Chapter 196

“If you live a long life and get to the end of it without ever once having felt crushingly depressed, then you probably haven’t been paying attention.”
—Duncan MacMillan, Every Brilliant Thing

I WOULD LIKE to have taken a break after graduation. You know, kick back on the porch and play my guitar. Drink a few beers. Make love to my girlfriends. Just not think of anything for a few weeks.

Not a chance.

I didn’t have girlfriends. I had wives. Eleven of them who wanted attention as we got ready to launch the ‘Grand Loop’ deputation tour through the Midwest and the South. We wouldn’t be inducted into National Service until July 18—after Cindy turned seventeen. But we’d be spending the entire month of June working for them.

After I got Livy and Remas off to the airport, Em and Rachel headed for Indianapolis to pick up the bus we’d be traveling in for our tour. I went to spend time with Mom and Dad. The construction was finally complete on the new house. Idiot contractors and insurance dinked around for fifteen months. This afternoon was the final inspection.

It was weird. The house was in the same location as the house we had lived in. It was about the same color. But it was nothing like our home. It had three bedrooms and two baths, a kitchen, dining room, and living room. About 1800 square feet. Equivalent of our previous home. And nothing like it. A real estate agent walked through the house with us and pointed out a couple of things that needed touchup. Aside from that, Mom and Dad signed off on the construction and sat down with the Realtor to list the house for sale. They didn’t intend to ever live in it.

In fact, they’d signed a contract to buy Nanette’s house, a slightly smaller bungalow that they’d been living in since the storm. Losing the house kind of forced downsizing on my parents and instead of getting something bigger and more luxurious, they were happy to have a more compact living space.

I sat down to a quiet dinner with them.

“Do you have any time off before service at all?” Mom asked. She was concerned that we were moving so aggressively into touring. It was sad because she was no longer my manager. That role had been taken over by the Office of Civilian Service—Rachel.

“We have this week to get our stuff in order, but we have to practice and go over all the details with Jo Wilson from the OCS. I guess she figures she’ll travel with us for a week or so before she’s content to let Donna and Emily take over. The first concert is in Chicago on Saturday and from then on, we’ve got a performance every couple of days. Sometimes two shows,” I said.

“It’s hard to believe you’ll be performing before so many people,” Dad said.

“I don’t know that it will be that many. From what Rachel said, some of the venues are pretty small. Some are in schools and others in places like legion halls or civic centers. Five hundred is probably the top seating capacity we’ll have in any venue. This is really a shakedown cruise to see how well we can hold up on a heavy schedule. In a way, we’re kind of taking our NSO training before we get our basic.”

“What about a place to live?” Mom asked. “Are you sure you need to move to DC?”

“When Cindy and I start the tour with Emily, Donna, Beca, and Joan, Rachel will head back to DC with Desi, Brittany, Sophie, and Nanette. We have an offer in on a house and they have signing authority for the pod. We’ll get to DC on the first and move straight into our new home. Then we have the concert on the mall with the Young America Orchestra on the Fourth. We’ll have two weeks to get oriented and settled in before we go into service.”

“It sounds so pressured,” Mom said. “I worry about you. All of you.”

“I know, Mom. We’re all feeling the pressure. It seemed so far away when we agreed to all this in April. If this bill ever gets passed, I don’t know what we’ll be doing. Everything until November is focused on electing candidates that favor reform. Jo says Simon’s audience development is still focused on teens about to enter service but the message is to get out and vote.”

“Son, if you need anything, call us. We seem to have extra time on our hands lately. We won’t interfere, but we’re here to help,” Dad said.

“Thanks, Dad. That’s a comfort to know.”

Rachel and Em got back from Indianapolis Tuesday with a massive motorhome and Jo Wilson. The motorhome belonged to the service, not to us. Jo was there to get the papers signed and follow us around for a week. The motorhome towed a matching trailer behind it because we had to carry everything we needed for a concert and to live for three weeks. Stowing instruments, recording equipment, costumes, props, and luggage in the trailer meant there would be living space in the motorhome for those of us traveling. And unlike the coach we had in California, there was a passenger seat up front so Emily didn’t have to drive isolated from everyone else.

The thing was thirty-six feet long and had a slide-out so when it was parked it opened up to about twelve feet wide. There was a king bed in the back, a sofa bed toward the front, and a fold down bunk. We were used to sharing intimate space with each other but living in this for three weeks with five to eight people was going to test our endurance. Traveling in the coach in California, we got out at night and went to hotel rooms. Traveling in the motorhome, we’d eat and sleep in it as well.

“Anyone want to spend our first night making love in the new motorhome?” Cindy giggled. Ever since Jo left to go to a hotel for the night, Cindy had been a little squirrely. Jo hadn’t gotten all the way down the driveway before Cindy was naked. Of course, none of us had any objections to naked Cindy and soon, we all joined her.

“You know, once we move into that monstrosity, there’s no telling when we’ll get back here. Maybe never. I think I’d like to create some last-minute memories here to take with us on the road,” I said. “I’m thinking a hot soak in Donna’s tub and then a hot soak in Donna.”

“I’ll try to be back from Desi’s bed by the time you get out of the tub,” Donna laughed. She leaned toward our buxom lover for a kiss.

“And your Latina wives want to fuck you silly,” Sophie said, plopping down on my lap. That svelte dancer’s body somehow molded to every curve of mine, even while Brittany was doing her best to put a nipple in my mouth as she hugged the two of us. “We will be off to DC Saturday and with luck will have a nice home ready for our mates when you finish your tour.”

“Here we are, scattered all over the country again,” Beca sighed. Joan held her tightly. At least she was home now. Livy was in Virginia. Remas was in DC. Rachel had to return to work in DC on Saturday, as well, leaving the beginning of our tour in the hands of Jo and Donna. Emily was chafing about Jo already. There were going to be some territory disputes between them.

Cindy was caught up by Rachel, Emily, and Nanette and promised an opportunity to scream at the top of her lungs as we all headed to different beds. I personally was thinking an orgasm in each of the five beds in the house would be a reasonable goal. That was a little more lascivious than necessary, but we still had four nights before we hit the road.

“Why are you all naked?” Jo demanded. “You can’t represent the National Service naked!”

“Jo, we’re in our home and this is the way we live,” I said. “When we’re in our private space, here or in the motorhome, we don’t intend to be presenting each other with an official National Service persona. You still have time to cancel the tour.”

“As if! This is very not like what I’m used to. You plan to be naked in the motorhome, too?” I nodded. “I intended to stay in the bunk when we’re on the road.”

“You’re welcome to,” Donna said. “You don’t have to be naked just because we are.” Please, don’t be. It will be bad enough just having you around. I wasn’t happy that Jo felt she could move into our home with us just because the government owned it. She was a little overbearing.

“Well, you’ll need clothes for your appointments,” she continued. “You need to have your hair cut and styled, Jacob. You look like a ragged hippie. And Cindy, you need a full makeup consultation. I want to see your wardrobe and then I need to talk to Emily about the routes she’s to take from venue to venue.”

“Jo, you’re overstepping,” Rachel said. “I know you are my manager, but I manage Jacob and Cindy. I manage Emily and after you have the venues set, logistics go to her. My onsite producer is Donna. Those are the lines we drew in the office months ago. You can’t just charge in here and micromanage everything.”

“We’re going to have to change some of the terms,” Jo said. “It is obvious you can’t manage the talent. You aren’t even wearing clothes yourself.”

“I think you should take that bus you’re so proud of and drive it back to DC,” I said. “We won’t be needing it since we won’t be touring in it.”

“What are you talking about?”

“You can’t come in here and manage us. According to our meeting with Will, you are supposed to be putting the structure around an entire deputation program, not managing the teams. And this team doesn’t want your management. The closest you should ever be to direct contact with our team or any other is to book a venue and make sure our logistics manager has the details. If you think you’re going to manage our team, we’re out of here.”

“You can’t back out. You’re in National Service.”

“Not for six more weeks, they aren’t. By that time, we should be able to raise enough of a fuss to get you replaced,” Rachel said.

Jo and Rachel stared at each other. Neither was willing to back down from her position. I didn’t want to back down, either. We could have a miserable service if we let this get out of hand now.

I saw Cindy raise her flute and pulled my guitar to me. She played the opening trill from The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly and I started tapping out the drum beats on my guitar. Desi’s voice floated over the top. Jo and Rachel both turned to stare at us. It was a tense moment as we endured the Mexican standoff.

I think Emily was the one who started laughing. Donna, Sophie, Brittany, Beca, and Joan joined in. Finally, Rachel and Jo cracked a smile and chuckled.