PUNKS Ch. 25: Domesticated Cat

July 1995

On the morning after the holiday, the band was back in Venice after more than a week off to resume their work on the new record. Joe was dreading seeing PJ. They hadn't spoken since the birthday blowup at the Greene house. Joe could trace all this drama with Jasmine's family back to his bandmate telling his gossipy wife about Joe's personal affairs. PJ pulled him aside before they got to work.

"I'm sorry, brother. I'm sorry this shit blew up last week. I'm sorry I caused this. I can't believe it's still a problem after a year and a half."

"I know," said Joe, "Your wife has fucked any chance Jasmine and I had at a normal relationship. Her mother loathes me. Make sure Janice knows that."

"Oh she knows. We left the party right after you. Denise put a finger in her face, she said, ' You did this. It's all your fault."

"Denise is awesome."

"Yeah, she is." PJ said wistfully.

"You picked the wrong one."

PJ stared at Joe, not replying. Joe put a hand on the big man's shoulder. "We're okay, PJ. My problem is with Merideth Green now, not you."

The band got to work, picking up where they left off, and didn't speak of the gossip drama again. They still had a lot of work to do and a looming deadline. Joe and PJ were a songwriting team, but each came in with his own songs and an agenda. Joe took the lead on his creations, like a director. PJ was in charge of his work. Those songs usually went smoothly as the band deferred to the composers. The collaborations were often a tug of war.

Aside from the tracks they were co-authoring, the band was almost ready for New York. Joe was concerned that didn't have a strong sense of how this set of songs would play to the fans. In the past, especially the last two records, he felt very good going into the studio. He knew he had great songs and felt confident the album would be well received. This time it was a mystery. He liked the songs, and felt they would make a good album, but didn't know if the music world would agree. The material was a departure from the last record, not soft, but not as hard. He didn't know if their hardcore fans would dig the new stuff.

At the same time they were locking down a track list, Joe's people in New York were making travel arrangements, including cargo they can't ship with the passenger carrier, Joe called Jenna to confirm the dates he'd be staying with her. They hadn't spoken in days because he was busy with the band and she was planning an art fair at Washington Square Park.

"Tina will be calling you first thing in the morning," Jenna said right after Joe gave his travel dates. "Tamara was in the gallery today."

"For what?"

"Ya know. I'm gonna let Tina tell you. Trust me, it's good. You'll be in town for my fair, so don't make plans for that first Sunday."

"Sunday is the lord's day. I reserve the sabbath for Jesus."

Jenna guffawed, "You're such a clown. I can't wait to see you. Ya know, I recently realized that I'm now living Tina's old life, waiting weeks for your next visit. It's not easy."

"I have the same problem. I wait for weeks too."

"No, you don't, because you have Jasmine."

"I do, but there's a major breaking headline."

"Is it good or bad?"

"I met her parents. They know Jas and I are dating."

"That's good, right?."

"Well, there's a little more to it than that."

Joe then gave her the full version, because it's not a long story. It all happened so fast. When he was done, Jenna was quiet.

"I'm so sorry, Joe. That must have hurt. You don't deserve that."

"Yeah, it hurts a little, but I didn't feel it until the rage subsided. Honestly, I feel far worse for Jasmine. She has to live with those people, her Mom and the judgemental old bats are her family. I feel bad for her dad too. He's a good guy. He's working on his wife, trying to get her to give me a chance. It's not going well."

"When you get here you can leave that all behind," Jen said, "I'm gonna take care of you. When Tina calls, don't tell her about the drama with Jasmine. You and Jas are great."

"I won't ruin the illusion. I'll call you before we fly. Love you."

"Love you too."

The following morning, Joe's phone rang. It was Tina's first call in weeks. After a greeting she mentioned she didn't have a lot of time, but needed to talk..

"I met a friend of yours yesterday."

"Who would that be?"

"Tamara De la Croix."

"Where did you meet her?"

"She walked into the gallery. After walking around she asked for me. I had a minute so I went out to meet her. She told me she was interested in a very specific type of art, black and white photos of New York City architecture."

"You can surely hook her up with that."

"She said you referred her to me."

"That's not entirely true. I told her about you and your art. She seemed interested, so I got into detail about what you do. It wasn't a referral, per se."

"That's very nice of you, Joe. I don't know if this woman is legit, but if what she claims is true, this could be a big deal."

"How so?"

"She has a colleague at the UN who's husband is a French hotelier. I guess he's looking for urban themed decor for their luxury hotels and she told them about my photography. I had to explain that I don't display my work here. She wants me to put something together for them."

"Cool. I'm sure you'll impress them. I've seen the work."

"You don't know the full scope of that project. I'm sure you remember all those times we walked the streets clicking photos of buildings and architectural details, but you..."

"You don't need to explain your art to me. I was there."

"I know, but you weren't here for all of it. After we broke up I got access to more than a dozen high rises and skyscrapers. I used observation decks and verandas for a birdseye collection. I shot a couple of thousand images over that year."

"That sounds pretty cool. I'd like to see them."

"I can arrange that," Tina chuckled, "if you have a week to kill. Anyway, after the birdseye shoots, I chartered a boat in '88 and sailed around Manhattan taking hundreds more."

"So, you'll have plenty for them to choose from."

"I have to dig through my storage and pull out boxes to put together a sample collection to show them. I have several thousand prints."

"Sounds great. I'm glad my bragging about you led to an opportunity."

"So this Tammy is a friend of yours and Jenna's?"

"I've already told you about Tamara. She hangs out at The Starlight. Jenna and I have done a few happy hours. We met her while playing that hook-up game. I'm certain I told you."

"Okay. I didn't make that connection. She seems awfully fond of you. Did you hook up with her?"

"No. I did not."

"Really? Because I got the impression...."

"We're friends, T, that's all."

"She seems to know a lot about us."

"Jenna and I talked about our friendship, the three amigos, and our... history."

"Tamara didn't say much about Jenna, but she claims you talked about me a lot."

"And Jenna was in that conversation."

"Okay, well. I gotta go. I just wanted to ask you about her." Tina paused for a moment. "Thank you, Joe. Thanks for being so sweet and saying such nice things about me."

"Before you go, T. I have dates for my next visit."

Joe had been wondering what Tamara's role in this plot was aside from putting naughty ideas in Jenna's head. He was assured she would have a role at some point. Now he had a clue, but still wasn't sure what her play was.

-- Epilogue --

When Joe agreed to do one more round with the band he made it very clear that this was the last record. From the moment his mates arrived in his studio to rehearse the new material for the fifth and final City of Angels record, Joe reiterated that this was the end. His decision to name the record Epilogue was just one more reminder.

The band, including Danny, arrived at The Chelsea in mid-July for a nine-day stay in NYC. Joe lingered long enough to make sure everyone had rooms, then he jumped on the subway to Jenna's place. She was at work. He let himself in, did a quick inventory of groceries, and went back out to shop.

When Jenna arrived home she found Joe in the kitchen cooking. She walked up behind him, and wrapped her arms around his waist. "What's for dinner?"

"Simple BLTs." Joe turned and kissed her.

"Did you know that's my favorite?"

"Of course I do. I remember from way back. You always got the BLT with fries and we teased you about it."

"It's sweet that you recall little things. I like that."

"All it takes to be thoughtful is remembering those little things and then acting on them."

Jenna turned Joe sideways and put her hands on his face. She kissed him. "I couldn't wait to get out of there today. Tina was chatty. She wanted to know what our plans are."

"That's odd. I thought she was taking the I-don't-care approach to us."

"She has been. We don't talk much about us, or you, or her. She's been all business."

"We hadn't spoken in weeks," Joe said. "until she called about Tamara."

"I know," Jenna said, "We need to talk about that. I think Tina is realizing that ignoring both of us leaves her in the dark. Tammy's visit opened the door. Tina came straight to my office after Tammy left. The first thing she said was, 'Joe is fucking an older woman in town."

Joe laughed, "Of course she did. She asked me if I hooked up with Tammy."

"I told her who Tammy was. I had mentioned her before, but Tina seems to have forgotten. I bet she called you just to see if our stories matched."

"Maybe. She also thanked me for talking about her work, and her personally."

"After that day at Davidoffs when you told Tammy how impressed you are with Tina's work, and her passion, she told me she was going to use that. I didn't know how until Tina told me about these buyers."

"What's great is, Tammy's play ties in beautifully with what I was planning to do next."

"What's that?"

"Kill Tina with kindness, and compliments, and let her know how much I love and respect her."

"Flattery works on her, and no one does it better than you, because it's all true. You love her."

Lying in bed, hours later, Jenna was nodding off after a leg cramping orgasm that made her have to stand up to shake it off. Joe laughed at her gimping around. Jen slapped his chest because she was in real pain. Thirty minutes later she was nearly asleep while Joe lay in bed, staring at the ceiling, thinking about how easy their friendship was. It felt natural to be with Jenna. They shared a long history, interrupted by his seven year absence, but long just the same. Joe could imagine a future with her, and he did just that.

Months into her plan, Joe didn't feel there was much progress. Tina was clearly upset that he stepped away from their affair. She didn't speak to Joe for a bit. Then she tried to lure him back in with pussy. Now she was just going along, being friends without benefits. Phone calls were rare. She simply waited for Joe to make the moves. When he gave her the dates of this trip, she said she wasn't sure if she could get away for lunch. She was very busy.

That was her new M.O. Tina had taken to pretending she wasn't bothered and wasn't eager to see Joe. Because she was upset with Jenna, they weren't having the girl talks that would give Joe insight into what Tina was thinking.

While Jenna slept soundly at his side, Joe tossed and turned, trying to sleep. HIs busy brain made that nearly impossible.

In the morning, Joe brewed coffee while Jenna showered for work. He made her poached eggs on English muffins. Again, sitting in her kitchen nook for two, eating breakfast, he imagined a future that looked just like this. He wasn't alone in that thinking.

"I could get used to this," Jenna said while sipping coffee, "having a man who cooks and spoils me like you do."

"I'm a domesticated cat. I like taking care of you."

"It's not just me, Joe. I'm not special. This is what you do. Tina got this treatment. Jasmine gets it too."

"So." Joe put his mug down. "You are special. We're in this because of what you're trying to do for me and Tina. I don't know of anyone who would do that. You are definitely special."

"Or I'm a fool for not trying to keep you for myself."

"Why don't you?"

Jenna stared at Joe, not answering for several seconds. "When you told me Jasmine said she can't be your number two, I could relate to that. The thing is, she's in California. I'm here, with your ex that you're in love with. How could we possibly work with T right here?"

Joe had no answer.

"I love what we have right now, Joe. Let's not get ahead of ourselves."

"I know. We're just talking. The way Tina's been avoiding us makes me wonder if this plan is working. She doesn't seem bothered by this new situation."

"Oh, she's bothered. She simply refuses to show it. Right now it's a battle of wills. Who will crack first? I think her questioning me yesterday was the first sign she might be wavering."

"I was up last night, couldn't sleep. All this shit was swirling in my mind. I have an idea. If you talk to her today about me, I want you to give her some information that will surely pique her curiosity."

"What's that?"

"I think it's a good move."

When Joe told Jenna his news, and how he thought they should play this new card, Jenna smiled. "She's gonna hate that, but to be honest, I'm not gonna like it either."

After breakfast, they walked hand in hand to the subway. Jenna reminded Joe that she promised to do some cooking this trip. When their paths diverged, he kissed her sweetly.

"Okay. Tonight, I'll let you cook."

"Good. I'll pick up what I need on the way home."

*****

Throughout Joe's career, The first day of recording was almost always the worst. He needed to find a groove and often took hours to get there. It led to long first days, working late, pushing to get in sync. This happened on day one in Chelsea.

"The first day is always the hardest," Joe said to Danny as the kid made himself comfortable in the control room beside Kenny, the board master of Guerilla Studios.

"Where were you last night?" Danny asked. "I was waiting for you to grab a bite and Chico laughed at me."

"I had other plans, sorry. I should have told you."

"Chi said you don't hang with the band in New York. What's up with that?"

Kenny looked up to see how Joe reacted to his protégée questioning his activities in the city.

"I have many friends here that I don't see often, so I give my time to them. You get enough of me back home."

"So I'm not going to see you around?"

"You're looking at me aren't you? After being stuck here all day you'll be grateful to be rid of me. Don't you have friends in the city? Go see them while you have the chance.`

The first full day was in fact the worst. Joe never understood why he and his bands, The Young Punks years ago, and now the Angels, struggled in the studio on day one for every record he'd ever made. When he lamented this fact during a late afternoon break, after a frustrating day, Chico used one of Joe's classic lines.

"Bro, who's the common denominator in all those shitty days?"

Joe chuckled, "Yeah, that's what I'm thinking. It has to be me."

When the band finished their break they jammed the new tunes for a few more hours with Kenny making adjustments and doing playbacks so the band could hear the result.

Joe looked up at the clock, "Fuck. It's late. I gotta go." He was out the door without another word leaving his bandmates looking at each other.

"So, who's he fucking this time?" PJ asked.

"Tina. Who else could it be?" Chico said.

"I don't think he's fucking his ex." Danny said. "He told me they were platonic these days."

Chico laughed, "Tina and Joe platonic? Yeah, right!"

"I just realized why Joe keeps you around, Danny." David said, "He needed someone who hasn't heard all his stories and is naive enough to believe his bullshit."

PJ, Chico and Kenny laughed hard, not just because it was funny; the fact it came from David, the least ball-breaking guy in the band. He rarely said stuff like that. They all stared at Danny, waiting for more information.

"I think he's staying with this chick Jenna," Danny said, "but I'm not sure."

Chico's eyes widened. "Tina's best friend Jenna?"

"Yeah, that one."

Chico, PJ and David shared WTF looks.

-- Displeased Wife --

Joe stood in the same entry hallway where he and Jenna consummated their relationship months ago. The mood was entirely different. Jenna stood with her hands on her hips, just like Tina did when she was cross with him.

"Is this dinner time? You promised I could cook for you."

"You got bumped by a long hard day... with dudes in Chelsea," he said. "It wasn't intentional. I lost track of time. Sorry baby. It wasn't a great day for me. That's why we ran late, because we sucked."

"Go in the kitchen," Jenna said. "Look at the table. I made nice plans for us."

"I didn't have dinner with them." Joe felt badly. "Your plans are still good." Even though he did nothing wrong except show up later than Jenna had expected.

Joe wandered into the kitchen and looked at the nicely set table with red place settings and a candle burning. Jenna followed. He looked at the produce she had ready, a cutting board with two strip steaks, and a loaf of French bread.

"You promised, and I believed you. I couldn't wait to see you." She huffed. "This is the other side of you Tina talks about, Joe... you running off, chasing your music."

"I said I should be done by dinner. No time was mentioned. Jenna, I haven't had dinner. I'm starving and you've done a beautiful thing here." He paused. "Reached out and pulled her closer."

"What time did you have in your head?"

"No later than six," She said in a pouty tone, "but I left the gallery early and was ready by five thirty, waiting. I wasn't expecting eight o'clock, that's for sure."

"Do you know what time I had in my head?"

"She looked up."

"None," he said. "I didn't have a schedule except coming home to have dinner with you." He kissed her lips gently. "I'm here. We're both hungry. You have all this food. Why would we let our miscommunication ruin this?"

Jenna stood quietly. "I'm sorry. I just embarrassed myself - like some bitchy wife."

"No, you love me and you care and I let you down by not being specific, and then late." He pulled her against his chest. "I'm sorry, Jenna. Will you let me make it up to you?"

She buried her face in him, arms around his back. They stood quiet for a long moment. He looked down and smiled.

He looked over at the stove. "I'm impressed that you own a cast iron skillet."

"I wonder where I got that idea." She squeezed him. "I'm happy you're here."

"There's no place I'd rather be," he said softly.

"A slight change of plans," she said, "I had chicken in mind but these steaks looked so good I couldn't resist. I remember how you cooked them in the cast iron. So, you're in charge of meat. I'll do the rest."

"Did you get garlic cloves and butter?"

"Of course I did."

"That's what I mean by remembering the little things." He kissed her forehead, which was the perfect height for his lips.

When the chopping and cooking started, Jenna was always right beside Joe, enjoying his company in the kitchen as she did in her bed. It was the other thing Tina lorded over her girlfriends, her man did the cooking.

Jenna nudged him. "I think Tina is more pissed about us cooking than fucking."

"These were some of our most intimate moments, in her little kitchen in the Village. She likes that I'm a domesticated cat."

"I was there, Joe." She leaned against him. "This is what I missed about you, these moments."

"Without sex."

"Yes. And it wasn't easy having a crush on my best friend's untouchable boyfriend. Did you know that she and I talked about doing you, both of us?"