The Guitar Player Ch. 05

After one show, a reporter interviewed me and asked how I was doing since the split with Tanya. I told him that I was doing great. Then the reporter asked what I thought about Tanya's new career. I knew he was fishing for a gotcha moment, so I gave it to him.

"I have no idea about anything Tanya's doing," I said innocently. "Is she still performing?"

Apparently, Tanya saw my comment and had some nasty things to say about me during her next concert. Now there was an ongoing back and forth between Tanya and me. I always kept my comments on the funny side. Tanya, on the other hand, could get nasty at times. That didn't help her at all.

The lawyers were pushing to finish the accounting on our old partnership to closed it down and distribute the assets. But when Todd took over the books, he changed the accounting system, making it hard to determine anything. It was a mess.

By now, I knew there was nothing to be done about the songs that Tanya had stolen. I had finally made peace about that. Still, I was sad that the song I wrote for my granddaddy was gone.

While the corporate war was grinding on, the divorce had suddenly slowed to a snail's pace. The main stumbling block was the same problem -- Todd's accounting system. I was entitled to half of what we had accumulated during our marriage. However, Todd's convoluted accounting system made it extremely difficult to determine the assets and where they were physically held. Todd had created dozens of corporations, and money flowed back and forth between them. My attorney had a CPA firm combing through the records, to create an accurate list of everything. And from what the accountants were telling me, Todd wasn't helpful at all. Also, much of the information they were digging up was extremely painful.

When the CPAs went through the company's travel expenses, I learned that all of those public relations trips that Tanya and I were sent on separately were all a smokescreen. I was led to believe that Tanya went on her trips by herself while I was elsewhere in the country on my trips. Todd was supposedly in Atlanta taking care of business. But Todd went on every trip with Tanya. Not only that, but they shared a room each time. They must have had a great time laughing at my stupidity.

Still, while my legal problems were dragging along, my professional career had never been brighter. Our latest album was doing very well, and our concert schedule was full until the end of our fiscal year. Granted, most of the dates were openings for other stars. Nevertheless, they paid well. And on top of everything else, I had been nominated for a Grammy Award. The nomination was for Best Country Song for My Woman and My Lover.

I continued to push Dawn and myself to be better and better, but I was beginning to be concerned about Dawn. She still struggled before every performance, and it took her a good day or two to calm down afterward. I knew she was taking prescription sedatives, but I had no idea how much of a toll these performances were taking on her.

One day, my mom brought Allison to the studio and pulled me aside with a stern look on her face.

"Don't you dare hurt those girls," my mother warned me as she motioned to Dawn and Allison in the studio.

"Mom, why would you say something like that?" I was truly shocked by her comment. "I would never hurt Dawn or Allison."

"Dawn is head over heels in love with you," my mother's eyes were like lasers pinning me in place. "She's a nervous wreck because she's terrified that she'll let you down."

If I had been surprised by her warning about hurting Dawn and Allison, I was absolutely stunned, speechless by her statement that Dawn loved me. I cared deeply for both of them, but I was almost ten years older than Dawn. It never crossed my mind that she would ever be romantically interested in me. Besides, I wasn't sure that I could ever trust another woman ever again.

"Mom, come on, I'm ten years older than she is," I finally protested. "Dawn wouldn't be interested in me. She'll find someone her own age."

My mother shook her head with a tiny smile on her face. "Robbie, sometimes you can be so dense. That girl is hopelessly in love with you. If you would get your head out of your ass and stop trying to get back at Tanya for a second, you'd see it. Besides, her little girl considers you her father and loves you to pieces."

I continued to protest my mother's assertion until she ended the discussion, warning me again not to hurt Dawn or Allison.

After my mother left, I sat outside the studio watching Dawn and Allison playing with Allison's dolls. I always thought of Dawn as extremely pretty, but now I realized she was downright beautiful. And Allison was like a little angel. If I ever had a daughter, I'd want her to be exactly like Allison.

I must have sat there for a good ten minutes trying to sort out my feelings. One thing my mother had said was true. I did have my head up my ass concerning Tanya. Everything I was doing was to prove to my soon-to-be ex-wife that she had made a terrible mistake and to punish her for it. Suddenly, my granddaddy's advice came flooding back to me. He had warned me about chasing fame as a musician. But his advice was a warning about people missing out on life chasing a dream that would never happen. What I had done was much worse. I had chased the dream to get revenge on Tanya, but I had made Dawn pay the price.

The more I thought about Dawn and me together, the more I thought the idea was ludicrous. Why would a beautiful, talented woman like Dawn be interested in me? But then, I began to exam our careers. We had been successful. No, we weren't superstars and not likely to reach that plateau. Yet, I kept pushing for more. And even though Dawn never really warmed up to performing, she stuck with me. Maybe my mother was right.

I went back and forth until I finally decided that we were changing everything today. When I walked into the studio, Allison squealed with delight and ran to me. I picked her up and twirled her around. Then I gave her a kiss on the forehead before putting her back down. I looked over at Dawn, and she was beaming at me. I decided that I'd start by changing today's schedule.

"I know that I said that I wanted to record these three songs," I said with a grin, "but I've got a better idea. Why don't we just record one song today and then go do something fun? Would anyone like to come with me to Centennial Olympic Park and have a picnic?"

"I would! I would! I would!" Allison cried as she jumped up and down.

I looked over at Dawn. "What about you? Would you like to get some hotdogs and go to the park?"

The glow from her smiling face warmed me all over. Dawn nodded and said, "It would be like that day in Central Park."

"That's what I was thinking. We've been working too hard, and we need to have some fun." Then I looked over at Allison and said, "Now, if a certain little girl wouldn't mind being very quiet, we can get done quickly."

But the recording did not go well. First, the music track that had already been laid down was faulty. It took about ten minutes for them to find the backup copy and get it ready. Then Dawn messed up on the first two takes, and I messed up the third. At that point, Dawn burst into tears.

"You know what?" I said as I put my arm around her. "To hell with the song. Let's forget about recording it today. We'll try again on Thursday. Let's not waste this beautiful day."

Dawn sobbed on my shoulder for a few minutes and lifted her head up. "I'll be alright. We can get the song finished."

I could tell from her expression that she was afraid that I would be disappointed with her. So, I did the first thing that popped into my head. I gave her a warm hug and a kiss on her cheek. Then I turned to Allison.

"Why don't we leave it up to Allison?" I said while I still held Dawn. "What do you think we should do? Should we stay here even if it takes all day to record that silly song, or should we leave now and go to the park?"

"Go to the park!" Allison said so quickly that the words almost blended together.

"Then it's to the park we shall go," I announced with finality.

Before heading downtown to the park, we stopped by Dawn's Condo, where she now resided with her aunt. There she got Allison changed and grabbed some towels. From there, I headed to The Original Hot Dog Factory, where I bought six hot dogs, a bunch of fries, cookies, and bottles of water.

Our picnic began well after we found a nice shady area to spread a blanket. Once settled, I passed out the hot dogs and everything else. As Allison ate, her eyes never left the multitude of children racing around and through the water fountain.

Unable to contain her daughter any longer, Dawn finally took off the little girl's outer clothes to reveal her bathing suit. Then for the next hour, Dawn let Allison run through the fountains of water that fired up into the air intermittently from a set of Olympic rings placed in the ground. Allison would squeal with delight when a jet of water would catch her as she ran back and forth across the area.

When Dawn decided that Allison had had enough sun, she called her daughter back to our shady area and gave her a cookie. I decided it was time to find out what Dawn wanted to do with her life.

"You don't care much for performing, do you?" I asked matter-of-factly.

Dawn looked at me nervously. "It's okay."

"I'm trying to figure out what we should do going forward," I explained. "So, tell me truthfully, do you like performing?"

Dawn sat very still, looking at me as if trying to determine what answer I wanted. I also sat very still, trying hard to reveal nothing as to my preference.

After an awkward silence, Dawn shook her head. But then she quickly added, "But I'll perform as long as you want me to."

I had my answer, and I knew what I had to do. "Actually, I have been thinking about canceling our concerts for next year. We don't need the craziness of another tour. We both have enough money to keep us for quite some time. And we still have a fair amount of royalty money coming in."

Tears suddenly flooded down Dawn's cheeks. "Are you firing me? Are you breaking up our act?"

"No, not at all," I responded immediately, shocked at Dawn's response. The last thing I wanted to do was give Dawn the impression that I wanted to be rid of her. "For me, I just like making music. I'm just a simple guitar player who sings. I enjoy it almost as much when I play my guitar and sing by myself as I do when I perform before thousands of people. It's all about the music. It fills my soul and makes me happy."

Dawn looked up at me and sighed. "I love singing by myself or for people who I love. But large crowds terrify me."

Before I could say more, a disturbance in the park diverted our attention. When I looked over, I saw three black and two white teenagers harassing people. Mostly, they seemed to have settled on elderly people because they were the most vulnerable. I hate bullies, which caused me to get up immediately. They had finally settled on one particular older gentleman and had already pushed him to the ground.

"Robbie, no," I heard Dawn plead as I scrambled to my feet and head over the help the man. "You'll get hurt."

If I had thought about what I was doing, I probably wouldn't have done it. I'm not a fighter and know only a minimal amount about self-defense. But as I said, I hate bullies, and I knew that most were cowards. So, I confronted the largest of the teens, who seemed to be the leader.

"Leave the gentleman alone," I said calmly but firmly.

"And what are you fucking going to do if I don't," the large black teen said as he pulled a switchblade from his pocket. He didn't push the button to open it, but that may have been because I immediately kicked him as hard as I could in the nuts. He instantly collapsed and rolled into a fetal position while I grabbed the knife and clicked it open. I hadn't intended to get into a physical altercation. My plan was to just guide the elderly gentleman away from trouble. But now I was in it, and I expected the other four to jump me. But other people had come running almost at the same time as me. When I looked for the other four teenagers, all I saw was their backs. They were running as hard as they could away from their friend and out of the park.

In the short amount of time it took to help the elderly man up, I was shaking like a leaf. As I was gathering my wits, a couple of ladies guided the man over to a bench. Moments later, Dawn was in my arms sobbing into my shoulder. Allison was clinging to her mother's leg crying.

"You could have been killed," she kept saying over and over again.

I reached down and picked Allison up onto my hip, and held her head to my shoulder.

"Hush, it's all right," I said as calmly as I could. "Nothing happened."

"I don't know what I'd do without you," Dawn said and kissed me on the lips.

I kissed her back and hugged them both. As I looked around, a crowd was beginning to gather. I knew that the police would eventually show up, and I'd have to answer a bunch of questions. I was relieved that no one had recognized us yet. We had to get out of there. So, I handed the knife to one of the men who had come to help and told him I was taking my family home.

When I started to drive away from the park, I noticed that Dawn was still shaking from my confrontation. A glance in the rearview mirror showed me that Allison's eyes were glued onto me, and her lips were trembling.

"Dawn, are you and Allison going to be alright?" I said, glancing in her direction. "Claire is taking that bus tour with my mom and dad. That means you'll be all alone tonight; you still seem very upset."

Dawn shook her head. "I was just so scared that you could have been hurt or even killed."

"Look, why don't we just extend the picnic at my house?" I offered with a smile. "We'll stop at your place, so you can get some clothes. Then we'll stop and get something for dinner. Perhaps it would be best if you guys spent the night with me. I can fix up the guest room for you and Allison. Would that be alright?"

Dawn nodded her head up and down with a smile growing on her face. Then she turned around to face Allison. "Allie, would you like to spend the night at Robbie's house with mommy?"

The squeal from the back of my car almost shattered my eardrums. "Yes, mommy. It will be like having a sleepover."

After getting to my condo, we watched a couple Disney movies, ate take-out Chinese, and then I led them to my guest bedroom. That night after Dawn and Allison retired, I went to my room and climbed into bed. I guess my encounter in the park had taken more out of me than I thought. Anyway, I was asleep in less than a minute.

Sometime during the night, I was awakened by the shifting on my bed. It took me a moment to realize that someone had slid under the covers with me. Then I felt Dawn's naked body press up against me. At first, I didn't know what I should do. But being a man, it only took a few moments and the urging of a certain part of my anatomy for me to decide. Perhaps now was the time to find out if Dawn and I were to have anything more than just a musical partnership.

"You feel wonderful," I said as I turned to face the beautiful woman in my bed. I kissed her gently and was rewarded with a hard, passionate kiss in return.

"Are you sure you want to do this?" I asked cautiously.

"Robbie, I started to fall in love with you the second time we performed in Central Park," Dawn said, caressing my face. "You were so kind to me the first time we played despite me being so suspicious. And I have to admit that it was mostly the money that brought me back the second day. But then, when I was late because I couldn't find anyone to watch Allison, I was in a panic that you wouldn't be there. When I saw you standing there with that warm smile on your face, it felt like my heart would burst with joy. And then you were so kind and patient with Allison. Until she met you, Allison never knew a man that wasn't mean to her. Her father screamed at her all the time."

"I'm nothing special," I protested. "And if your husband screamed at Allison, he must have been a real creep. Allison is as sweet a girl as you will ever find. How could anyone be anything but kind to her?"

"He was worse than a creep, but I was afraid to leave him," Dawn said with a catch in her voice. "I finally had enough when he took a belt to Allison."

I was horrified. "Did you go to the police?

"Yes, and he was arrested, but he didn't stay in jail very long. But during that time, I was referred to legal aid, and I got a divorce and a restraining order. Then I went to live with my aunt. But she was struggling to just support herself. Even with financial aid and food stamps, it cost so much to live in New Jersey. I was so scared, and so depressed until you sang with me that first day. When I got home and realized how much money you had helped me make, I was happy for the first time in months. I was finally able to pay some bills. And you had promised to sing with me the next day. That night was the first time I slept soundly in months. Ever since then, you've been there for Allison and me and even my aunt Claire. How could I not love you? Besides, when we were in the park today, you told everyone that we were your family."

"Well, know this then," I said, stroking her hair, "I do love you and Allison very much. And I want to take care of you both for as long as you'll let me."

"That would be forever," Dawn said as she kissed me.

We made love three times that night. It wasn't like having sex with either Suzie or Tanya. My first two wives had way more sexual experience than I did, and they had infinitely more experience than Dawn. As such, she resisted at first when I wanted to go down on her. Her husband had never done that with her. All he ever did was lube up his dick and stick it in. Then he'd pump until he came, and it was over.

I fingered Dawn to her first orgasm, and she smothered me in kisses afterward. Dawn was so turned on that she let me finally go down on her. And when I brought Dawn to another orgasm with my tongue, it was a wonderment for her. Then when I slid into her, Dawn moaned, and her vagina was pulsating around my cock. When I came inside her, she shuddered and kept thrusting against me.

Afterward, I watched her as she lay next to me. Her eyes were filled with love. I never realized how special it was to share this experience with someone who truly loves you. I now understood that this feeling of true love was totally missing from my first two marriages. I think my first two wives really liked me, at least initially, but never really loved me. My mother had been right about Dawn and me.

The next several months were hectic and stressful, but I was the happiest I could ever remember. I just loved how Dawn's face would light up when I'd walk into a room. And Allison became my special little buddy. If Dawn wasn't around, and sometimes even when she was, Allison would latch onto me. The people in the studio started calling her my shadow.

Over the next few weeks, as the lawsuits continued on their tortuous path, my relationship with Dawn grew stronger and more loving. I cut back on our workload and told Alex to cancel all of the concerts after the Grammys. He was slightly disappointed but not overly so. I told him that we would still do a concert or two each year, and maybe even a television special if there was a request for it. We also promised to keep recording new songs.

As the date of the Grammys approached, Dawn was looking more and more tired. But we were finally doing our last concert, and after that, Dawn could have a week to rest before the award ceremony, and then we were done for the year. We usually ended each concert with the old Patsy Cline hit True Love. However, before we began the song, I decided to do something I had been thinking about for several weeks.