PUNKS Ch. 02: Her Husband's Bed

As the after-party at The Beacon Theater wound down, a feeling of dread overcame Joe. His bandmates had retreated to the bus, but he lingered, not wanting to leave Tina. His brief time with her, after a seven-year absence, was coming to an end.

For more than an hour, he couldn't take his eyes off his girl. He watched her chatting with his favorite Brit, Simon. Her sweet voice, younger than her years, music to his soul. She peeked over at him time and again, smiling shyly as she caught him looking at her.

Simon overplayed his British accent, Tina cracked up, her hair-flinging-open-mouth laugh. Joe remembered the taste and softness of her beautiful, full mouth. When she scrunched her nose and made a kissy face at him, his mind imagined the carnal pleasure those lips had given him. He found himself in 1980, laying in bed, talking for hours, laughing, fucking, being young in Greenwich Village.

Lost in his thoughts of her, Joe hadn't noticed the backstage party had dwindled to just a handful. Tina's group of three, Simon, himself, the last of the road crew, and theater staff trying to get home to their families.

Joe pulled on Tina's leather. "You should join us for late-night breakfast, like the old days." It was the only way he could have more time with her.

She looked at her wristwatch. "It's 11:28. By the time we get there, it'll be midnight. I have to be in the office at eight."

"You're the boss," he scoffed. "You can go in any time."

April agreed. "Yes, and Jack can take a sick day. He never uses PTO."

"No, I can't," said Jack. "I have a meeting at City Hall tomorrow afternoon."

"Afternoon," said April. "Go in late. C'mon. Let's do the diner thing."

Tina looked at her brother with an expression that meant no. Joe switched to plan B.

"The least you could do is grant April's wish to see our tour bus." He looked at Jack. "You promised her she could check it out."

Jack nodded. Tina gestured with her hand. "Okay, we can see your party bus."

"It's not a party bus," Joe said. "It's our home and office on the road."

April hopped up and down like a fan-girl. Jack nudged her with his elbow. "Stop acting like a brainless groupie."

They followed Joe out a backstage door, through a winding corridor that led to an exit behind the theater on 75th Street where the bus waited. Joe stepped aside, "Welcome aboard The Whale." and let Tina, Jack, April, and Simon board before him.

"Everyone to the back of the bus," Joe ordered. He leaned down and whispered to Dale, their driver. Five seconds later, the engine roared to life, the door closed and the bus lurched forward causing Tina to grab a table to steady her feet. Wide-eyed, she glared at Joe upfront.

He smiled. "I'm kidnapping you."

"Fuck." Jack said. "I knew you were up to something."

Simon snickered. "I did too. The sneaky bugger always has a scheme."

"Don't be a baby," April said. "When was the last time we stayed out late?"

"Where are we going?" Tina asked.

"One of our old hangouts," Joe said.

"He's always yapping about your late-night coffee and pie," Chico said. "and how great New York diners are. So far, we're not too impressed."

PJ added. "He makes it sound like you stayed up 'til dawn every night, grabbed breakfast, and went to bed at seven in the morning."

"We did," Simon said. "We lived a nocturnal life."

"We were young and dumb," Tina said.

"No," said Joe. "We were young and fun. I promise we'll drop you anywhere in the city after we eat."

"Brooklyn?" asked Jack.

"We'll deliver you to your doorstep if you'd like, right Dale?" Joe shouted to the driver.

"Whatever you say, boss."

"The Skyline Diner in The West Village," Joe called forward. "At Seventh and Tenth." He turned back to his kidnap victims. "The Skyline was my first diner in New York."

"They do have a killer breakfast there," Tina said. "I am a little hungry."

"You just ate after the show," exclaimed Jack in disbelief.

Tina smirked. "So what."

"She eats like a horse," Joe said. "How do you not weigh two-hundred pounds?"

Tina smiled, "One-eighteen."

"Oh my God," Joe gasped. "You've gained six pounds since college. You pig."

She stuck her tongue out at him.

"Let me show you around." Joe took her by the hand. The bus lurched again. Joe caught Tina as she wobbled on her spiked heels. "You don't have your tour legs." He smiled while breathing in her perfume. "Obviously, this is the lounging and dining area. We can accommodate ten, eight comfortably. Back here, the bathroom and personal quarters."

He led Tina down a narrow passage. She peeked into the bathroom, then three sleeper compartments. Each had a top and bottom berth with storage drawers below the mattresses. The band's clothes and personal items were strewn about. When he reached the rear cabin, he allowed Tina to walk in ahead of him. Joe followed her inside. Jack and April peeked within from the doorway.

"This is me?" Joe said.

"Why do you get the bigger room with a full bed?" Asked Tina.

"Because I also serve as our tour manager, the guy who does all the road work. I need a little space - and quiet."

"How many hot chicks have you banged in here?" Jack smiled as he made eye contact with his sister.

"Contrary to salacious rumors," Joe said, "we don't party on this bus as much as you'd think. This is our sanctuary from the chaos."

Tina rolled her eyes. "You expect us to believe you never take girls in here?"

"I didn't say that. I said it's not like you think. Girls on the bus are actually pretty rare. Chico and PJ are married."

April tugged on Jack's arm. He got the message and followed her back to the front of the bus leaving Tina and Joe alone. Tina stood quietly, inspecting items in Joe's quarters. He reached out and took her hand. T turned to him. Joe pulled her closer.

"I saw you at the edge of the balcony when we blinded you with flashbulbs on the opening number. Your pink hair and red leather stood out."

"You did?"

"I wasn't certain, but I waved just in case - twice actually."

"You wave at a lot of fans."

"I heard you scream at me too." Joe smiled. "You timed it perfectly during a crowd lull. That's when I knew it was you."

"Did you hear what I said?"

"I think you were picking a fight with me in the middle of my show."

Tina giggled. "So that's why you weren't shocked to see me backstage."

"I was praying you'd be there."

"You don't pray, Joe. You're a militant atheist."

"I prayed tonight, hoping I was wrong about that."

With their faces inches apart, Tina looked up at the man she once thought she'd marry. Her heart pounded. She shouldn't be here. She was a married woman, yet there was no place Tina would rather be.

"I'm sorry, T. I'm sorry we fucked this up." He paused. "I think we both played our roles horribly. Please forgive me."

Tina rested her forehead against his chest. "I'm the one who should be apologizing, Joe. I've replayed that summer in my head a thousand times. I left you no choice but to leave."

"But I should have come back after London to see if you had changed your mind."

"I thought you would." She looked up into her eyes. "Everyone did."

"That's why I'm sorry." Joe kissed her pink hair. "I was afraid. I couldn't take another rejection from you."

Joe moved his hands up to her face, cupping his palms on her neck, just below her ears. "I've missed you so much."

Unsure of how she would react, Joe leaned down and gently kissed her. The kiss landed on unresponsive lips. He retreated. Tina reached up behind his neck and pulled him back in, passionately kissing him. Her tongue slipped between his lips, her soft mouth and sweet taste took Joe back to the happiest time of his life. She was always the one.

"I'm sorry." Tina put her hand on Joe's chest, gently pushing him away. "I shouldn't be doing this."

Joe raised his hands as if surrendering. "Okay, I'm sorry, but it's really hard to..."

"I get it, Joe," she interrupted. "I feel the same. I'm so happy to be with you, but we can't..." She hesitated. "You're trouble for me."

"I'm sorry. I don't mean to be."

"Sorry, for what? You can't stop being who you are, and I have no control over how I feel about you." She paused, embraced Joe, putting her head against his chest. "We should go up front."

*****

The party of eight occupied two booths across from one another. Simon sat with the band, Joe joined Tina, Jack, and April. They ordered five breakfasts and five slices of pie.

"Hey, T," Joe said. "When was the last time you went to Tommy Guns?"

"I haven't been there in years," she said softly, looking into her coffee. "They hate me."

"No they don't," he replied sharply. "No one hates you."

"They call me Yoko." Tina looked up at him. "The punks blame me for breaking up your band."

"They're not entirely wrong," Jack quipped.

April punched his arm. "Don't be an asshole."

"C'mon," Jack said, rubbing his shoulder. "If we're honest, her kicking Joe to the curb was the end of The Young Punks." He looked at Joe. "Had you stayed together, would you have blown up the band?"

Seven sets of eyes stared at Joe waiting for a reply that wouldn't come. They knew the answer, Tina more than anyone.

Chico told tales of him meeting Joe in Venice Beach in January of 1987 and what a mess he was - his bouts with depression and alcohol. Joe didn't speak a word. He avoided eye contact with Tina.

"He talked about you a lot," he nodded at Tina, "and that chick in Buenos Aires. This poor bastard was a two-time loser - and broken as fuck."

"He was mostly cleaned up by the time I met him," PJ added. "but there's a sadness in him that's never far from the surface."

David, their quiet drummer, himself a depressive, quietly added. "It never goes away, man. It's a fucking curse."

Joe was grateful when the subject changed to Venice, and the band's fondness for their dirty, gritty city-by-the-sea.

"I fell in love again," Joe said. "That place and the freaky people lifted me up at the lowest point of my life." He made eye contact with Tina. "You would adore the Venice Boardwalk. The merchants and artists and street performers..."

"And fucking weirdos," PJ added.

"It's the melting pot of California culture. I love the Latinos."

"We love our sad Gringo too." Chico smiled. "My wife, sisters, and mom think the world of Joe."

"I adore them - and your mom's tamales."

When the crew finished their breakfasts and slices of pie, Joe excused himself to use the restroom. When he returned, he had a vow to keep.

"I promised I'd get you back home," he said. "We should get back on the bus."

"No rush," Tina said. "We've just decided to take the morning off work."

"I want my bed," PJ said. "You guys can yak on the damn bus."

"Me too," David agreed. "I'm wiped out. It's been a long day."

"All right," said Joe. "You babies get back to the bus. I'll settle our tab."

"Are you driving us to Brooklyn?" Asked Jack.

"If you navigate for Dale, sure."

On the ride over the East River to Greenpoint, Brooklyn - where Jack and April lived - they talked about the old days of Joe's first band, The Young Punks, and his time living with Tina.

"Technically, I wasn't a resident of New York for our first two years," Joe said. "I only stayed with T when my band was in town, and my off weeks."

"That was half your time," Tina noted. "We definitely lived together."

"I mooched off you."

"You chipped in for rent, bought groceries, and cooked meals," Tina said emphatically. "You were no mooch."

"Mom and Dad had no clue Joe existed for the first year," Jack noted.

"That's not true," Tina protested.

"It's definitely true." Joe corrected her. "She was embarrassed dating an uneducated punk rocker." He looked at T. "You can't deny you were afraid your dad would disapprove of me."

Tina didn't respond because it was true. Jack, April, and Joe stared at her, waiting for a reply.

"I wasn't embarrassed."- was all she could say.

"But they loved you once you met them, right." Asked April.

"Oh yeah," Jack said. "Especially Dad. He charmed them, and Dad loved how Joe teased Tina."

"Yeah, and then they ganged up on me," Tina complained. "Dad liked having a partner to torment me."

"Torment." Joe scoffed. "We were the two men who loved you most."

"You had a strange way of showing your love."

"You're Dad's princess," Jack said. "Stop with the whining."

Joe looked at April. "T never learned that her dramatic reaction to our teasing is what made it funny for us."

"I wish I knew Jack back then," said April. "it sounds like you guys had fun."

"We did," Joe said. "Ya know, when you fall in love, sometimes you love the whole family." He hesitated, feeling his emotions. "I loved your parents, and Jack was the little brother I never had." He glanced at April. "I have three sisters in Providence. I always wanted a little brother. Your husband was that guy until she threw me out."

"I didn't throw you out," Tina protested, "You left."

Joe realized the conversation was entering treacherous waters. ""I'm sorry. We shouldn't have this talk right now." He cleared the emotions from his throat. "Right now, I'm just happy to be with you. I don't want to ruin this night over old wounds. I just want you to know how much I've missed you - both of you."

Joe noticed a light shine off Jack's eyes. He was tearing up. To fight back his own, he went on offense.

"Are you crying?" He leaned to look into Jack's eyes. "You little bitch. You're crying."

Jack turned away and wiped his eyes. "Fuck you, Joe. How can you be so sweet and then such an asshole?"

"This is how he hides his feelings," Tina said, "by breaking balls and being a clown."

Joe steered the conversation away from trouble for the remainder of the drive. At 2:05 AM the bus pulled up to The Costello home. Joe stepped off the bus to say goodbye.

"Thanks, Joe," Jack said. "It was good seeing you again."

"And we'll do it again, brother." Joe embraced him. "I promise."

"Watch out for his promises," Tina uttered under her breath.

April hugged Joe, kissed his cheek, and they were freed from captivity. Tina called out her Midtown East address to Dale, and The Whale turned back to Manhattan. She motioned to Joe to go to the back of the bus. He led the way.

Back in Joe's quarters, Tina rested her head against his chest. His arms around her. "That was sweet what you said about my family."

"I mean it," he said.

"I know you do." She reached up and wrapped her arms around his neck and looked into his eyes. "I was so nervous about tonight - and now I feel silly. I should have known you'd be warm and we'd be so... comfortable."

"This is who we are, T. You know we belong together."

"Were you really as messed up as Chico says you were?"

"I had my heart broken twice in two years, first you and then Isabelle." He sighed. "Yeah.

When I got back to the states I was as much a wreck as the day I left."

Looking into his eyes, she knew that no man had loved her more than him - not even her husband. She planted a long wet kiss - eyes closed, her tongue dancing with his. Joe pulled her close, tight against his body. They stood locked in an embrace for a minute, kissing between breathless silences.

"I thought you couldn't do this. You're a married woman, Mrs. Giacomo."

"Shut up." She gently kissed his neck. "And stop calling me that."

"What would Pope John Paul think? I'm pretty sure this is one of the big commandments."

"Please don't mock my faith. I can always stop if this is troubling you."

"No trouble at all."

"Take this." She handed him her business card.

Joe looked at her card. "I have your gallery info."

"On the back," she turned the card in his hand. "This is my apartment address and home phone. Call me around nine o'clock. I'm taking the day off."

"What do you have in mind?"

"Just call me," she said. "We can grab brunch." Tina lightly kissed his lips again, then pushed Joe toward the door to make sure Dale found her building.

After Tina was free from captivity, Joe instructed Dale to drop him off in the West Village. His brain was on fire, in no condition to sleep.

"Are you sure?" The middle-aged driver asked. "You don't want to go back to your condo?"

"No. You go back, park The Whale, tell the sleeping beauties they're home. I need to think - to clear my head."

"That chick is deep under your skin, son," Dale said low. "I get it, she's a doll, but you can't torture yourself like this."

"Torturing myself is what I do best, old man." He patted Dale on the shoulder.

*****

When Tina's phone rang at 9:05, she was all business giving Joe clear instructions.

"Come straight here, now. Take the right-side elevator to the fourteenth floor, then go left to apartment 14C at the end of the hall."

"I thought we were having brunch."

"Just get over here."

"What about your husband?"

"Troy left an hour ago. I want to show you our place. You're gonna love the view."

He paused before he replied. "What's going on, T?"

"Just come over."

"I'm not far away. I've been walking the city all night - didn't sleep a wink."

"Keep walking."

When Joe knocked on her door, T peeked through the peephole at his messy black hair, collecting her composure for a moment before opening the door. She smiled wide, stepped aside, and waved Joe in.

"Welcome. I'm glad you decided to come."

"You're still in your jammies," Joe noted, glancing at her NYU sweatshirt and baby blue cotton pajama bottoms.

"I have no business today, thanks to you."

Joe walked in, stopped after four paces, glanced left, then right. "Jesus, T, you're fucking loaded."

"Not me," she said. "This was his place before we married."

"Well, it's half yours now."

Tina's home was an open, contemporary floor plan, all white. Photos and paintings adorned the walls, many her own works of art. She led Joe through her living room furnished in modern Scandanavian, with lots of right angles. She gestured to her left, "This is our home office."

Directly ahead was a large dining area with a glass table adjacent to a state-of-the-art stainless steel kitchen. It was spotless, gleaming. The back wall of the dining-kitchen area was all glass, floor to ceiling, with a magnificent view of Manhattan and beyond.

Joe wandered across the expansive space to the wall of glass, looked across at an adjacent highrise, and then straight down to the street. "Does Todd know I'm here?"

"Of course not." Tina stood beside him. "His name is Troy, and you know that," she said in a mildly scolding tone. "Would you like coffee? I have bagels too."

Joe nodded, "That sounds good. I can make out Yankee Stadium from here." He turned to the kitchen and strolled over, examining her equipment. "This looks like it doesn't see much action. It's pristine."

"I cook," Tina said curtly.

"You cook? Since when?"

"I cooked a little when we were together, and I've learned new things since."

"You helped me cook when we were together," Joe corrected her.

"And you taught me many dishes." She pulled a mug from a cabinet, poured him a coffee, handed it to him, and went to the fridge. "Mom and Dad made sure I learned the family recipes. I can cook, Joe."

She sliced two bagels and slipped them into her toaster. "We dine out a lot. Troy doesn't cook at all. He likes going out. We order delivery too. With our work hours, our lifestyle isn't very domestic."

"You're a couple of Manhattan yuppies."

Tina turned, rested her backside against her counter, and glared at Joe with her arms crossed. He leaned with both hands on the large kitchen island. She loved his teasing nature, but sometimes..."

"Are you going to be mean to me, mock me in my own home?"

"I'm just busting your ovaries," he said. "But you can't deny your yuppiness. Look at this place."