Love's Autograph (30 page)

Everyone
had signed their contracts and left the studio. Ellie sat at the table, took a deep breath and looked around the soon to be studio. She swiveled around so that her back was to the door. She heard the door open and footsteps come toward her. She swiveled around and it was Jazzie.

“
You sure you want to hire me to be in charge of hospitality?” Jazzie asked.

“
Yes, of course, you up for the challenge?” Ellie asked. “It would require you to meet and work a lot with rock stars and famous people.”

“
Hell yeah,” Jazzie said. “I just called and gave my notice at my job. So you'll be the last person I drop off. You ready?”

Jazzie dropped Ellie off at her apartment.
Ellie walked in and sat down on her living room couch. She picked up her guitar and filled the room with echoes of chords. Empty boxes and empty walls changed the usual acoustics in the room.

Dina texted,
How are you?

Ellie
answered,
I feel free. I feel powerful. I can concentrate on playing and creating music, and supporting new musicians. I'm great.

Great!
I'm so proud of you. Good look with the move tomorrow. As your new manager, I'm telling you to write, write, write, Dina commanded.

The apartment was quiet. Then Ellie thought about Ria.

Ellie's downtown Boston recording studio was built within six months with a bunch of hitches. There were electrical, plumbing and permit problems. Ellie and her team found out quickly that Jazzie had a multitude of connections in the Boston area. Once Jazzie was put on the project, she had her own team of workers, contractors, electricians and plumbers on site.

Ellie was happy to hang
up her guitar for a while and grab a hammer and paint brush to help out. Ellie always bought lunch for everyone, and on their lunch breaks or during a lull in the work she would pick up her guitar and sing a few songs.

The tightness in her chest and the knot in her shoulders that Ellie used to suffer from daily were gone.
When she woke up in the mornings, she couldn’t wait to get down to the studio. Jazzie did such a stellar job overseeing the studio’s creation, from the first demolition to the paint colors on the walls, that the team gave her the title of studio manager. She refused to take a pay upgrade stating she was getting paid well as it was; instead Jazzie insisted on naming the place. Against Ellie's objections, the team agreed on the studio and recording label name of
EJ's Way
.

In mid-September
, Dina and Jazzie pulled off a grand opening party. Ellie was amazed at the number of stars who came through her studio that evening. Several of them booked recording time in the studio. A few of them discussed possibly signing with her label when their contracts were up.

Ellie worked mostly from home, but came to the studio when needed. With the help of her team, Ellie spent her time combing the internet, having open mic nights at the studio, and traveling to small venues
, throughout the United States, looking for new musicians. Robert called her several times with more and more offers to sign new contracts. Each time he called, the amounts of money increased. Ellie let all his calls go to voice mail.

It was Davie's idea to branch the studio out on the internet. They bou
ght out a company similar to
Live from their Living Room
, and created a site solely for musicians. Ellie spent her nights watching those concerts and signing a few talented musicians.

One night in November
, Ellie was in the studio recording a few tracks for her own new album. Tons of music had grown within her, and she visited her old notebooks full of songs. As she and some band members finished a set, Jazzie held up Ellie's phone from the sound booth.

“
You have a text from Maggie. It seems important,” Jazzie said. Ellie put down her guitar, and walked out of the recording studio and into the sound booth. Her heart was in her throat.

Maggie's text read,
There is a slight emergency and we need help. Please call. And by we, I mean Jessica and I. Jessica is my sitter.

Ellie called Maggie. Maggie quickly handed the phone to Jessica
who explained that she needed to fly to Chicago because her mother was sick. She couldn’t contact Ria who was in surgery.

“
What about Gwen?” Ellie asked.

“
Who?” Jessica answered.

“
Never mind,” Ellie said. “I'm happy to hang out with Maggie.”

“
Oh, thank you,” Jessica said

“
Maggie can hang out at work with me. Tell Maggie I'll send Jazzie to pick her up. She knows Jazzie.” Jazzie stood and grabbed her jacket off the back of the chair and nodded to Ellie.

“
Okay, do you have the address?” Jessica asked.

“
Yes, I have the address,” Ellie said. Ellie heard Maggie in the background tell her that Ellie had been there numerous times.

“
Okay, I'll see you soon,” Jessica said. “How soon?”

“
Jazzie is heading out the door right now,” Ellie said and turned to Jazzie.

“
About fifteen minutes,” Jazzie whispered.

“
About fifteen minutes,” Ellie said. “Oh and Jessica...”

“
Yes?” Jessica said.

“
Do you have a ride to the airport or a flight or anything?” Ellie asked.

“
No, that's why I want you to hurry,” Jessica said. “I have to go to my cousins to get her credit card.”

“
Don't worry I'll get you a ride to the airport and a flight,” Ellie said.

“
No, that won't be necessary,” Jessica said.

“
No, I insist. Any friend of Maggie's is a friend of mine. Chicago right?” Ellie said as Dina opened her tablet and started typing away. Ellie wrote down Ria and Maggie's address for Dina. “I'll send a Town Car for you and they will take you home if you need clothes or things, and Jazzie will be there beforehand to pick up Maggie.”

“
Yes, Chicago, that's very kind. I'll pay you back,” Jessica said.

“
She is rich,” Maggie said in the background. “She is EJ Way. She has a lot of money. Don't worry about it. Right Ellie?”

“
She's right,” Ellie said.

“
Thank you, bless you,” Jessica said.

“
Okay, safe travels. I hope your mother is okay. I’m texting Ria to let her know that Maggie will be with me.” Ellie said.

“
Thank you,” Jessica said. Ellie hung up

“
So, a car is twenty minutes out for Jessica. I didn't have her whole name. So I put the reservation under our company.” Dina said.

“
Wait, don't put her on a commercial flight. Book her a private plane,” Ellie said.

“
Ellie that's a lot of money. There's a flight out in two hours. It's nonstop to—”

“
Private jet, please. You can take it out of my allowance,” Ellie said as she rubbed Dina's shoulders.

“
You'll be back to your pre-fame time of eating pasta if you keep skimming out of your allowance,” Dina said. “Okay private jet, under
EJ's Way
. I'm sending the itinerary to her driver. And before you say it, a car is waiting for her in Chicago, and she'll get instructions on how to set up a return ride and flight.”

“
You're golden. That's why I keep you guys around,” Ellie laughed. Ellie texted Jazzie and told her to make sure that Maggie brought her guitar.

Maggie arrived at dinner time when Ellie and the band were taking a break and eating some fried chicken and fries. Maggie greeted Ellie with a hug. That was their customary greeting now. Ellie felt honored to be one of only two people in the world that Maggie hugged. Maggie told Ellie about school, a friend she had made, and what she wanted for Christmas.

“
He’s not really a friend,” Maggie said. “But I don't know what else you would call him. I think a friend is someone you like hanging out with, like you. James is annoying, but he sits with me. He doesn't make fun of me and he knows a lot about wars. He can name every war, and who was in it, and famous battles. It is kind of fascinating. He tells me the parts that the history teachers leave out. Like the torture and things,” Maggie said.

“
That’s great,” Ellie said. “Not the part about his being annoying, though. But it bothers me that people would make fun of you. I think they are probably mostly jealous.”

“
Maybe,” Maggie said.

She didn't say anything about Gwen
, and Jessica didn't know who she was. I wonder if Gwen is out of the picture.

“
You look different,” Maggie said.

“
I do?” Ellie asked.

“
Yeah, doesn't she?” Maggie asked Dina and Jazzie. They both shrugged. “Happy,” Maggie said. “You look lighter and happy. You look like Mom does after she gets a massage or has sex.” Jazzie spit out her soda onto the table and quickly grabbed some napkins to wipe it up.

“
Maggie,” Ellie said. “Remember how your mother talked to you about times and places to talk about sex.”

“
Because people might
leak
everywhere?” Maggie asked laughing as she pointed at Jazzie and the puddle of soda.

“
Who knew you had a sense of humor Ms. Maggie?” Ellie said as she ruffled Maggie's hair.

“
So, this is your new studio. What are you doing here?” Maggie asked.

“
I'm laying down some new tracks, and fixing or messing with some old ones,” Ellie said.

“
When are you going to let me play on some?” Maggie asked.

“
Oh, we'll definitely do that. I've learned that your mother will have to sign for you to be able to play on a track,” Ellie said.

“
Okay, that's fine. Finally something someone has to sign. Remember how when we used to say “sign off” on it, you used to think you really had to sign?” Maggie asked.

“
Yes, finally something to sign,” Ellie said. “You’ve been playing? I saw you brought your guitar.”

“
Yeah, and two sets of clothes, her pillow, some books, and...” Jazzie said.

“
I thought maybe we could have a sleepover,” Maggie said. “We haven't spent quality time together in a while. I have a lot more things to show you in my notebooks.”

“
Probably not tonight, I moved and—” Ellie started and was interrupted by a band member walking into the room.

“
EJ, I have to leave in a few hours. If you want me on any of your other tracks, we have to start up soon,” he said.

“
Yeah, okay. No problem,” Ellie answered.

“
You moved?” Maggie asked. “Why? To where?”

“
How about we talk about this after I finish with the band?” Ellie asked. Maggie nodded.

Ellie and the band set
up in the larger recording studio, and Maggie went to practice her guitar in one of the smaller studios. Ellie had a bass player, violinist, keyboard player, drummer, and second guitarist in the studio with her. The band did a few dry runs of the song
My Way World.
After the first run, Dina and Jazzie waved Ellie into the sound booth.

“
What's up?” Ellie asked.

“
Listen to this,” Jazzie said. She pushed some buttons on the sound board and acoustic guitar music streamed through the speakers. It was had a unique, unpredictable rhythm to it.

“
Nice, you should bring them in to record sometime,” Ellie said. “Can I listen to this after we’re done? We have some of the musicians who need to leave soon.”

“
No, this is Maggie,” Jazzie said. “I turned on the audio in her studio, because I thought that she'd enjoy hearing you guys play, and she played along by playing this. Listen to how it sounds when you lay it down on top of your track.” Jazzie pointed to the sound board controller who mixed the tracks. It added a depth to Ellie's track. “She even knows your song. Listen.” Ellie, for the first time, heard Maggie sing.

Ellie said,
“She has a beautiful voice.” Ellie walked to Maggie's studio door, knocked once and then entered.

“
Hey, Maggie. How's it going?” Ellie asked.

“
I'm good. You guys sound great. Are you done? What about that sleep over? Or why you moved? And to where?” Maggie rambled.

“
We're not done, and I’m more than happy to talk to you about that after this,” Ellie said.