Chapter 57: Putting Humpty Dumpty Together Again

April 22, 1985

It was yet another Monday afternoon; I rested there in Inez's bed, with her in my arms, the both of us just having come down from the high of lovemaking. She was almost back to being herself; her sensitive nature didn't hold up well to an onslaught like Eileen had leveled upon her, and soothing her psyche had been a long and drawn-out process. Even though no resolution to the impasse was in sight, I felt hopeful that my sweetie would be just fine.

"Do you love me, mi amor?" she asked me dreamily. That question was not necessarily borne out of insecurity; she asked me this fairly regularly in a conversational tone of voice. However, this time I detected the faintest hint of a plaintive tone, indicating that although she was doing much better, she still wasn't quite one hundred percent.

"More than ever, muñequita." My Spanish was getting better and better; we'd recently taken to using Spanish pet names for each other. "You know that Eileen is my sister, I still love her, and all that. But make no mistake about it. What happened is on her, not you." I'd told her that many times already, reassured her over and over, starting with that awful night two weeks ago as she lay sobbing on the living room sofa in her uncle's house. Were those words taking hold? I dearly hoped so.

"She had a dream of hers suddenly crushed," Inez pointed out. "I guess we have to remember that people react in unpredictable ways when that happens." Ever the psychologist, my love was bent on analyzing what underlying motivations might have been driving Eileen's actions.

"Her dream," I said, wrapping her up tighter in my arms, "was one that was contingent on five other people having almost the exact same dream. That just isn't realistic. Life isn't like that, and it's something that Eileen needs to learn."

After a brief pause, Inez gave voice to the question that was first and foremost in my mind. "Do you think there's any hope that things with your sister, and the others too, will ever go back to the way they were?"

My initial response to that was a heavy sigh. Then I told her, trying to sound optimistic, "Personal differences have a way of smoothing themselves out over time. Let's hope that's the case here. Besides Eileen, we have Paul and Dave at each other's throats, and Evie angry at Dave and Eileen. That's a lot of smoothing to accomplish. But what sticks in my craw the most is the band. Truces may be declared between all of us, but it sure doesn't look like we'll ever take the stage again."

Inez favored me with a tender smile. "Speaking only for myself ... I'd take the stage again, even with things the way they are now. I'd be willing to do the summer, even with Eileen hating me, and all the other discord. I'd do it in a heartbeat."

"So would I," I said definitively. "So would I. But there's the matter of this new band that Eileen and Dave have started. That kind of takes that possibility off the table, doesn't it?"

Inez didn't reply right away, appearing to be lost in thought. "You know what?" she finally offered. "I think I'll choose to stay positive, until we really do reach the point of no return. Maybe something unexpected will happen."

April 27, 1985

Today, lo and behold, something unexpected did happen.

Saturday evenings such as this, over the past couple of years, had always been show time; almost without exception. As a result, the past couple of idle Saturdays had been excruciating. I'd gone to bed depressed, exhausted from dwelling on what might have been.

Inez was over at Mayra's place. Dennis and I had plans to head over there later, but for now, we were cracking the books. Our last round of finals would be commencing in a little over a week.

There was a knock on the door. I was surprised to see Dave standing outside, actually toting a Domino's pizza box, with a sheepish smile on his face.

"Sorry, pal, you took forty-seven minutes. No tip for you," I joshed.

"Very funny," he laughed. "Eileen doesn't know I'm here, dude. I've got some things to tell you."

Dennis joined us in laying waste to the pizza. As we did so, Dave began to talk.

"Here's the situation. You guys know about our new band. It's not a secret any more. We've been practicing, and also starting to scope around for gigs. We aren't finding any. The problem is, this is the wrong time of year to be starting a band. School's almost over. The summer gigs all go to bands who have made a name for themselves. There's another problem, too. Sean has a summer job, and won't have enough time to devote to the band. He had a suggestion, and after hearing it, we agreed that it was the right thing to do."

"What did you agree on?" I asked with bated breath.

"We decided to hold off on getting started. It will be much easier in the fall, just like we did during freshman year. We'll do our own things over the summer, start practicing in September, and look for on-campus gigs once we're up to speed. That makes a lot more sense, don't you agree?"

"It does," I allowed, waiting for the other shoe to drop.

"But the thing is," he went on, "this is shaping up to be one hell of a boring summer. Unless..." He stopped, letting his words hang in mid-air.

Dennis, like me, saw which way the wind was blowing. "Are you saying what I think you're saying?"

"I'm only speaking for myself here," Dave cautioned. "But yeah, I'd be willing to bring Lightning in a Bottle back for the summer, even with all the bullshit. I don't know if Eileen will go for this. I'm on the outs with Paul, big time, and Evie has me down for Scumbag of the Year. Even with all that, I want to try again." His voice mellowed noticeably as he added, "I'd hate for things to end like this."

"I'll tell you something, dude," I put in right away. "You can count me in. Inez, too. She told me she'd do it in a heartbeat."

"No shit," Dave blurted out. "I thought she'd be the hardest one to convince."

"Nope. She wants to do it. She told me straight up."

"By the way, how's Inez doing?" Dave asked, his voice lowering a bit more. I was pleased to hear him ask about her. It showed that even though he was standing with Eileen, he realized that there were two sides to this particular coin.

"She's ... fine. Like me, she misses performing." An awkward silence followed. I opted to return to the earlier track of conversation. "She and I want to start up the band again, if only for the summer, and so do you. Remember, though, we've got three more people to talk to, and they may be tough cookies to crack."

"Not 'we, '" Dave pointed out with a snicker. "You. You're the only one in a position to talk convincingly with the others."

I rolled my eyes in reply, but I knew he was right. I turned to Dennis. "What about you? If I can pull this off – and that's a big if – are you still interested in a stage crew job?"

"Listen, guy," Dennis laughed, "I never wanted to quit in the first place. I'm with you guys for as long as you need me. Mayra, too."

I took a deep breath. "Well, then, I guess it's time to swing into action. It's all riding on me, isn't it?"

April 28, 1985

"Hey, Paul," I said as soon as he picked up the phone. "How's it going?"

"So-so. Damn, these weekends are boring now."

"Tell me about it." More idle chit-chat followed, before I got to the gist of the call. "We had a visitor yesterday. Guess who showed up here? Dave."

This, of course, was a touchy subject for Paul, and he proceeded to jump to a false conclusion.

"You aren't trying to play peacemaker, are you?"

"Nope. I'm staying out of it; what happened is between you two. He did tell me something interesting, though." I told Paul about the new band's plans to postpone their start-up until fall.

"Damn. I can't say I saw that coming. Makes sense, though." His reply was terse, indicating a desire to switch topics, but I wasn't about to let up.

"I want to tell you one thing he mentioned. He said that with the other band on hold, he'd be willing to consider starting up Lightning in a Bottle again, just for the summer. I also want to tell you that I feel the same way, and so does Inez." I paused for effect, before adding, "What do you think?"

"Holy shit, Pat," he said in a subdued tone, indicating I'd given him food for thought. "Do you think Evie – and especially Eileen – will go for it? I mean, it sure would solve my money problem. For that reason alone, I'd have to consider it. But working with Dave again, after what happened..."

"Paul," I interrupted, feeling a pressing need to point something out, "you have a lot of experience in playing alongside someone whose ass you'd like to kick. As does Dave."

That drew a laugh from him. "Good point. You know what? Count me in. I've got some reservations, I won't deny it, but count me in."

That makes four, I thought. In truth, I knew that Paul, with his money concerns, would be an easy mark. I also knew that the two toughest sells were still to come, though.

"Change of subject, Pat," Paul said suddenly. "I heard about a job opening at my future place of employment. It's a good fit for what you're looking for. I'm planning on going up there next week to fill out some paperwork. If you'd like, give me your resume and I'll drop it off at the HR office."

"You don't say," I grinned. "Tell me more about it."

April 29, 1985

It was about six-thirty in the evening. Inez and I, after spending yet another Monday afternoon together at her place, were waiting for her roommate to arrive.

"Her class ended about forty-five minutes ago," said an impatient Inez. "I wonder what's taking her?"

"Who knows ... maybe the campus buses are running behind schedule," I speculated.

The words were barely out of my mouth when the door opened, and Evie stepped inside. Noticing the serious looks on our faces, she smiled and said to us, "Why do I get the idea that you two have been sitting here waiting for me?"

"Because we have," Inez said. "We want to have a little group meeting, just us three."

"A meeting? Why?" said a curious Evie.

"Oh ... pertaining to the topic that has ruled over our lives lately," I replied.

"You mean the mess with Dave and Eileen," she said with a frown, as I nodded. "I still can't believe they had the gall to form another band that quickly. I hate to say it, Pat, but that sister of yours has a spiteful streak I never knew about. And Dave –" She suddenly paused, realizing that I was holding up my hand in a 'Stop!' gesture.

"You wanted to say something?" inquired a startled Evie.

"First of all, you're right, Ev," interjected Inez. "Everything you just said – or started to say – is true."

"But we're asking you to move beyond that," I asserted.

"Move beyond it? In what way?"

I proceeded to elaborate. "You've said many times that Dave and Eileen are acting like children. They are ... there's no question about that. But none of us are perfect. Both of them have lots of good qualities, wouldn't you say?"

"Mmm ... yes, I suppose," Evie said tentatively. "But what does that have to do with anything?"

"Eileen's going through a phase," I went on. "She's two years younger than the rest of us, and way more than that in experience. Her perspective on the band is different, and she can't yet grasp why we wanted to call it quits. That doesn't excuse what she did that night – the fallout from that is our biggest ongoing problem." I looked at my girlfriend in sympathy.

"And then there's Dave. Yes, he's blindly following Eileen's bidding. But, hey, he's in love, and that sort of thing happens to the best of us. Look at Paul. His fling with Natalie, or whatever you want to call it, is far less stable and established than Dave and Eileen's relationship. And yet, when Natalie says 'Jump!' Paul says, 'How high?'"

Evie took a deep breath, conceding the point. "My biggest problem with Dave is his ... needling, for lack of a better word."

"Yes, he goes too far sometimes," I allowed. "But tell me this. Ninety percent of the time, the shit he comes up with is funny as hell, right?"

"It is," Evie agreed. "It's that other ten percent that's the problem."

"It's real simple. Next time he says something stupid, we'll tell him to knock it off. Dave's not the kind to push things. People who think they're funny know that some of their gags don't float. He'll back off and apologize."

Our overall intent here was beginning to dawn on Evie. She looked at her roommate, and favored her with a smile of respect and admiration.

"Pat's doing most of the talking here," Evie said to Inez, "but in a way, you're actually defending Eileen."

"I'm not defending what she did," stated Inez. "No way. I'm saying that in the name of the greater good, we all should maybe make some ... concessions."

"What kind of concessions? And what greater good?"

Inez grinned in my direction. "Take it from here, sweetie."

"Ev, you don't know about this yet," I began. "Dave, Eileen, and their new bandmates have decided to wait until the fall before forming up. That leaves the summer free for everyone, pending employment matters, of course. The two of us, along with Dave, got the idea of trying to re-form Lightning in a Bottle, even with the problems we're facing. Paul also told me he's in. Now, we're asking you. What do you think?"

Clearly not expecting this twist, Evie remained silent for several seconds. "I don't know," she said doubtfully. "I guess it's harder for me to put things behind me than it is for you two."

Evie's fierce pride was her biggest personal weakness. It fueled her stubbornness and kept her from putting conflicts in the rear view mirror. I felt a sudden urge to bring up something from the past as a gentle reminder of the need to let go.

"Evie," I said to her gently, with a serious look on my face, "just remember what happened with you and me, and the time we lost. That's the end result of holding on to things too long. You can never get the time back."

After another lengthy pause, a soft smile crossed Evie's face, indicating that my words had hit the mark. "You're quite convincing, Patrick O'Malley," she said. "Never mind writing. You should consider becoming a lawyer." A round of laughter ensued.

"So, what do you say?" I asked her.

"I'm in," Evie smiled, as Inez offered a thumbs-up. "But let's not forget about our job search, okay?"

"I don't intend to. I figure as the summer drags on, we'll pretty much be sticking to weekends anyhow. At this point, we probably don't need much practice. I guess I already know I'll be starting work sometime in August, right? Anyway, all of this hinges on Eileen. If she doesn't want to do it, it isn't happening. So let's not get our hopes up just yet."

A prolonged silence followed before Evie finally broke it.

"Thanks, you two," she said warmly, "for the little nudge."

"Don't mention it," I put forth. "I'm sure there'll come a time when one of us will need a good swift kick in the butt, and you'll be more than up to the task of providing it."

"And when it happens?" Evie added, her smile widening. "Look out!"

April 30, 1985

Once again, it was early in the evening. I knew my sister had a late class on Tuesdays; I waited until I was fairly certain she'd be back in her dorm room. Then, I picked up the phone and dialed her number.

She answered the phone on the second ring. I tried to make small talk at first. Even though she said she wasn't angry at me – and I believed her on that point – there was an awkwardness in communication that showed no signs of abating. I was about to force the issue a little, although not too much; certainly not as much as I would have liked.

"There's something I need to ask you," I finally offered.

In typical fashion of late, she immediately threw up a barrier to communication. "I don't want to talk about... that, Pat," she said defensively.

You'd better believe we'll be talking about 'that' at great length in the not too distant future, I thought. But not now.

"All I wanted to ask you," I elaborated, "is one hypothetical question. I know you guys don't plan to start up your band until September. In the meantime, suppose it was possible to re-form Lightning in a Bottle, just for the summer. Would you want to take the stage again?" I knew my sister well enough to know that my best chance here was to appeal to her desire to perform.

"It ... it can't happen again," she stammered in reply. "Right?"

"It can. And it will, if you would only give your okay."

"How?" she asked, clearly flustered.

"I've already spoken with the others. All of them are willing to try to bring the band back, even with all the personal conflicts. And that goes for me, too. All of us want to give at a try. How about you?"

"I ... I don't know, Pat. Wouldn't it be really awkward?"

I had a ready answer for this. "Eileen, think back to the time when I re-joined the band. That was pretty awkward, wouldn't you say? It sure as hell felt like it to me. And it turned out okay, didn't it?"

A prolonged silence followed. Finally, my sister said softly, "Dave never said anything to me about this."

"He and I talked it over, and decided that I would be the one to ask you."

"I won't promise that I'll forget about the ... conflict." With that, I knew I'd prevailed here; she was clearly caving.