Alex: So who’s pissed in your oatmeal this morning?
Me: The cunt Ashley’s married to. Even his name makes my fists clench. They showed up for breakfast. Still here. I walked out after calling him a dick
Alex: U should apologize. For Ashley’s sake
Me: I will. 2 HER. When he’s not around. U arrange for Gary 2 come over? Saw’s sorted the lawyer. He’ll be here at 1PM
Alex: Gary said he’s free all day. I’ll let him know & get back 2 u
Me: Thanks dude. Laters
After being outside for almost two hours I became so bored I started counting the tiles skirting the pool. Fuck this shit, I thought resolutely before stomping back into the house. I couldn’t hear any voices as I made my way through to the kitchen and was surprised to find my mom alone, clearing away the last of the breakfast dishes.
“Why didn’t you tell me they left?”
“Because I’m annoyed with you.”
“Annoyed with me? He started it!”
“You shouldn’t have risen to it. I know you two clash on a lot of things. He has different opinions and-”
“Wrong opinions.”
“Don’t interrupt me, Matthew. Quite frankly I don’t care whether you and Adam get along; I’m not all that fond of him myself. I do, however, care for Ashley. I care about the fact she left here with tears in her eyes because you had your head too far up your own backside to bother to say goodbye. You need to apologize.”
Okay, I get it! I’m a jackass. Jesus! “Sorry, Mom.”
“It’s not me you should be saying it to.”
“I know, I know. I’ll call her this afternoon.”
“You’ll call her this morning.”
“Fine.” I fought the urge to roll my eyes. “I’ll do it after I’ve changed.”
“Good. Now grab a towel and dry these dishes.”
“Yes, Mom.” I dropped my head like a teenager who’d been caught sneaking out. It didn’t matter that I was almost thirty, if my mom gave me that stare I shut my mouth and did whatever the fuck she said.
He’s still a cuntmuffin.
Friday seemed to take an age to arrive. It was the day Kaleidoscope was officially being signed over to me, and once I’d apologized to Ashley - and reluctantly to Adam - the other day, my enthusiasm kicked in tenfold. I’d assumed it would take a few months, but it seemed money really did have the power to speed up most things. Gary had agreed to stay on for an extra couple of weeks as a sort of adviser. Alex knew the place inside and out and was shit-hot at tending bar, but he felt he needed some management coaching before the reigns were passed to him full time. This also meant he could cover while Alex and I went to Jake’s party tomorrow. I couldn’t wait to see Sawyer’s reaction and I wouldn’t miss that night for the damn world.
I kept thinking I should be more nervous, and maybe I would’ve been if I didn’t have Alex. I was pretty confident I could serve bottles of beer but anything more adventurous and I’d have been screwed. According to Alex, Kaleidoscope sold more cocktails and punches than any other drinks and so as soon as we’d met with Gary and my lawyer earlier in the week, I started memorizing the names. Mixing them would be a whole different ballgame, of course. My entire life had been centered around music, lyrics and drums, however, and I was actually quite eager to learn something new.
Alex and I had been tight since his diva funk over the car; the car he was now quite happily driving around in. Even better than that though, my unfathomable and absolutely ridiculous mini-fascination with his eyes appeared to have fucked the hell off. Most likely due to my brain being pre-occupied with my new adventure. Every day new ideas would pop into my head. Live band nights, specials, themed parties, costumes… I was determined to make Kaleidoscope the biggest and brightest club in the whole of LA.
For the first time in my life I felt responsible, and I wanted to look the part, so I’d arranged for Elle to come by my place in the morning. I’d not cut my hair since the night I was forced to shave my head to the bone after losing a bet and although it suited the drummer inside me, I wanted something more sophisticated now. Something smart. Professional.
Ryder thought it was time to ditch the ripped jeans and vests too, so on his insistence I made appointments with a few stores next week. Ryder, Mason and I would have the places to ourselves while they, in Ryder’s words, channeled my inner Jake. I had no doubt I could pull off a suit. Gotta be honest, I’d look good dipped in shit and wrapped in aluminum foil.
I was vibrating like a kid on Christmas by the time Jake arrived to accompany me to the lawyer’s office. I chose Jake because out of all my friends, he was the most serious, and there’s nothing more serious than exchanging a huge amount of money. He also had a kind of fatherly authority that you didn’t dare fuck with. I knew he’d stop me making any dick moves, and that I’d listen to him.