"Danny Boy! We have a crisis!", Daniel shouted on the telephone to the drummer.
"Whatzthamatter?", Danny said, still asleep. Damned mania of his road manager to call up people when they were sleeping! Marlene stirred a bit, while he tried to keep his mind, as Daniel roared on the phone.
"The press conference is today, eleven o’clock, and now it’s ten-thirty and you are still in bed! GET THE FUCK UP AND COME TO HERE NOW OR YOU WILL BE FIRED, DANNY, DID YOU HEAR ME?!?"
Danny jumped off the bed. The conference! May God be damned, he forgot about it!
"Alright, Daniel. Hold on while I am going.", he said, already on his feet, slapping the tiredness of his body.
"Right. And you just don’t know who arrived last night!"
"John Lennon?", he mocked.
"Actually, someone who does look like him.", Daniel answered, giggling.
Danny froze. The only person that was Lennon-alike for him was...
"Winston Harrison?", he asked.
"Right! Eleanor find him in Leeds. You would really like to meet him, boy."
"Of course! It’s been, what, two years since we last met! Five minutes and I arrive!"
With that, he turned off the phone, kissed Marlene goodbye, and hurried to get ready. In four minutes and fifty-five seconds he arrived at The Submarine. The old club and genesis of the Five-Piece was now the stage to the press conference that would promote Beyond the Last Gate. They would perform next week there, as a way to come back to where it all started.
When he entered at the dressing room, and improvised meeting room of the band, he saw all the typical mess of the Five-Piece crew. A quick spot, and he saw Mary, Daniel, Sparkle, Rhapsody and Sarah Fade-in ( the roadies ), Eleanor...and Hari, standing by the doorway, in some lousy leather jacket. The sight of the old friend made Danny Boy lose his feet.
"Warlock !", he shouted.
"Danny Boy, my deaf guy!", he shouted back. They exchanged hugs and greetings, typical of people who didn’t see each other for too long.
"Man, you don't look a second older!", Danny said.
"I wish I could say the same about you, boy. What have you done to your hair?"
"What, I had a haircut. My girl begged me so."
"Your girl?", he asked in amazement.
"Yea, the times, they are a-changing. I got married last year."
"Wow! So, what’s the name of the lucky girl? Is she that brunette you were always talking about?"
"Her name is Marlene, and she’s from Brazil. And yep, she’s the brunette of my dreams!"
Just when he was going to do some comment, the door opened up again. And, thru it, Brittany Willians entered the room.
Hari got scared. She had changed a lot, from the last they met each other. Her hair was golden, with some red and silver locks. She was wearing a long, crocheted coat, thick as a wall on the arms. Just like Eleanor had said - trying to hide what the needles had done. She looked like a porcelain doll - if you grabbed her a bit too tight, she would break into pieces.
"Morning everybody. Let’s face the crows!", she said, laughing, then stared at Hari. "Oh my! Am I seeing what I am seeing?"
"You are, my fair lady.", he said.
She shouted, and ran straight into his arms. "Damned Hari, I thought we lost you!"
"Well, Eleanor found me. How are you?"
"All is cool. So, boy, what are you doing here?"
"I am working here now. Doing all the things you can’t bother with anymore"
She was a bit too thin, and her voice didn’t get out very easily.Is she really as destroyed as she seems to be?, Hari thought.
"So you are now our jack-of-all-trades.", she said.
"To see how low a man can go for his friends.", he answered, with some mock in his voice.
"C’mon, guy, it’s not that bad, is it?"
Sparkle shouted. "Show time, guys! The crows are here!"
"Crows", Hari wondered "I bet that is the journalists."
"Bingo. Let’s go before I change my mind about this.", Britty said, in a tired sigh. The Five-Piece disappeared thru one door. Hari went to hear them at the audience.
If you ever been in one press conference, you’ve been in all. It’s more or less the same thing - same questions, some cut remarks, laughs at some dull reporter, flash bulbs exploding. Basically, the subject was the songs of Beyond The Last Gate, the shows at The Submarine and what they meant to the band, and some questions referred to James.
"Of course that I miss him", Eleanor said. "And the best thing I do to him and t his memory is to keep on going with the Five-Piece. He’d hate me if he saw me stuck on the cross road, refusing to go on."
"Do you ever think of finding someone new, Eleanor?", someone asked.
"It’s way too early to think about it...the scars are hurting still. All I can say is : definitely maybe!"
"Miss Willians, I have one bomb question to you."
Hari, from his seat, cringed. He knew what was going to be asked.
"Shoot your best bullet, dude", Britty said, with some wit. "I am ready to be yer target."
"Gossip goes around that you are dealing with heroin. Do you confirm it?"
Eleanor’s eyes gave all away, and Mary held back her breath. But the target of the question just laughed. "Of course that I don’t. Dude, I faint in front of a needle. Heroin is way too low, don’t you think? Think of something wiser to ask next time, dear"
"Oh Brittany you are a perfect actress", Hari thought "But I can see thru you. You are lying to them and lying to yourself. You can’t fool a master in these tricks...you’ll see"
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