Rock Radio (9 page)

“Thanks for that.  It means a lot to me.”

“Well I heard you guys practice.  I knew it’d be a good show.”  She smiled.

Cody took a chance.  “I kinda hoped you came for more than that.”  He held his breath.

She looked him directly in the eyes.  “I did.”

He rubbed his hand down her shoulder.  “Can I get your number?  Maybe we could go out sometime.”

“I’d like that.”  Her eyes glanced around, “Do you have paper?”

Cody thought quickly and plucked a napkin from the bar.  Laura pulled a pen from her small purse and wrote down her name and number.

“Laura.”  Marci came up beside her.  She had tired of trying to get the bartender’s attention.  “I’m ready to go, it’s late, are you coming?”  Marci eyed Cody.  He was hot. 
Lucky little Laura, next time she could get the drinks.

“Yeah.”  Laura looked disappointedly at Cody.  “I have to go...she’s my ride.”

“I’ll call you, we’ll make plans.”  He brushed her arm again.

“Great,” she said as
Marci pulled her away.

Cody looked at the napkin and memorized the number, afraid he might do something stupid like lose it or wash it in his jeans.  He found the other guys.  They were all surrounded by women.  It wasn’t long before Cody was accosted too.

“Hey you sounded awesome.”

“Loved your songs.”

They oozed,
I want you
, but Cody wasn’t into them.  None of them sparked his attention like Laura.

That night he lay
awake, too excited to sleep.  He couldn’t wait until the next day to call Laura.

He didn’t wait long.  At noon he called and fortunately she answered.  They made a date for that night.

Cody took more time preparing for his date with Laura than he did for his performance the night before.  He wore tan Dockers and an ice blue shirt.  He borrowed Alex’s car and picked her up at exactly seven.  He was determined to do everything right.

Laura opened the door wearing a
denim skirt and a close fitting pink top.  She looked gorgeous.

Cody took her to dinner at a cozy Italian restaurant.  It was too expensive for him, but he didn’t care, it was warm and romantic and he only had one chance to make a good impression.

“So tell me about your family,” Laura asked, breaking a breadstick in half.  He marveled at how she asked so casually, not knowing the depth and complexity of the answer.

“I’d rather hear about yours,” Cody responded, artfully turning the conversation.

“Well, I have a younger sister, Morgan, she’s a sophomore in high school.  And my parents are, you know, your basic parents.  I have an okay relationship with them, the usual ups and downs.”

Cody feigned knowledge of normal.  “That’s cool.  So, you lived your whole life in Jacksonville?”

“Yeah, pretty boring, huh?”

“Sometimes boring is good.”

“I guess.  What about you Cody?”

“Oh we lived all over, I was in Waldo for a time,” he lied hoping she had never been.

“Oh, how funny,” she said, “right on the way to me in Jacksonville.  See we were so close and didn’t even know it.”

“How about that.”

“So I feel stupid asking this, ‘cause everyone does,” she began.  Cody held his breath.  “What’s your major?”

Cody was relieved.  They talked for hours over dinner, drawing angry glares from the waiter who wanted them to leave so he could get more customers.  They didn’t care though, they were too wrapped up in each other.

Cody drove Laura home nervously.  This girl was too good for him.  She’d find out who he really was, where he really came from, and it would all be over.

“I’m sorry to see this night end,” he said en route.

“I know.  I had a great time.”  She touched his hand as he maneuvered the stick shift.  They shared a knowing smile.

“Do you want to do it again this Friday night?” he asked.

“I’d love to.”

He parked the car at her apartment complex and walked her to the door.  A slight breeze blew past them.  She shivered.  He immediately put his arms around her.  Their lips met as if on cue.  The kiss was warm and slow.  He gently opened his mouth feeling her soft tongue on his.

“Oh,” she breathed.

He pulled back, not wanting to do the wrong thing.  “I’ll see you Friday?”

“Friday,” she confirmed and turned into her apartment.

They both floated from each other.

Cody drove home with a rush of happiness.

He was in love.

Dana got to the station at four and went straight into Jonny’s office.

“Jonny, tell me again about this Scully’s gig tonight and this whole Bahamas contest.  I have no idea what the hell I’m doing.”

“Sure.”  He glanced up, stunned at her words.  Dana was always on top of everything.  “Are you okay?  You don’t look so good.”

“Thanks a lot,” she said, even though she knew it was true.  She spent the night crying and her eyes showed it.  They were red, swollen and puffy.  She didn’t have the energy to put herself together this morning, so she just pulled her black hair back in a ponytail and dressed casually in faded jeans and a slate gray t-shirt.  It echoed her mood.

“Seriously Dana, do you need to talk?  I’ll listen.”

Jonny was ultimately a prick, but Dana had come up with him through the ranks.  They'd known each other for years and he was like a brother to her.  She really needed a friend.

“You got a couple minutes?”

“Shoot.”

“Sam left me.”

A flash of surprise came across Jonny’s face.  “I thought this was it.”

“Well obviously I was wrong...again.”  Dana sank into the chair across from Jonny.

“I guess now I can tell you I always thought he was a jerk.”

“What?  I thought you liked him.”

“Nah, he was boring Dana.”

“I like boring.”

“That’s your problem, you think you like boring, but you don’t.  He wasn’t the right guy for you.  He didn’t get your lifestyle and he never would.”

Dana had never told Jonny about her secret desire to be married with kids.  “I guess,” she said dejectedly.  “It still hurts.”

“Sure it does.  You were together...you were living together.  Anytime someone leaves it’s lonely.”  He looked at her with genuine concern.  “I feel bad for you.”

“I don’t need your pity.”

“It’s not pity Dana, it’s sympathy.  Take it.”

She smiled
wanly.  “Okay.”  She looked down at her hands, a little embarrassed at her openness, then looked up. “Let’s talk business.”

“What do you want to know?”

“All I’ve been told about this appearance at Scully’s tonight is that it ties in with some Bahamas thing, but that’s all I know.”

“Yeah, sorry about the vague details, it all just came together.  It’s a two-part promotion.  The Paradise Island Resort and Casino is giving away a trip for two to their resort.  It’s a huge promotion so we’re going to run with it through winter and spring.  Tonight, at Scully’s, we kickoff the promotion and people can start registering to win the trip.  Part two happens at the start of summer when you travel with the lucky winner to Nassau and broadcast live from the resort.  You’ll say what a great time you’re having, yadda, yadda, yadda... basically it’ll be a nice vacation for you.”

“It’s work,” Dana cut in.

“Yeah, but work with cabana boys,” he smiled.  “You’ll have a great time.  I would have gone myself, but Jill can’t get away from work then and it’s hard for me to go without her.”

“Because she doesn’t trust you?”

“No...well, yeah.”  Dana knew him too well.  He continued on, not wanting to linger on his last statement.  “It’ll be nice Dana.  And things’ll get better.”  Jonny walked around his desk and placed his hands on her shoulders.  “Sam doesn’t know what he lost,” he said, “but trust me, you’re better off without him.”

Dana wished she could believe him.  “Well, thanks for the pep talk,” she said, getting up.  “I’m gonna go record the first part of my show before I get to Scully’s.”

“Good plan,” Jonny said.

“Who’s running the board while I’m at the remote?”

“Tony.”

“Cool, he knows what he’s doing.”

“Yeah, he’s a good kid.”  Jonny looked directly at Dana.  “Hang in there, okay?”

“Yeah, sure,” she said and left.

Jonny looked down at his cluttered desk and sat back down.  Heather’s unlistened to tape caught his eye.  He popped it in and heard her tentative voice come through the speakers.  She didn’t sound horrible, but she needed some polish.  And confidence.  And maybe a few more years in the business.

“Jonny, you’re listening to me again!”  Heather entered on cue, dressed in a red leather skirt and off the shoulder white t-shirt.

“Can’t get enough,” he lied.

“That’s nice to hear.”  Heather slinked around his desk and sat down on it in front of Jonny, giving him a full view of her red thong underwear.

What was with this girl?  What was with him?

Jonny cleared his throat.  “Heather, you’re making it difficult for me to listen objectively.”

“Am I?” she whispered coyly.

“Uh, yeah, you are.”  Jonny stood up while he still could.  “I’ll be right back.”  He headed for the bathroom to splash some cold water on his face.  He didn’t see Heather trailing him.  She slipped into the bathroom right behind him, closed and locked the door.

“Heather, what are you...”

Before he could get the sentence out she was on her knees.  His pants fell to the floor.  Heather did what she was best at and when she finished, asked Jonny the question that was on her mind from the moment she entered his office.

“So, are you going to put me on the air?”

Jonny, consumed with pleasure, responded.

“Yes.”

Larry Carter had never been more excited in his life.  Tonight was the night he was going to introduce himself to Dana Drew.  He took the day off from his job at the local bookstore.  They wouldn’t miss him anyway, he justified, besides this was going to be the most important night of his life.  He began getting ready at two in the afternoon.  First he took a long shower to clean every crevice of his body, including the space between his toes.  Nothing freaked him out more than dirt between his toes.  When he finished, he stepped out of the shower and admired his naked form in the mirror.  It was his favorite thing to do since he lost the weight, but this time he had a purpose.

He looked over every inch of his body searching for flaws.  His eyebrows were perfectly even and his chest was cleanly shaved, except for three stray hairs.  He plucked them quickly and continued his evaluation.  His arms were smooth.  He shaved them earlier, then applied a depilatory cream to make sure he got every hair off.  He studied his arms again.  They were perfectly clean.

Larry took in his whole body with his eyes.  He looked great.

This ritual took him an hour.  Next it was time to get dressed.  He carefully took out the black silk shirt and gray trousers.  Putting them on, he checked for lint and wrinkles.  He found two stray threads, no wrinkles.

Larry took a pick to his curly brown hair.  He let the ringlets just barely touch his shoulders.  He contemplated a ponytail, but felt it made him look too much like M
ichael Bolton.  Dana was rock ‘n roll, not easy listening.

Larry splashed on cologne, two squirts on his wrists, behind his ears and on his chest.

He then walked to his full-length mirror and took in the finished image.

Yep, he was ready.

Oh, Dana...I’m coming.

Cody finally had it all...a blossoming rock career, a relationship and great friends.  He had everything except time.  The band’s performance was such a hit at Chloe’s that Andy, the owner, booked them for the rest of the month.  Other clubs heard about them and people were calling for gigs other nights of the week as well.  Between the shows and practice and Laura, Cody had little time for school.  His grades were slipping and his scholarship was in jeopardy.  His mother Jane was not pleased.

“Cody, this music career could disappear tomorrow, your education will last you forever.”

Cody knew she was right, but being on stage gave him the greatest high he’d ever known.  He’d never been so happy and couldn’t imagine doing anything else with his life.  So he made a concerted effort to find more time to study.

It was nearly impossible.

Red Lawn was a hit and the word was spreading.  They’d started getting calls from clubs in Orlando to perform.  The momentum was growing.

Cody realized he had two choices:  the band or school. His future hung in the balance of security and a dream.  His whole life was spent living for others.  He never had dreams of his own.  He decided school could wait.  The chance Red Lawn was getting might never come around again.  Cody went to the dean’s office and requested to take a leave of absence.  His excellent record helped to make his case.  The benevolent dean agreed.  Cody could take a year off without jeopardizing his scholar
ship and then return to school.  Cody was incredibly grateful.  It wasn’t an easy decision, it really was a sacrifice for him...he was just one semester shy of his degree, but he had to try.