Rock and Roll Never Forgets (The Rock and Roll Trilogy) (16 page)

She was crying so hard she could barely breathe. She lay with her face in her hands, sobbing. All those months that she wouldn’t cry came in a flood. Saying nothing, he sat beside her and pulled her to him. With her head on his lap she cried until she finally fell asleep
.

Later, when she awoke, the room was dark; the only light was the one over the stove. Andy had eased off the sofa and was sitting on the floor softly stroking her hair.

“
Hey,” he whispered.

“I’
m sorry,” she said.

There was a horrible throb in her head from crying. She sat up. He put his hand on her leg to stop her, rose and reached to the end table and handed her two aspirin and a glass of water. He sat down beside her but said nothing. After she took the aspirin, he turned her toward him and held her, and she remembered the feel of his arms around her, and again she cried
.

‘
How could there be tears left?
’
She wondered,
‘
but there

were and they came in a flood.
’

“
How did we get here?” she mumbled, and then suddenly he pulled her into him. His lips were on hers and she said no more. He kissed her again, and again, and again. He kissed her eyes, her lips, her hair; he pulled her closer to him, and wrapped her in his arms. Finally, he pulled her to her feet and they went to the bedroom. They tumbled on the bed, but only slept. Beth wrapped in Andy’s arms.

They spent the weekend cooped up, locked inside and talked and talked, and talked. For three days they talked, yelled, cried, and they made love. It went on like that until they finally worked it out. There wasn
’
t much sleep. They covered a lot of territory in that time.

It was difficult, and as much as Beth didn
’
t want to know, Andy told her everything about Claire and the short time he was with her. He decided that he needed to come completely clean. He told her why it didn
’
t work before and why he went back, knowing it wouldn
’
t work again. It was hard for them both. Harder for Beth, but she needed to hear it. She experienced so many emotions. In the end it was the best thing, a cleansing; a purging of sorts
.

He explained to her that he felt like she needed more than he was ready to give. “Deserved more,” he said. All Beth knew was she needed to be with him.

March 26, 1982 ~
Us. Andy and me. Me and Andy.
I didn
’
t need any more than that. I had never, in all the time we had been together, talked about commitment in the way of marriage or family. I only needed comm
itment from his heart to mine.

First, they called
Roddy. He was happy for his friends. He’d hoped all along that they would figure it out and work through their troubles. He knew they were meant to be together from the beginning of their relationship. It pleased
Phyllis
when they called her
. As long as they were happy together, she was happy. They did not call; they went to Beth’s family to tell them. They weren
’
t as pleased. Especially Pops, he worried, and he said so. He told Andy so. Beth told him about her heart, about her soul and that with Andy was where she wanted to be, needed to be. And finally, with much hesitation, he gave them his blessing
.

Their hearts came back to each other, and they were a couple again. They fell into that familiar routine, and the days turned into weeks, and the weeks turned into months. They worked together to grow stronger. It became a comfortable life together, a comfortable routine. She was happy being with Andy. That was her life.

105

Rock and Roll Never Forgets

Chapter Fourteen

P
rogression… Another year and it all continued at a crazy pace.
The hype by the media over Andy
’
s indiscretion, and then his reunion with Beth had finally died down and they were settling back into their life as a couple.

There was much a
nticipati
o
n
over
the release of the new album
. T
he song, “To Hell and Back” was released, and topped the
BillBoard
charts. The sixth album also called
To Hell and Back
, was almost complete. It would be released in March. The record label was pressuring them to tour. Roddy, working for their record company now, worked very hard with all involved to keep the guys home for a while. They
’d
worked so hard for so long, one album after another for several years. They needed a break.

Roddy was still very much a part of the band, no longer just with Andy
.
It saddened Beth that they had yet to reconcile. She knew with time they would work out their differences. She still talked to Roddy almost daily, and he was there to support all the band’s needs.

They were all burned out, resistant to tour. Mostly they were just ready for a break. It seemed they were all ready to settle down. They were getting older, finding different paths, likes, wants and needs. Not that there was dissension in any way; this was a good thing.

There were changes taking place personally for the guys. Relationships that became steady, and settling. Family that brought new life into their work lives
.

Nathan was ready to stay home with Dina and spend more time with Megan. She was a busy girl, involved in many activities; these were important times in her life. Time had passed much too quickly, and Nathan was afraid he would miss something good. Megan was a beautiful girl with her mother’s good looks, and Nathan’s tall frame. She started acting in school plays. She had good genes and everyone saw a future for her in the industry.

With each day that passed Andy and Beth grew together. They settled into the routine that was their life together, and they were enjoying it. Beth continued to adjust to the life they shared because she loved him so much. Andy tried to make it as normal as possible but with the schedules the band kept it was still a circus at times. They were happy, and that was really all Beth needed.

She began doing volunteer work for the
Cancer Foundation
when she was home. It was something she became passionate about, a cause that meant something to her after Nana passed away. It kept her busy, mind and time, when she chose not to travel. Dina’s advice to her stayed forefront in her mind. She tried to continue a life that meant something to her and not just get lost in Andy’s. She learned she needed that diversion at times, other people, and an outside force. The fact that she was Andy Stevens
’
girlfriend was
a
plus - something positive for a change. Andy and the guys did a song called “From the Heart”
for the album and it would be released as the next single. They were donating all proceeds from that to the
Cancer Foundation
in Nana’s name.

After the album was complete Andy and Beth took a bit of a respite and traveled. It was fun travel, not touring travel for a change. They spent a week at the chalet in Colorado with Kimmy and Lane in February, and did some skiing. The ‘Florida girl’ was getting pretty good at it. She loved it there, and it was different this time; it was a nice couple’s weekend. They ate popcorn, watched movies and played poker with beer bottle caps, can pull tabs, and wine corks saved from many previous trips. It was just fun. Usually that was a very hectic, busy place. Everyone wanted to come along to play, and while there was definitely room, it just wasn’t relaxing like the cottage in Eleuthera. They both love
d
the island. It was peaceful and they could relax, there was no pressure to make someone else comfortable. On Eleuthera it was just them and Beth like
d
it that way the best.

~ ~ ~

Through the years Beth was lucky enough to experience many other bands and performers, because of
Traveler
’s
connections: some they toured with, some they were able to sneak in a side trip to so they could be guests. And they were able to get to see them up close and personal.
Journey, Sammy Hagar, Bryan Adams, The Rolling Stones, The Police, Van Halen, Blondie
, all of Beth’s favorites.
It was very exciting; all of it.

Andy surprised her with a trip to Ireland – a real vacation. They stayed at Bed and Breakfasts
,
toured castles a
s well as day trips to see
the lush green rolling hills and countryside. The big surprise was a visit to see their favorite group,
Thin Lizzy,
in Dublin. Andy
met Phil Lynott, the group’s lead singer, in 1976 and they stayed in touch. Phil invited them and Andy made the
arrangements
for their trip. Phil had VIP tickets for them.
It was one of the perks of their lifestyle.

~ ~ ~

These were times filled with excitement. They were spending a lot of time in Corpus Christi, a couple of hours south of Galveston, on house-hunting excursions, looking at bigger homes on the water. Andy was in the process of selling the house in Galveston and Beth would move in once they found the right place. After six years they both decided it was time, they were ready.

Exciting too, was the wedding being planned for Lane and Kimmy. He proposed on New Year’s Eve as the ball dropped. There would be a Christmas wedding next year.

But even more exciting, Andy received a nomination for an Academy Award. In January of the previous year Franklin Newman the writer and director of the movie,
Time Goes By
,
approached him to write a song for his latest movie. Franklin was a huge
Traveler
fan and wanted to work with Andy
.

The song was the title track for the movie. But this wasn
’
t the group, not the
Traveler
guys. It was Andy, solo. This was a first for him. He was hesitant to go it alone because of his devotion to the guys. But after hearing what Andy came up with everyone agreed, that a lone piano with just Andy was definitely the way to go. It was a beautiful song.

The movie was a box office hit, and stayed at number one for many weeks, the highest grossing movie of the year. It was a beautiful story that took a young man through the awkward stages of youth, through falling in love and then finding out he had a rare terminal illness with no form of treatment. It was a major tear-jerker, and surprising that Franklin went with no-name stars, and it was still a blockbuster
.

The movie cleaned up on nominations; Best Director, Best Actor, Supporting Actor, Best Actress, Best Screenplay, Best Picture, and Andy for Best Original Song. The song went to number one on
BillBoard
the second week they started playing it and stayed there for twelve weeks
.

When they notified Andy of the nomination it was exciting. There had been talk that it would be, but the verification was pure elation, satisfaction. They would be going to Los Angeles in March for the big event. With the timing of the album’s release it would be a business trip as well. Andy decided he’d take two dates, Phyllis and Beth.
“
A beautiful woman on each arm,” he said.

January 26, 1984 ~
I listen and wonder h
ow it couldn
’
t be the winner?
Andy
’
s style with the song, his passion, focused on the emotion of the words rather than just singing them. You can feel the messages so strongly. He wrote it while we were apart and told me that was where those feelings came from.

~ ~ ~

“I love L.A. this time of year. There i
s so much excitement in the air,
” Beth told Phyllis as they were out shopping. The three of them went out a week early and were staying at the beautiful
Hotel Bel-Air.
The shopping excursion excited
Phyllis, and she wore Beth out wanting to go places she’d never experienced. They had a great time looking for their dresses for the festivities, and finally found them at a small boutique on
Rodeo Drive.

They went in to browse and Phyllis would pick out a dress, step into a dressing room to try it on, and then come out to model it. She would prance in front of the big triple mirror, and giggle like a girl. The sales assistants had fun with her, too. She ended up with a beautiful deep red gown. It had long sleeves and a bateau neckline. There would be no skin showing for Phyllis
.

Beth found her dress at the same shop. It was royal blue, and something she really had to dare herself to even try on. She plucked it off a rack and was admiring it.

“Try it on,” Phyllis encouraged.

“Oh, I don’t know,” Beth hesitated, biting her bottom lip, contemplating. “I think it’s a little dramatic!”

“Well you won’t know for sure if you don’t try it on,” Phyllis said. “Go on, just try it.” 

The sales assistant was urging her as well. “It really is a flattering style for you, and the color is perfect.”

It had only one long sleeve, cut on an angle across the front to the sleeveless side, and cut very low in the back. It was daring…

She went in the dressing room and stepped into the dress
. T
he zipper was in the side with no sleeve and as she zipped it up the dress hugged her body. She turned and looked in the mirror, and smiled.
‘
Andy will like this!
’

Phyllis and the sales assistant looked at each other as she stepped out of the dressing room. “You have to get that one!” Phyllis said. The sales assistant smiled and nodded.

She walked to the triple mirror and turned, admiring. Then she looked over her shoulder and said with a giggle; “Sold!” 

April 7, 1984 ~I had to consult with the sales assistant on what went under the dress. It was so fitting
,
I needed to make sure I didn
’
t ruin it by choosing the wrong thing, and en
d up on the cover of something!

On the day of the festivities Andy treated them to a trip to the spa for the works; hair, nails, and make up. Phyllis loved being so spoiled
.

Back at their room, Beth waited until Phyllis dressed so that she could see Andy
’
s reaction to his mom. She was in a robe, ready to the point of slipping into the dress, but she wanted Phyllis to have her moment. She made a grand entrance, and Andy made a big fuss. He went to her and slipped a necklace with rubies in white gold around her neck. It went perfect with her dress
.

Then, Beth slipped back into the room to dress. She wanted to surprise Andy. It took only a few minutes and when she walked out Phyllis let out a faint gasp. Andy was speechless. He walked over to where she stood and held her at arm’s length. Taking her hand, he made her pirouette so he could see the back. As she turned Phyllis had her hand to her mouth and then it was Beth who was speechless.

Andy had reached in his pocket and pulled out a beautiful, emerald cut sapphire necklace. He turned Beth toward the mirror and laid it against her neck, letting it drop down her chest so she could see. It was stunning with that daring dress
.

April 10, 1984 ~
I could tell my choice pleased him. I was certainly pleased by his! It was like he read my mind and knew the color and neckline of the dress, or maybe I had read his!

“Bethy, I wish we were alone,” he whispered in her ear as he hooked the necklace. He then turned her to face him and rubbed his hands down her arms to bring her hands to his lips. Then she really could read his mind…

She thought he looked so handsome in a tux, she knew Phyllis thought so
,
too.

They arrived by limo and walked the red carpet. Someone asked
‘
who
’
Beth was wearing. Stifling the urge to say something obnoxious like; “Off the rack at J.C. Penney”, Beth made sure to know the name of the designer if someone asked, and she gave a shout-out to the boutique, as well, when a reporter did ask about her dress.

Phyllis
’
reaction to her surroundings brought back a flood of memories for Beth. As they walked, Andy kept his hand on Beth’s bare back, lightly, softly, caressing her skin every once in a while. He
liked
that dress.