Diane Dooley Zipless (retail) (epub)

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.“Maybe you should think about what else is important in life.” He and Banshee walked out the door without looking back.Lou turned back to the band.“Am I really that bad?”“Well, you don’t take too kindly to input,” said Bluto.“Or feedback,” Chiz added.“Or even suggestions.” Alasdair had finally broken his sulk.Lou took a deep breath.“I’ll apologize to Banshee.And I’ll do better.I promise.”Bluto propped his guitar against a speaker, then came and sat down next to her.Lou rested her head on his shoulder for a brief moment.“I’ll book a practice for this evening.But first I’ll go back to the hotel and make things right with Paolo.”Bluto took her hand.“I think it’s too late for that, Lou.”She stared at him.“Och, don’t be silly.He’s just throwing a strop.I’ll take care of it.He wouldn’t leave the band.Not on the eve of our big breakthrough.”Chiz pulled up a chair and took a swig from his vodka bottle.“He’s been talking about it for a while, Lou.”“What? He never said anything to me.”Alasdair pulled up a chair.“Aye, well, it was hard for him.Letting ye down, like.”“Letting me down? What do you mean?”Chiz took her other hand.“We all know how important this band is to you, Lou.After your mother died and you had to leave Uni and come home.Well, this was all ye had.”Lou shook her head.“No, no.It wisnae like that.” She thought, taking herself back to that time.“Paolo was sixteen.I wanted something to keep him out of trouble.And you lot, too.You were all into music.The band was just a way to keep you on track.It was never about me.”“Aye, lass.” Bluto patted her hand.“That’s the way it started.That was eight years ago.” He sighed.“But along the way…it wasn’t about us anymore.”“It was.It was too!”Chiz snorted.“Remember that song ye made us do?”“The Bloody Rag!” they all intoned in unison.Lou ducked her head.Not the best decision she’d ever made, to have the boys do a song about the challenges of being on your period.“I’m sorry.That was a terrible song.”“It was a brilliant song,” said Alasdair.“That catchy melody.When you played the recording for us, we thought it was clever and funny.”“But it wasn’t when we did it,” said Chiz.“I couldn’t show my face in the pub for months.”“But we were all much nicer to our girlfriends after that,” Bluto added, with an encouraging smile.Lou squeezed Chiz and Bluto’s hands.“I’ll do better in future.”Alasdair grabbed the vodka bottle and took a swig.Then another.“Lou.It’s over.”She shook her head.Alasdair handed her the bottle.“It is, lass.The way Paolo sees it, you gave up Uni and your dreams to move home and get a job and take care of him.And then you poured everything into the band.He’s being cruel to be kind by breaking up the band.Then you’re forced to get a life of your own and pursue your dreams.”Lou took a swig off the vodka.“Pursue my dreams? I dream of the band.How does breaking it up—”“Louisa Marzaroli!” Bluto turned her face to look at him, not gently.“When you went away to Uni what was your plan?”Lou looked at him, confused.“Study music.See if I could get a career out of my songs.” She shrugged.“Teach if I couldn’t.Your point?”“And then your ma got sick.You came home to take care of her.You buried her.You took a shit job and took care of your wee brother and his pals.” He kissed her cheek.“Eternally grateful, by the way.”“Still not seeing your point, Bloot.” She scrubbed at her eyes.The big galoot had made her cry.“And all that desire to create, to teach, to lead…” He looked upward, searching for the words.“That desire to fucking be something.All that got poured into the band, when it should be you on that stage, singing your songs about menstrual cramps and the fucking price of tampons, and the state of the prison system, and the death of your ma, and…and…and—”“Okay.I get your point now.But—” She grabbed the vodka and drained the last of it.“The stage fright, Bloot.I cannae dae it.I cannae.”“Jesus Christ, woman.If I can get up on a stage and sing about going on the pill to make the bleeding slow down, in front of a crowd of drunken Scotsman, then you certainly can, madam.”“Months before I could show my face in the pub again,” Chiz repeated, with a traumatized expression.“All my brothers still slag me about it,” Alasdair added.Lou buried her face in her hands.“I thought you all liked being in the band.”“I do,” Alasdair said.“But I’d rather be in a ska band.”“Metal band for me,” said Chiz.Bluto bounced in his chair.“I want tae join an American band.” He forgot about Lou and rubbed his hands together, his eyes gleaming.“New York City is fuckin’ fantastic.And the women.Sweet Jesus, the women…”Lou turned to her old friend.“Et tu, Blute?”He grinned at her.“Let’s go for a wee drink, hen.You’ll feel so much better with a drop more voddy in your body.I’ve heard of a great wee bar just down the road.” He took her by the arm and escorted her out of the building, turning in the opposite direction from the hotel, as the other two followed.It was still sweltering.The heat rose from the pavement in a slow wave of damp air.Suddenly the last thing Lou wanted was another drink.“I think I’ll just go back to the hotel.See if I can calm Paolo down.It’s stupid.This is our big break.Even if he does really want to leave the band, it would be better to do it after the show.Go out with a bang.” Lou smirked.She had exactly the thing that would appeal to Paolo’s romantic nature.One last great show.After that he’d be enjoying himself too much to consider leaving.Plus, if they put on a great performance, the label would be sure to sign them.Finally, after all these years…money!Bluto still held her arm.Alasdair and Chiz were watching him.He pulled out his mobile and checked the time.“Should be long enough now,” he mumbled.Lou caught the furtive glances between the three of them.They were up to something.The penny dropped [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]

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