Chapter 23: I Remember You

Heritage, California
September 26, 2002

The chartered Cessna Citation touched down at Heritage Municipal Airport at 3:30 PM after the ninety-two minute flight from San Luis Obispo Regional. Aboard were Jake, Laura, Celia, Caydee, Nerdly, Sharon, Kelvin, Meghan the nanny, and her boyfriend Massa Wu. The aircraft taxied over to the general aviation terminal and parked, the pilots shutting down the engines while the cabin attendant opened the door and then the cargo hold in the nose. Jake thanked the pilots for the ride and he and everyone else exited the plane and gathered their baggage. As usual, Caydee had three suitcases while everyone else had only a single travel bag.

It was a pleasant Thursday afternoon in California’s Sacramento Valley. The temperature was eighty-two degrees without a cloud in the sky. There was a slight breeze blowing from the southwest and only a hint of haze and smog to be seen. The group walked over to the terminal building but did not go inside. Instead, they caught a shuttle bus to the rental car area where two Toyota 4-Runners were waiting for them. From there, they began the drive to the parental compound outside of the foothill town of Cypress, Jake behind the wheel of one SUV, Nerdly behind the wheel of the other. Since Jake did not believe in driving at least five miles per hour below the posted speed limit like Nerdly did, he, Laura, Celia, and Caydee arrived after forty-five minutes of driving. It would take Nerdly, Sharon, Kelvin, Massa, and Meghan another ten at least.

Things were a bit awkward at first when Tom and Mary Kingsley greeted their son, his new wife, and his ex-wife. They knew, after all, what the deal actually was and did not approve of it. Still, they gave hugs to both women and smiled for them. They did not make any snide remarks. They welcomed all into their home. Caydee would be staying the night with them. Jake, Laura, Celia, Massa, and Meghan would be staying in two suites at the Hyatt Regency in downtown Heritage, ostensibly with Meghan and Massa being Laura’s roommates for the night. The actual sleeping arrangements had not been discussed among the parents and the triple, but Jake had booked the hotel out of respect for their views on the subject. There was no sense in rubbing their noses in something they did not agree with.

“So ... uh ... any ... uh ... progress on your little project?” Mary asked Celia hesitantly when they sat down in the living room to await the arrival of the rest of the group. Stan and Cindy were in the house as well and it was clear that they knew what ‘little project’ Mary was referring to.

“We’re hopeful that this might be the cycle where I catch,” Celia told them, “but so far all the tests have come back negative.” This was true. She had peed on a stick that very morning (she had gotten so good at the maneuver by this point that she never even got pee on her fingers anymore). Her period was due in the next two days so it was still pretty early to detect a pregnancy even if it was there. She hoped with all of her heart that that period would not manifest.

“Hopefully it will happen soon,” Mary said. And she did sound sincere about that. No matter what her personal views on their relationship, a grandchild was still a grandchild and something to be celebrated.

The awkwardness mostly faded away over the next few minutes. Laura still called Mary ‘Mom’ and Tom ‘Dad’, just as she always had since she and Jake had returned from their honeymoon in New Zealand (and she had actually asked their permission to call them that, which they had happily granted). She showed every affection for Jake that she had always shown and it was quite clear to both sets of parents that she still loved Jake with all her heart and Jake still loved her. They began to see with their own eyes that the entire divorce was nothing but a sham, an elaborate sham to be sure, but still a sham. Tom even developed some reluctant respect for his only son’s situation. He was actually pulling off the thought-to-be-impossible two women scenario.

Celia, on the other hand, did not call Mary and Tom ‘Mom’ and ‘Dad’. She knew instinctively that would not be welcomed or accepted. She continued to call them ‘Mary’ and ‘Tom’ and suspected that would be what she called them for the rest of their lives and beyond. She decided she could live with that. After all, she had an actual mom and dad that she could address by those terms (although she called them ‘Mama’ and ‘Papa’ respectively) but Laura did not. Teach had been disowned by her natural mother and father, the victim of Mormon shunning due to her choice of husband—now (for the time being) ex-husband. It was clear to Celia that Laura would always be thought of by Tom and Mary as Jake’s real wife. She was okay with that as long as they eventually accepted that she was his other wife. She hoped this trip might make a little headway down that road.

The Nerdlys finally rolled in and were welcomed into the Kingsley house as well. They would all be staying with the grandparental Archers for the night. Kelvin would stay with them while Nerdly and Jake played the first show of the tour the following night. Grandma and Grandpa Kingsley would watch Caydee while Laura, Celia, Meghan, and Massa sat in the small SVIP section front and center of the stage. None of the parental units seemed to mind missing the Intemperance show (which did hurt Jake’s and Nerdly’s feelings just a bit).

“Daddy and Uncle Nerd-ee make moo-zik for the peoples,” Caydee said brightly when the show was discussed. “Me can’t go,” she added with a little pout.

“You can see us make moo-zik for the peoples when we play in nasty old LA,” Jake promised her. “By then, we’ll have it all dialed in good and proper.”

This made her happy. And when Jake told her that was several months from now she had no real concept of how long that really was so this did not dissuade her happiness.

They enjoyed a good dinner of slow-cooked pot roast, mashed potatoes and gravy, and green bean casserole prepared by the mothers. Jake, Celia, Laura, and the adult Nerdlys all helped clean up. They had some wine, some beers, and listened to Caydee, Jake, and Celia do guitar-sing-harmika time before the little redhead was put to bed. Kelvin once again expressed his intention to one day marry Caydee because she was not his real cousin and it was his destiny. Jake and Laura both wished him good luck in this endeavor. The Nerdlys had the good graces to blush (while the parental Nerdlys remained hopeful). Caydee had her own opinion of the matter. “Fuck that shit, Kelvin,” she told him, matter-of-factly, although she had no real grasp of what marriage actually was all about other than married people made babies together by some means she did not understand. She was not ready to have a baby yet. She didn’t even know how to read.

After Caydee was safely tucked away, Jake, Laura, Celia, Meghan, and Massa made their leave, giving hugs and handshakes and then piling into the 4-Runner before making the forty-five minute trip to the Heritage Hyatt Hotel on the waterfront of the Sacramento River. They checked in without much fanfare—the staff had already been told to expect them—and went up to their respective rooms. Massa and Meghan enjoyed a long session of sexual relations that involved a finale of back door action (and the unpleasant yet now-expected and less embarrassing explosive aftermath of such) while Jake, Laura, and Celia enjoyed their own session that did not involve any back door action but did end with a healthy deposit in Celia’s womb.

The next morning, Celia peed on a stick again. The test was negative but she tried to remain hopeful. She took her shower and got dressed and then she, Laura, and Jake met up with Massa and Meghan and went downstairs to have breakfast together. There were quite a few whispered words and long stares from the other patrons of the restaurant, but no one approached them.

Just past eleven o’clock, a stretch limousine arrived at the hotel and parked in the offloading area. The driver opened the door and out stepped the rest of Intemperance, head of security Dan Baldino, and road manager Greg Gahn with his signature grin. They had landed at Heritage Municipal forty minutes before. Everyone grabbed their travel bags from the trunk and Greg led them into the lobby for check-in. The band received many distasteful looks from the hoity-toity guests who were milling about, most of whom did not even know who the scrungy looking group was.

The staff, however, treated the group with nothing but respect. They were quite experienced at dealing with professional musicians, sports teams, and other VIPs. Everyone was given a key card, with Coop, Charlie, and Matt ranking top floor luxury suites while Greg and Dan got regular mid-floor suites. Everyone went immediately to their rooms to settle in a bit. Greg called the room of Glenn Sutter to let Jake know they had arrived and the limo would pick them up at 12:00 PM sharp for the interview with 93 Rock, the local hard rock station, followed by an autograph session at a local Tower of Power.

“Sounds good,” Jake said. “Our nanny and her boyfriend are going to tag along with us for the meet and greets.”

“They are?” Greg asked. “Whatever in the world for?”

“Meghan wants to see what goes on in one of our typical show days,” Jake said. “She wants to watch us do our meet and greets and our sound check and all that. I told her that was fine.”

“I wish you would have checked with me first,” Greg scolded. “I was not expecting two additional people.”

Jake decided to nip this dick-size contest in the bud. “I don’t have to check shit with you, Greg,” he told him. “This is not the old days. I am the boss of this operation.”

“But I am the road manager,” he said. “By necessity, I must be in charge of operational decisions.”

“Subject to veto by me,” Jake said simply, “and also subject to new orders by me. If you disagree with this, you are welcome to call up the suits and have yourself replaced.”

Greg folded quickly. “I don’t think that will be necessary,” he said. “I am just requesting that in the future, additional passengers in the limo be told to me in advance.”

“Fair enough,” Jake said, knowing that such a thing was unlikely to happen again—at least not until the last show in LA. “We’ll be in the lobby at 12:00 sharp.”

“Thank you.”

Jake, Meghan, and Massa were indeed down in the lobby at 12:00. Matt, who would be the only other member of the band to do the meet and greets, came out of the elevator right on time. He nodded to Jake, who was having a discussion with Dan about the record store signings and their security there. Massa and Meghan were hovering near Greg, who was telling them they should be like proverbial children, seen and not heard. Matt came over and shook with Jake.

“What’s up, brother?” he asked.

“Ready to play some music tonight,” Jake said.

“Fuckin’ A,” Matt said. He nodded in the direction of Meghan and Massa. “Bringing the nanny and the chink along?”

Jake nodded. “They wanted to see the behind the scenes stuff. And Massa is not Chinese. He’s Canadian.”

“He looks like a chink,” Matt said.

“You’ve heard him talk,” Jake said. “His accent is pure Canadian.”

“He still looks like a fuckin’ chink,” Matt said. “Anyway, how’s your nanny boning the violin player work with you and your old ladies?”

“How does what work?”

“Your nanny having a boyfriend,” he clarified. “Does he know what goes on with her when he’s off playing his own instrument?”

“Nothing goes on with any of us and Meghan,” Jake said dryly.

“You know I don’t believe that shit for a minute,” Matt said with a chuckle.

Jake just shook his head and led Matt over to Massa and Meghan. He re-introduced the guitarist to the violinist. Massa said he was very honored to meet Matt again and told him he was looking forward to the show.

“It’s gonna be bad-fuckin’-ass,” Matt returned. He then looked over at Jake. “You’re right,” he said. “He does sound like fuckin’ hoser and not a chink.”

Meghan’s butthole was a little sore from the attention it had received the night before and she had to fight to keep herself from squirming around in her seat. That was okay though. It was a good kind of hurt, the price she had to pay for that exquisite intimacy she shared with Massa—an act more intimate, in her opinion, than simple fucking (which she also quite enjoyed as Massa was quite good at the act, always willing to please). She was excited. She had worked for the Kingsleys for almost four years now and had seen her share of concerts performed by both Jake and Celia Valdez, but now she was going to hang out with the legendary Intemperance for the entire day on the first show of their reunion tour. How badass was that? And she would be doing it with Massa at her side. Massa was as excited as she was to be involved in this historical moment in music. She was glad she had been able to invite him along.

The limo took them through the streets of Heritage to the radio station located in one of the office buildings downtown. She and Massa sat across from Jake and Matt while Greg the road manager and Dan the security chief sat in one of the side-facing seats. Matt was saying something about the ‘local gash’ he was going to score tonight. She knew that he was in a long term relationship with Kim Kowalski—aka Mary Ann Cummings—and disapproved of his plans for the night, but she had also been out on a rock tour before and knew how things worked. Even Massa had indulged in the request game more than a few times out on the Millennial Tour, as had she in a manner of speaking (she had had to earn her conquests, not just request them, she thought huffily), though they had not been a couple back then.

“All right,” Matt said as the limo door was opened by the driver. “Let’s fuckin’ do this shit.”

They were escorted to the elevator by one of the building’s security guards. The rode up to the twenty-third floor, where the offices and studio of 93 Rock were located. Meghan and Massa kept quiet and stayed out of the way while Jake and Matt met with one of the DJs—a greasy looking fat guy with an awesome radio voice—and the station manager—a used car salesman looking type in a cheap suit—and went over the questions that would be asked. Some ground rules were laid down. The DJ could ask about Jake’s marriage to Celia but could not ask about his current relationship with Laura other than to confirm that she would be at the show and that she and Celia were still friends. There would be no questions about sniffing cocaine from butt cracks, transexual sex slaves, or Matt’s relationship with Kim Kowalski, the queen of the onscreen orgasm and top-shelf internet pornography.

“Sounds like a plan,” said the DJ. “Let’s get you two hooked up.”

Meghan and Massa watched from behind a soundproof window as Jake and Matt were given headsets with microphones and were sound checked and dialed in. A speaker installed high on one of the walls fed them the sound of the live radio broadcast in progress.

“We’re here with Jake Kingsley and Matt Tisdale of Intemperance,” the DJ said when they finished the final commercial break, “who will be performing the first of many shows on the Never Say Never Tour tonight in their hometown of Heritage, California. Jake, Matt, welcome to the 93 Rock studios. It’s good to have you here.”

“It’s good to be here,” Jake said, not giving away the lie. Meghan knew from casual conversation that he hated this part of his job.

“Hell yeah,” Matt said, his voice considerably less enthusiastic than Jake’s.

They talked about the Intemp reunion for several minutes. Neither Jake nor Matt touched upon Matt’s tax problems or the money they would be making from the venture. They described it as something that was just ‘meant to be’, something that ‘needed to be done’ and they talked of ‘putting aside their past differences to pull together and get the band back together’. Meghan smiled as she listened. Her boss was a supreme bullshitter when he needed to be. She knew exactly why he was participating in this venture. He still had some good feelings for Matt Tisdale (who she thought of as one of the sleaziest, most disgusting men she had ever met, including the one who had pretty much raped her back in Mexico on spring break) and was trying to help him—as long as he played by Jake’s rules. She really hoped that Matt was grateful for what Jake was doing for him.

From there they touched upon Jake’s relationship with Celia Valdez-Kingsley. He gave the standard line. “Celia and I have been close to each other for years; ever since we put together our first solo albums back in 1991. When Laura and I broke up, those feelings kind of came to the forefront and we acted on them. So far, we’re very happy with each other.”

It was clear that the DJ wanted to ask about his relationship with Laura—it was public knowledge that she was still living in the Kingsley household and that she was here in Heritage with her ex-husband and Jake’s new wife—but that was on the list of forbidden topics and he did not go there. Instead, he moved on to some of the songs that Intemp would perform at the concert tonight.

“We’re going to do all the hits from our collection,” Matt said, having to fight to keep from throwing the word ‘fuckin’ in there.

“We’re also going to do most of the songs from the new CD,” Jake said. “They seem to be kind of popular.”

They talked about the new songs for a few minutes, the DJ asking multiple questions about when they had been composed. He then asked if any of Matt’s or Jake’s solo material would be performed.

“No way,” Matt said. “This is an Intemperance show and we will only do Intemperance tunes in it.”

“Fair enough,” the DJ said. “I’ll be there tonight with our radio contest winners. I’m looking forward to seeing you all there.”

“We’re looking forward to seeing you as well,” Jake said, another obvious lie in Meghan’s opinion. She had heard what Jake thought about DJs and radio station managers over the years.

The station went to commercial after the DJ thanked Jake and Matt for showing up. The two musicians then exited the studio and walked to another one. She and Massa watched as they spent the better part of thirty minutes recording promos for the station to play throughout the next few days. The station manager shook their hands again, thanked them for coming, let his eyes crawl over Meghan’s breasts long enough to be creepy, and then showed them to the door where the limo was patiently waiting.

“All right,” Jake said once they were back in the vehicle. “Let’s get some lunch.”

“Fuckin’ A,” Matt agreed.

They went to an authentic Mexican restaurant that Jake was familiar with, just showing up and strolling inside. The staff was more than happy to accommodate them and had served Mr. Kingsley in the past (although never with Mr. Tisdale). Meghan and Massa ordered margaritas, which were legendary here. Jake, Matt, Greg, and Dan ordered tea. The tacos, burritos, and enchiladas were insanely good. Everyone munched to their heart’s delight.

“So ... Massa,” Matt said as they ate, “are you into hockey?”

“Uh ... no,” Massa said. “I’m not much into sports at all.”

“I thought all you fuckin’ hosers were into hockey,” he said, almost accused.

“Not me,” he said. “Never been into it. I’m more the marching band kind of guy, although there’s not even a place for a violinist in the marching band.”

“Is that the only fuckin’ instrument you play?” Matt asked.

“I can play the cello and the oboe,” Massa told him, “though not as well as the violin.”

“Kind of faggy instruments, aren’t they?”

“Jesus Christ, Matt,” Jake said, shaking his head. “This guy has a fuckin’ master’s degree in music and he is exquisite with the violin.”

“That don’t mean what he plays ain’t faggy,” Matt said.

“He’s also boning Meghan,” Jake added. “That is not the least bit faggy.”

“Well ... you do have a fuckin’ point there,” Matt admitted while Meghan and Massa blushed. He said no more on the subject, not wanting to let Massa (what kind of fuckin’ name is that anyway?) know that Jake and his old ladies were boning his girlfriend as well—assuming he did not already know that.

Jake paid the bill for their meal and they climbed back in the limo, which took them to the Tower of Power record store (although they did pretty much all their business in CDs these days) in the M Street Mall downtown. The six of them went into the store via a back door and set up shop near the checkout counter where several large stacks of Never Say Never had been assembled for those who wished to purchase one to be autographed. Gahn grinned and ass-kissed people while Dan Baldino kept a watch over the crowd. People filtered through one by one, shook Jake and Matt’s hand, asked the same stupid questions over and over, and had their CD cases, album covers, and even body parts autographed by the two musicians. Several of the women even pulled out their boobs to be signed (much to Meghan’s shock and Massa’s delight). Jake and Matt were told over and over how fuckin’ great they were.

“We know,” Matt inevitably answered to these statements.

They shut down the autograph session at 3:30. Matt and Jake both thoroughly washed their hands in the employee restroom. Matt then smoked a cigarette outside the back door where the limo was parked. After finishing it off, the six of them climbed back into the limo. It was time to head to the amphitheater thirty miles to the north.

“How’s the venue?” Matt asked Jake as they left the city behind and moved into the farmland that surrounded it. “I’ve never played there before.”

“It’s badass,” said Jake, who had been the first artist ever to perform there. “They went out of their way to make it comfortable for the performers. A dedicated green room. Individual showers without athlete’s foot fungus covering the floors. Private offices where you can ... you know ... reflect upon your performance after a show.”

“That sounds slick as shit,” Matt said, impressed.

“We did a lot of amphitheaters during the Millennial Tour,” Jake said. He then used a Meghan-ism. “They’re the bomb. Much better than the basketball arenas because they’re specifically set up for music shows instead of sports. That’s why I had National book amphitheaters for this tour wherever it was feasible for weather and capacity.”

“Doesn’t it get hot or cold in some of those places?” Matt asked.

“Sometimes,” Jake said. “We try to stick to indoor arenas when weather is a big factor, but sometimes you get screwed and you just have to gut through it. The amenities are worth the occasional discomfort though.”

“It was really hot when we played here in Heritage on the tour,” Massa said, letting Matt know that he had done something that Matt had not. “At least for the opening numbers. Once the sun was all the way down it got better. Still, a really sweaty show.”

Meghan smiled as she listened. She remembered the date well. Since Jake’s mother and father had been watching Caydee for the occasion she had been off duty most of the time and had been able to seduce a twenty year old computer geek who had been staying in the hotel for a Dungeons and Dragons convention. The geek in question had missed his team’s semi-final match so Meghan could sit on his cock in her suite and the team in question had ended up losing the contest because of that. What was his name? She could not remember anymore, nor could she even picture his face. It had been a good time though.

They arrived at the amphitheater at 4:15 PM. Already people were lined up to get in even though the gates would not be opened for another two hours and fifteen minutes and even though all of the seating was assigned. They passed two security checkpoints and then parked amid the tractor-trailers that had transported everything here from San Luis Obispo County. There were three roadie and crew buses parked here as well. The crew, Meghan knew, would stay in the same hotel as the rest of the band between shows and then head by road to San Jose for two shows there after tearing everything down. She felt a sense of excitement as they made their way into the back area of the amphitheater. She had really enjoyed her taste of road life on Jake’s previous tour and sincerely wished that she and Massa could be along for the entire tour again. But, alas, that was not to be. They would catch this performance and then fly home the next day with Sharon, Laura, and Caydee on a chartered jet aircraft.

She and Massa followed Jake and Matt into the loading area. There, they were given all-access passes to hang around their necks by one of the security people. From the loading door they were led into the bowels of the backstage area, passing boxes, crates, wire spools, and many other forms of official clutter.

Dan Baldino checked in with his security people while Greg Gahn went to check in with the head roadie about the progress of the show. The rest of them went to the green room, where snacks and beverages had been laid out. Coop, Nerdly, and Charlie were all sitting in here, still dressed in their street clothes.

“Wassup, motherfuckers?” Matt greeted them as they entered.

“How were the meet and greets?” asked Coop.

“The usual bullshit,” Matt said, grabbing a bottle of water from the ice. “Everyone ready to do this shit?”

Everyone agreed they were ready.

Meghan and Massa had time to drink a glass of wine apiece before one of the security guys poked his head inside the room and told them they were ready for the sound check. The two of them followed the band through a loading corridor to the entrance of the stage left area. They worked their way through and then went out the door that led to the actual stage. The nanny and violinist were allowed to accompany them out onto that stage to watch. They both looked out over the empty amphitheater seats. Even the concession stands in the very rear were unoccupied.

“Eighteen thousand people are going to be out there in a little bit,” Jake told the rest of the band and the crew. “Let’s dial it in for them.”

They dialed it in. Because Nerdly was involved it took the better part of twenty-five minutes. Meghan had never witnessed a sound check before and was fascinated. They played every instrument one by one and then checked every microphone, first individually and then in unison. They practiced the four part harmony that was a signature of their music, with Jake taking lead and Charlie, Nerdly, and Matt backing him up.

“I’ve found myself againnnnn,” Jake sang. “Yesss, I’ve found myself again.” And then the other three joined him. “I’ve found myself againnnnnnnnn!”

“All right,” Nerdly said. “I think we need to go up just a bit on my mic and down just a bit on Matt’s. Freddo, can you make that happen?”

“On it,” spoke Fred Growler’s voice from the soundboard as he made the adjustments. They then went through a few more singings of Jake alone and then in harmony. Meghan could detect no difference after the adjustments had been made, but apparently Nerdly and Jake could.

“I think we can tweak that just a little bit more for the harmony,” Nerdly suggested.

Jake shook his head. “It’s a fuckin’ amphitheater, Nerdly,” he said. “It ain’t gonna get any better than what we got now. I think we’re dialed.”

“Yeah,” said Matt. “We’re tighter than a nun’s cunt here. Let’s lock it in and call it a check.”

“I guess,” Nerdly said with a sigh. He was clearly dissatisfied but willing to call it a check.

The three guitarists took off their instruments and set them down. Coop and Nerdly left their stools. Everyone then trooped back into the stage left area. Meghan and Massa followed behind them, one of the security guys trailing in the rear. Everyone settled back into the green room, enjoying a few more bottles of water or Gatorade, eating a few more snacks, but nibbling lightly. Though it did not show, everyone had opening night stage fright, which was much more profound than any other kind of stage fright. Meghan had no concept of this. Massa, however, certainly did.

Eric Castro was outside the main entrance to the amphitheater, strolling up and down the outside of the line of fans who were waiting for the gates to open and admit them inside. He was forty-three years old. His hair was long, stringy, oily. He had a full mustache and beard that had not been shaved or even groomed in more than a year. Three of his upper teeth and two of his lowers were missing, the rest brown and in various stages of decay. He wore two long-sleeved shirts and a pair of ragged generic denim jeans he had scored from a charity known as Loaves and Fishes in downtown Heritage. His tennis shoes—procured from the same establishment—were falling apart and held together in places by duct tape. His entire body reeked of sour sweat as he had not showered in the better part of a month.

Castro did not have a ticket to the show. He lived in his car—a 1986 Ford Taurus with 124,000 miles on it—and even though he had no housing expenses to pay out of his $1200.46 per month welfare check, there was no way he could have even sprung for one of the nosebleed seats to the Intemperance reunion performance. In fact, Castro had never seen Intemperance live before. But he had seen Jake Kingsley live a few times. And he had not had to pay for those shows.