Enjoy the next to last chapter before the epilogue. If you'd like, join the yahoo group: ca.groups.yahoo.com/group/futurecanadiansgroup . Also, you can email thefuturecanadian@yahoo.ca.
FAME Chapter 11 "What If It All Goes Right (Melissa Lawson)"
A year passed for Ian in almost the blink of an eye. He'd returned to the States from Timor Leste with a lot of things to think about life. From the very base, his career, to the very complex, life in general, he was forced to evaluate the way he'd been for years, the way he'd been since starting and then coming off drugs, the way he dealt with Joey, the way he dealt with his family. In those thoughts, in this moment, there was nothing that was free from scrutiny in Ian's pursuit of the perfect course to take in his life.
In the middle of August, 2007, Joey started what was going to be his final semester of school, ever. When he started going to Tuscaloosa early every morning, Ian was left with little to do. One morning, he woke with Joey, though, and as he left the house, Ian went into the basement, to his office, and started playing around with his piano. Before long, that playing turned into a tune that world hadn't ever heard before. With all that falling into place, he began to envision the worlds, stopping form playing only long enough to jot down some words, words that would late become lyrics. For almost a week, he worked on that one song. He only stopped when Joey got home, so as to devote himself to the man who he loved more than any other individual on the face of the planet.
Within a month, he'd written four songs: two in English, two in Portuguese. In all honesty, he didn't know if there would ever be anything done with them. He was just enjoying the fact that he was playing and writing, and even though he wasn't getting paid, he enjoyed working.
The following two weeks, until the end of September were somewhat of a blur. Joey had decided to stay with his friend Gina in Tuscaloosa for a couple of weeks, since he needed to be at his office every possible moment to wrap up work on his dissertation. Ian spent the time working while everyone was at school or work. In the evenings, he would go to his parents and hang out with them, or he'd go to the apartment that Danny and Jen had gotten together. He went to Tuscaloosa a couple of times to take Joey dinner and to spend a little time with him.
During the second week of October, Ian put all of his things on hold to be there for Joey. Joey was preparing for and then defending the document that represented part of his future, part of his very existence. On a chilly Tuesday morning, he woke at six in the morning to find that Ian had started getting breakfast ready for him. He wasn't permitted to cook by anyone in the family, but he managed to get a decent breakfast prepared for Joey: it consisted of cereal and fresh fruit. The two ate quietly and then Joey went upstairs to get ready. Olga and Gilda joined them at the house at around 7:30. They'd both cancelled their classes that day so that they could be there, both physically and emotionally for Joey. The four left in Ian's truck at around 8:00. Again, there was little more than silence in the vehicle as Joey continued to prepare himself for the defense of the document. Ian paced outside the conference room in which Joey was answering questions from his advisory panel. Gilda and Olga were joking around as they normally did when they were together. They sat there, though, and enjoyed the moment. They enjoyed themselves as they waited. They remembered the nerves, the anxiety, the anticipation, and then the climax of the moment. After almost three hours, Joey emerged from the conference room, shaking the hands of his professors and laughing with them. Ian turned and looked at Joey, as if he were an expectant father or something. Joey smiled as the professors walked away from where they were. For a split second, it was just the two of them. Ian knew from the gleam in his eyes that the defense had been successful. He cheered for Joey, despite the fact that there were classes in session all around them. As they walked back to the truck, Joey explained what the professors had said, that virtually no corrections were required, save a few grammatical errors that they'd found that had slipped through all of Joey's meticulous edits.
They returned home to find that a party in Joey's honor was already being devised. Jen and Danny were working on getting a dinner ready for them. Aaron and JJ were on their way with libations. Dan, who'd checked Pete out of school for some odd reason, was on his way after visiting the `Cozy Corner' package store in Calera. Some of Joey's friends were on their way from Tuscaloosa, including Gina and some others.
By the end of the night, Joey was happier that it was almost over than anything else. Despite the fact that there were people passed out throughout the house, the two of them made love in their bed that night. Ian was comfortable letting Joey take the lead and do whatever it was that his body led him to do.
The next week, Joey was much more relaxed, heading to Tuscaloosa for just as long as he needed to be there. Ian continued to work, venturing away from the house, though, to places he'd not visited in some time. He went to a little studio in Clanton that a friend of his from childhood owned and operated. It was there that he recorded the first of three songs that eventually led him to a decision that he had to make for himself: the decision to do, once again, what he loved doing more than Joey.
By Halloween, he'd recorded two songs, one in English and one in Portuguese. Malissia, his friend who owned the studio, used an extensive network of links to get Ian a meeting with Gerald Wildes, a prominent talent agent in the Atlanta area. When Malissia called him, Gerald went wild. He'd always wondered what it would be like to represent an artist as big as Ian. He came to Birmingham and met with Ian first, then Ian and Dan together. Around the time of Thanksgiving, Dan decided that Gerald's representation would be good for Ian, and gave his OK. Ian signed a contract with Gerald's firm the week after Thanksgiving.
Over the next couple of weeks, Gerald began fielding Ian's demo CD to some of his contacts within the industry. He purposely stayed away from labels associated with JamZone/Code United, Ian's old label. Gerald had decided that it was best not to even share the prospect of Ian's return to music with them.
One company in particular was especially interested in Ian's release. The CEO of the company, a woman by the name of Lissa Delisle heard the first minute of the first song and knew that it was something special, something worth giving a chance. She asked Gerald to get in touch with Ian and plan a meeting with him. Delisle's company, Global Entertainment Corporation, the same people that owned Global TV, as well as several other entertainment companies. As Gerald was getting in touch with Ian, Delisle and her people were working up an offer that Ian, in no way, could refuse.
Four days before Christmas, Ian agreed to meet with Delisle at her company's headquarters in San Francisco. On the 22nd, Ian, Dan, and Gerald arrived and were taken by limo to the Hotel Monaco, where they were all checked into posh suites, all at the expense of G.E.C. That evening, the three of them went to dinner and discussed random things, some related to Ian's career, others not. They returned to the hotel at around nine. Gerald went to his room and got on the phone with someone he had back home; Dan called Olga; Ian called Joey. Ian and Joey talked on the phone until neither of them could keep their eyes open any longer. When they hung up the phone at around two that morning, Ian grabbed the hotel phone and arranged a wake up call for six. He wouldn't have long to sleep, but he knew he needed at least a modest amount of rest before his nine o'clock meeting.
When he woke, there was a sense of urgency and anxiety. Part of him wanted the meeting to be over with; part of him was more excited than he'd been in years. He finished a light breakfast that he'd ordered and then met Dan and Gerald downstairs. Dan looked at him, in Dan's gaze, there was concern and pride, happiness and apprehension. He didn't want Ian hurt again, it was his way of being the protective father he'd always been, despite not being biologically related to the brown-skinned individual before him.
The three of them climbed into a long black limo. They sat there quietly as the driver took them to the tall daunting building that housed the corporate offices of G.E.C. They went into the lobby, where Britney Mason, an assistant to one of the people at the music division was waiting on them. She showed them upstairs to a conference room. The room was decorated with some of the covers of their most successful artists: The Daniel Skinner Five, a acoustic rock group, Cydni Russel, a contemporary R&B singer, and comedian Renaldo Reed were all there handing on the wall. There was also a space where a frame obviously hung. It was covered with a dark cloth, though.
At 9:05, three people came into the room and introduced themselves to Ian, Gerald, and Dan. They spoke for a few minutes as one of them explained that another person would be joining them after she got out of a meeting.
In the meantime, they asked him a million questions. Ian was excited talking about it to them. He wanted to do his own thing. He wanted to create music the way that he'd always done, with a raw emotion and passion that no one else could have experienced.
At 9:30, the door opened. Into the room walked an impeccably dressed woman. She was wearing a black suit that looked as though it had been designed especially for her. Her brown hair flowed down from her head, and her smile was genuine. The representatives of her company quieted their conversation as she walked up to them.
"Good morning, Ian. I'm Lissa Delisle, and I would like to welcome you to the G.E.C. family," she said.
"I've not accepted anything yet," Ian said with a smile on his face.
"I know, but for me, it sounds right."
"I concur," Ian said as they shook hands.
The seven of them sat down at the table, with Ian and Melissa sitting directly across from one another in the middle of the table. They talked about G.E.C. and what they expected from Ian. To put it bluntly, though, she was being vague.
Then, the person from the legal department passed everyone at the table a copy of a contract. Gerald was the first to note that it was shorter than normal recording contracts were. Dan began thumbing through it, reading it quickly so that he could effectively speak of the document.
"So Ian," Melissa said. "I honestly could care less about contracts and such. I mean, that's why I pay people care for me!" Ian laughed. "So what we want to offer you is an contract that is simple and to the point. We want you to record for us as long as you wish. There is no clause that restricts you to any specific length of time," she said as Dan and Gerald listened to what she was telling Ian. "You will be free to leave at any time you wish. Also, we want you to be able to do what you do without interference from us. To that end, we've created a label under the G.E.C. that will cater to you, and your whim. We haven't named it yet, as that will be part of your responsibility to the label."
"So you're telling me..."
"That you have your own label to do with what you desire," Lissa said. "Just make us money and we'll be happy."
Ian looked at Dan and Gerald, who were looking at that part of the contract. "Oh God," Ian whispered to himself.
"We're also going to completely fund the first two CDs you record for us," Lissa explained. "We've written you a check as an advance," she said as another lady there handed Ian a check. He opened the envelope.
"Holy shit! This is an advance?" Ian asked in disbelief as he handed the check to Dan.
"It's an advance. Anything else that you spend on the pre-production of the CD we will pay you back for," Lissa explained, a resolute and positive look on her face.
"Shit," Ian said as he looked at the check again.
They discussed a few other clauses in the contract. At the end of the meeting, Lissa said that she didn't expect an answer right then. She wanted Ian to go home, spend Christmas with his family, and then give her an answer after the new year. Ian was taken aback. Never had he imagined that he would get an offer that gave him the power to decide all things about his music for himself. That evening, they spent the night in San Francisco. He met with Daniel Skinner and Cydni Russell, the latter of whom was a self-professed `big fan' of Ian's. They hung out at the bar at the Monaco for some time. As Ian talked to them, he realized that they were just like he'd been years before, before what he was beginning to feel was the corruption of his previous label. At around 10 that night, he went upstairs and called Joey. Again, they talked for a couple of hours, until Joey's eyes were closing.
Ian though found himself unable to fall asleep. He went downstairs to Dan's room and knocked on the door.
"Mind if I come in?" Ian asked as Dan opened the door. He was wearing his boxers and scratching his head.
"What's up?" Dan asked as he grabbed a pepsi from the fridge in the room.
"BrAm Records," Ian said without thinking about the question. Dan looked at him and smiled.
"Sounds good, Kid," Dan said as he sat in a chair in the `living room' of the suite.
"Yeah. I just thought of that. Do you think...?" Ian asked.
"Yes. You need to do this, Ian. From a legal standpoint, the contract is solid. From a paternal standpoint, I'd hate to see you just wallow away."
"Yeah!" Ian said.
"You talk to Joey?"
"Nope. Well. We talked earlier, but I hadn't decided on the name of the record label," Ian said.
"Your Mom didn't want to let me off the phone," Dan said. "You know she really does love you, and she was so hoping that you'd want to accept the offer."
They talked for a while longer before Ian went back up to his room. The next morning, over breakfast, he told Gerald about the name of the label, and Gerald promised to get right on it. Ian said that he wanted to tell Lissa herself. Gerald thought it was a good idea, whipped out his cell phone, and called Lissa's assistant. They set up a meeting for ten that morning, to give them a few hours before their flights back to Birmingham and Atlanta.
The meeting went so well. When Lissa heard the label, she hugged Ian, again welcoming him into their `little family'. They made it to the airport just in time for their flights back to the South.
When they got back to Birmingham, Joey met them at the airport. Ian ran into Joey's arms as if it had been years since they last saw one another. Dan looked onto the scene and smiled as he jokingly told them to get a room and to take him home, because he couldn't wait to see Olga once again.
While they were stopped in Dallas, and while Ian was in the bathroom, Dan called Olga and broke told her about what was going on. She, in turn, told Pete, Danny, and Jen, who immediately went to a local store and grabbed poster board and markers. By the time Ian, Joey, and Dan got back to Montevallo, Pete had prepared posters, and with Danny's help, had hung them in the yard.
"Holy shit!" Ian exclaimed as they pulled into the yard. One sign, obviously in Pete's handwriting, read "BrAm!" Another read "2008: The Year of the Een!"
When they walked in, Olga rushed up to her oldest and began kissing him. "I am so proud of you, baby," she said as she looked into his eyes.
"Obrigado, mama," Ian said.
"So when do we get to hear your first song?" Pete asked.
"I dunno, Petey," Ian said. "You'll be the first, though. I promise."
"OK!" Pete said. The younger turned to Danny, "NA NI NA NA, NA, NA!!!" he screamed as he ran toward his room, Danny chasing him.
"No running in the house!" Olga screamed as they refused to pay attention. Ian a second, they head Pete scream, and then they saw Danny holding carrying him back downstairs.
In a bit, Gilda and Dan arrived to share the Christmas Eve dinner with the family. Joey and Jen's parents also brought along Gilda's mother, who was happy to see Joey and Jen, as well as to meet Ian and Danny.
In the spirit of the season, Joey and his father tried to bury the hatchet, but it was obvious that there was still bad blood between them. The whole of them left at around 10:30 that night, after a quite filling dinner. Olga went upstairs to get ready for a trip to the church she'd been attending for years. Ian and Joey went upstairs to get ready as well. It was one of those things that Ian always did with his mother. Jen also wanted to go, which prompted Danny to want to go. Of course, if Danny were going, Pete was going to go. Dan gave in as well and went upstairs to get ready. He didn't want to be there by himself. At 11:00 they left the house for the church, arriving just as almost every other catholic in the area. When Father Brad Carter, the man who'd been Olga and Ian's priest for years saw the whole family coming in, he took leave of his preparations for the mass and walked up to them. He greeted each of them with a kind face and hugs. Ian was the last person that he came up to.
"So you know it's been YEARS since you came to church," he said to Ian.
"Yes, father. I've committed a LOT of since my last confession," Ian said in response to the priest's joking tone.
The priest laughed. "Well. We'll take care of that later! But I would like to ask you a favor."
"Yes. I will play!" Ian responded, knowing what the priest was about to ask him.
Father Brad smiled as he escorted them to an area that was large enough to accommodate them all. He explained that he would invite Ian to play just before he was to do the communion. It was out of the ordinary, obviously, but that was part of how Father Brad worked.
The Mass began at around 11:45, with Father Brad welcoming them all to the church that evening. He spent 30 minutes doing the service as he always did, in his own fashion. At 12:15, he motioned for Ian, Olga, Joey, and Jen to come up to the altar, where they took communion. People wondered what was going on a little bit, but then they saw Ian walked to the piano that he'd donated to the church years before. He found some music that one of the nuns that played had left there. He began to play softly as the priest invited everyone else there to come to take communion. Ian played without stopping for almost an hour, as the people filed past the priests giving communion to the faithful.
At around 1, the service was over and everyone was leaving. So many people came up to Ian as they walked out of church and congratulated him on his recover. Some of the older members of the church remembered when he first played piano in the church, at a Christmas Eve service. They remembered him playing Silent Night' but forgetting the words and instead singing Noite de paz'.
The next morning was Christmas. Ian, of course, spent too much money on gifts for everyone, including Joey. For Danny and Jen, he bought them a week long trip for Spring Break to Australia, just because he'd heard Jen once say that she'd love to go there. For Pete, he bought Pete a handheld gaming system along with every single game for it that he could find. He gave Pete a gift card that could be used to buy more later. He bought his mother and Dan a trip to Portugal for their anniversary. For Joey, he bought his man a new computer, a Macbook Air, along with all the peripherals that he might (or might not need). What all of them were hoping most for, though, was a sample of the new CD, but Ian, true to himself and his own superstitions wouldn't share a single note with any of them. He didn't want to jinx it at all.
Over the next few weeks, after going to Puerto Rico for Three Kings Day, Ian began working on the next production, the first production on his own record label. He recorded two songs by the end of January. In February, he and Joey went to Lorenzia to record with Donya Ouença for the soundtrack of a movie about the life and love of King Alexander III and Prince Gavin, the king's consort. While there, he met Princess Margaret, King Alex's sister. They hit it off so well that Ian knew that she would be the photographer he wanted to hire to do the cover of what he'd decided would become the next two CDs.
For his and Joey's birthday, their second together, Ian took Joey to Buenos Aires for a few days of fun and relaxation, as Joey spent most of his time looking for a position. The latter refused to let Ian support him; it was out of his very nature. It was on that trip that Ian decided that he wanted a tattoo. Joey convinced him to wait until they got back to the States, though.
In the middle of March, after having recorded half of the two CDs he was releasing, he and Joey took another trip, back to Lorenzia. Their first night there, they hung out with Donya and her woman, Carine, at a swank dance club in Old Cabocha. At some point in that evening, Princess Margaret showed up to have a drink with them and discuss her ideas for the cover with Ian. Margaret and Donya had been friends practically since they first met in an elaborate plan to get Gavin and Alex back together after Gavin found out that Alex was really a prince.
Two days later, after recovering from their night out, Ian and Joey went from their hotel in Nordes, a posh suburb of Cabocha, to the Palaza Real d Cabocha, the residence of the King and Princess Margaret. At around 10 in the morning, they arrived at the palace by police escort. They were permitted to pass through the checkpoints without any problem as the car led them up the tree lined street to the main entrance of the palace.
"Holy shit!" Joey exclaimed as they drove up to the building. It was the largest building he'd ever seen. That, and he'd never imagined being at an actual royal palace and be able to go inside and, quite possibly, walk around in the same places where kings had walked.
"Imagine one day, you will have a house nicer than this," Ian commented.
"The house I live in now is nice enough, just because you're there!" Joey said as the two exchanged a quick glance as the car came to a stop. After a second, and a wink from Ian to Joey, a porter, dressed ever so formally, came up and opened the door. Ian and Joey stepped out of the car, thanking the man who smiled at them as they walked toward the door. There were ten guards standing outside, a tradition, Joey explained, that the monarch was in residence, something that made both of them quite nervous. Just inside, the King's assistant, Marcia, was waiting for them. She introduced herself before guiding them around to what Marcia called the `Great Hall'. As they walked in, there were so many pictures. The portrait of each of Lorenzia's monarchs were hanging on the high walls of the chamber. Inside, Princess Margaret was waiting on them. She told the hair and makeup people just how she wanted Ian to look. Quickly, they pulled Ian into a chair. One person snipped at his hair, while, afterwards, another did his hair just as the Princess had instructed.
Just before they were to begin shooting, the door opened. Everyone in the room stopped what they were doing and looked toward the door. Ian, out of courtesy, stood from his seated position and smiled as the sovereign of the European nation walked toward where he was standing.
"It's very nice to meet you," Alex said after Margaret introduced the two of them. Alex extended his hand to shake Ian's.
"The pleasure is mine, Majesty," Ian said as he smiled. He'd met people before, but none as important as the man who stood before him.
"This is my partner, Gavin Butler," Alex introduced.
"It's very nice to meet you, Gavin," Ian commented.
"I thought Margaret was messing with me when she told me that you were here," Gavin said as they shook hands.
"I can assure that it is me!" Ian said. "God, THAT sounded dorky."
"Not as dorky as what Gavin was saying last night!" Margaret interjected. "He was all about meeting some Ian Scott! He told me that he and Alex have an agreement that if they can cheat on each other with one person, and his was you!" she said to Ian as she looked at Gavin, who was blushing slightly. They all laughed together.
"I'm very honored," Ian stated as they continued to giggle. "Majesty, Mr. Butler, this is my boyfriend, Dr. Joey Ruiz."
"Ah!" Alex commented as they all shook hands. "What's your field?"
"History, Majesty."
"OH! Have you ever studied Lorenzian History?"
"No sir," Joey answered honestly.
"Well. If it's alright, while they're working and while my boyfriend drools, I can give you a tour of the palace, if you'd like."
"Really?" Joey asked. "That would be AMAZING!"
"Then let's go," Alex suggested.
"I'll be back in a bit, babe," Joey said to Ian. He was happier than a kid with a new toy. This was his thing, and Ian was happy to see Joey as happy as he was.
"Alright. I'll be here!" Ian said as they gave each other a gentle peck on the lips.
Alex and Joey left the room just a few minutes later. As they left, Joey started asking questions, questions about things that Ian honestly knew little about.
"Now! Gavin!" Margaret started. "You can't be breathing down Ian's throat," she suggested with a wink to the man who might as well be her brother-in-law.
"Mags! I promise I won't be drooling or anything."
"Oh!" Ian said, feeling comfortable enough to joke with Gavin and Margaret, given that he'd seen the latter drunker than he'd ever seen another person. "Your so very sexy, but please don't drool!"
Margaret laughed as she looked at Gavin, waiting for a reaction. "I won't drool, I promise. If I feel like I'm about to start, I will just go upstairs and take care of things!"
"My God! There is so much gay energy, it's almost unbearable!" Margaret joking interjected once more.
In just a second, they went back to work, finishing up the preparation for the first phase of the photo shoot. After a few moments, Margaret and the crew escorted Ian to another room in the palace, a room that had been prepared just for the shoot. Margaret placed Ian in front of a plain grey screen and began taking the pictures that she wanted.
"OK. For me, and not Gavin!" she started, "please take off your shirt."
"OK," Ian said as he took off the shirt to reveal the muscular frame that he'd worked so hard for.
A couple of the people in the room audibly showed their pleasure with the Princess' choice for the next set of pictures. She had Ian stand in a single position as she walked around him, snapping photos. She got a few good close ups of the new tattoo on Ian's left shoulder blade. She commented that it was a nice example of body art. It was a grouping of stars, in varying sizes. In the center one, there was a mock up of the Brazilian flag, complete with a miniature ordem e progresso' in the middle. Attached to it was a star with the flag of Puerto Rico built inside it. These two stars represented him and Joey. On the other end, there was another Brazilian' star, attached to a representation of the American flag, representing Olga and Dan. Two more stars were attached to those, stars meant to represent his brothers.
At midday, they broke for lunch. The palace staff had prepared a small picnic for the five of them in the back courtyard of the palace. They were waited on by several of the palace staff as they sat on the grass enjoying sandwiches made of Lorenzian breads, meats, and cheeses.
The second half of the day was spent in the Gardens of Queen Sophia. After changing into a new set of clothing, Ian and the crew went into the guarded area of the palace grounds. The light of the day was perfect; there wasn't a cloud in the sky. In a couple of hours, Princess Margaret had taken more pictures than in the first half of the day. By the time sundown came, Margaret had taken well over a thousand pictures of Ian in varying positions and in several locations inside and outside the palace. As a thank you, Ian and Joey took the princess to dinner. Gavin and Alex joined them at a restaurant that was willing to close its doors because the King and Princess were both present.
Two days later, after seeing Donya and Carine once more, Ian and Joey went back to the US where Ian continued working on the CD and Joey continued to look for a position. Ian went between Birmingham and Nashville on a somewhat regular basis as he finished up, over the next month and a half, the two CDs.
At the first of May, Ian held in his hands two CDs in jewel cases. One was called "The Year of the Een", so named by Pete, who thought that the title sounded cool. The second was the Portuguese version of the same CD, called `O anno do Een'. The day that he burned them, he held them in his hands and realized what it was that he was holding: his future, his passion, his babies, if you will.
That evening, Ian and Joey went to eat dinner at Fabiano's. Quietly, they shared what quite possibly could have been their final meal together for some time, just the two of them. They enjoyed some dishes prepared just for them by the chef himself. They enjoyed a nice bottle of wine before they took a taxi back to Ian's house.
They walked upstairs, hand in hand, and entered their room. They disrobed quickly and climbed into the bed. It was a short night by some standards, as the two clung to one another in an embrace spoken of so many times before through the annals of history and literature.
The next morning, Gerald arrived in Birmingham at 9:00 in the morning. He decided to drive from Atlanta, rather than flying. He said that the countryside along the I-20 corridor connecting the two cities was some of the most beautiful country he'd ever experienced. Joey took the two of them to the Birmingham International Airport at around 11:00. Gerald left them alone for a few minutes as they did whatever it was young lovers did.
"Joey. I'm going to miss you."
"You'll be back in two days," Joey countered.
"I know. But it will be two long days, I assure you," Ian said as he turned to Joey, looking at his lovers' face. "Babe. I'm not going to lie."
"About?"
"Us," Ian answered. "If someone asks about you, I'm going to tell them the truth."
"You don't have to, baby. I know that your career is important to you, and having the public know that you're gay certainly won't help you."
"Joey. Over the past two years, you have become my life," Ian answered as he repositioned his body. "You are my muse, my lover, my protector, my other half, my everything. I won't lie about my feelings for you."
Joey smiled as he looked out over the expanse that was the parking deck. "Ian. I love you, too. You mean so much to me, and I don't want to see you depressed or down because your career has taken a negative turn because people find out your gay."
"If you don't want me to out you or whatever, I will respect that. I will. I promise..."
"You know I won't ask you to lie for me," Joey answered.
"So we're agreed. If someone asks me about my love life, I will tell them that I'm in love. If they ask who it is, I will tell them that it is the most wonderful man alive."
Joey turned and looked at Ian. As best he could in the front seat of the truck, Joey turned and took Ian's face in his hands. He pulled Ian's face into his as the two locked their lips. He separated their lips after a second and looked into Ian's eyes.
"I love you," he stated simply, as if he'd not said that to this man just a few minutes before.
"I love you, too."
Joey smiled. "Now go, chase your dream. I will be here waiting for you in two days when you get back."
"OK. Tchau," Ian said as he reluctantly turned away from Joey. They both seemed to know that the relationship wouldn't be the same when Ian got back, but they were both still so shrouded by love itself that they knew that whatever happened, it would work out between them. That's just how they worked.
Ian and Gerald flew from Birmingham a bit later. Joey stayed until he was sure that their plane had taken off and was safely in the air. He pulled away from the space as he thought about Ian, and how his boyfriend was famous, and why his boyfriend would ever choose a guy as lowly as him to make his partner. Ian had taken him all over the world, to places and to situations that he'd never imagined. What if someone who could interest him more were to come along? Where would he go? Where would he live? What would he do?
As Ian flew across the country, Joey drove back to Montevallo. Rather than driving to the home he shared with Ian, he drove to Danny and Jen's apartment. He needed Jen to repay him for the numerous times that he'd been her shoulder to lean on. When he arrived, he found her to not be there.
"Hey," Danny answered as the door opened.
"Is Jen here?" Joey asked.
"No. She's still in class," Danny answered. "Are you OK?"
"I'm fine man. I'll just go...somewhere..." Joey answered. "Would you ask her to call me when she gets home?" Danny could tell that something was bothering him. It was obvious enough for Danny, a man typically oblivious to such things, to notice.
"I will, but you're welcome to stay here if you want. I won't bite any harder than my brother," Danny tried to joke, to lighten Joey's mood.
"Thanks, but..."
"No buts. Come inside. I'll fix you a drink," Danny responded. He moved out of the way as Joey reluctantly walked into the humble abode. Danny followed him, shutting the door and walked toward the kitchen as Joey walked into the living room. "So what's on your mind, man?"
"It's nothing man. There's just a lot of things on my mind."
"Like?" Danny asked as he carried two glasses of whiskey, neat, into the living room.
"I dunno..."
"Joey. Remember that you're talking to me. You don't have to sugar coat anything, and I'm not gonna run around and tell everyone what you're thinking about."
"It's about Ian."
"OK. What about Ian?" Danny asked as he pulled a computer chair up so that he `could look at Joey directly.
"Why?"
"Why what?"
"Why would he..."
"Why would he choose a guy like you?" Danny asked, assuming that he knew what Joey was about to say to him.
"Exactly."
"Listen. I know that my brother isn't perfect. I figured that out a long time ago, but I love him, more than life itself. My brother can be taxing on one's nerves; he can be controlling; he can be a micro-manager and a perfectionist, but despite that, I love him, because he is one of the kindest, hardest working men on the planet. He will bend over backwards to make sure that I'm happy or that Pete's happy."
"I know, Danny, but why would he choose to make me happy?"
"That's obvious. He's in love with you more than life itself," Danny said.
Joey looked as though he was going to cry. "Dude. It's OK. I promise," Danny commented as he rubbed Joey's knee.
"I love him so much, but I feel like I'm holding him back."
"I promise you're not holding him back. I can tell you that he's right where he wants to be," Danny said assuringly.
"What if he gets to going in his career again and meets somebody else?"
Danny smiled. "Dude. I've heard y'all having sex. I've seen you guys doing all that cutesy stuff together for almost two years. If Ian wanted somebody else, he wouldn't have kept you hanging like this for this long. He would have been up front with you; he would have been honest with you; and he would have let you go so that you could find someone better for you than him."
"I don't know..."
"Maybe that's best, Joey, but I can assure you that he would never INTENTIONALLY hurt you, physically or emotionally."
"I know..." Joey responded.
"So, when he gets back, why don't y'all have a talk about things? Explain to him where you're coming from, and then listen when he tells you that you're full of crap," Danny said with a smile on his face, letting Joey know that it was a joke more than anything. "OK?"
Joey held the glass up. Danny held his up as well. The two touched their glasses together as Joey tried to stop his mind from thinking the negative thoughts. A couple of hours later, Jen got back from school to find her brother and her boyfriend already half drunk, and it was barely mid-afternoon. Danny said something about wanting to kiss her; Joey reminded Danny that that was still his sister. Jen laughed it off, having enough faith that Danny would explain the whole thing to her later.
Meanwhile, Ian was arriving in San Francisco, his two CDs firmly in the pocket of his bag. He and Gerald grabbed their bags and again took a black limo to the Hotel Monaco. They checked into their rooms, but rather than waiting until the next morning to meet with Lissa, they agreed to meet her at the hotel. She was going to bring her computer so that she could peruse the CD for herself. It was only fair that she be the first to hear the CDs, since it was her company that had forked out the money for their production.
They talked at the bar for a few minutes before Lissa pulled out her computer and turned it on to listen to the CDs. She popped in the first one and waited for the computer to boot iTunes as she put the small headset into the computer. In what was her style, she closed her eyes and let herself get lost in the music. The CD opened with an original composition played by Ian on the piano. It flowed; it was passionate; it was original; and she liked it.
The next song was the song that Ian explained he wanted to be his first single. She liked it, but she switched to the next song after just a couple of minutes. She told Ian that she wanted to be surprised when she heard it on the radio or something. She listened to all 14 songs on the CD before turning it off and inserting the second, which Ian explained was the Portuguese version of the CD. For the first time, Ian had taken the same 14 songs and translated them between the two languages.
At around 9, as they sat there, Ian's phone began to ring. Lissa heard it and told him to go answer it while she enjoyed his music. He stepped away from the table and walked out of the bar after noticing that it was Jen calling. Before he could answer, the call had disconnected, so Ian called her right back.
"Hey," she said.
"Hey. What's going on, hon?" Ian asked.
"Not much," Jen said as Joey and Danny began screaming in the next room. "Do you hear that?"
"Yes. Are they having fun?"
"They seem to be, but something seems to be preoccupying Joey, and I can't put my finger on it. Is he OK?"
"He seemed to be this morning. I haven't talked to him since I left this morning. Do I need to come home?"
"No. Well, if you do, I will call you back," Jen said.
"Yeah. Please do."
"Alright. Talk to you soon," Jen commented as they hung up.
"Bye," Ian said as he hung up the phone. He walked back into the bar and sat at the table. He turned up his drink quickly as Gerald and Lissa sat there.
"Is everything OK?" Lissa asked, genuine in her concern for Ian.
"To be honest, Lissa," Ian answered. "I'm not sure. That was my brother's girlfriend. Apparently she and Joey are really drunk, and she doesn't know why."
"Who is Joey?" she asked. Ian looked at Gerald, who knew about him.
"Joey is my boyfriend," Ian answered.
"Awesome. You should brought him out here! Like I said, we're all family."
"So you're not weird by the fact that I'm gay?" Ian asked.
"God no! I've known you were gay since the first time I saw you on MTV. My gaydar's that good!" Lissa smiled at Ian with a wink. "And if you need to go back home, I can wait to listen to the rest of it. Home, after all, is the only place that we have that is truly ours. It is love unconditional; it is safety; it is security; it is what shapes our very being."
"You'll have to forgive me for doubting this whole situation, but are you sure?"
Lissa looked at him seriously. "Listen. I have a daughter, whose name is Love. She is the light of my life, and you better believe that if she called me and said that she needed me, I would drop what I was doing and be there for her. She's more important to me than this whole industry, just like I know that Joey is probably more important to you than this industry. Right?"
"Right," Ian answered.
"I appreciate your honesty," Lissa said. "Now. Go! Go check on your man...and bring him out here the next time you come!"
"Yes ma'am," Ian said as he smiled at her. After a second, she handed the CDs back to Ian and smiled at her once again. He ran up to the room and quickly packed up his few things, checking out of the room on his way down. Gerald and Lissa were still sitting in the bar talking about Ian. He walked in and shook Gerald's hand. He started to shake Lissa's hand, but she instead stood and wrapped him into a hug, one that made him feel a little bit better about slipping out of the meeting. The valet at the hotel got him a taxi that rushed him to the airport. Within an hour, he was on a flight back to Birmingham. When he arrived, at around 1 in the morning, he had a taxi drive him from the airport straight to Jen and Danny's apartment. He gently wrapped on the door as the taxi drove off. Jen opened it quickly, so as not to disturb Danny who'd already passed out in their bedroom. Joey was still awake, but barely.
"IAN!!!" he screamed when Ian walked through the door. Ian smiled widely. He struggled but eventually stood from the couch and walked over to his man. "How is my favorite boyfriend?"
"Since I'm kinda jealous, I better be your only one!" Ian joked.
"You know you are," Joey said as he kissed Ian on the lips. The smell of whiskey was most potent in that region of his body, though he felt like he could smell the whiskey escaping from his pores.
"I'm doing great now that I'm back here, babe," Ian answered.
"That is good. How did the meeting go?"
"It went well. She liked the CDs."
"YAY!" Joey said as he wrapped his arms around Ian's body. "We should wake Danny up and have another drink!"
"Let's just let him sleep," Jen said. Joey looked at her, stuck his tongue out, and gave his sister a raspberry. Ian and Jen both laughed at him for a second.
"How much have you had?" Ian asked.
"A LOT!" Joey said.
"When I got home at three, they were already drunk!" Jen answered.
"I wasn't drunk," Joey said.
"You couldn't drive to Taco Bell!" Jen said.
"I didn't need to be eating that shit again...I mean, after all, my man wasn't here," Joey said with a wink to Ian, who understood the joke and smiled.
"You're cute even when you're drunk."
"Well. To quote Fat Bastard' from Austin Powers: You're dead sexy'."
"I so thought you were about to say: `Get in ma belly'!" Ian fired back as Joey let him guide him to the sofa, where the two sat down.
"OK. I'm going to bed," Jen said.
"Danny's gonna be horny," Joey said.
"That's nothing new! Danny's always horny!" she said as she kissed her brother's forehead.
"Jen," Ian asked. "Would you mind if we spent the night here?"
"Not at all!" Jen responded almost as quickly as Ian had asked. "He's too drunk to transport anyway."
"Thank you," Ian said. Jen winked at Ian as the both looked at Joey, who was bobbing and weaving between being awake and asleep. Joey put his head in Ian's lap after a few minutes as Ian stroked his hair. Something was telling him that he couldn't go to sleep that night, though. Perhaps it was the fact that he knew something was bothering Joey enough to make him want to come over and get drunk with Danny.
Just a couple of hours after Ian's arrival, Joey was awoken by certain rumblings from deep within him. These were never the good kinds of rumblings after a night of bring chaos to order. Joey managed to pull himself off Ian quickly and run into Danny and Jen's bathroom, where he crouched in front of the toilet, where he felt like he was going to hurl.
Ian followed him in, grabbing a washcloth from beneath the sink and dousing it with cool, but not cold, water. He placed the open rag atop Joey's shaved head as the latter began spewing volley after volley into the porcelain bowl. Ian rubbed his back softly, comfortably.
"Thank you," Joey said as he sat back up, against the bathtub.
"For?"
"For the rag. For coming home. For being you. Everything," Joey answered, unable to look Ian in the eye for some reason.
Ian positioned himself and sat, cross-legged, in the middle of the tiny lavatory. "Why are you speaking so cryptically?"
"Because I'm still drunk, and I'm not thinking clearly."
"OK," Ian said.
"So why did you come home? Did the meeting not go well?"
"It went really well, actually. It's just that Jen called me a few hours ago and told me that she was worried that something was wrong and wanted to know if I knew what it was."
"What did you tell her?"
"I just told her that I didn't think anything was bothering you," Ian responded.
"Ian. Hold on!" Joey said as he repositioned himself at the toilet and threw up again. Ian again resumed his position so as to comfort Joey. After a moment, and a flush, Joey returned to his seated position. Ian returned to his.
"Ian. Can I ask you a deep question?"
"You can ask me a deep question, a shallow question, an Olympic sized question. Anything."
"Why do you love me?" Joey asked.
"Because you are kind; you are smart; you are very, very handsome; because you treat me like a king; because you love me for who I am, not what I am. I love you because when I see you, my heart still skips a beat. When a thought of you pops into my head, I always smile, and I always have a happy tune when you're around. I love you because you are stubborn, masculine, and you have absolutely no fear of anything. You're always willing to try something six times before you dismiss it, and you always give people the benefit of the doubt. Do I need to go on?" Ian said with a smile.
"Nope. I think I understand."
"So what prompted that question?" Ian asked.
"Because for the past few days, I've been thinking about a lot of things, and I'm not sure that I have any concrete answers to any of my questions, and that scares me slightly."
"What are your questions?"
"Promise me you won't get upset?"
"I will promise that I will certainly try not to get upset."
"So one of them is...what if you get your career going again, and you're on tour all the time, and we never get to see each other."
"Simple. I'm not touring. I'm doing a couple of appearances to promote the album; I'm doing a show in Brazil that will be taped and broadcast on TV. I'm doing a show in Birmingham and a show in Lisbon. That's it. And you're welcome to come with me, if you want. In fact, I think it would be really good for me if you did."
"Ian. I don't want you to put your career on hold for me," Joey said.
"I'm not. I'm doing these CDs how I want to do them, and I have the complete backing of the label to prove it."
Finally, Joey was able to look Ian in the eyes. He could tell that Ian was telling him the truth, as best he knew it.
"So what's your next question?"
"What if you meet some other famous gay person and he tells you that he's in love with you, and you really want to be with him..."
"Won't happen. You see. I only have eyes for one person. I don't even notice anyone anymore, and when people do pay me the compliment of telling me I'm hot, I think of you; I tell them thank you; and then I go on with whatever it was that I was doing. Joey..." Ian started as he placed his hands in Joey's. "I am so in love with you that it defies explanation or reason. You have stood beside me through so much of my shit, and I really do believe that I wouldn't be where I am today if it weren't for you, your love, your support."
Joey smiled through the intense pain in his head and throughout his body. "So what if I don't find a job soon. I won't be able to pay the bills and such."
"Joey. I will make a deal with you. I will pay the bills at the house UNTIL you find the job that YOU want. But you have to promise that you won't settle for a job because you feel like you need it. I know that you don't want to be taken care of like that, but if our situations were reversed, you'd make that very same deal with me."
"Yeah. Probably..."
Joey looked at him again, but this time, it was Ian's turn to see the emotions behind Joey's eyes. It was as if Joey were about to cry himself. "And you never have to worry about me leaving you behind or whatever, because you will always have a place right beside me. Or right behind me...or right in front of me, depending on how kinky we feel!" Joey laughed.
"God, I feel like a dork."
"But Joey, one thing that you have to remember is that..." Ian started as Joey looked at him, "you are the SEXIEST dork in the world!"
"Bitch!" Joey laughed.
"Pussy!" Ian fired back with a smile on his face.
"Man-gina! Thank you!"
"Yes sir," Ian said as he scooted closer to Joey. "So I was in the meeting with Lissa when Jen called."
"Oh shit! Was she pissed?"
"God no! She actually told me to come home and make sure that you were OK. Then she told me that the next time I come to San Fran, that I better bring you."
"So she knows and she's cool?"
"Oh yeah!" Ian answered.
Ian leaned over and hugged Joey as they sat there, pitifully, in the bathroom. Joey's body continued, for the next hour or so, to expel the massive amounts of alcohol that he'd consumed. On a couple of occasions, Ian left the bathroom to grab glasses of water to help hydrate Joey's body. On a couple of occasions, between hurls, Joey promised to himself and to Ian that he would never drink again, though Ian knew that it wouldn't happen again eventually.
Two weeks later, Ian and Joey went to San Francisco for another meeting with Lissa. She and Joey got along as well as Lissa and Ian did. Lissa continued listening to the CDs, though she'd already gotten the marketing team assigned to BrAm records on the case of promoting the CDs under Ian's criteria.
A month later, Princess Margaret flew to Birmingham from Lorenzia, staying with her brother-in-law's family as she went daily to Montevallo to finalize the artwork for the CDs. Lissa met them there as well to hear the formal proposal. Margaret, in her own way, had prepared a sample of the booklet that would be included with the CDs. She felt that since the two CDs represented different sides of Ian, that each CD should have a different set of pictures included. Ian and Lissa agreed, accepting the artwork as the princess had arranged it.
In the middle of July, Joey was beginning to get anxious. He'd been on so many interviews, and the only schools that had replied sent letters of denial. He was beginning to get a bit discouraged. Ian knew his boyfriend well enough to understand the apprehension and anxiety that he was feeling. Then, a position came open that piqued Joey's passion and curiosity: a position at the University of Montevallo in the Department of History. Given that Joey's department, as well as Olga and Gilda's, were both in the College of Arts and Sciences, Ian knew a bunch of people in the administration. He promised Joey, though, that he wouldn't interfere in the process. Olga was one of his references, though, as were several professors from the University of Alabama. A day after submitting his résumé, they contacted him for an interview. The interview went really well, and Joey began again getting anxious. On the second day after the interview, Joey received a call to tell him that they were offering him the position. He was so excited that he hung up the phone and turned and kissed Ian hard on the lips. The two then went immediately to the University to see Olga and Gilda, who were gearing up for a new school year. Like Ian, they were beyond happy for him, and they wanted nothing but his success. Two days later, Olga hosted a dinner at her home for all the new professors in Arts and Sciences and their families. It was a way for them all to network within departments around the University. Given the intense heat, most everyone congregated on the front lawn as Dan, Danny, and Ian worked to prepare steak for everyone to go along with the plethora of side dishes that various people from the University had brought for the festivities. The cold beer and soda flowed freely as well.
At 7:10 that evening, though, Ian and Joey, along with Olga, Dan, Danny, Jen, and Pete all slipped away from the party and went inside the house. Ian tuned the radio to 103.7...the Q, a local radio station in Birmingham. It was the time that the station had told Ian that they would debut his new single, right in the middle of prime time.
"Alright, guys and gals," the DJ started after coming back from a commercial break. "It's been two and a half years since one of Birmingham's own had his last big hit, but I think that streak is about to end. So...here's the exclusive debut of Ian's Scott's newest hit...'What's Left of Me'!"
Everyone was so excited to hear the song, especially Ian. That moment in time represented his transition from his previous mediocrity to his renewed superstardom. Olga was, perhaps, more emotional than Ian. It was Ian's time to shine; and nothing made her happier than to experience the glory that was her son once again. Danny and Jen danced to the song; Pete was permitted to jump on the sofa, which was never allowed. Dan and Joey acted, for a second, as though they were Ian's backup dancers.
They returned to the party outside after a second, with Olga bragging to everyone that would listen about the fact that her son was going to have another number-one hit. She could feel it!
The next week, Ian flew to Arizona for the taping of the video for the song, which was an English translation of his very first number one in Portuguese. In Brazil, the song was introduced as a revamp of the original version, complete with a new video and everything. After that was over, though, Ian began preparing for his first TV appearance in over three years. It was a performance that would, surely, make or break his career in music.