Davy's On The Road Again Ch. 15

Monday saw most everyone gone. Laura was staying for a couple of days longer as she liked the writing atmosphere and wanted to stay through the Los Lobos gig. Mark and Deb were going to hang out until Wednesday morning when they had to catch a flight to Chicago for a Hot Jazz gig. Carla had to fly out late Tuesday as she had a meeting with her editor in San Francisco. Emma and her tribe were camping out at our house until after the Los Lobos gig, too, but since Jack had his RV license, I was going to let them take Big Chocolate for a two-day camping trip just south of Aspen on Grizzly Reservoir. This could be a good adventure for the family and the kids really wanted to take Santo along. Amy and I planned to sleep the night on the mountain.

I called Jamie and asked if I could have some time to add some voices to the tracks and he booked me in at two. He said he couldn't be there for some personal issues he had to deal with but his manager, Tim, would handle everything. I called Sally to make sure she would be there. I checked the email to find lots of congratulatory and several "sorry we couldn't be there" messages. I spent much of the morning watching the "Who Killed Roger Rabbit" DVD with my grandchildren under my arms ("Aw, she's not really bad, she's just drawn that way!").

We hauled over to the studio and I found placed for all the voices. Tim handled the session and I was impressed by his work ethic and his expertise. He was very good. I also noticed that several times he and Laura were making goo-goo eyes at each other. First, I added Sally wailing away on "Sally Take A Ride" during the fade out. I had Amy, Deb, Emma, Sally and Laura add hoots and hollers into the background party sounds. I had Amy add "That's me!" whenever I sang "Got my baby right beside me" and I had Deb add "And that's me!" whenever the line "Got his missus looking sweet" came around. I had Angie say "I wanna watch something now! My turn!" after Andy's line about the TV. Emma and Carla sang half of the line that Chuck D had sung. I got them to harmonize on "Got a shower with a lot of heads" and then giggle as Chuck came in. It sounded great. Finally, on the fade out I had Laura say, "Articles done and no edits!" just before Graydon says the line about cropping. Finally, I got Santo to bark a few times. "Big Chocolate" was done to a turn.

Amy added a harmony part to Linda's floating part in "Domesticity" and their two voices together really added a deeper texture to both the sound and the meaning of the song. Amy has such good instincts.

Since we'd done so much so quickly, I decided to try a couple more. I asked Stevie and Mark to get out their instruments and the three of us recorded a demo of "Poor Man" in two takes. Next, we added a backing track of "To Make You Feel My Love." Then I added a tracking vocal for Amy to use as a guide. I gave her the words, dimmed the lights down in the studio and let her sing. Her first take was fine and I wanted to keep it but she insisted on doing it again. She was right. On the second take, she nailed it adding a expressiveness to her voice that sounded honest and real, almost conversational. I was beside myself bursting with pride as she finished the take smiling. During the mixdown, Tim had an idea. On the very last verse, he brought up my tracking vocal so that we sang the last verse together. Before I could comment upon it, everyone in the studio went "Awww" and Deb had tears running down her cheeks. What I could I possibly say after that kind of endorsement except "That's a wrap." Laura stayed at the studio and the reason was obvious - Tim. On the way home, Amy suggested that we add a CD with the track to all our Thank You notes.

Amy and I packed a bag and put together some food for the night. I gave Jack a once over on the bus and let him drive me around for a few minutes so I could be sure that he could handle it. I printed out a Google map for him to find the campgrounds but it was a fairly simple route. I left the keys to the Escape of the kitchen table. We spread our kisses around and took off up the mountain in the Jag.

The mountaintop was utterly serene when we parked. Some deer scampered away from the shrubbery and leapt into the woods. We unpacked our stuff and took a walk, this time on the other side of the house away from the sacred grounds. Amy led me through a winding path that had probably been the ancient way to the native grounds. I wondered how old the path was and looked down as I walked seeking artifacts, like I did when I was a kid. The path forked near a small stream and she led me to the right where the forest opened into a small clearing on the edge of the mountain. A stone outcropping loomed high and appeared to have rudimentary series of steps which ended on a large flat stone table. The table was about one hundred feet or so around. We lay on our stomachs and looked over the edge straight down thousands of feet. This outcropping was the pinnacle of a shear cliff. Far below was a pool of glistening blue water that reflected the clouds above us. As you looked out straight ahead, you could see snow-capped mountains behind mountains behind more mountains. Off in the distance, the hills opened into fields and meadows. Amy pointed toward a speck off in the distance. "That's the roof of our house," she said. "You can see a bit of the pool toward the side and the big backyard. You can follow the backyard to where the hill comes down and you can't see the lake because the hill and the forest on the other side is blocking the view." I saw exactly what she was describing. She ran a large circle around the house showing me where the property line was. Fuck, that was a lot of land. I noticed some action at the top of a tree just off to the left and I pointed it out to her. Just then an eagle swooped out and soared over our heads. There was an aerie located in that tree. Moments later, another eagle, somewhat smaller flew out after the first. They met up and swooped together flying downward in formation. "It must be feeding time," I commented. We lay there on the table rock for what seemed to be eternity but was probably no more than a half hour. Except for the occasional bird cries, there was no sound at all and we were utterly at peace.

"I came here once to meditate but the beauty of this spot was too distracting. My mind couldn't focus. There was too much power to take in."

I understood completely. Even now, as the day was still and it might be easy to clear one's head, it was exhilarating to be here and there was too much adrenalin flowing to calm yourself. I took Amy's hand and pulled her up. We stood in the center of the table rock on the top of the world. I felt uneasy, almost as an interloper as we walked to the rock path and made our way down into the clearing. My head ached and I felt somewhat overwhelmed. I was glad when we got back to the lodge and could take some ibuprofen. Amy massaged my temples and my eyes but I could not sleep. I wasn't tired, I was frazzled.

"I know what you need right now. You need some medicinal cannabis. You need to slow down. I think the excitement of the last few days has caught up to you. I know that I was feeling a bit like this last night and conking out the way I did helped me. Right now, I'm going to concentrate on you, my love. She lit one of our stronger assets and passed it to me. I took a deep drag and held it in, exhaling slowly. We passed it back and forth and after a few more hits, I could feel my body sinking into the couch, or maybe it was the couch sucking my into the cushions. I was slowing down. I put my head on her shoulder and closed my eyes. I don't know if I slept but if I did, it wasn't for very long. But I felt better and that's what was important.

"Davy, are you feeling better?"

"Yes, my love."

"Good. Let's try to meditate for a few minutes. Can you do that?"

"Sure. I can do that now. It's a good idea. If I'm not centered yet, that will do it."

We sat down on the floor and faced the windows. The sky was getting dark and there was nothing visually to focus on except our reflections in the glass. We began to breathe in unison until our breathing slowed. At first, my mind seemed lazy and not willing to clear itself but after a few minutes, I began to glaze over. My brain was repeating my mantra until it began to take it's own rhythm and integrate with my pulse. I left myself and felt the drift. I let go. I surrendered.

I must have been in some deep state when it occurred to me that Amy was whispering in my ear, "Mr. Harper. Mr. Davy Harper...my soulmate, my lover...come back, Mr. Harper..." I came around and smiled at her smiling face. "Well, Mahavishnu, go wash you face. Dinner will be ready in a few minutes."

She had candles burning on the deck table and I sat down to a wonderful meal. We toasted each other with a bottle of Rutherford Rhiannon, a very nice blend. I dug into a delicious plate of Broiled Tenderloin Steak with Roasted Garlic, Mushrooms and Caramelized Onions with a side of Fettuccini Alfredo.

"My goodness, dollface. What a meal you cooked up!"

I can't take all the credit. The Fettuccini is leftover from the meal the hotel crew made us. But I'll take credit for everything else."

"It's wonderful!...Delicious!"

"Thanks, handsome. I'm a fool for compliments."

"And I'll be ever glad to give them to you...Amy, there's something I want to ask you. I'm not sure how to go about this and I'm afraid it may be too difficult a subject, but I'll broach it anyway. If you want me to stop, I will understand."

"Davy, I'm not afraid. What is it?"

"It's about children. You've never had any and I was thinking about how wonderful if we could raise a child together..."

"Davy, you are so wonderful...I know, I've been thinking about that, too. You know, I always wanted to have a child and I tried a couple of times with Roy, who was not so happy about the idea. Unfortunately, I had two miscarriages and then Roy passed on. So I understood that, most likely, I would never have a child and I moved on. Still, every now and then, especially when I am around loving families like Emma, Jack and their kids, I have a sense of emptiness. But, you're talking about adoption, right? Your fixed, you can't have any more."

"Actually, there is a way. You see, I was against having a vasectomy, I didn't want it. But my wife was into Zero Population Growth at that time and it was a less dangerous operation than tying her tubes...I kind of liked the thought of riding bareback again...also, my friend, Gary, had one and he was advocating it strongly. So I conceded and decided to have one. But, secretly, I ventured into New York City and I visited a Sperm Bank where I deposited, which is a polite way of saying that I jerked off into a cup, several straws of my semen. I kept the certificate all these years and I called the Sperm Bank last week. They've changed hands several times since but they emailed me to tell me that they still have the straws and most likely, they are still potent. So, if you want my child, we can visit a gynecologist when we're in the Northeast and we can see what happens."

Amy's tears were rolling down her cheeks. She couldn't hardly speak. "Oh, my love, that would be the most wonderful thing that could ever possibly happen to me. If I could give birth to your child, my life would be truly complete and fulfilled. I didn't think it was possible for you to make me any happier than I am but you have. I - I - can't express how much love I feel for you. I'm ready to fly to New York right now."

"Now, wait a minute, wild thing. We're about to go on tour and I want you there beside me. If it takes, I won't let you travel. Hell, I won't travel either. I'll be there to take care of you, I'll carry you to the bathroom if I have to!"

"Don't be silly. If it takes, we'll go to Lake Como for a couple of weeks. You'll take me to Paris. You'll take me to London. In my last trimester, we'll come home and let our baby grow inside me until he...he?...is ready to see us." She started to cry again and I got up and knelt down next to her and held her hands in mine. We were in our moment.

We cleared the table and had some cold lemon ices and wine for dessert. The moon had risen over the mountains and it seemed like a huge porcelain dish. The Man in The Moon was smiling at us like an old Betty Boop cartoon and we sat close and caressed each other.

That night, we made love as if for the first time. Like an old Bill Cosby joke, we made love everywhere...in the bedroom, in the living room, in the bathroom, in the kitchen, on the mantle, on the table, on the floor. We made love slowly and carefully, we made love madly and with abandon, we made love with love. When the morning came, we began where we left off. Finally, when we could hardly move any longer, we lay in each other's arms and made love with our minds.

We drove back down to our home to find that we had just missed Mark and Deb. They left us a beautiful note which among other things said that our wedding gifts had amassed nearly fifty thousand dollars to the Food Pantry Cause. What a blessing.

"Isn't it amazing, Davy, that whatever we seem to do turns out positive? We are truly blessed."

Our week moved easily. Jack and Emma and the kids returned with wonderful stories. Santo seemed to be more affectionate than ever and he really enjoyed the children. I got a call in the morning that E.T. would be showing their coverage of our wedding on Wednesday. On Tuesday afternoon, we received a wonderful conference call from Massachusetts and Idaho. It was James Taylor and Carole King who had just appeared together at the fiftieth anniversary of The Troubador and were discussing putting a tour together. I put the call on speaker so everyone could listen in.

Carole: "First, we want to congratulate you on your wedding. I spoke to Shadow earlier and he said that the wedding was just fabulous."

James: "Yes, congratulations. I'm sorry that we didn't know or we'd have stopped in. I heard it was a blast and a half. And Amy, if you don't already know, he may be a good man but you have your hands full now!"

Amy: "And I love it, James. Thank you both."

Carole: "So I was home in Idaho last week and talking to my friend, Billy, who works with Bobby and he gave me a copy of a CD you cut at Shangri-La. I've played it about a hundred times since. It's great, Davy and it's even better to see you out again making music. I was kvelling."

James: "Yeah, and my wife, Kim, got an email from a friend telling her to check out some videos on that YouTube. You guys sound super, my friend, keep it coming."

Carole: "Shadow just sent me the tracks you cut last Saturday and I forwarded them to James. I love that song, "Domesticity"...you sound so happy. I'm so happy for you, Davy, you deserve some peace.

James: "And I got a kick out of that "Big Chocolate" song. What a smile! But enough of this lovefest, Davy, I want to talk business. Carole and I will be in the Northeast when the "Breadbasket" Tour rolls through. Can you get us on the Washington date? And will you sing a song with me?"

"I don't know, James. First it's only like big names and second, you think we can harmonize?"

James: "Uh-huh, I see. Well, fuck you too, buddy. Seriously, I was thinking we could sing "Night Owl", you know, from my first album. You had a lot to do with that song and I thought it might be kind of fun to do again after forty-five years, but who's counting?"

"I was hoping you'd say "Fire and Rain!"

James: "Hell, we can do that, too!"

Carole: "I want you to sing back up on "It Might As Well Rain Until September" like you did when I first cut it."

"Yeah, but didn't Ellie cut me out?"

Carole: "Yeah, but that was then, this is now!"

"The answer is an absolute yes! You guys can play on any stop of the tour that you want to. The Washington gig is being televised all day as a phone-in telethon so we could use the money you bring in. But even more important, I want to see you two together."

James: "Great. That's the answer I wanted to hear. I want to see you, old friend. I'll call Danny tomorrow and we'll hook it up. Oh, and Davy...I'm putting together a new album. If I may so bold, you wouldn't happen to have any of your throw away tunes for me, would you?"

"Yes, I just may have one for you I think you'll like. It's in your voice. It's called "Poor Man." I'll send you a demo."

Carole: "This will be fun. Meanwhile, you two just act like lovebirds and keep that music happening. It's so good to have your energy back in the world, Davy. I always loved that in you and when it wasn't around, a big part of me hurt. I love you for that and I'm signing off now. See you soon."

James: "Me too, Davy. I got a couple of little kids here that want their daddy to play with them. The best of everything to you and Amy. The best, man. See you soon"

Talk about good vibes! I was floored. Amy was floored. Emma and Jack were floored. Everyone wanted to know how we were connected. I told the story of when Shadow took me into Bell Sound and Carole was recording and somehow I ended up singing on that track. Later, Ellie Greenwich cut me out and replaced me with her own voice. I wasn't happy about it but it was par for the course with Ellie.

Then I told them about how I was down at the Night Owl one night and I heard James Taylor and The Flying Machine play. Kootch was in the band with James then. Anyway, James was in bad shape. He was all junked up and was fighting with his band. Me and Richie Havens grabbed him after the gig and gave him one hell of a berating. We saw that this guy had a load of talent and that he was throwing it away. Richie and I saw him through a difficult night and day. Meanwhile, I was trying to get Peter Asher to give me a listen and I had an audition with him at the old Village Gate in the afternoon. I took James with me and Peter ended up signing James. A month later, he took James to London and got James signed to Apple. James' record was the first release on The Beatles label. Later on, after things turned south for me, James would sometimes have me open for him on tour."

"I remember that, Dad. I remember when you played at Nassau Coliseum and brought James home for dinner. You two sang for hours. Mom was not happy."

"Really! I didn't know about the last part. Why wasn't she happy?"

"I think she thought that James was just prolonging your career and Mom wished you'd just sell booze instead and stop pretending to be a musician."

I wanted to say something but I held my tongue. Emma asked if I was going to say something and I thought for a moment and said, "Your mother never seemed to have my best interests at heart. She never gave me confidence nor inspiration. She was also never particularly astute...and because discretion is the better part of valor, that's about all I care to say."

Emma understood and we let the subject drop. Also, Amy and I were still high from the phone call and I didn't want to lose that feeling.

Wednesday evening, we gathered around the tube to watch E.T. They gave us nearly ten minutes of airtime. The scenes they showed at the Tavern and at the Wedding were thrilling to watch. We both looked pretty good, I thought, but Amy looked out of this world. Everybody looked good and you could sense the love and joie de vivre. Allen, George and Mark all did sweet interviews. There was a wonderful scene with Emma and Carla and the kids. Although I recorded it, I knew I would have to contact them to get a copy as well as the outtakes. Our phone started ringing right after the segment ended. Emma's phone rang and she walked out of the room to take it. I knew that it had to be her mother and I knew she had to be plenty pissed. I was smiling inside. I knew that I shouldn't care but fuck that, I was hoping she got indigestion from watching such happiness. Carla called while Emma was on her phone and asked to speak to her. Emma quickly hung up and made a face. It seemed obvious that she wanted to hang up. Her mood changed as soon as she took the phone when she and Carla began to scream over their appearance on the show, It reminded me of when they were growing up.