowl

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.