Homecoming
by Nyssa Jayne
"You would've made the perfect bachelor," Natalie called over the top of the
baby's cry, as I watched crummy children's TV shows. "Watching that TV...
get ready for tonight, Taylor!"
I didn't like arguing with Natalie, in fact, I didn't much like arguing with
anyone. People been walking on eggshells lately so that the beautiful fans
didn't cry, and my parents wouldn't disown me, and so the baby wouldn't wake.
My brothers and I all attributed it to growing up, so we put away our Johnny
Rzeznick and The Goo Goo Dolls CD's and reached for the John Rzeznick and The
Goo Goo Dolls CD's. No one was happy with the arrangement, but there
wasn't anything that could really be done.
"Coming," I sighed. "Do you reckon it'll be fun tonight?"
"I always figured a homecoming would be fun," said Natalie. "I went on
tour with a rock band instead of going to the one my school hosted." She
looked at the baby, and didn't say anything more. "Oops," seemed like an
appropriate word to say, but I decided against it. It would've been funny
not that long ago.
* * * * *
"It looks like a prom movie," Natalie murmured. My sisters had become
babysitters so that Natalie and I could attend a homecoming hosted by the record
company. It was the first night of the new tour tomorrow night, and
rumoured to be worthy of a celebration where the teen band would sip wine like
adults because it tasted bad and it was easier to take in small doses. The
hotel function room was decked out in candles and disco lights, tables and a
dancefloor. No one would dance, but plenty of people would act mature and
just mingle and schmooze.
"You're both late, but you're here!" cried Isaac and Zachary.
"It was my wife's fault," I smirked, before smacking my head. "Oh, I did
not just tell that joke..."
"You're nineteen, not forty," reminded Natalie.
"I wonder if this is the school dance we missed out on?" Isaac questioned.
"If it means this poor excuse for a suit..." Zachary pulled at his drab threads.
"What happened to my yellow pants and Docs, man?"
"Didn't the stylist auction them off on eBay so she could afford to dress Taylor
in high fashion... mleh?"
"Excuse me? It went towards that pleather mleh of yous, Isaac."
"At least I can't be voted Homecoming Queen!"
"So anyway," interrupted Natalie. "Who's going to be here?"
"Record company people, competition winners, and about five people we actually
know," explained Isaac. Zachary began to count.
"One, two, three... Okay, so there's two more people we should know that are yet
to arrive."
"I think that's them over there," nodded Isaac. It was the work experience
guy, Ritchie, and the studio's gofer girl, Kynie.
"Thanks for inviting us, guys," smiled Kynie.
"Not a problem," winked Isaac. Zachary and Ritchie were strangely quiet.
* * * * *
"Taylor, she's just ignoring me!" whined Isaac, as I drank water from a wine
glass.
"Who, Kynie? But I thought you two were getting along really well."
"So did I! I'm trying to close the deal, but she's just gone cold all of a
sudden..."
"Give us a demo, and I'll give you some feedback."
"Cool beans, baby."
And so, I watched poor Isaac leave the dork at the door, and fail miserably at
being James Bond. The only think he could pick up with the act he was
putting on was the cheque. Kynie rejected him again, and he approached me
for the report.
"Isaac, you're not the Fonz, and you never will be. I think that's what
Kynie liked about you, your inner geek. Go grab some vegetables and rap to
her."
"Are you sure?"
"Positive, Ike." He went off to try again.
"Very good, Taylor," smiled Natalie, coming up to me. She offered me a
bottle of drink.
"Beer?"
"Your record company is paying." I didn't take the lid off just yet.
* * * * *
"Where's Zachary?" pondered Natalie, clutching at a half filled glass of
Midori and lemonade.
"Not sure. I haven't seen him since Kynie and Ritchie arrived."
"Kynie and Isaac are on the dancefloor." I turned to see them dancing away
with some fans. "I'm sure he couldn't have gone too far."
We searched the dancefloor, the tables and the bar, just about any place he
might want to hide. I saw Natalie poke her head into the foyer, falter,
and smile warmly.
"Shhh..." she hushed, as I came up behind her. I snuck a peek.
Zachary and Ritchie were sitting on a cushioned bench, poking each other and
giggling. Their legs were a romantically tangled mess, and nothing seemed
odd about the situation, it all just seem right.
"Zachary looks so happy," whispered Natalie. "Did you ever... y'know,
know?" I nodded.
"We were worried it would make him really unhappy, because it could be something
he might've had to suppress." Zachary and Ritchie noticed we were watching
them. Natalie and I waved them over. "Obviously not," I concluded.
"Sorry," Zac mumbled.
"Don't be sorry," I smiled.
"Come celebrate!" cried Natalie. She popped the top on the bottle of drink
I still held, as we headed for the dancefloor.
* * * * *
"Remember some of the nights on the This Time Around Tour?" smiled Natalie,
as we grooved to the jukebox. "We'd drink and sing and stay up all night,
and always wing it just right so that we didn't wreck ourselves completely."
She sighed. "How come we don't have fun anymore?"
"Because... of a lot of things," I shrugged. "The baby, for starters.
And work. And... everyone else." Natalie gestured to my two
brothers.
"No one has been themselves lately, we've all been stressed, with the new album,
tour, our baby, and all that new responsibility. You guys have had to deal
with responsibility before, as have I, like getting good grades and looking out
for your siblings. Some of them have just been replaced with new
responsibilities." She searched for the right words. "That doesn't
mean we can't stop having fun. It doesn't mean we can't laugh and dance
and drink a little. Look at everyone here tonight! The fans you
didn't want to see cry are giggling like mad, your parents still love you, and
we've only received an SMS from your sisters telling us how wonderful our child
has been tonight." She swung me away from her. "Be yourself," she
smiled. "It's worked for everyone you told it to tonight."
I looked at Kynie laughing at Ike's bad dancing, and Zac and Ritchie chasing
each other around, only to catch each other and smile.
"C'mon Tay," motioned Nat. "Where's the perfect bachelor I fell in love
with?" I took at swig at the bottle she'd handed me earlier.
"Right here."
* * * * *
"Meow." I opened eye, to see a fuzzy ball in front of my eyes.
"Meow." I opened both eyes and put my hands forth, to see what was
squeaking. "Meow!"
"A cat?" I murmured. Gently, I sat up in my bed, so as not to disturb Nat.
"Meow." I picked up the tiny little kitten who was sitting in my lap.
"Where did you come from?"
"You don't remember?" whispered Nat, rolling over to face me.
"Not really. I was half-asleep by the time we got home."
"... Neither do I."
"Meow."
Nat and I had been driven home in the early hours of the morning. We were
both tired and a little tipsy. We would've stumbled through the door not
in a drunken haze, but in a sleepy one.
"Can we keep it? It doesn't have a collar or anything." The kitten
gave me big, pleading eyes.
"Why not?"
"Meow!" Nat and I giggled. We didn't know where the kitten had come
from, but maybe it knew it would be coming into a happy family.
* * * * *
The show was a success. The fans laughed and cheered, and Ike, Zac and
I danced and sang. The funniest moment probably was when I bumped heads
and lips with Ike while we were sharing a mike. I made a comically
exaggerated note of wiping my mouth, so Ike gave me a playful shove, everyone
just thought it was a good time.
Out in the audience, I could see Mum and Dad and my siblings, Kynie and Ritchie,
and, of course, Nat and the baby, up in a secluded corporate box.
The next morning the reviews came out. Nat read it out, as the baby
introduced himself to the kitten.
"An enjoyable concert experience. The boys love rock and roll, and shout
it out with a joyous, youthful exuberance. Fans loved the genuine love and
enthusiasm coming from the band on the stage. Welcome home, Hanson!
It's a pleasure to have you back!"