Hearing the name of my grandfather, a man that I never knew, catches me off guard. I knew he played here - it’s where he met my grandmother - but of all the times I’ve been here, Trixie has never mentioned him. I don’t know anything about him other than he was a musician.
“My name’s Liam… I used –”
“Ack, I know who you are. Can’t you take a joke? Liam the Virgin. I’m getting older, but I’m not stupid. I remember.” She starts to laugh. I laugh too, but it’s forced. For a moment I thought she had forgotten about me. I hated the nickname she gave me. Not that I expect her to remember everyone that comes through here because, believe me, she’s seen a lot of musicians, but it’s not been that long since I used to frequent the stage.
“This one here –” she points to Harrison, “came in a few weeks back thinking he could just take over the drum set.”
“And I did,” Harrison says as he side steps in front of me to walk around the bar. He pulls Trixie into a hug, even though she resists and playfully tries to slap him away.
JD lines up behind him with a shit-eating grin on his face. “Remember me?”
“No, but you’re hot so you can give me a hug too.” JD doesn’t miss a beat when he pulls her into his arms.
“You just gonna stand over there or what?”
I shrug. “Aren’t you closed?”
Trixie takes the towel from her shoulder and throws it at me. I catch it mid-air with ease, thanks to the hours of catch I’ve been playing with Noah. We both take steps toward each other and when we do, I pick her up into a giant bear hug.
“You’ve been missed,” she mumbles into my shoulder.
“You too.” I put her down and am taken aback when she places her hands on my cheeks.
“He said he’d bring you back, but I didn’t believe him.”
I glance quickly at Harrison who is ignoring us. He’d do anything for Trixie, and I would too, but within reason. Coming here and performing is what I can do for her. Not only does it help out the bar, but I’m also hoping it will revive our status amongst our peers.
“We’re here to help,” I tell her. She steps back and looks at us with anxiety all over her face.
“I’m going to lose the club that my grandfather started. I didn’t evolve, and no one wants to play here. I’m lucky to get one or two agents through the door on a good night. It’s time to throw in the towel.”
Harrison and JD move back around the bar and motion for us to sit down. “If there isn’t enough money after the fundraiser, we’ll be here to help you close the place down,” Harrison says, as he holds her hand. “My mom will come up and help wait tables or wash dishes, whatever you need her to do. If that’s not enough, I’ll call my sister. She’s always looking for an excuse to take a vacation.”
“Coming to work at a rundown bar isn’t a vacation,” she reminds Harrison.
“It is if you’re family. Seriously, Trix, we got this. You’ll have so much music coming out of these windows that people are going to be lining up to get in.”
Trixie looks toward the door, likely remembering the days when she had to turn people away. I could’ve been one of them if it weren’t for Harrison and my grandmother. My grandma never actually told me that she was meddling in my career, but I sensed it. I never said anything because she had missed so much of my life and I wanted to give her a piece of something she could hang onto.
“Well, enough crap. Get to work. This place is filthy and I have some very important people coming.”
“What, are we not important?” I ask, placing my hand over my heart and batting my eyelashes at her.
She looks at me, her eyes traveling up and down my body. “You’re just a dime a dozen, Liam. I’ve seen hundreds of you coming in and out, most of them come crawling back when they fail or they run and hide. So no, you’re not important.”
Trixie stands up walks away, leaving me stunned. Gone is the firecracker that I met when I first came to California and in her place is a hardened, soulless woman who has been around the scene far too long. Maybe she’s the warning we need to bear in mind: If you stay too long, it’ll eat you alive.
“Mate, you need to check your phone. My wifey says your missus is losing her shit.” JD is staring at me when he starts rambling. I pull out my phone and tap the home button, bringing it to life. I have several missed texts from both Josie and Katelyn.
“Fuck, this can’t be good,” I say, as I swipe the lock screen.
The first message is happy, which causes the dread to set in. The second, not so much:
Jojo: Your mother just showed up at my shower!!!!! WTF??
I don’t even know what to think, or why Bianca would just show up at the baby shower. Hell, I didn’t even tell her we’re adopting a baby.
I don’t know what to say. I didn’t tell her about the baby or the shower.
As soon as I hit send, a conversation bubble pops up so I wait to see what Josie has to say. Whatever needs to be done around the club can wait a few more minutes. My wife – my family – comes first.
Jojo: MY MOTHER invited her. My own freaking mother!!!! Because why? Who knows??? It’s not like she doesn’t know how your mother has treated me all these years.
I’m stuck between a rock and a hard place. If I had a relationship with my mother, I’d call her and ask her to leave, but I don’t. At best, we’re cordial if and when I bump into her at the bank or when she visits Noah. What baffles me is why my mother-in-law would invite Bianca to Josie’s shower knowing their history. I really don’t know what to say to my wife that can change the situation.
I’m sorry, babe. Talk to your mom calmly & find how why she invited Bianca. I love you. I’ll call you tonight.
I feel good telling her that I’ll call her tonight. The first time I was in this club I left with a chick who just musically rocked my world. Josie was the farthest thing from my mind, until later that night when she finally called and I listened to her tell me how much she hated me, how I ruined her life. If she had just said she was pregnant, my life would’ve been different. Her voicemail killed me, and if I kept hearing her voice I was going to cave and go back home. As much as I loved her, I needed to find myself. I needed to prove that I could be someone other than who my father groomed me to be.
I also remember my first night in Metro. The same night I earned the nickname Liam the Virgin. It has nothing to do with my sexuality, but the fact that I had never been in a green room before. I must’ve stared at the posters on the walls for hours, fanboying at all the acts that had come through these doors.
I used to stare at the door, opening and closing as the people came in in droves, racing to be at the front of the stage. I stood by, off to the side, watching in awe. That night I decided on a goaclass="underline" One day, I would be up on this stage, with this crowd, singing to them. They would be chanting my name, singing my lyrics and begging me for more. That’s what they did with… Layla.
I turn and stare at the stage and picture Layla with her honey colored-eyes, red hair and infectious smile staring back at me. That girl knew what she wanted and how to get it. As much as Layla was a mistake, she changed the game for me. She gave me what I needed even if I didn’t know it at the time. She was my first after Josie and one I’ll never forget, but undoubtedly should.
Pressing my home button again, the screen lights up with a picture of my wife. The girl turned woman who I have loved since I was fifteen. I never stopped loving her, not once did I ever tell another woman that I loved them because they could never compare to Josie. I think about her being at home and dealing with my mother and wonder what the fuck it is that I’m doing here. JD and Harrison could’ve easily done all the extras that need to be done for the fundraiser and I could’ve flown in right before the gig.
But no, I had to be here and knew Josie would understand. This is the business side of our lives and it’s not something we can just fix in the studio. The band, as a whole, needs to pound the pavement, drum up some support and make sure that Metro is back on top - or that, at the very least, it goes out with a bang.