Page 5 of A Little Christmas! 4: Song
“You hang on to that and text me if you don’t have enough at the store,” Solo replied. “You’ll need that money and then some when you head to New York next month.”
“As excited as I am to see the city, you know Carson is gonna get drunk as hell after every show. I’m not looking forward to holding his hair back when he starts puking or getting drinks thrown on me when he pisses someone off.”
“They need to chill the fuck out, especially in a new city where no one can get to you guys quickly if you wind up in a jail cell.”
“Which is the last thing I want,” Song admitted, sighing as he savored a veggie-and cheese-filled bite.
She never put meat in at night, which Song always appreciated, but then she’d helped raise him and had always made certain that he ate balanced meals every day, even when times were lean and they had to pass on grabbing meat just to afford fruits and vegetables.
“I know Suede and I taught you to stand up for your friends and always have their backs, but I want you to be careful in New York and not get into anything you don’t have to,” Solo said. “If Carson starts acting a fool, you do your best to get him out of there before shit pops off. If they won’t listen to you, then you grab Chuckie, and you tell him to toss their asses over his shoulders and carry them out if he needs to. I don’t want to hear about you getting hurt, got it?"
“I hear you, and I will,” Song promised. “Just wish he’d chill the fuck out or not stick around the clubs after we play, since that’s when he winds up getting into it with people.”
“If he can’t drink and maintain his composure, then he shouldn’t be drinking outside of his hotel room. You are rooming with Decon and Mark, right?”
“Oh yeah. Mark already has the hotel situation set up. I’ll get you the details before I leave, so you and Suede will know where to find me. I’ve got a few places I wanna visit for inspiration, and they’re all on subway and bus lines.”
“Good, I want you to enjoy yourself, though I’d prefer it if one of the others went with you when you head out exploring.”
“Decon wants to see the sculpture garden too and take a carriage ride and go to the aquarium, so we’re gonna do those together. I think he’ll go with me to the gallery and Broadway too, so I won’t be alone.”
“Perfect. Remember to take lots of pictures. You know Suede and I will want to see the things you experienced.”
“He’s not working tomorrow, is he?”
“A half day, which he was still pissed about when I talked to him,” she explained.
“That sucks. He never gets to have a life.”
“Or even a day off with how short-staffed they are now that new management has taken over the construction company and run off half the crew. He said it’s just staging tomorrow so theycan get an early start Monday morning, but they wouldn’t even have to do that if they didn’t keep bringing in temps who only stuck around for a week or less before moving on to the next opportunity.”
“I hate that he has to work so hard,” Song said, staring down at his half-empty plate. “If the band ever gets signed, the first thing I plan to do is finish paying off that damned second mortgage so he can quit working so damn much and start doing things he likes for a change. It sucks that he couldn’t go to college because he had to stay and take care of us.”
“I know, sweetheart, but we can’t change the hand fate dealt us.”
“Yeah.”
He ate a few more bites, her words sending a chill through him as the words rolled around in his head. “I think you’ve given me a new name for a song.”
“Really?”
“Uh-huh. The Hand Fate Dealt Us.”
“You have fun playing with that, but make sure you get a good night’s sleep first, so you don’t wind up falling asleep in your cereal again.”
“I will,” he promised before he finished the rest of his food and washed his plate and the pan and bowls she’d used before loading them all in the dishwasher.
His phone pinged as he turned away to grab her plate, now that she’d finished, and he quickly checked it, grinning at the message he saw.
I can’t wait to play with you on Saturday. Daddy says we can get some musical instruments so we can play pretend band.
Ohh, awesome. I can’t wait.
Me neither.
“Now that is a look I love to see on you,” Solo said as she handed her plate over.
“Zachy’s daddy is going to get us some musical toys to play with,” Song admitted. “I really like him.”