Work in Progress Wednesday!

Last Wednesday we met River. Today we meet zir wife Natalie. She’s a riot.

Indianapolis

St. Louis

Chicago for two nights

Columbus

Boston

Buffalo

Detroit

Pittsburgh

Who wrote this schedule? Whom do I kill? Because somehow we are back in Philadelphia. The scene of the crime. Goddammit. This is torture.

And to make matters worse, Natalie texts me. “Meet me in the lobby bar?” This is it. My last night on earth. She’s going to kill me.

They’re sitting together in a booth. Side-by-side. This is my worst nightmare. I stop at the bar to order a double shot and a beer. I down the whiskey and take the beer to the table.

“Hey,” is all I can think to say.

“Hey,” they say in unison. Are you fucking kidding me? Did they plan that? They don’t even look at each other. They’re both staring at me.

Natalie breaks the unbearably awkward silence. “We want you to come to Europe with us.”

I laugh until I have to blow my nose. I might also be crying. Are these two kidding me? What the almighty fuck?

River tries this time. “We want you to tour Europe with Leaves Waking.”

I’m wiping tears from my eyes. Ze thinks if ze is more specific I’ll comprehend the message? Snarf!

“Oh, I knew what you meant,” I say to both of them simultaneously. “Why the fuck do you want me to do that?” I’m not angry. I’m genuinely flummoxed.

“Because people sing back to you,” Natalie says.

And I know in a lightning flash what she means. Because their fans sing back to me. People are singing my songs, my lyrics, my music. Holy shit.

“Yes. I’ll go,” I sound like I’m surrendering. Maybe that is what I’m doing. “Thank you for the opportunity. I will not fuck this up.”

Natalie’s grin is huge and she literally, I am not making this up, she actually crawls across the table to attack me. It’s a hug. Thank God.

River holds all three beer bottles away from zir woman’s antics and shaking zir head. But the smile on zir lips says it all. They’re going to survive this.

Good. Someone should.

What band do you think of when you hear the description of Leaves Waking?