“And for you?” Mary directs her question to me.
“I’ll have the same thing.” I’m not hungry, at least not anymore. I’m tempted to head to the back and talk to Whiskey. There are words that need to be said, but I know they won’t come out so I don’t bother. When she asked me what was going on years ago, all I could do was shake my head so she handed me the papers and I signed because I needed her to have a better life. Following a wannabe rock star around from bar to bar was no life for her. It wasn’t the life I wanted her to have. She deserved someone better than me.
Elle sighs heavily grabbing my attention. “Wife?”
“Ex, but yeah. High school sweetheart. We were stupid and young. Didn’t last.”
“Looked like she was pissed off when I sat down.”
“I was a jerk to her in the end.”
“And she’s the person who actually commi
tted the vandalism that you’re being charged with?”
I nod.
“Well, this will be easy. I’ll have Saul subpoena her and this mess will all be over.”
“No,” I tell her adamantly.
“What do you mean, no? Ajay, we have a tour to get back to and right now you can’t leave the damn county.”
“I know and I’m sorry. If I could change—”
“You can. It’s simple.” Her phone dings, taking the focus off me. While she’s answering whatever message she received, I’m back to watching the bar, waiting for any sight of Whiskey. I tell myself that if she comes out, I’m going to talk to her. I’m going to apologize and tell her that I’ll be out of town as soon as possible. I’m going to tell her that I didn’t mean to interrupt her life and that once I’m gone, she’ll never have to see me again.
“Okay, let’s talk about the tour. My dad said he would cover for you this week, so we don’t have to cancel our shows. I think it’s important to the band that they continue to get the exposure from the tour. Our sales are up, and we have four songs in the top one-hundred… bad press in this case isn’t going to help us.”
Hearing that Harrison James is going to take my place hurts. I think I would be okay with some nobody sitting behind my kit, but Harrison is a different story. I’m embarrassed by this, but I’m appreciative. I don’t want the band to suffer because of my misfortune. It’s not their fault I made some bad decisions along the way.
She looks at me, but before I can say anything, Mary arrives with our food and two fresh waters. I haven’t even touched mine yet, but she takes it away anyway. I pick at my food, and with one taste I know I’m not going to be able to eat. I lean forward and rest my elbows on the table.
“Am I out of the band?”
“What? No. This is a hiccup, Ajay. We’ve all done stupid shit in our lives, unfortunately you just pissed off the wrong person and it caught up with you. Had we known, we could’ve directed the bus around the county to avoid this. This really just seems like a set-up.”
I laugh and push the pickle spear around on my plate. “Some people hold grudges, I guess.”
“Right, well it is what it is. I’m assuming you’ll stay at your parents?”
My parents… I don’t even remember what they look like, that’s how long it’s been. If it wasn’t for my grandma, I would’ve ended up in the system. When she died, the Fosters opened their door for me, as well as a few of my other friends. I couch surfed so I wouldn’t wear out my welcome.
“Yeah,” I lie. I don’t have a place to stay. The motel on the county line is a possibility if it’s still there. I can be the guy sitting in the 1970’s metal and nylon weaved chair, sipping on a Bud Light while wearing my t-shirt and boxers, making me every motel cliché out there. Maybe I’ll go back to jail and hang out with my buddy, Eddie, because that sounds better than any of my other options right now.
Elle continues to eat while answering emails and texts. She takes another call while we sit there, and never once asks why I haven’t touched my food. When Mary checks to see if we need anything else, I tell her no, and she’s back moments later with our check and a box for my food.
“Need a ride to your parents?”
“It’s not far from here, I’ll walk.” Technically that’s not a lie. The house I used to live in is about a block away. Not sure who lives there now, not since my grandma died.
“You gonna need a car?”
I shake my head. “Nah, it’s only a few days and I’m sure I can call Sheriff Foster if I need a ride someplace.” I laugh but she scowls.
“Not funny. I’ll call you later and see how things are going.” She gives me air kisses, drops money on the table for the bill, and leaves.
Nope, it’s not, but the alternative of telling her about my life is worse. Elle pays for the check and tells me she’ll check in tomorrow. She leaves me sitting in the booth to drown my sorrows in my untouched water and boxed food.