Kevin turned and started to walk back towards his seat and then stopped.
“You know what?” He said turning around with a smile on his face. “I think I’m gonna hang out back here with you guys.”
“Why?” A.J. looked around. “There aren’t any sexy chicks back here for you to hit on, it’s just the three of us losers?” Kevin laughed as he sat back down beside me slapping me hard on the leg.
“I just feel like hanging out with you guys, is that a crime?” At the sound of the word crime both A.J. and Brian avoided eye contact with me smiling big fake nervous smiles in Kevin’s direction.
“No man, it’s not a crime. We’re glad you deemed us worthy enough to spend time with.” A.J. nudged Brian who quickly agreed.
I wasn’t sure if Kevin stayed sitting with us because his intuition told him that we were up to no good, or if he really wanted to spend some quality time with us. But whatever the reason I was glad he decided to hang out just a little while longer. Sitting back in his seat, arms folded across his chest, he kept us in stitches with stories of his wild night of sex with the blonde German babe that we had seen him with in the hotel hallway the night before. He even did a dead on impersonation of her high pitched, heavily accented voice calling out his name during sex which made me blush bright red causing the three of them to roar with laughter until eventually they Howie woke up.
“What’s so funny?” Making his way to the back of the van, drool still glistening on his chin, Howie hung over the back of my seat just as A.J. was launching into one of his super dirty jokes that made Kevin laugh so hard he actually snorted like a pig.
I sat there smiling as I looked around at the faces of my four best friends and for some reason I had this strong feeling of wanting to stop time and hold onto this perfect moment forever.
I wanted to forget about the jewels that I had seen spilling out of Brian and A.J.’s backpacks onto the hotel carpet. I wanted to forget about the words that I’d heard drifting through the open window of the shop with the red door. And I wanted to forget about the moment when I had asked Brian and A.J. to cut me in on the deal.
But I knew that it was foolish to want to stop time, because life didn’t stop on one perfect moment. It kept on going and going and the trick wasn't going to be trying to figure out how to stop it but rather figuring out how to keep up.
* * *
As the van pulled up to the front of the hotel Trent stood up like some tour guide at Disney World and began explaining in his bland Trent voice the history of the hotel as if any of us really cared. Standing up I plunked the puppy down in the aisle, nudging his little behind as we attempted to exit the van.
“Get back here Carter I’m not finished yet.” Trent grumbled as I ducked out of the way of his hand before he could grab me.
“Sorry Trent, the puppy has to pee.” I said over my shoulder as I stepped out he van smiling broadly at the small crowd of girl’s that had begun to gather on the sidewalk out front of the hotel.
Three……two……one…….I silently counted backwards in my head waiting for recognition to set in before the high pitched squealing began.
“EEEEEEEEEK IT’S NICK.”
Wincing I looked down at the puppy who didn’t seem to know what to make of the noise coming out of the girls mouths. I was guessing it was pretty close to what a dog whistle must have sounded like as the puppy backed up into my leg and sat down on my foot, whimpering.
“C’mere buddy.” Stooping down I rubbed him on the back and scooped him up into my arms pointing to the girls. “They’re doing that because they like us.” I whispered into his floppy ear. He looked at me with his big golden eyes, blinking twice before glancing in the direction of the girls again and then back to me.
“I know boy, I don’t get it either?” I said with a smile kissing him right between the eyes before setting off in the direction of the girls.
* * *
I stood there signing autographs for the girls as Trent walked by dropping my backpack and suitcase at my feet just as a second group of girls arrived who were, according to their fancy signs “HOT FOR A.J.” and “BOUNCING FOR BRIAN.”
I really couldn’t figure out why any girl in her right mind would be hot for A.J. And I wasn’t sure what the hell “Bouncing for Brian” even meant, aside from the fact that both words started with B. I preferred simple signs like “I LOVE YOU NICK”. Although usually, most of the signs we saw in concert were in German so I had to ask Kevin what they said and he would translate them for me and turn them into some dirty poem that I didn’t understand any more then I understood German.
Picking up my backpack and suitcase as the girls swarmed around A.J. and Brian I decided this was as good as time as any to get my ass up to the room and get settled before those two came looking for me. A few of the girls from my group of admirers walked with me into the hotel lobby, petting my dog and smiling as they tried to find a few English words to say that I might understand.
“Hot dog?” One of them said.
“Yeah hot dog?” I said rubbing my stomach. “I love hot dogs.”
Looking around I noticed Kevin cuddling in the corner of the lobby with the blonde German babe from the night before. He must have told her where we were staying so she could meet us here.
They seemed pretty close as she ran her hands through his hair and kissed his neck. It sort of made me wish that I had told Eva where I was going to be staying. It would have been nice to have her standing here in the lobby waiting for me when we arrived. Except instead of running her hands through my hair and kissing my neck I’m sure she would have been socking me in the arm and challenging me to a thumb-wrestling match, which actually sounded much more fun.
Stopping at the elevator I set down the dog, half listening to the girl’s trying to talk to me in their broken English as I dug around in my backpack for the room assignments. Dragging out some comic books, the puppies leash, and an old letter from my Mom I finally came up with the crinkled single sheet of blue paper that Kevin had printed up for us before we left on tour.
Prying it open I ripped one corner where I must have stuck an old wadded up piece of gum, and scanned down the list for the name of the hotel we were currently staying. It looked like we had rooms staggered all over the third floor, so standing up I hit the button and waited, smiling and waving at the girls as a signal that they couldn’t follow me any further before I stepped onto the elevator puppy in tow.
As the doors began to slide shut I’ll never forget the image of the petite dark hair girl standing at the front of the group of girls her hands clasped together as she begged to come upstairs with me, a sweet smile etched on her round pink cheeked face.
* * *
When the doors opened on the third floor I stepped out making my way down the hall, paper in hand. Howie and I were supposed to be in 302, Kevin in 310 and A.J and Brian in 315. Walking along I noticed that the doors to the rooms were opened and I could see the turned down beds with mints on the pillows and small vases of fresh flowers on the nightstand. Stopping in front of room 315 I threw my arms up in the air and shouted,
“Puppy we’re home!”
My goal was to be in the room and settled before Brian and A.J. showed up. So dragging my stuff inside I closed the door, staked out the best bed and began hanging a few things in the closet.
Fifteen minutes later I was lying on the bed humming to myself when there was a loud knock on the door. Before I could even answer it Kevin burst in lugging his suitcase behind him.
“Okay Pee-Wee you know the rules I always get the bed by the door.” Rolling out the way I barely made it off of the bed before Kevin thumped his suitcase on the bed.
“What are you doing?” I asked pointing at the suitcase and then at him. “This isn’t your room?”
“It is now, A.J. is sick.” He went about unzipping his suitcase, pushing the puppy out of the way as he tried to climb inside and make a bed on Kevin’s boxers. I just stood there with a dumbfounded look on my face.
“Nick close your mouth the flies will get in.”
“But-but I don’t get it what do you mean A.J. is sick?”
“He’s sick.” Kevin spoke the words slowly moving his hands like he was doing sign language and I was deaf or something.
“He was fine thirty minutes ago.”
“And now he’s sick so Brian is going to bunk up with Howie and I’m going to bunk with you and A.J. is going to get the single room.”
“Why isn’t Brian bunking with me?”
“He says you smell.” Kevin said laughing to himself as the puppy grabbed a ball of socks out of the suitcase and jumped off of the bed.
“I don’t smell.” I yelled. “He is the one who smells.” I knew what those two dicks were doing; they were totally getting me back by messing everything up so that they wouldn’t have to bunk with me. If A.J. had his own room and Brian shared a room with Howie who slept like a log and then I was stuck with Kevin there would be no way I could follow them when they went on their next job for Devin.
“Yeah well if you ask me you both smell so shut up. And would you get that dog out from under the bed before he shreds my socks.”
* * *
We didn’t have a concert that night so we all met up for an early dinner at a nearby restaurant. When A.J. and Brian came in the door they both smiled at me with huge wicked grins on their faces.
A.J. walked down to the end of the table where I sat with Howie while Brian slid in across from Kevin at the other end of the table along with Trent and few of the roadies.
“So what are we having?” A.J. asked flipping open the menu and scanning it up and down. Since he and I were the pickiest eaters we usually each ordered something basic and split it so that I got half of his and he got half of mine.
“For starters,” I flipped open the menu and scanned down it with my index finger “I will be having the Spannferkel and some Handkaes. Or wait- no I changed my mind instead I think that the Schwaebasche Kasepaetzle sounds better.” I knew I was probably slaughtering the names of the dishes but I was doing my best.
“You don’t even know what any of that shit is.” A.J. flipped the menu out of my hands knocking it into Howie’s lap.
“Yes I do.”
“No you don’t. For all you know that could be cows brains marinated in spit. You’re just ordering that shit so that we can’t share.”
“No I’m not I’m ordering it because it sounds good and that was what Howie wanted since he and I are going to be sharing.”
“Bullshit. D is that true?” A.J. shot a glare at Howie who had retrieved the menu from his lap and placed on the table with a deep dimpled smile.
“Yeah Nick said he wanted to share with me tonight and I said okay.”
“Fine.” A.J. slammed his menu shut as the waitress approached to take our orders. I could see Brian glancing down at our end of the table wondering what was going on as I slung my arm around Howie’s shoulder and smiled.
“ Anyway A.J. you’re supposed to be sick and you probably shouldn't be eating anywa so what do you care what I order?”
“You are so fucking juvenile Nick.”
“And you’re so fucking sneaky A.J.”
“Hey you two-“ Howie began.
“Do you want me to punch you in your snotty ass face right now?” A.J. pushed his chair back standing up and leaning over the table.
“I dare you.” I took my arm from around Howie’s shoulder.
“Okay, okay-“ Howie put a hand on my arm but I shook it loose.
“Don’t tempt me Carter.” A.J. reached out and slapped me upside of my head making me wince.
“Do that again A.J. and I’ll tell.” I narrowed my eyes at him.
“No you won’t.”
“Yes I will.”
“I dare you.” He reached out again slapped me harder upside of the head.
“KEVIN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!” I screamed at the top of my lungs as every head in the restaurant turned just in time to see A.J. reach across the table and grab me by my collar. Then dragging me across the table my body cleared the silverware and glasses to the floor before he dropped me to the ground in front of him and put me in a headlock.
“Holy shit!.” I tried to crawl away but A.J. had me in a tight grip as he delivered a fist to my right eye.
“A.J. what the hell are you doing.” Howie climbed up and over the table grabbing for A.J. just as Kevin and Brian landed beside us trying to pry us apart.
“K..k…e..v..v.” I tried to spit out Kevin’s name as A.J. tightened his grip on my throat cutting off my air supply. Flailing my arms around I poked my index finger around in the air until I was able to make contact with one of A.J.’s eyes.
“SHIT.” Grabbing for his eye he loosened his grip on me and I was able to wriggle away, crawling quickly across the restaurant floor as A.J. crawled after me holding one eye.
“Get back here.” He grabbed for my leg.
“A.J. let him go.” Kevin was pulling on A.J. as Trent and Brian ran around to my side tugging on me, trying to break A.J.’s grip.
“Kevin he’s trying to kill me!” Kicking out my leg that A.J. had a hold of I nailed him square in the forehead before kicking Kevin twice in the chest.
“Both of you knock it off right now.” Trent yelled pulling me by my wrists. “Knock it off or I’m calling Lou and the tour is going to be cancled.”
At the sound of the words ‘tour’ and ‘canceled’ A.J. slowly released his grip on me and I stopped kicking my leg around as a hushed silence fell over the crowded restaurant and the two of us crawled to opposite corners of the room like two prizefighters after the bell.