Chapter 16
The TV blasted a repeat of ‘Friends’ in the background, as Gennie got ready. She’d showered and fixed her hair. She decided on a simple purple dress with skinny straps and matching strappy purple high heels; they wouldn’t necessarily be the most comfortable shoes, but damn, they looked good. She slipped the dress over her head, smoothed it out and stood to admire her reflection in the mirror. The dress hadn’t wrinkled; she was having a good hair day and a skinny day simultaneously! How lucky could she be? Everything was just falling into place. She slid on her shoes and started on her makeup.
As she was applying her lipstick, there was an urgent knock on the door. She peered through the peephole to see John impatiently looking down the hall. Shit! She hadn’t looked at a clock since she got out of the shower! She grabbed her handbag and tossed the lipstick in- she’d have to do it in the car. When she opened the door, John snapped his head back her way. He didn’t say a word, but stood there silently for a few seconds, looking her up and down. She swallowed hard. She couldn’t believe the spectacle before her eyes. He was certainly striking in a dark blue shirt and leather pants. His hair was expertly mussed. She thought she might have even detected a hint of eyeliner. He’d definitely dressed for something!
Without speaking, he grabbed her by the wrist and started walking toward the elevator. As luck would have it, the bell signaled the arrival of a downward ride. No one else was around, so they stepped right on; the door closing behind them. The short journey to the lobby was taken in absolute silence. John watched as the floor numbers counted down above the door, never loosening his tight grasp on her wrist. As they felt the slight bobble of the elevator arriving on the ground floor, John turned suddenly to look her straight in the eye. The moment before the doors parted seemed like an eternity. She was momentarily lost in his eyes. He licked his lips and took a breath as if to say something. At that instant, the doors opened and there stood Mike and Robby and Jack, camera in hand. John let go.
The three men in the hall took a collective intake of breath. “Gennie you look great, but does it always take you this long?” Mike asked with a smile as she stepped from the elevator. “We had to send him after you.”
She blushed nervously, not really hearing what Mike said. She was still dwelling on the potent exchange that had just taken place in the elevator. What was he about to say? And did anyone notice? She was grateful to have another excuse for her apparent embarrassment. “Sorry, I lost track of time. I hope I didn’t keep you waiting too long.” She followed the guys toward the front door where the car was waiting. John followed her.
Robby waived it off. “Nah, you’re fine. We’re not on any schedule at the moment.” He took another glance in her direction. With her heels she was now considerably taller than him. “You look…wow…breathtaking! That’s a great dress. You look good in purple.” He opened the door of the SUV that was to be their wheels tonight and helped her in. She scooted to the end of the middle seat, Robby sat next to her and Mike was next to him. John sat in the middle of the last row of seats. Jack took the passenger seat and turned to face them with the ever-present camera.
“Everybody looks so nice,” Gennie said checking out everyone’s chic attire. They were rock stars and looked it; even Mike who wore stylish black pants and a gray shirt. Robby, of course, wore black pants, but he had on a red shirt to liven up his usual monochrome color scheme.
“Too bad you can’t come along, Jack” Mike said, covering for him and being sure to get it on tape. “I hope you have something you can do while we’re havin’ fun!” he taunted.
Jack just grumbled. He was supposed to be the invisible presence.
Thirty minutes later they pulled up in front of the club that at ten thirty was crawling with people in search of a good time. They got out and made their way past the gawkers, stopping a few times to say hi to obvious fans. Reaching the door, they ditched Jack and headed to a semi-private room in the back of the club where they would be afforded some privacy. The room had it’s own bar and Robby’s friend was tending it. They all said hello, got a drink, then took a seat in one of the enormous round booths, leaving Robby to visit with his pal. John got up right away to buy a round of drinks.
“So Mike,” Gennie turned to him when John departed. “I haven’t gotten to talk to you much. What’s up?”
“You’ve been with me the whole time.” He lifted his eyebrows. “Except, of course, for the week you just spent getting ready!” he teased.
She poked him in the arm. “Looking this good takes time. And I gotta tell ya. I am lookin’ good tonight, baby!” she gloated, mocking herself.
Mike just nodded. “Yep.” He shifted in his seat and took another drink. “So, you’re having a good time?” he asked.
Her eyes lit up like stars, “Oh yeah! I’m having a great time. But, it’s all because you guys are so much fun. Otherwise, I think it would be an enormous bore. It’s nothing like I’d pictured it in my head.” She wrinkled her nose. “It’s not very glamorous.”
Mike laughed. “Nope. It sure isn’t. But it’s fun...most of the time.” He looked to the bar where another fan had intercepted John as he got the drinks. “I think it sucks to be him. That’s my opinion, anyway. Nobody ever bugs me.”
“Do you ever wish, though, that they did?” she asked truthfully.
He thought for a moment. “No, I can’t say that I do. I really love my anonymity. It’s a lot better than the alternative,” he nodded in John’s direction. “I mean I love my fans and all, and it’s not that I’m never recognized, but it’s just not too often. And when I am, it’s usually someplace where I’d pretty much expect it.” He chuckled, “You know, sometimes I’m not even recognized at our own show?”
Gennie’s eyes reflected her disbelief. “Really?”
“Oh yeah,” he smiled deviously. “I have fun with that! Those two,” he pointed to John and Robby, “They can’t do that!” John started to make his way back to the table, hands filled with a tray of drinks. A woman across the room called his name, and he heard it even over the noise. He bobbed his head and smiled to acknowledge her, but made no further effort. “See what I mean?” Mike said.
John set the drinks down before them. “You’re drinkin’ bourbon and seven tonight. I just bought a slew of ‘em,” he said holding up a glass. Mike and Gennie each grabbed one having finished their initial drinks. “Man, I’m glad we have this private room!” he remarked sarcastically. “See what I mean?” he said looking at Gennie, not knowing that Mike had just uttered the same thing. They were the first words he’d spoken to her since she’d seen him tonight. “Just once I’d like to go out and be a regular guy.”
Gennie looked at him skeptically. “Regular guys don’t dress like that.”
John shrugged. “I just wear what I like,” he pleaded defensively.
“Ha!” Gennie blurted out confidently. These were some strong drinks and she was feeling it already even though she hadn’t quite reached the bottom of her second glass. “Dude,” she shook her head disapprovingly, “You’re asking for it when you dress like that.”
John’s brows shot up, “What?”
“You heard me. You look like a…a...a fuckin’ rock star! What do you expect?!”
He gave her a beautiful, but defeated smile and laughed. “I expect people to tell me the truth. Thank you, Gen.” He threw an arm around her neck and pulled her close. She was flipping out on the inside; she hoped he wouldn’t notice. What was he going to do? She looked at him, uncertainly. He planted a kiss on her…head, the side of her head, right above her ear. She wondered if she should be relieved or disappointed. She wondered if he smelled her shampoo. She wondered if she should just calm down and drink another bourbon and seven. She went with that. She drank a few, in fact. Later when Robby came to the table bearing a collection of beers, she had some of those too.
Robby, who’d had a few, but not nearly as many as Gennie and John, elbowed Mike. “What’s up with them? It’s like they’re in drunken competition!”
Mike shrugged, “Hell if I know.” He’d been wondering the same thing, actually.
John and Gennie were goofing around, quite obviously smashed. It made being around each other much easier. It was just too intense otherwise. They were having a blast with the 80’s theme music for this evening. Normally the club wouldn’t have done something so cheesy, but there was a private party in the room that had made the request. What started out as a mildly annoying evening turned into more fun than any of them had ever expected; John and Gennie with each other and Mike and Robby watching them. Perhaps, unfortunately for them, Mike and Robby had thought to grab her camera to film their ever-increasing intoxication, not that they were much better off. They joked about how, someday, they would really be entertained by this video of themselves.
When the better part of the private party cleared out of the club, they started to liven up even more. John relaxed a bit now that he didn’t have to worry about who he would run into in the men’s room. Gennie realized that Mike was right. It did suck to be John. Two sheets to the wind, she looked at him, “Ya wanna dance?” Purple Rain had just come on and she couldn’t bear the thought of being in Minneapolis and not dancing to the Purple One.
“Shit, I don’t dance,” he mumbled trying to shake off her request.
“You want to dance.” This time it wasn’t a question. She grabbed his arm just like he’d done to her earlier, and led him out to the floor. There was no one else around. “It’s Prince, we’re in Minneapolis, how can you not? It’s only Purple Rain, not the toughest song to dance to. If you can get up on stage and sing a lovey-dovey song like Iris in front of ten thousand people, you’ve gotta be able to do this,” she looked around the room, “in front of no one.”
He pulled her close to him and they moved slowly. He hated dancing, but he’d had enough to drink that it really wasn’t bothering him, besides she was right. He concentrated on her eyes, which mostly were closed when she was singing along and swaying to the music. When she finally opened them, he looked at her for a long moment then whispered in her ear, “You look beautiful. How do you do this?”
She leaned back, “Do what?”
He just kept looking in her eyes. They were as blue as people always said his were. “Every time I see you, you’re prettier.”
She laughed. “Get real. You’ve had too much to drink; it’s the beer goggles talking. I admit, I do look nice tonight, but that’s luck as much as anything. A good hair day, you’re having one too, I see, and great shoes,” she giggled. She leaned side ways and pointed at her feet. “I just love purple, it’s my favorite color,” she smiled.
“Mine too,” he laughed and pulled her to him again. He loved her sincerity and the shoes were incredible.
When the song ended they turned to leave the dance floor, but she yanked him to a stop when she heard the next song, Just Like Heaven come on. “Oh My God! I LOVE THE CURE!!” she bellowed. “You gotta stay here and dance with me!”
He looked lost. “How in the hell do I dance to this?” She had already started bopping around, moving her arms in a fluid motion. It was like she was in a trance.
She quickly snapped out of it. It wasn’t a long song so they couldn’t mess around. “Look,” she sighed, “You grew up in the Polish neighborhood, right?” He was completely baffled how she could use this odd fact from his life for her purposes. He nodded. “Ok, then you gotta know how to polka. Am I right?”
He exploded with laughter. “Yeah?” The question mark that followed that word was bigger than the one tattooed on his leg.
“So let’s polka then!” She grabbed his hand and they started spinning, rocking back and forth. They weren’t very good, and the copious amounts of alcohol made them even worse, but they had never laughed so hard! Bizarrely, the dance oddly fit to the song. Tears streamed down their cheeks and they almost fell over on occasion, but they were oblivious to all the attention they were getting. Mike and Robby were flabbergasted by John’s moves. They stood by the dance floor certain not to miss a second of this oddball occurrence.
“I haven’t done this since I was a kid, and I really suck at it!” John laughed hysterically. “Speed polka…I love it! How do you know how to do this? You’re way better than me!”
She wiggled her brow at him and laughed. “That town I grew up in was pretty German. Not all that different from yours I would guess- lots of taverns, lots of beer, lots of churches and lots of cussing.”
He couldn’t believe this girl. She was a riot. Either she knew way more about him than he’d ever told anyone, or they were very similar. It was almost spooky.
When the song ended, Gennie yelled, “Stan was right. Disintegration is the best album ever!” alluding to the episode of South Park where Robert Smith made an appearance. She then quickly looked to John who stood with a surprised look on his face. “Sorry, man, but it is. You should know that. Robert Smith is a GOD!”
John laughed. “Ok. But that song isn’t from Disintegration.”
“shhh. We don’t have to tell anyone.” Gennie whispered drunkenly. She was glad he knew that.
They danced to a few more songs before they finally took a break. John went back to the table and grabbed another beer and Gennie headed for the bathroom.
Robby looked wide-eyed at John. “What the hell’s going on here? I’ve never seen you do that…I mean never.” He shook his head in disbelief.
“I don’t know dude. We’re havin’ a great time! Who knew she could polka?” he cracked himself up at that. Who’d have ever thought it was something he’d like about a girl? He fished a cigarette out of the pack and lit up.
Mike sat there laughing quietly at the whole situation. “You are going to feel like such shit tomorrow,” he warned. With that he excused himself and went to the men’s room.
Robby stared at John. “What is it with you two?” He was dying to know.
“I’m tellin’ ya, Rob, I don’t know. She’s amazing. She’s honest. She treats me like a regular guy. And, well, look at ‘er man, she’s hot!”
“I think you need to consider your feelings when you’re a little less shitfaced. Don’t do anything stupid, Johnny.” Robby was much more rational even when he was drinking. He was always the one to look out for his buddy. He didn’t want him doing anything he would regret.
A few minutes later, Gennie returned and upon hearing another of her multitude of ‘favorites’ grabbed for Robby this time. “C’mon Robby, I haven’t danced with you all night!”
Robby shrugged apologetically looking over his shoulder at Johnny as they headed to the floor. “Are you always this much fun?” he teased her.
She blushed. “No! But I am having a great time.” She laughed heartily. “I’m just happy to be out with people who can stay awake past the evening news!”
“Hey, I don’t always stay up this late. We’re getting old!” he said with a smile.
They danced to a few songs. He was a little better dancer than John; less self-conscious. He didn’t polka though. During their last dance he got up the courage to ask her something he’d been wondering all night. “What are you doing to my best friend? I’ve never seen him like this before.”
“I know! We’re having so much fun!” she answered honestly. “I really don’t know what it is. He’s a lot of fun. We seem to have a lot in common. We laugh at the same things.” She just smiled a silly smile and shrugged.
He could see the sparkle in her eyes. She was smitten. He was afraid his best friend was too. Maybe they didn’t realize it yet, but to Robby, it was abundantly clear. “You guys are becoming great friends and I never expected that to happen. Just like I told him, don’t do anything stupid, OK?”
She shook her head in agreement. They started back to the table when the song ended but Johnny came racing up to her, grabbing her hand and spinning her around for another turn on the floor. “I love THIS song!” he said. It was Cheap Trick…I Want You to Want Me. Peculiar choice, she thought…ironic even. If she had seen him go up to request it, she wouldn’t have been wondering. They moved around the floor not caring how foolish they looked; they were having fun!
When the song ended, the lights came up signaling the end of their evening. She couldn’t remember when she last had so much fun. They went to the table to gather up her purse and say good-bye to Robby’s friend and thank him for such an extraordinary evening.
Back at the hotel everyone made their way to their rooms and John stayed behind to see Gennie to her door. “I want to thank you for such a great time. You made me feel like a kid again,” he said with a bright smile.
“Me too!” Gennie giggled. “You’re a lot of fun for an old guy!” she teased. “But then, I just melt for a man in leather pants,” she bit her lip. The liquor was wearing off now and the anxious, intense feelings were coming back. She wasn’t sure how to handle them. Was this leading somewhere? She knew it was in her best interest to leave it alone and just be friends. She should be more than happy with that, right? “I need to get to bed. We’ve gotta get up early tomorrow. And you,” she brushed the hair from his eyes, “you need your beauty sleep. You’re gonna feel like hell tomorrow. Go to bed, get some rest.” She wanted to kiss him, but resisted the urge. She gave him a hug instead. When she held close to him, her lips grazed his ear, “See you in the morning,” she whispered. She backed away and slipped into her room, leaving him standing there, watching her go.
Behind the closed door, she stood in disbelief. She couldn’t imagine that she could have dreamed anything like this. Had she really just held Johnny Rzeznik in her arms and then sent him off to his room? What was she thinking? No, she had to convince herself it was better this way. It wouldn’t get complicated. She got ready for bed, but despite her tiredness, she couldn’t sleep. She kept thinking about him. There was something about him that she found irresistible. Something about him made her want to hug him and tell him everything was alright, she wanted to comfort him, and care for him, and love him…and she had no idea why...well, maybe she did. She decided it was the alcohol in her system. She went to run a hot bath and just relax. All would be well in the morning.
Similar thoughts ran through John’s head as he lay in bed. He really needed to sleep, but this girl just wouldn’t leave his thoughts. This wasn’t what he needed. When it came right down to it, she didn’t seem very interested. Most girls he’d been around would never have let this moment slip away just now. Hell, he didn’t even know if she was available. As far as he knew, she wasn’t married; he felt confident with that. But as for other relationships, that complicated things for both of them. Why did she have to evoke such strong feelings in him? And why, oh why, was there nothing on TV that suited this mood of his? Maybe if he read….he needed to sleep!