Rock and a Hard Place (3 page)

“
I met someone,” Libby
blurted. Miss Orman looked up, visibly surprised. “At Parfrey’s
Glen, by my house.” Her pulse rate jumped just thinking about
it.

“
That’s great, tell me
about it.” She scooted her chair closer.

“
I was just sitting there
when this huge bus pulled in. It was this family that travels all
around. One of them, this guy,” her face warmed, “he came over and
talked to me for a long time. It was really sweet.”

Libby wrung her hands as she spoke. She
couldn’t hold back her smile.

“
Well, that’s terrific!”
Miss Orman leaned back and slapped her hand on the desk. “So who is
he?”

“
His name is Peter and he
is so nice.” She blurted. “He and his brothers are in a band and
they perform all over.” She couldn’t contain her joy as she
recalled their afternoon together.

“
What were they doing in
Rockville?”

“
Just stopping for a break,
I guess. When I left they were having a big picnic. They weren’t
performing here. I don’t know where they were going, but he said
they’re promoting their new CD.”

Miss Orman nodded. “Wow, that’s impressive.
So, what’s the name of their band?”

“
I don’t know. He told me
the name, but I can’t remember.” Libby looked toward the ceiling
and tried to recall. “Something like Double Danger, I don’t know.”
How could she have forgotten already?

Miss Orman pursed her lips giving away her
concern when Libby couldn’t answer.

“
He said they’re touring
the country,” she offered, to make up for her lapse in memory.
Libby realized how far fetched the story sounded.

“
Where do they play next?”
Miss Orman tilted her head just slightly and waited.

Of course, Libby didn’t know. She shrugged
and chewed at her lip.

“
Well, that’s still great.
Too bad we don’t know who the mystery man is. Maybe you’ll see him
again?” Miss Orman smiled, but this time it didn’t look
genuine.

“
I don’t know, I doubt it.”
Libby tried to predict how she and Peter would ever hook up again.
Most likely it would never happen. “Probably not,” her head dropped
and she focused on the floor. More than anything she wanted to
escape this tiny office and blend into the woodwork.

Miss Orman reached out and patted her arm.
“I think it’s wonderful you met someone, even if you never see him
again. Just think what a great memory you have. Heck, maybe he’ll
make it big someday and you’ll recognize him on TV.”

“
Yeah.” Libby’s spirits
deflated. It was all basically a dream. A really great dream that
no one would ever believe. Heck, she couldn’t even remember the
name of his band. Why didn’t she think to ask him more questions?
“Well, I better go.” She picked up her backpack and boosted it onto
her shoulder.

“
Hey kiddo, look on the
bright side. Maybe you had a brush with a future star.”

With a forced smile, Libby left the
office.

# # #

Heart pumping music blared through the
studio. Giant fans created wind-blown effects for the action
shots.

“
Peter, lower your chin.
Good!” James the photographer yelled over the music. James moved
constantly to catch every angle possible. Photo shoots tended to go
long and today was no exception.

The bright lights burned down as flashes
popped. Peter always got a kick out of all the primping for the
shoots and the goofy way photographers posed them for the perfect
look.

“
Adam, this way. Hold your
concentration! Remember, you are a serious rocker.”

Adam and Peter broke into laughter. “You
can’t say stuff like that if you want us to concentrate,” Adam
replied and pushed his fingers through his mop of curly hair.

The guys walked around the set and laughed
to shake off pent-up energy.

“
You guys are killing me.”
The photographer lowered his camera while the hairstylist came to
fix Adams hair.

“
Ya know, it’s hard to be
a
serious rocker
,
when you travel with your mom and she’s always nagging you to brush
your teeth and pick up your clothes,” Peter added.

James couldn’t resist
laughing. “Okay, this is the last set. Let’s pull it together for a
few more minutes. Remember, this is for
Rolling Stone
, it’s worth the
effort.”

Peter couldn’t get over the fact that
Jamieson would grace the cover of the legendary magazine. Their
popularity shot through the roof this past year. They were living
the dream.

“
Okay guys, I want you to
think brooding rocker, think Kurt Cobain, or Jim Morrison.” James
raised the camera to his eye.

The brothers, always consummate
professionals, fell back into place doing their best to follow
direction even though they were slap happy after three wardrobe and
set changes.

“
You do realize they both
died of drug overdoses,” Garrett added.

“
Yeah, and you should be
very sad about their wasted talent. Now show it to me on your
faces,” the photographer said with a pointed look.

The threesome switched gears and slid easily
into character. Peter thought about his dream to be a career
musician, not just part of a boy band with the shelf life of a
Twinkie. He intended to spend his life creating music, and to move
people with his lyrics and harmonies. Jamieson had been fortunate
with great reviews and success beyond his dreams, but this was a
fickle industry and he refused to be a flash in the pan. He wanted
to have a lifelong career like Springsteen or Bon Jovi. Their
careers had legs and so would his. Giving a serious expression
wasn’t so hard after all.

Twenty minutes later the primping and posing
ended and they headed off set.

“
Guys, grab some lunch
while we go over details for the rest of the day,” their
middle-aged manager, Wally instructed.

A few minutes later, with their plates piled
high, they gathered around a large table in a meeting room at the
studio. A good number of their entourage joined them: publicist,
make up, hair, security, manager and more.

“
We have another busy day
ahead of us,” Wally said scratching his balding head. He opened a
binder filled with tour information. “The CD signing at Virgin
Records begins in one hour. We’ll bring you in through the side
fire exit.”

“
That’s good,” Adam
interrupted. “We’ll know where to get out when the fire starts.
Cause we’re so hot!”

“
You are such an idiot.”
Peter said.

“
Security is already in
place, so hopefully we won’t have any problems like in Miami. Roger
has been working with store management. You have two hours to get
the crowd through the signing. We can’t go long because you have a
live interview with WABC-TV at four. Sound check follows that. Oh
yeah, tonight we’ve got a kid from Make-A-Wish who will shadow you
until after the concert. Anybody want to take lead on
that?”

“
Boy or girl?” Garrett
asked, wiping mustard off his fingers and onto Adam’s
sleeve.

“
Don’t you have respect for
anything?” Adam shook his head, wiped at the smear of mustard with
a napkin and tossed it into Garrett’s glass of soda.

“
Let’s see.” Wally ignored
them and looked over his notes. “It’s a twelve-year-old boy, his
name is Jacob.”

“
Nah, I’ll pass, but when
you get an eighteen-year-old girl, she’s all mine,” Garrett
added.

“
I’ll take him.” Peter
signaled, his mouth stuffed with a bite of sandwich. He grabbed his
Mountain Dew, took a long drag and swallowed. “What’s he got?”
Seeing kids suffer broke Peter’s heart. He remembered his own
hospitalization for appendicitis at age fourteen. He’d been
terrified. He couldn’t imagine how scary it was for kids who were
really sick.

“
Some kind of cancer. It
doesn’t look good,” answered Wally. “Roger, anything you want to
add?”

Roger, their trusty bodyguard, was tall and
built like a giant oak. Whenever they were out and about he became
a constant companion. Peter loved having him around. Roger served
in Iraq for a while and didn’t want to settle into a regular job
when he returned home. Working for Jamieson was anything but
regular.

“
Yeah, the crowds at Virgin
Records are huge and the entry space is tight. We’re gonna have to
make a fast in and out. No time for shout-outs or photos.” Roger
stared at Adam. “And yes, that means you Adam.”

Adam loved to let the girls fawn over him,
but it drove Peter nuts. Adam was so damned cute with his silly
grins. He held the group up constantly with his friendly, banter
and willingness to pose for photos with every single fan. Roger
constantly had to shoo the girls away. Probably the most difficult
job on the tour.

Peter loved the fans for their enthusiasm
and support, but that’s where it ended. There was a fine line with
fans and he wasn’t interested in crossing it. It was impossible to
connect with a girl who’d screamed your name moments before and
then trembled with nervousness the whole time she talked to you. Or
worse yet, cried. Touring wasn’t a normal way to meet and make
friends. He wanted to meet someone the old-fashioned way, not under
the guise of fame.

Peter thought of the girl, Libby. Meeting
her felt normal. No crowds, no cameras, just two people hanging
out. She looked so beautiful and relaxed sitting under a tree with
her long blond hair blowing in the breeze. He loved that she didn’t
know who Jamieson was. Even if she did, he wasn’t sure it would
make any difference. He wouldn’t mind seeing her again.

Wally interrupted Peter’s thoughts. “We’ve
got a busy day, so let’s stay on task. That’s all I’ve got.” He
snapped the binder closed.

# # #

After hours of hand-cramping signatures, a
limo whisked the brothers, their publicist, manager and bodyguard
to Madison Square Garden where the roadies finished their stage
setup. Including lasers and pyrotechnics, it took a crew of over
thirty more than twelve hours to create the enormous stage and
set.

The television crew from WABC was in place
and ready to film. A half hour in hair and make up and the Jamieson
brothers were ready as well.

They sat in matching directors’ chairs and
faced the interviewer, Andrea Jacobs. The attractive young redhead
wore masterfully applied thick makeup. She probably looked better
without it.

Two cameras were set among the many lights.
The news producer stood close by and began the countdown. “Five,
four . . .” He signaled the last three counts by pointing his
finger on each beat.

“
This is Andrea Jacobs,
reporting live from Madison Square Garden. Joining me today is the
chart-topping teen sensation, Jamieson.”

Peter hated it when the press reduced their
sound to a teenybopper boy band. The camera panned across each of
the brothers and then back to include all three as a group.

“
In a few short hours this
arena will overflow with thousands of teenagers and adults too!
What is your secret to attracting such a diverse crowd?”

Peter lifted his microphone. “It’s really
the music. Our sound appeals to a wide audience.”

“
No argument there,” Andrea
responded. “Your latest single is climbing the charts at record
speed. Last week it debuted at number seventeen and this week it’s
at number five. Is it true you write your own music?”

“
Actually, Peter is the
genius behind our music. Adam and I contribute, but Peter’s
instincts are on the pulse of what’s great,” Garrett
answered.

Despite Garrett’s many flaws, he always gave
Peter credit for their song writing success. Peter appreciated
it.

“
That’s incredible for
someone your age. You’ve written some amazing hits. How about Adam
and Garrett? Do you have a specialty?”

“
Adam is master on the
guitar,” Peter offered. “His guitar licks are awesome, and he has a
natural talent. Without him we would be a mediocre bar
band.”

“
And Garrett?” Andrea
asked. She licked her puffed-up, gloss-covered lips as she eyed
Garrett in a way that made Peter uncomfortable.

“
I play bass guitar, drums
and sax. In addition, I work on the business side of things too.
We’ve been working a long time to make it big in the music
industry. I make sure we stay on top of the trends and work to come
up with ways to stay successful.”

Peter nodded in agreement. Garrett was
annoying, yet effective.

“
You are a group of
talented young men, mature beyond your age.” She directed her
comments straight to Garrett. He gave her a sly smile.

It was impossible not to mature quickly when
you carried a multi-million dollar business on your back. The
livelihood of dozens of people relied on their success. If a CD or
tour flopped, their team would be out of work. They worked day and
night to stay on top.

“
We opened our email up to
Jamieson fans to ask some questions. Here’s what some of your fans
want to know,” Andrea said. “Who is bossiest?”

“
Garrett!” Adam and Peter
said at the same time.

“
Hey, someone’s gotta tell
you what to do,” Garrett said.

“
Who has the most
girlfriends?” she asked with interest.