When Gabe joined the guys at the fire, he gave out a loud, exhausted huff as he sat down. After sitting there for a few patient moments, Gabe thought it would be best for him start their conversation on the right foot.
“Dick, I’m sorry.” He suddenly blurted out.
“For what?” Dick asked again, looking rather confused.
“I honestly thought that was her guitar too.” Gabe said as he sat back in his seat and sighed again. “I never even bothered to ask her about it.”
“I was hoping it was hers,” Dick said, as it was his personal wish. “All I wanted to do was jam with my little girl and sing a few songs. I used to jam with Alex all the time. Not by the fire mind you, but we always managed to find time to do shit like that together. Odd thing was he never brought that blue guitar to any of our sessions. It must have been the one he kept at home to practice with whenever he was on his own.”
“Where did you guys jam then?” Tom asked.
“Most of the time it was at the studios.” Dick confessed. “Usually someone would always be late, and we’d have to wait for them to get there because we preferred to do everything together and in one take. We never liked to mix our albums. We wanted all of our songs to sound like we were playing right there in your living room. So, while we waited Alex always wanted to jam, and we did that often since there was always one person who got caught in traffic or just had to pick up a latte on their way in.”
“Or get swamped with fans while trying to get that latte.” Tom added.
“Exactly,” Dick agreed. “Alex had talent, he was almost as good as I was, and he was young. He would have been bigger than Albert.”
“That’s a bold statement, sir.” Gabe said to the old man. “Albert’s got some pretty fierce pipes.”
“I’ll give him that,” Dick conceded, “Alex couldn’t sing like that little bugger, but he was so creative. He had the ability to not only make music but he was a poet. He wrote the perfect lyrics that seemed to match whatever melody he was working on. Did you know he co-wrote a few of our songs before he passed away?”
“I did not.” Tom said, slightly impressed.
“Debbie wouldn’t let me give him credit on the album.” Dick explained, “She was afraid that agents and all the bad parts of the industry would come after him too soon and he would get swallowed whole by the beast that was sex, drugs, and Rock & Roll. Little did she know it was already too late at that point.”
“So, which songs did Alex help write?” Michael asked.
“Gods of war.” Dick said, grinning with pride.
“Holy shit!” Gabe cursed out loud, surprising even himself.
“I stand corrected.” Tom confessed. “Alex might be better than Albert.”
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“I know my kids,” Dick said, as he looked deep into the heart of the fire. “I never stopped paying attention to them, ever. Whether I was ten miles away or on the other side of the planet, I was always making calls and getting the skinny on what was going on at home. If their mothers refused to talk to me, I would ask the maid, the butler, or even the cook to see how things were going. I had spies everywhere.”
“I guess you worked hard to keep them out of the headlines too?” Tom asked somewhat curious about what stories were true or not.
“That fleet of lawyers has been paid a small fortune for a reason.” Dick confessed to them both. “I took any paper to court that even breathed in the direction of my kids. If they didn’t do as I said, I took whatever measures necessary to ensure that their rights and privacy were protected.”
“How far did you go to ensure that?” Tom asked.
“Let me say this much,” Dick started, as he again cracking an evil grin. “When I do eventually pass on to the next life, Jenny is going to become the majority shareholder of a few specific tabloids.”
“No way!” Gabe said, quite impressed with the outright balls on Dick.
“That’s right,” Dick confirmed. “Any papers that didn’t fall in line were sued into oblivion and then eventually bought out. I then personally fired the people who were writing trash about my kids and hired new editors who were willing to do as they were told. After I did that a few times, the other editors and writers took the hint and fell in line. They were free to write about me and whatever I did to their heart’s content, but my children were off limits.”
“Dude, that’s harsh.” Tom said, “You are truly hardcore!”
“That I am,” Dick replied, as he wasn’t one to disagree. “You know what this place needs?”
“What?” Gabe asked.
“A hot tub,” Dick answered. “I think we should have one installed over there, attached to the corner of the deck. Nothing says merry Christmas like buying someone you love a new hot tub.”
“You’ll get no argument from me on that one.” Gabe confessed.
“How big?” Tom asked.
“Has to fit at least six people.” Dick answered, “For parties of course.”
“Of course,” Tom agreed. He wasn’t attached to anyone so he could get away with talk like that. Just that fact that he was hanging out with Dick at the bonfire by the cabin was just awesome. He never thought something like this would happen. If someone had told him he would be hanging out and be good friends with Dick Mitchell of the Horsemen a few months ago, he would have laughed at that person and considered them a loon. But there he was, and it was amazing what a difference a little time made.
Dick picked up the guitar he brought out with him, “Any requests?”
“My Sweet Angel,” Jenny said as she walked up and sat down with Gabe on his chair. It had been a while since Jenny cuddled like that with him at the bonfire, but Gabe wasn’t going to complain.
“Alright,” Dick said as he fished out a pick and started to play. Everyone got excited as he started to play it on the guitar because Dick had stopped playing that song at concerts a very, very long time ago. Even though it had been a very long time since he played it life, Dick never forgot the cords or the lyrics to the song:
It's true that nothing lasts forever
but nothing compares to the horror
of losing someone you love so much
never to see them or feel the touch
of their hand, that peck on your cheek
thinking of you makes my knees weak.
I keep trying everyday to say good bye
but the thought makes me want to die
knowing I'll never get to see you smile
or watch you walk down that aisle
I've never felt so small, so mortal
than the day I lost my sweet angel...
Dick did a small acoustic solo and then finished up with the chorus. All three of them clapped to show their appreciation.
“Thank you.” Dick said, as he always enjoyed any love he got for his art.
“That was awesome!” Tom said, wishing he had a camcorder or anything to tape it with.
“I agree,” Michael said as he hasn’t said much since going out.
“That’s my favorite.” Jenny confessed.
“Mine too.” Dick said as he gave her a warm smile.
“I want you to do something for me.” Jenny asked.
“Anything,” Dick said as he eager to anything for his girl.
“When you go on tour next year,” Jenny started. “I’d like you sing this song for the fans just like you did right now: acoustic and with you singing the vocals, not Tony.”
The Horseman front man, Tony, was the jealous type and he hated it when someone else took the spotlight from him, but it was something she was sure the singer would understand. Tony loved Alex just as much as if he was his own son and had taken the young man’s passing just as hard and Dick had. She knew he’d be happy to be able to even just hear the song be played on stage again.
“Alright,” Dick replied, “I promise.”
“Every show.” Jenny added, “The entire tour.”
“I assumed that’s what you meant, princess.” Dick said with a smile. “I’ll talk to the boys and make it happen.”
Without being asked, Dick started to strum a new song, but didn’t play any more Horsemen songs until he was asked to, which eventually happened much later into the night. They all sat around the fire and sang songs for the next hour or so. While dinner may have been a little too combative, the night ended well, and it was a campfire no one would soon forget.