She moved around restlessly, touching my guitars, taking down my Martin and strumming it for a minute before putting it back.
She stopped moving and sat on a stool she had moved so she could be close and watch my reactions.
“And now the million dollar question. What to do about us. You know I have feelings for you, and I feel the same from you. It was easy when you were engaged and I was married, we could look but not touch. What happens now?”
I collected my thoughts. What I said now could determine the rest of my life.
“Moira, we’re friends, friends for a year. I’m glad. With Sandy and Sammi I just jumped right into love. We both know how that worked out.”
“Now, without any pressure, I’ve gotten to know you pretty well. I know you hate bigoted people, have very little tolerance for rudeness, and love children. I know you are afraid of snakes and thunderstorms. You stick out your tongue slightly when you’re concentrating, and you love to wear black.”
“You know you’re pretty but you don’t seem to be vain. You’re fiercely loyal to family and friends.”
“Most importantly to me, you seem to have an unending capacity for love. I want that love very badly.”
“Here is what I would like. We’re both coming out of flawed relationships. I want to go slow, build on our friendship. In the end, I want you to love me as much as I think I’m going to love you. Does that sound acceptable?”
She started to answer when I held up my hand.
“I want just one more thing. If it doesn’t work out, if you find you’re interested in someone else, tell me up front and walk away. I’ll make the same promise to you.”
She sat on the stool, staring into my face for a minute or so. Then she grinned.
“I find your proposal acceptable Mr. Patterson. I’d like to shake on it as friends.”
She held out her hand and I took it. She didn’t let go and pulled me to her unexpectedly, planting her lips on mine and giving me a very enjoyable kiss.
She pulled back, laughing.
“I wanted to shake as friends, but kiss as the lovers we’re on our way to becoming. Now, fill me in on the details of our new career.”
……………………
I had my conversation with Sandy and Sammi at the bar where we first met. After greeting my old friends we got a booth. It was early on a Monday evening so very few people were around.
Sandy started first.
“God Wiley, I’m so sorry for the way I treated you. I wish I could take it back but I can’t. Mom was dying, I was vulnerable, and he was very good at seduction. We never had a chance, you and I. I know it’s a lot to ask, if you and Sammi are really through, could we go out sometimes?”
The look Sammi gave her was murderous. I’m pretty sure she didn’t expect this. I cut in before she could say anything.
“I don’t think so, Sandy. Too much history. I don’t think I could go back down that road.”
She nodded, sadly. I think she expected my response.
Sammi was passionate, eloquent, outlining why we should try again. She didn’t take my traveling well, she was jealous of Moira or girls I could meet while out of town. She really did love me.
I just nodded.
“Tell me Sammi, if we got together again, what would change? I’d still travel. In fact I’ve been offered a job that will have me traveling all over the country, not just a few towns over. I’ll even be out of the country for two weeks. Are you telling me you could handle that?”
She was nodding vigorously.
“Yes, yes I can. I’ll be stronger, you’ll see.”
“I don’t think so. You were cheating on me before I met Moira, so that argument won’t fly. But tell me, would you sign a prenuptial agreement, excluding everything except what we would accumulate together?”
Her eyes widened and she hesitated before saying she would, money meant nothing.
“Really? Then explain this to me.”
I played a copy of the tape I had for them. Sammi slumped afterwards, knowing she was finished.
I felt a little pity on her.
“I’m sorry Sammi, but the fact is even if we could get past this, I’m just not in love with you anymore. I hope both you girls find somebody, I’m going to try to, sometime down the line.”
They were both sniffling when I left, but didn’t seem the least bit interested in consoling each other.
…………………….
In the end, The Smilin” Wiley Orchestra consisted of me, Moira, Jim, Al, all four guys from Horns For Hire, Frank and Amber from Hard Country. one of the violinists from the chamber quartet, and two new members.
Celtic Curry happened when an Irish engineer meets an Indian widow with two small girls while on a job in India, marries her and emigrates to the U. S. The girls embraced the Celtic music their stepdad exposed them to, and started a group with the younger brother that was a result of that union. The brother was following in Dad’s footsteps and going off to college to be an engineer. One of the older sisters was getting married, so I got Sarah. Her real name wasn’t Sarah but was hard to pronounce, so she chose one people could handle.
Jenny from Jenny/Ginny/Jen was at loose ends since her band dissolved, and was a perfect fit.
The orchestra had four women, one black, one Indian, and two white. Ten guys, if you count Freddie, three black, six white, one Asian. It was the least likely country band I had ever seen.
Of the fourteen of us, nine could play multiple instruments, so if we needed a sound, we could produce it.
Rehearsals were grueling but fun. I pretty much set the guidelines, so anybody could make a suggestion and it would be considered, but the eventual decision would be made by me and Moira, with input from Freddie. It worked.
I was wrong about the speed of the music business, or perhaps the ability of his producer, because ‘How Could You Love Me’ was recorded in four days, and the video was finished in one.
Of course, when all you need is two stools on a sound stage, and three spotlights, it is pretty easy. Van Halen spent six hundred fifty dollars filming the video for ‘Jump’, basically just taking turns filming each other jump around. They probably spent more than that on ours, but not a whole lot more.
He was supposed to lip sync and Moiras’ guitar wasn’t supposed to be on, but it came out more realistic to just let them sing and play.
He was in a spotlight dead center, and she was sitting just behind him to the left. I was in it.
I was one of the guys snapping in time. There was a spotlight on our hands and forearms, the other three guys were stagehands. Every thing was totally dark except the area under spotlight.
Moira insisted I be there because I was the writer. I was actually co-writer, and published the song in both our names. I wrote the basic lyrics, Moira wrote the music and suggested a few lyric changes that I agreed bettered the song.
It eventually peaked at number three, his highest charting to date.
‘I Got A Plan’ was huge. Nine weeks at number one, in the top twenty for thirty one total.
The man behind the video was a certified genius.
It started out in a small cafe for the proposal, with Freddie and an attractive actress. It switched to an empty lot where a house literally sprang from the ground. It was a modular house, moved to the site and assembled. It took five days, and that was just rushing a shell up.
While he was singing about the white picket fence it appeared in sections, and when he got to the line about two dogs, a cat, and all the kids they could stand, first the dogs and cat appeared on the porch. followed by two boys and a small girl, each holding a pet.
The scene changed and the house was surrounded by mature bushes and trees, with two old people sitting in a porch swing holding hands while the sun set behind them. It was Freddie and the woman, heavily made up.
It won awards.
……………………
We were in the big time, but we weren’t big time. With the band being so large we had to stay two to a room.
Imagine the surprise when Moira and I found out we were room mates. We asked Freddie about it and he seemed surprised.
“Frank and Amber are married so obviously they’re sharing a room. Sarah and Jenny aren’t romantically entangled with anyone I know of, so they share a room. You two are obviously together so we–”
He stopped, and started laughing.
“You mean you’re not, that is to say you haven’t, I mean seriously, you two aren’t sleeping with each other? Why? You’re glued at the hip every time I see you. I’ll ask one of you a question and the other answers. If you want, I can switch Moira to Jimmy, and you can split a room with Al. You know he’s gay, right?”
Before I could answer Moira decided the issue for me.
“I don’t want Wiley to be tempted to change teams. I’ve got my own plans for him. The room assignments will be fine just the way they are.
Come on, honey, let’s go look at our room.”
We had started out slowly, as we agreed. We went on real dates. It was kind of odd. We rehearsed and arranged for ten or more hours a day, then went home to the same house, went into separate rooms, got ready, and then went out.
We had to move to Nashville for the rehearsals, so we rented a four bedroom on a monthly basis. It was Jim, Al, Moira, and me. It was almost as cheap and a lot more comfortable than a motel room. We took turns cooking until we found Al couldn’t boil water. We all tried to teach him but it just didn’t take.
Jim and Al would go home about every other weekend so they could see their loved ones.
Jim and Moira’s parents had retired to Ireland, so she had no one to visit. Every other weekend we had the house to ourselves.
We explored. Found out on top of other things Moira was afraid of caves. Went to the home of Andrew Jackson. Hit a few of the well known bars that hosted open mike night. No one knew who we were so we did a few songs just for fun.