As soon as he walked into his hotel room, he pulled his phone from his bag and requested a video chat with Sarah. He wanted to tell her everything about tonight's concert, how great it had been and how excited he had felt during it.
He waited for his phone to connect to Sarah's as he sat down on the bed and looked for the remote to watch some TV.
"Hey." He finally heard her voice from the phone and looked over at her instead of the TV.
"Hi sweetheart." He smiled at her, captured at how beautiful she always looked. "How are you doing?"
She smiled back at him. "I'm fine. How was your show?"
Richie sighed. "It was great." He said.
"Yeah?"
"Yeah, it was great." He repeated before continuing. "The crowd was awesome too and just being on stage again, it's a pretty good feeling."
She smiled at him again. "I know."
"Oh," he said quickly, "the best part was having Jon play my song. My own song."
Sarah chuckled, sure of how it made him feel. "Which song did you decide on?"
"We did Every Road, I figured that's the newest and most known right now."
"That's true. I like that song too."
He knew that as well.
"So is Jon letting you play it every night?"
"Yes, he is but I will probably switch up the song and play something else, make Jon learn more songs to pick from."
"Sarah laughed again. "Are you having fun?"
"For once, I get to tell him what to do. It's nice." He watched Sarah for a second. "Where are you?"
She quickly turned her camera around. "I'm with Daniel. He's not wanting to sleep so I sat down to play with him." She called him to make him look at his daddy but Daniel gave no reaction and continued on with his toys.
"He's so cute." Richie sighed as he watched Daniel ignore him but it didn't matter to him. His son looked happy as he stacked his blocks and that's what mattered to him.
Their conversation turned to every day conversation about their family but also about performing and how Tico was doing while they went on with the tour. Soon enough, Richie was paying more attention to the TV than he was to his phone as Sarah kept Daniel occupied. It was nice knowing the other person was still there, it made him feel closer to them. There had been many nights where he had been watching TV as Sarah played with Daniel or was somewhere else in the house. Right now, it almost felt like that.
"Richie?"
He finally looked back at his phone. "Yeah?"
"I think I'm going to take Daniel to bed. Do you want to hang up or wait?"
"I don't mind waiting." He said as he watched his screen show various parts of the room, Sarah and Daniel as she got up and picked up their son.
Sarah faced the screen again. "Okay, I can just carry you around with me and you can get Daniel to sleep for me."
"I would love to." He said as he could see Sarah walk up the stairs as she carried Daniel to bed. "Do I get to watch you go to sleep too?"
She chuckled. "That sounds kind of creepy."
"To watch you sleep?"
"Yeah, that's creepy."
"Okay. I'll just watch you change for bed then."
Sarah chuckled again. "How about Daniel goes to bed first?"
He could see she had laid her phone down as she took care of Daniel as he now could only see the ceiling of Daniel's bedroom on the screen, momentarily, he watched TV again. It wasn't a very interesting show but it was keeping him occupied nonetheless.
"Still there?" Sarah's voice came again.
"Still here." He confirmed.
She turned her camera again and showed Daniel comfortably in his crib, ready to go to sleep. His heart melted a little bit as he watched his son with his sleepy eyes.
"I think he'll doze off soon." Sarah turned on the small lamp in the room and left the room, taking Richie with her to their bedroom.
"I get to watch you get ready for bed now?" He asked excitedly.
Sunday, April 28, 2019
Tuesday, April 23, 2019
Chapter 59
It was Friday afternoon when Richie started feeling nervous, he knew it was silly but it had been a while since he stood on a stage as large as this one and getting back to performing was always a little daunting.
Backstage, they all departed in their own direction. Jon headed to his dressing room and Richie followed David in search of some dinner. His nerves were making him hungry and he just wanted to fill his tummy so it could calm down.
Sound check had been delayed as they had stayed with Tico for as long as they could. Their flight could not be pushed back any more for them to still have time for sound check and everything else before the show.
Perhaps his nerves were caused by the plane preparing for landing, outside the window he could see the ground coming closer and closer. He had flown too many times to remember but there was always that passing thought that if something went wrong, it would not end well.
Not much later, the plane landed and sped down the runway until the brakes slowed it to a taxi-ing speed and continued it's way to the gate.
"So Rich will be at the venue when we get there?" Jon asked him.
"Yeah, I sorted everything out. We just need to get there."
Jon nodded. "Okay, then sound check as soon as we get there."
Richie agreed with him. "Yes, then we get ready, eat and hit the stage."
"Don't beat up our stage." Jon said with a straight face.
"You're hilarious."
"So Rich will be at the venue when we get there?" Jon asked him.
"Yeah, I sorted everything out. We just need to get there."
Jon nodded. "Okay, then sound check as soon as we get there."
Richie agreed with him. "Yes, then we get ready, eat and hit the stage."
"Don't beat up our stage." Jon said with a straight face.
"You're hilarious."
Sound check went much easier than two weeks ago in a small studio and they easily rehearsed a couple songs as Rich already knew all their most known songs from the times he had played drums when Jon performed solo.
Richie had been correct in his choice that this would be the easiest way to find a stand in drummer. It surely made sound check go very smoothly. The setlist had not been set up yet but Richie had decided on which of his songs he did want to perform tonight and was happy to introduce Rich to his music as well. He was most happy when Jon stayed during the song rehearsal and took his instructions on guitar without a complaint. He had expected Jon to let him be and not partake but he was glad he was incorrect about that. If Jon took part in this, it would be easier to transition between songs during the show, if they decided to do it before encores.
Richie had been correct in his choice that this would be the easiest way to find a stand in drummer. It surely made sound check go very smoothly. The setlist had not been set up yet but Richie had decided on which of his songs he did want to perform tonight and was happy to introduce Rich to his music as well. He was most happy when Jon stayed during the song rehearsal and took his instructions on guitar without a complaint. He had expected Jon to let him be and not partake but he was glad he was incorrect about that. If Jon took part in this, it would be easier to transition between songs during the show, if they decided to do it before encores.
After a few tries he was happy with how it was sounding and gave the leadership roll back to Jon, asking if there was anything else he wanted to go over before they all got dinner and got ready for the show.
Backstage, they all departed in their own direction. Jon headed to his dressing room and Richie followed David in search of some dinner. His nerves were making him hungry and he just wanted to fill his tummy so it could calm down.
Together with David, he had dinner as he texted Sarah to catch up on how her day was going. He was always happy to hear how she was doing and looked forward to the video chat that had become an evening routine now. With the time difference, he was lucky she was still awake when he arrived back at his hotel. Soon, he would be closer and the time difference would not work in his advantage as much anymore.
Returning back to their dressing room, both of them were given the final setlist for the evening. Seeing his own song it, nicely in the middle of the show, made him feel proud. That's all he would need to be included in this whole thing, just some acceptance of his own creativity.
Having been able to work on his album alone and tour for it alone, had made him the happiest he had been in a while and being able to continue to share that while on tour now meant a lot to him. Their artistic differences had been rough on the band but this was a fair compromise.
Having been able to work on his album alone and tour for it alone, had made him the happiest he had been in a while and being able to continue to share that while on tour now meant a lot to him. Their artistic differences had been rough on the band but this was a fair compromise.
He sent Sarah his last text, letting her know he was getting ready to go out on stage and finally kick off the tour after their short delay. Proofreading his text made him excited and nervous at the same time. He hadn't been out on a stage in a while and only a few weeks ago he would not have been interested in going onto that stage but here he was, ready to do it all again.
Thursday, April 18, 2019
Chapter 58
"We had to cancel the show." Richie said into the phone to Sarah.
"Did they figure out what's wrong with him?" She asked him in return.
"Appendicitis." Richie replied. "They'll have to do surgery. I'm not sure how soon, he'll need to stay in the hospital."
"Probably a week at least." Sarah replied. "What about the other shows you guys have?"
Richie shrugged, not much had been discussed. "I'm not sure either. We haven't figured anything out yet."
"What happened?"
Richie thought for a second. "We were doing soundcheck and he didn't look well at all but he said he was fine but then an hour ago he went to the hospital. At least they were fast in diagnosing.'" He said. "I'm not even sure what's happening. We all went back to the hotel after we cancelled the show."
There was a knock at the door as Sarah spoke again. "I hope Tico will be alright."
"I'm sure he will be." Richie got up from the bed and walked over to the door. "He's at a private hospital so nothing sketchy." He removed the chain off the door and opened it up to see Jon.
"That's good."
"Hey baby, I have to go. Is it okay if I call you back later?"
He let Jon into the room and followed him back to the seating area by the window where he joined him in the chairs around the table. After years of friendship, he didn't have to ask Jon if anything was bothering him anymore, he would know.
"What are you thinking?" He asked, getting straight to the point and to Jon's thoughts.
Jon sighed. "I hate cancelling shows."
"I know."
"We need a drummer, we can't play without a drummer."
"I know."
"I could play guitar and sing but I can't drum and sing."
"I know."
"You're so helpful right now."
"I know." Richie smiled.
"Fuck off."
Jon's reaction made him chuckle. "What do you want me to do?" He offered his help.
Jon shrugged. "We'll stay here tomorrow because I don't want to leave Tico here alone, that's not cool."
Richie nodded, he agreed to that. "Yeah, don't want to ditch him. We'll do the other shows then?"
"Yeah, and we can reschedule these ones." Jon said.
"Sounds good. When can they reschedule us?"
"I haven't figured that out yet."
Richie frowned, everything had gone so fast, they hadn't had much time yet to figure anything out. "So," he hesitated, going back to his previous question, "what do you want me to do?"
Jon sighed, thinking everything over. "Find me a replacement drummer?"
"Alright." Richie accepted his task easily.
Jon looked over at him, frowning.
"What? I said I wanted to help you out with managing stuff and I know some drummers."
"By Friday?"
Richie nodded, sure of himself.
"Who?" Jon asked weary.
Richie laughed at his worry. "Rich Scanella man."
Finally Jon clued in. "Oh." He exclaimed.
"Don't worry, I'll set it up. You worry about other stuff."
Not much later he was alone in his hotel room again in the middle of Argentina making his phone calls and arranging transportation.
He was glad he was able to help Jon out with something related to the band instead of letting Jon deal with it himself even though this was a very easy solution. That was the benefit of playing some solo concerts as well, they learned to play with different musicians and who better to get than someone Jon had played with on several more private occasions as Jon Bon Jovi and the Kings of Suburbia? Personally, he thought he was pretty smart for thinking of it as Jon had obviously not. Richie had not met Jon's drummer but he knew of him, the man was pretty good. Nothing would be as good as Tico but he would be a close second that already knew all the songs as well.
Once everything was in place and he was sure they'd meet Rich on Friday for their next concert, he called Sarah back.
"Did they figure out what's wrong with him?" She asked him in return.
"Appendicitis." Richie replied. "They'll have to do surgery. I'm not sure how soon, he'll need to stay in the hospital."
"Probably a week at least." Sarah replied. "What about the other shows you guys have?"
Richie shrugged, not much had been discussed. "I'm not sure either. We haven't figured anything out yet."
"What happened?"
Richie thought for a second. "We were doing soundcheck and he didn't look well at all but he said he was fine but then an hour ago he went to the hospital. At least they were fast in diagnosing.'" He said. "I'm not even sure what's happening. We all went back to the hotel after we cancelled the show."
There was a knock at the door as Sarah spoke again. "I hope Tico will be alright."
"I'm sure he will be." Richie got up from the bed and walked over to the door. "He's at a private hospital so nothing sketchy." He removed the chain off the door and opened it up to see Jon.
"That's good."
"Hey baby, I have to go. Is it okay if I call you back later?"
He let Jon into the room and followed him back to the seating area by the window where he joined him in the chairs around the table. After years of friendship, he didn't have to ask Jon if anything was bothering him anymore, he would know.
"What are you thinking?" He asked, getting straight to the point and to Jon's thoughts.
Jon sighed. "I hate cancelling shows."
"I know."
"We need a drummer, we can't play without a drummer."
"I know."
"I could play guitar and sing but I can't drum and sing."
"I know."
"You're so helpful right now."
"I know." Richie smiled.
"Fuck off."
Jon's reaction made him chuckle. "What do you want me to do?" He offered his help.
Jon shrugged. "We'll stay here tomorrow because I don't want to leave Tico here alone, that's not cool."
Richie nodded, he agreed to that. "Yeah, don't want to ditch him. We'll do the other shows then?"
"Yeah, and we can reschedule these ones." Jon said.
"Sounds good. When can they reschedule us?"
"I haven't figured that out yet."
Richie frowned, everything had gone so fast, they hadn't had much time yet to figure anything out. "So," he hesitated, going back to his previous question, "what do you want me to do?"
Jon sighed, thinking everything over. "Find me a replacement drummer?"
"Alright." Richie accepted his task easily.
Jon looked over at him, frowning.
"What? I said I wanted to help you out with managing stuff and I know some drummers."
"By Friday?"
Richie nodded, sure of himself.
"Who?" Jon asked weary.
Richie laughed at his worry. "Rich Scanella man."
Finally Jon clued in. "Oh." He exclaimed.
"Don't worry, I'll set it up. You worry about other stuff."
Not much later he was alone in his hotel room again in the middle of Argentina making his phone calls and arranging transportation.
He was glad he was able to help Jon out with something related to the band instead of letting Jon deal with it himself even though this was a very easy solution. That was the benefit of playing some solo concerts as well, they learned to play with different musicians and who better to get than someone Jon had played with on several more private occasions as Jon Bon Jovi and the Kings of Suburbia? Personally, he thought he was pretty smart for thinking of it as Jon had obviously not. Richie had not met Jon's drummer but he knew of him, the man was pretty good. Nothing would be as good as Tico but he would be a close second that already knew all the songs as well.
Once everything was in place and he was sure they'd meet Rich on Friday for their next concert, he called Sarah back.
Saturday, April 13, 2019
Chapter 57
Hours later he was happy to finally be in a hotel room. Traveling had gone smoothly but it always made him feel too cooped up. A hotel room offered him much more space. His small suitcase was left by the door as he made his way into his room. It was a decently sized room, bright, which was nice. The bed seemed comfortable enough for the few nights he was going to stay here and the tv on the dresser was already aimed at the bed. He sat down to see if it actually was as comfortable as it looked. As he leaned back against the pillows, he pulled his phone from his pocket, the battery was halfway gone but he'd wait to recharge it later. Opening text messages he found his conversation with Sarah and sent her a text saying he had arrived at the hotel and was going to take a quick shower. He sent out two more texts before getting up and heading to the bathroom.
His relaxing shower was disturbed by a banging sound that he just couldn't make out over the noise of the water raining down on him. The water hitting off the walls and floor numbing the sound but as it repeated the second time, he decided he needed to go check it out.
He turned the knob and turned off the water. As he stepped out he reached for one of the hotel's fluffy towels and quickly dried off.
This time it was more clear there was knocking on his door as the sound returned in the middle of him pulling on briefs. The annoying return had startled him in the process but he hurried to pull on his pants.
They had just arrived here, why couldn't he have a peaceful shower? There were no plans on the itinerary for tonight so he just wanted to relax.
He unlatched the door and pulled it open.
"Finally." Jon complained. "What were you doing?" He asked without cluing in from Richie's appearance.
"Showering." Richie said flatly.
"Well, get dressed. We have work to do."
"We do?" He asked, holding the door open for Jon to come in.
Once the door closed, he pulled his suitcase to the luggage stand and heaved it on so he could look for a tshirt.
"Yes, we do." Jon confirmed. "I was thinking of tomorrow's show and what songs to play."
"Okay..." Richie found a shirt he wanted to wear and pulled it on.
Jon sat down at the table as Richie sat down on the bed, checking his phone for replies.
"What song do you want to play?"
Richie shrugged. "I was thinking we should probably do the classics."
Jon frowned at him. "What classics?"
Richie looked up at him, confused. "Prayer, Wanted, Bad Medicine? What are you talking about?"
Jon laughed at him. "No, you idiot. Which of your songs did you want to play?"
"Oooh." Richie said realizing his mistake. "I don't know. You usually don't make set-lists this far in advance."
"I need to figure out how to include your song and how we are going to do this so we know what to do during sound check tomorrow."
"Alright. You're right." Richie put his phone away and became more interested in the topic they needed to discuss.
The next day they headed to the arena for soundcheck in the afternoon. The morning had been quite peaceful and Richie had the chance to phone Sarah again. It had been a full week since he had left but he was enjoying it so far. He'd still rather be at home but he was used to the travel and it was easy to fall back into that routine as well and just pick up the rock star life. He was glad to get an update on Noah and Daniel and happy to know they were both doing better which was quite a relief for him. Being far away and worrying about children wasn't very helpful to any kind of mental state.
Richie shared a car with Jon to the venue as they had done so often before.
Once there they were shown to their dressing rooms. As always, Jon had his own dressing room and Richie, David and Tico shared one. It was easier for everyone to just kick Jon out. That way no one else had to deal with Jon stressing over every small part of the show before it even happened.
They hung out in the dressing room for an hour before heading to the stage and starting soundcheck. For the first concert of the leg, they'd have to make sure everything was running as smoothly as before and that wasn't always the case.
Richie frowned as he watched David and Tico get up to leave the room with him. "You alright?" He asked Tico who did not look well at all.
"Yeah, I'm fine." He waved it off.
Richie didn't want to push so let the matter go.
They headed toward the stage and met Jon, who was waiting for them there.
"You guys ready to go?" Jon asked.
Each of them went to their respective instrument and prepared to start sound check.
Richie picked up one of his guitars, checking it over before picking up the next one. He would play several guitars during one concert and not always the same guitars each concerts. It depended on which songs they would play so he had to keep a decent collection by the stage.
"I want to start with Because We Can. I know we did those often at home too but I want to know how they sound here." Jon explained to everyone.
Richie took his guitar and waited for Jon's countdown to start the song.
After the first seconds, he watched Jon look back and give a look to Tico. Richie stopped, as he heard the mistake as well. Both of them frowned as they watched Tico.
"Are you okay Teek?"
His relaxing shower was disturbed by a banging sound that he just couldn't make out over the noise of the water raining down on him. The water hitting off the walls and floor numbing the sound but as it repeated the second time, he decided he needed to go check it out.
He turned the knob and turned off the water. As he stepped out he reached for one of the hotel's fluffy towels and quickly dried off.
This time it was more clear there was knocking on his door as the sound returned in the middle of him pulling on briefs. The annoying return had startled him in the process but he hurried to pull on his pants.
They had just arrived here, why couldn't he have a peaceful shower? There were no plans on the itinerary for tonight so he just wanted to relax.
He unlatched the door and pulled it open.
"Finally." Jon complained. "What were you doing?" He asked without cluing in from Richie's appearance.
"Showering." Richie said flatly.
"Well, get dressed. We have work to do."
"We do?" He asked, holding the door open for Jon to come in.
Once the door closed, he pulled his suitcase to the luggage stand and heaved it on so he could look for a tshirt.
"Yes, we do." Jon confirmed. "I was thinking of tomorrow's show and what songs to play."
"Okay..." Richie found a shirt he wanted to wear and pulled it on.
Jon sat down at the table as Richie sat down on the bed, checking his phone for replies.
"What song do you want to play?"
Richie shrugged. "I was thinking we should probably do the classics."
Jon frowned at him. "What classics?"
Richie looked up at him, confused. "Prayer, Wanted, Bad Medicine? What are you talking about?"
Jon laughed at him. "No, you idiot. Which of your songs did you want to play?"
"Oooh." Richie said realizing his mistake. "I don't know. You usually don't make set-lists this far in advance."
"I need to figure out how to include your song and how we are going to do this so we know what to do during sound check tomorrow."
"Alright. You're right." Richie put his phone away and became more interested in the topic they needed to discuss.
The next day they headed to the arena for soundcheck in the afternoon. The morning had been quite peaceful and Richie had the chance to phone Sarah again. It had been a full week since he had left but he was enjoying it so far. He'd still rather be at home but he was used to the travel and it was easy to fall back into that routine as well and just pick up the rock star life. He was glad to get an update on Noah and Daniel and happy to know they were both doing better which was quite a relief for him. Being far away and worrying about children wasn't very helpful to any kind of mental state.
Richie shared a car with Jon to the venue as they had done so often before.
Once there they were shown to their dressing rooms. As always, Jon had his own dressing room and Richie, David and Tico shared one. It was easier for everyone to just kick Jon out. That way no one else had to deal with Jon stressing over every small part of the show before it even happened.
They hung out in the dressing room for an hour before heading to the stage and starting soundcheck. For the first concert of the leg, they'd have to make sure everything was running as smoothly as before and that wasn't always the case.
Richie frowned as he watched David and Tico get up to leave the room with him. "You alright?" He asked Tico who did not look well at all.
"Yeah, I'm fine." He waved it off.
Richie didn't want to push so let the matter go.
They headed toward the stage and met Jon, who was waiting for them there.
"You guys ready to go?" Jon asked.
Each of them went to their respective instrument and prepared to start sound check.
Richie picked up one of his guitars, checking it over before picking up the next one. He would play several guitars during one concert and not always the same guitars each concerts. It depended on which songs they would play so he had to keep a decent collection by the stage.
"I want to start with Because We Can. I know we did those often at home too but I want to know how they sound here." Jon explained to everyone.
Richie took his guitar and waited for Jon's countdown to start the song.
After the first seconds, he watched Jon look back and give a look to Tico. Richie stopped, as he heard the mistake as well. Both of them frowned as they watched Tico.
"Are you okay Teek?"
Monday, April 8, 2019
Chapter 56
He speed dialed Sarah and put her on speakerphone as he started packing up his suitcase he had hardly used.
"Hey there handsome."
Her beautiful voice made him smile, his brain offered him a mental image of how often she had said those words to him. He smiled as he answered, "hey there beautiful. How are you doing?"
Sarah sighed. "I was enjoying some nice sleep but now I get to talk to you."
"I'm sorry for waking you up. I'm just packing up at the hotel, then we're heading to the airport and off to Mexico so I probably won't get the chance to talk to you until I get there tonight."
"It's alright," she said, "you can always wake me up to talk. Are you excited to get back on tour?"
"I kind of am. I miss you and the kids though. How's Daniel doing?"
Sarah sighed, making Richie worried. "He actually slept pretty well last night. I'm trying not to give him the pain relief too often."
"But he's in pain." He didn't want his little boy to be in any sort of pain. Hearing his sad cries always pulled at his heart.
"I know but it's not good to give it to him too often either so I'm letting him chew on teething toys and freeze them so they're cold to numb the pain. Don't worry, I give him the painkiller when he really needs it." She explained her technique of trying to manage Daniel's teething pain.
Soon most of his clothes were packed into his suitcase, he had traveled light as most of his tour gear had been sent off to join the rest of the band's, wherever it was right now.
"So we arrive in Mexico around 6, I guess that's 2 or 3 for you but I will text you when I get there and we'll see."
"Okay, sounds good." Sarah agreed. "Be safe." She reminded him. "I love you."
"I love you too. I'll text you later." He said before disconnecting the call.
He finished packing everything he had brought and felt ready to get going. He still had an hour before check out but there was nothing else to do here. Instead Richie had decided to head over to Jon's as they would share a ride to the airport since they were only minutes apart.
In the hotel lobby he walked over to the front desk where he dropped his bag.
"Checking out?" The front desk agent asked him with a bright smile.
"Yeah." He said.
"Room 416, right? Richie?" The agent asked again.
He smiled. "Yes."
"Are we charging the credit card we have on file or did you want to use a different method of payment?"
"No, that's fine."
"And I have an email address here, do you want the receipt emailed or printed?"
"Email's good." He said.
"Then you're all set to go. I hope you had a good stay and we hope to see you again." She smiled at him again.
"Thanks." He picked up his bag again and headed out the automatic front door.
He stuck to the promise he made to himself and decided to walk over to Jon's apartment. The only suitcase he brought wasn't that large and he didn't mind pulling it down the street.
Getting some air was always nice as well, even though when it wasn't exactly fresh. He remembered being in New York, the hustle and bustle of the city every single day. Not that Los Angeles is a quiet place to live but at least he was half an hour away from that city and has some peace and quiet. He much preferred his home to where Jon lived. Downtown of such a large city was not the place where he would want to raise his children.
His walk wasn't too long but he made quick pit stop at a coffee shop, not for coffee as he knew Jon always had a pot brewing in the morning but for some muffins. He ordered half a dozen of assorted muffins, making sure his favorite was in the batch before paying and heading out to the street again. Soon enough he stood in front of the door, pressing the bell again. Moments later he was buzzed in and headed up the elevator to meet his friend.
"Hey man," he said as he walked in, kicked his shoes off by his suitcase and headed over to the open kitchen, the cardboard box of muffins in hand, "how's it going?" He asked Jon who started pouring a second cup of coffee.
"I think I'm almost ready." Jon said as he passed Richie the cup of coffee, taking a sip of his own cup.
"What do you mean almost?" He put down the box of muffins and opened the lid, quickly grabbing his out and offering the rest to Jon then accepted the beverage and took a tentative sip to test the temperature of the coffee.
"I've got everything packed, don't worry." Jon assured him as he picked out a muffin from the box. "Just trying to make sure everything is organized. All our gear arrived in Mexico already so that's good."
"All of it?"
"Yeah, instruments are all there. They're setting up our stage and lighting so it'll be good to go tomorrow night. We'll do soundcheck of course to make sure it's all good."
"Then why are you worried?"
"I don't know." Jon sighed.
"Alright then," Richie said, "shut up and drink your coffee."
"Hey there handsome."
Her beautiful voice made him smile, his brain offered him a mental image of how often she had said those words to him. He smiled as he answered, "hey there beautiful. How are you doing?"
Sarah sighed. "I was enjoying some nice sleep but now I get to talk to you."
"I'm sorry for waking you up. I'm just packing up at the hotel, then we're heading to the airport and off to Mexico so I probably won't get the chance to talk to you until I get there tonight."
"It's alright," she said, "you can always wake me up to talk. Are you excited to get back on tour?"
"I kind of am. I miss you and the kids though. How's Daniel doing?"
Sarah sighed, making Richie worried. "He actually slept pretty well last night. I'm trying not to give him the pain relief too often."
"But he's in pain." He didn't want his little boy to be in any sort of pain. Hearing his sad cries always pulled at his heart.
"I know but it's not good to give it to him too often either so I'm letting him chew on teething toys and freeze them so they're cold to numb the pain. Don't worry, I give him the painkiller when he really needs it." She explained her technique of trying to manage Daniel's teething pain.
Soon most of his clothes were packed into his suitcase, he had traveled light as most of his tour gear had been sent off to join the rest of the band's, wherever it was right now.
"So we arrive in Mexico around 6, I guess that's 2 or 3 for you but I will text you when I get there and we'll see."
"Okay, sounds good." Sarah agreed. "Be safe." She reminded him. "I love you."
"I love you too. I'll text you later." He said before disconnecting the call.
He finished packing everything he had brought and felt ready to get going. He still had an hour before check out but there was nothing else to do here. Instead Richie had decided to head over to Jon's as they would share a ride to the airport since they were only minutes apart.
In the hotel lobby he walked over to the front desk where he dropped his bag.
"Checking out?" The front desk agent asked him with a bright smile.
"Yeah." He said.
"Room 416, right? Richie?" The agent asked again.
He smiled. "Yes."
"Are we charging the credit card we have on file or did you want to use a different method of payment?"
"No, that's fine."
"And I have an email address here, do you want the receipt emailed or printed?"
"Email's good." He said.
"Then you're all set to go. I hope you had a good stay and we hope to see you again." She smiled at him again.
"Thanks." He picked up his bag again and headed out the automatic front door.
He stuck to the promise he made to himself and decided to walk over to Jon's apartment. The only suitcase he brought wasn't that large and he didn't mind pulling it down the street.
Getting some air was always nice as well, even though when it wasn't exactly fresh. He remembered being in New York, the hustle and bustle of the city every single day. Not that Los Angeles is a quiet place to live but at least he was half an hour away from that city and has some peace and quiet. He much preferred his home to where Jon lived. Downtown of such a large city was not the place where he would want to raise his children.
His walk wasn't too long but he made quick pit stop at a coffee shop, not for coffee as he knew Jon always had a pot brewing in the morning but for some muffins. He ordered half a dozen of assorted muffins, making sure his favorite was in the batch before paying and heading out to the street again. Soon enough he stood in front of the door, pressing the bell again. Moments later he was buzzed in and headed up the elevator to meet his friend.
"Hey man," he said as he walked in, kicked his shoes off by his suitcase and headed over to the open kitchen, the cardboard box of muffins in hand, "how's it going?" He asked Jon who started pouring a second cup of coffee.
"I think I'm almost ready." Jon said as he passed Richie the cup of coffee, taking a sip of his own cup.
"What do you mean almost?" He put down the box of muffins and opened the lid, quickly grabbing his out and offering the rest to Jon then accepted the beverage and took a tentative sip to test the temperature of the coffee.
"I've got everything packed, don't worry." Jon assured him as he picked out a muffin from the box. "Just trying to make sure everything is organized. All our gear arrived in Mexico already so that's good."
"All of it?"
"Yeah, instruments are all there. They're setting up our stage and lighting so it'll be good to go tomorrow night. We'll do soundcheck of course to make sure it's all good."
"Then why are you worried?"
"I don't know." Jon sighed.
"Alright then," Richie said, "shut up and drink your coffee."
Wednesday, April 3, 2019
Chapter 55
It was mid-morning when Richie woke up, he may have spent too much time on the phone with Sarah after the movie had ended but it was good to hear his wife and be updated on what was going on at home.
Feeling motivated for another day, he got out of bed and dressed in last night's clothes. He'd change when he got to the hotel again tonight, for convenience sake, these clothes would do for another day.
In the kitchen he found himself alone but shrugged it off as he found eggs in the fridge and started making himself some breakfast. He wasn't going to wait around for Jon, he was hungry now. He knew the house well enough to find everything he needed and know that Jon wouldn't mind if he helped himself.
He was in the middle of cracking eggs into the frying pan when Jon walked into the kitchen.
"Are you sharing this time?"
"I fucking shared last night." Richie argued but didn't mind making more eggs, they were only here today anyway, no reason to waste food.
"Yeah, after I took the bag from you."
"Still shared." He pointed out. "When are Dave and Tico going to be here?"
Jon shrugged, "Probably around noon or so."
Richie scrambled up the eggs, making sure they were all getting evenly cooked. "We've got some time then."
"Yeah," Jon leaned against the counter on the other side of the stove, "Did you get to talk to Sarah last night?"
"Oh yeah," Richie said, knowing where the conversation was going, "She's not enjoying Daniel right now."
"That bad?"
"Yeah, I guess it's really bothering him. I kind of feel bad he's teething now, just as I left them, you know?"
"Yeah, I get it but he'll be alright in a couple days."
"I know but still." He trailed off, not really finishing his thought as he scooped the eggs onto plates. "So tomorrow we fly out to Mexico? Do we have a travel itinerary?"
"Yeah, didn't you get one? We fly at 5pm, go to the hotel afterwards and then full gear tour mode the day after that."
"Getting right back into it."
After they ate their eggs, Jon loaded the dishwasher for the few dishes that were there, he wasn't going to wash them by hand.
"Do you want to go for a run with me?" He suggested to Richie.
"Down the street?" He asked. "No."
Jon shrugged. "We could just use the treadmill if that makes you more comfortable." He suggested instead.
"I'm a terrible runner, I do prefer a treadmill where no one will see me but it's not like I have work out clothes here."
"You can borrow some. Running's good for you."
"Yeah, which gets negated by the pack of cigarettes you have throughout the day."
"It balances out."
"Sure it does." Of course he didn't believe him, not like he was much better but at least he'd kicked that habit.
"It does." Jon argued. "I've asked a doctor."
"Sure, sure." Richie said sarcasticly.
Not much later, he texted Sarah a selfie of himself in borrowed work out clothes, ready to hit the gym. He didn't mind working out, he just couldn't keep up with Jon's morning routine. An hour run was not something he enjoyed doing every morning. Sure he worked out but not to the same extent, a half hour of some sort of cardio once or twice a week followed by some weights was good enough. That and smart eating, a combination of those two worked just fine. He didn't wait for a response from Sarah as he hoped she was occupied with her sons or studies. Instead, he headed down the hallway to the gym.
"I'm ready." He announced as he walked in, seeing Jon already on a treadmill.
"About time." Jon replied. "I've been waiting."
"At least you started." Richie said, meaning Jon hadn't really waited for him at all. He stepped onto the treadmill next to Jon and turned it on.
"Figured you wouldn't last as long as me anyway."
"Are you calling me fat?"
Jon laughed. "No, I'm saying you don't have the stamina."
"So, you mean I'm fat." Richie set the the treadmill's pace to a walking speed, not wanting to go into a fast run straight away.
"Sure, whatever." Jon said sarcastically. "Be fat."
"Rude." He feighned shock as he increased his walking speed.
Soon enough Richie could feel sweat coating his skin all over his body, the shirt he was wearing was sticking to his back. At least Jon looked worse than he did. He tried to think back of when he used to keep up with Jon's work out routine, reminding himself that was easily 13 years ago and at least he had been in his forties, not his fifties. Why did he have to work out while other people his age were allowed to have potbellies and call it a dad body? He was determined to at least get to the thirthy minutes he knew he could do and he was only a few minutes away from that goal. He most definitely preferred just about any other exercise that was not running. Any sport he could watch or practise in bed was perfect for him.
Next to him, Jon kept his pace, impressing him more and more. His own mind was telling him to stop, it had been enough but watching Jon run with ease made him competitive, not wanting to give up. Although he knew Jon did this every day and he did not, he felt like he could show off as well.
Jon slowed down his pace and incline, then continued in a walk for a few more minutes.
Richie finally did the same and was relieved to just walk. "Thank fuck. Finally." He was out of breath from running double his usual time.
Jon looked over, letting out a short hearty laugh. "I didn't think you would last this long."
"I think I'm dying." His breath still uneven as he tried to catch it. His body ached, his lungs hurts.
"You'll be fine." Jon said, ending his cardio work out, stopping the treadmill entirely.
Richie finally felt relief and did the same, instead he pressed the stop button, making the treadmill stop immediately as he was still in the process of a step, he tripped over his own exhausted feet.
"What the fuck?" Jon exclaimed as he heard the crash to his right. Looking over as he spoke his words, he caught a glimpse of Richie catching himself. "Are you okay?" He asked concerned but Richie steadied himself again and moved off the treadmill.
He tried to laugh off his own mess up. "Told you I was dying.' He said, doing a mental check up of his body. All limbs were still attached, his foot hurt.
Jon walked around the treadmills and handed him a bottle of water. "You good?" He asked again.
Richie took the bottle of water and opened it. "Yeah, I'm fine." He took a drink, gladly accepting the refreshment his body needed.
"Are you sure?" Jon wanted to confirm again. "What did you even do?"
Richie shrugged. "I don't know. I turned it off, then died." He explained quickly. "How the fuck do you even do this every day?"
"By doing it every day." Jon pointed out. "Want to do some weight or stop before you actually die or something worse."
He knew weights was his moment to shine and show off. His competitive mindset immediately overruled his hurt foot. Weights were much easier than running for an hour so they headed over to the weight rack.
As they left the gym, they heard the doorbell. Richie groaned at the sound of it. "You need a better door bell sound jingle thing."
Jon laughed. "It's epic and no one even rings the doorbell."
"Yeah, because no one wants to listen and wait 5 minutes for your ego." He started heading down the hall for exactly that reason.
"It has your input with it. Not just me." Jon pointed out as he followed suit.
Once they opened the front door, the song finally stopped, to both of their relief and found David on the other side, his hands full, a drink tray in one, a muffin box in the other. "You guys look disgusting, I'm not going into a small studio all afternoon with you two being nasty."
Feeling motivated for another day, he got out of bed and dressed in last night's clothes. He'd change when he got to the hotel again tonight, for convenience sake, these clothes would do for another day.
In the kitchen he found himself alone but shrugged it off as he found eggs in the fridge and started making himself some breakfast. He wasn't going to wait around for Jon, he was hungry now. He knew the house well enough to find everything he needed and know that Jon wouldn't mind if he helped himself.
He was in the middle of cracking eggs into the frying pan when Jon walked into the kitchen.
"Are you sharing this time?"
"I fucking shared last night." Richie argued but didn't mind making more eggs, they were only here today anyway, no reason to waste food.
"Yeah, after I took the bag from you."
"Still shared." He pointed out. "When are Dave and Tico going to be here?"
Jon shrugged, "Probably around noon or so."
Richie scrambled up the eggs, making sure they were all getting evenly cooked. "We've got some time then."
"Yeah," Jon leaned against the counter on the other side of the stove, "Did you get to talk to Sarah last night?"
"Oh yeah," Richie said, knowing where the conversation was going, "She's not enjoying Daniel right now."
"That bad?"
"Yeah, I guess it's really bothering him. I kind of feel bad he's teething now, just as I left them, you know?"
"Yeah, I get it but he'll be alright in a couple days."
"I know but still." He trailed off, not really finishing his thought as he scooped the eggs onto plates. "So tomorrow we fly out to Mexico? Do we have a travel itinerary?"
"Yeah, didn't you get one? We fly at 5pm, go to the hotel afterwards and then full gear tour mode the day after that."
"Getting right back into it."
After they ate their eggs, Jon loaded the dishwasher for the few dishes that were there, he wasn't going to wash them by hand.
"Do you want to go for a run with me?" He suggested to Richie.
"Down the street?" He asked. "No."
Jon shrugged. "We could just use the treadmill if that makes you more comfortable." He suggested instead.
"I'm a terrible runner, I do prefer a treadmill where no one will see me but it's not like I have work out clothes here."
"You can borrow some. Running's good for you."
"Yeah, which gets negated by the pack of cigarettes you have throughout the day."
"It balances out."
"Sure it does." Of course he didn't believe him, not like he was much better but at least he'd kicked that habit.
"It does." Jon argued. "I've asked a doctor."
"Sure, sure." Richie said sarcasticly.
Not much later, he texted Sarah a selfie of himself in borrowed work out clothes, ready to hit the gym. He didn't mind working out, he just couldn't keep up with Jon's morning routine. An hour run was not something he enjoyed doing every morning. Sure he worked out but not to the same extent, a half hour of some sort of cardio once or twice a week followed by some weights was good enough. That and smart eating, a combination of those two worked just fine. He didn't wait for a response from Sarah as he hoped she was occupied with her sons or studies. Instead, he headed down the hallway to the gym.
"I'm ready." He announced as he walked in, seeing Jon already on a treadmill.
"About time." Jon replied. "I've been waiting."
"At least you started." Richie said, meaning Jon hadn't really waited for him at all. He stepped onto the treadmill next to Jon and turned it on.
"Figured you wouldn't last as long as me anyway."
"Are you calling me fat?"
Jon laughed. "No, I'm saying you don't have the stamina."
"So, you mean I'm fat." Richie set the the treadmill's pace to a walking speed, not wanting to go into a fast run straight away.
"Sure, whatever." Jon said sarcastically. "Be fat."
"Rude." He feighned shock as he increased his walking speed.
Soon enough Richie could feel sweat coating his skin all over his body, the shirt he was wearing was sticking to his back. At least Jon looked worse than he did. He tried to think back of when he used to keep up with Jon's work out routine, reminding himself that was easily 13 years ago and at least he had been in his forties, not his fifties. Why did he have to work out while other people his age were allowed to have potbellies and call it a dad body? He was determined to at least get to the thirthy minutes he knew he could do and he was only a few minutes away from that goal. He most definitely preferred just about any other exercise that was not running. Any sport he could watch or practise in bed was perfect for him.
Next to him, Jon kept his pace, impressing him more and more. His own mind was telling him to stop, it had been enough but watching Jon run with ease made him competitive, not wanting to give up. Although he knew Jon did this every day and he did not, he felt like he could show off as well.
Jon slowed down his pace and incline, then continued in a walk for a few more minutes.
Richie finally did the same and was relieved to just walk. "Thank fuck. Finally." He was out of breath from running double his usual time.
Jon looked over, letting out a short hearty laugh. "I didn't think you would last this long."
"I think I'm dying." His breath still uneven as he tried to catch it. His body ached, his lungs hurts.
"You'll be fine." Jon said, ending his cardio work out, stopping the treadmill entirely.
Richie finally felt relief and did the same, instead he pressed the stop button, making the treadmill stop immediately as he was still in the process of a step, he tripped over his own exhausted feet.
"What the fuck?" Jon exclaimed as he heard the crash to his right. Looking over as he spoke his words, he caught a glimpse of Richie catching himself. "Are you okay?" He asked concerned but Richie steadied himself again and moved off the treadmill.
He tried to laugh off his own mess up. "Told you I was dying.' He said, doing a mental check up of his body. All limbs were still attached, his foot hurt.
Jon walked around the treadmills and handed him a bottle of water. "You good?" He asked again.
Richie took the bottle of water and opened it. "Yeah, I'm fine." He took a drink, gladly accepting the refreshment his body needed.
"Are you sure?" Jon wanted to confirm again. "What did you even do?"
Richie shrugged. "I don't know. I turned it off, then died." He explained quickly. "How the fuck do you even do this every day?"
"By doing it every day." Jon pointed out. "Want to do some weight or stop before you actually die or something worse."
He knew weights was his moment to shine and show off. His competitive mindset immediately overruled his hurt foot. Weights were much easier than running for an hour so they headed over to the weight rack.
As they left the gym, they heard the doorbell. Richie groaned at the sound of it. "You need a better door bell sound jingle thing."
Jon laughed. "It's epic and no one even rings the doorbell."
"Yeah, because no one wants to listen and wait 5 minutes for your ego." He started heading down the hall for exactly that reason.
"It has your input with it. Not just me." Jon pointed out as he followed suit.
Once they opened the front door, the song finally stopped, to both of their relief and found David on the other side, his hands full, a drink tray in one, a muffin box in the other. "You guys look disgusting, I'm not going into a small studio all afternoon with you two being nasty."
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