Sad Son Pt. 04

Jeremy says, "I'll take Andrea shopping for food. Lauren, take a sister and buy drinks. Mitch, bring a sister and get some outdoor power cords for the amplifier. Everyone OK with ribs, burgers, and chicken?

Nobody objected. Andrea, Emma, and Donna take off to go shopping. I direct all that's left to get the garbage cans, coolers, ice, plates, cups, silverware, tablecloths, serving utensils, rags, towels, a BBQ brush, salt, pepper, condiments, and then I think we're done.

I then sit down with Heidi to see what music she knows. She's been singing her whole life, so she knows a ton of stuff. We will have no problems finding common knowledge.

This entire time, Michelle has been attached to my hip. She won't talk or stop others from talking to me. She's been holding my hand, assisted in carrying things, walked arm in arm back to the house. It's been weird. Without Andrea around, Veronica takes over, orders people around, and asks for things.

Veronica is in the back as Michelle, and I drop off napkins, towels, and silverware. I'm about to turn around and return for more when my arm is grabbed with force. What did I do wrong? Michelle is annoyed, but Veronica wraps me in a hug. I feel tears falling on my arm; I understand now. It's Mitch.

Veronica is teary and sad, "It may not be much longer. They have no idea. He'd be dead already if not for you. He looks forward to anything from you. We all know Michelle inspired your song with her poor judgment. He didn't care. He howled with joy at hearing your song. He was inspired last night in bed, for breakfast, and on the way here.

"Those sexy voices got me, but I must admit, that was a hilarious song. It was dead-on perfect. Jeremy was right; the music set the mood and the tone. Thank you for allowing my brother to have this day."

Her brother! She looks over her shoulder with a sly smile, and then laughs as she walks away. Damn, that was so sexy.

Michelle comments, "I have no idea who my parents are anymore. I, too, thank you for allowing dad his fun. It does mean the world to him."

I grin, "If there aren't many days left, are you sure you want to be here? Not many studs around either."

Michelle laughs at me, "Two expelled, two in jail, no man at school will come near me. You're the only one left."

I giggle lightly, "Swell, just like P.E. I'm the last guy standing, and you're forced to pick me."

Michelle teases me right back, "Yup. Who knew the truly good guys turned out to be the losers. My thought is that if I date a loser, he might turn out to be good enough to be seen with."

I continue, "I think I would ruin your reputation; you better try Lauren out."

Michelle laughs hard, "Hal, she's no more a lesbian than I am. She loves her cousin and is in pain. We need to get them together. You did notice that it was mom sucking Jeremy and dad, right? It wasn't mom and Jeremy sucking dad off. They're both in denial. It's sad."

I test her, "OK, miss know it all, where does Heidi end up?"

Michelle laughs hard, "With you and your harem, duh."

I snicker, "No way my cougars share me with some young woman. Her life would be in mortal danger."

Michelle looks at me seriously, "Hal. You and I both know there are no cougars in your life. Your sisters were stuck-up bitches going through the motions of life. You get a black eye, they all look happier than I have ever seen, and your confidence grows by leaps and bounds. It's obvious who your girlfriends really are. I know them. Remember, Gail, and I were close at one time."

I sit down; my whole head is spinning. SHE KNOWS! What do I do? What do I say? My body knows. I pass out.

I wake up on the floor in Andrea's arms. She's explaining how I will come around any minute. The feeling of her breasts, her soft voice, and being relaxed will bring me around. I got overstimulated, and my emotions ran wild from the sex, Michelle, and the revelations.

Michelle is surprised, "Me? He hates me."

Faith answers for me, "Oh no, baby doll. He's loved you for years. He was a realist; he knew he had no chance at you. I mean, you give up a boyfriend, look him in the eyes, and then pick another guy over him. That affects a guy. You obviously didn't care about him. I don't get why you blew him and have been following him around like a puppy dog all day. You can do better than him. You've proved that over and over."

Gail saves Michelle, "No, she's liked him forever. To Michelle, it was more important to be popular. In grade school, she was picked on. In high school, she was picked on until I saved her."

Emma is furious, "You save her ass from years of abuse, and then she pays you back by allowing the same thing to happen to him. What a bitch!"

Way to go, Emma!

Michelle gets defensive, "You have no idea what it's like to be on the outside. It's horrible."

Emma spits out, "Don't tell me, tell the man you let suffer for almost four years. Tell him how his sister was nice enough to save you, but you couldn't be bothered to do the same."

Becky adds her two cents, "Can't you see it was so bad, she couldn't risk it. We only worried about ourselves for many years. We were just as much at fault; we ignored all the bumps, bruises, rashes, and trips to the ER. We ignored him and each other. By the way, he's awake."

I reach up and suck a nipple hard through her shirt while opening my eyes and looking up at her lovingly.

Andrea is speechless at first, then she laughs hard.

She helps me sit up, "Little brother is feeling much better. Get up, Hal. I need help bringing in the food. There is a carload of beverages, and Mitch has your power cords. We have a party to start."

Everyone pitched in. Ribs are cooking in the oven on low heat. Chicken is marinated in three different flavors, and lettuce, tomatoes, and onions are washed, sliced, and cut for the hamburgers. Ice, coolers, and drinks go into the backyard along with the garbage cans.

Heide and I make a nice party band. Once set up, we start off with our song that went viral. The Tardis-1000 with the max five guitars sounds incredible outside. It's a fuller and richer sound. Lauren sits in front of Jeremy; he wraps his hands around her, cupping her breasts as they listen.

For fifteen minutes, she belts out a few songs. Both neighbors pull up chairs and sit in their yards listening to us. Andrea and Veronica quickly invite them to our party. Both sets of neighbors are older and were friends with our parents. All their children moved out long ago. They love the older stuff.

There are a few songs that Lauren knows well. She joins Heidi singing those songs and then sits back down again. When we play the mega-hits, everyone knows the words and sings along with us. I keep my sound down so Heidi can show off her magnificent voice. An hour later, we have collected more neighbors, including a few I haven't met before.

Lauren is getting braver and drunker, so she is singing more and more now. We take a break because Heidi needs a drink. I do as well. We notice it's five o'clock, and the army starts dinner. The grill is ready, Mitch had started it a while ago, and the coals are perfect. The chicken and burgers go on first. Andrea is slicing the ribs and tossing them in BBQ sauce. They now only need a few minutes on the grill.

More drinks, tables, and chairs are brought out, followed by cold salads (potato, pasta, garden) and coleslaw. Andrea even made me some of her German potato salad. They're boiling the corn, the grill isn't big enough, and the microwave makes a few baked potatoes. I see four dozen cookies, a pie, a cake, and donuts for dessert. Someone raided a bakery.

Dinner is a lot of fun telling our stories with the neighbors. They can't wait to hear my songs. They knew about the attack and the guys in jail. After a fantastic dinner, we go back to my guitar, and Heidi does the songs about my sisters. Then she and Lauren do the song about Michelle, although we say it's just a random song.

I played while Heidi or everyone sang until almost 10:00 at night. It had been a long day. I'm positive Heidi is worn out. Everyone helped with cleanup and putting things away. The neighbors hug us and make their way home. Heidi, Lauren, and Jeremy embrace us, and they go home. Mitch and Michelle look like they want to stay. Veronica is the boss in that house.

Veronica gives me a big hug, grabs Mitch, and then says to Michelle, "Two minutes."

I look dumbfounded, "To minutes?"

Michelle rolls her eyes, "Not enough time to do anything but kiss you good night. They at least had the decency to walk out."

Becky looks sternly at Michelle, "You haven't earned that from us yet."

Michelle walks close enough to me that she's standing on my toes. Both hands come up and cradle my head between them. She tilts her head as she leans forward softly. A gentle and loving kiss is placed on my lips. It's amazing. She pulls back and returns, but with more pressure, more feeling, and determination.

She pulls back again and asks, "Andrea?"

I chuckle, "Yes. They thought I lacked confidence. I had a rather interesting course in ... life. They taught me all kinds of things."

Michelle snickers, "She sure taught you how to kiss. That was a wow."

Andrea pipes up, "Oh no. He's a natural. I gave him his first opportunity, and he almost knocked me out. You better get going, or you'll be walking home. Spend more time with your dad; it won't be much longer."

She leans in and kisses me hard before releasing and running out the door, as her tears start falling. I close it.

I announce, "I'm going to bed. I am worn out and dead tired. Good night, everyone; I love you all."

For me, there is a lot to take in. My sisters are still drinking and talking about all that happened today. They had fun with everything. Veronica knew about my sisters immediately, and she married her brother. Jeremy isn't as gay as we thought. Lauren and Heide could make millions singing together. Casey's devices should sell like hotcakes.

I have a lot of thinking to do about my professional life, and there is the whole Michelle thing. I love her, but can I trust her? I thought I was one of the best guitar players, and I found out 99.9% of music is tame. My best skills are only used in a tiny percentage of songs. I wonder, does that mean that my natural skill is bringing out emotions and fitting the right music for the words? That's a better career. That's why Jeremy produces.

I have evolved as a musician. I think back to the '70s and '80s. All those great guitar players, yet very few, played much fast and technical music. Small solos are here and there to add punch to a song. This blows my mind.

To be continued ...