Street Find Ch. 09

"You present yourselves very professionally for a new band. You obviously rehearse diligently and I don't see any reckless behavior by any of you. You represent a nice, clean, middle-America style band that appeals to a lot of people, young and old. You aren't a tribute band, and I understand you are developing your own music in a stepwise fashion. That's very wise. You have the talent necessary to succeed. Most importantly, you listen to your audience and you respond to them. That's huge, in my book."

"Thank you," Doreen said. "We've chosen you because you gave us an honest assessment of what we can expect. Right now, we all have day jobs. Whether we keep them or not is a matter for future discussion. We are committed to the music business, but most of us have either a family, or a mortgage, or both. Sooner or later we may be forced to choose one or the other."

"I doubt that," Bale said, shaking his head. "With a little direction from me and making sure you are properly compensated for your efforts, you should be able to make this a career. You're at the stage where you are undervaluing yourselves. You've made a big step this past summer through hard work and dedication. You've moved up a level and it's my job to make sure you get paid for that step."

We all felt good about Lyndon Bale. We liked him as a person and we liked his cool, calculated approach to how we should market ourselves.

~*~

With Stan back in business at the beginning of November, we learned that he and Doreen had come to an agreement. She was enjoying her time with the band and now that we had an agent to take care of the business end, she wanted to participate. She and Stan agreed to share the limelight. Doreen preferred the big concert, auditorium scene, while Stan was more than happy with the familiar club scene. It didn't matter to the rest of us. The talent was equally distributed between them. We didn't suffer at all no matter who was on the drums.

~*~

Gina and I got married in a civil ceremony on December 10th. Stan was my best man and Fran was maid of honor. Arden gave the bride away and within a short few minutes, we were man and wife. My grandparents were there of course, and they were very happy for Gina and me. The band members and their significant others were along as well. Evelyn Cryder was not invited, and did not appear. The girls' grandparents had passed on some years earlier.

We had a nice reception at Eleanor and Arden's home on a cold, windy afternoon. No one minded since we were in a cozy, fireplace lit setting. We were toasted with champagne and with help from Doreen and others, Eleanor had put on a very nice buffet spread. There was more food than all of us could eat, but we gave it a good try.

I had a terrific sense of achievement and comfort as I spoke the vows and we were announced as Mr. and Mrs. Edward and Georgina Murchie. If I'd had any doubts, they were removed when Gina sang that lovely song to me on my birthday. It was full of emotion and spoke from her heart. What more did I need to know about my darling wife.

Epilogue

We were sitting on the porch of our home one warm May evening. Young Robert was in my lap, asleep as I rocked gently back and forth. Gina was beside me in her favorite wicker chair, her bulging tummy looking as if it might burst at any moment. I was glad she wouldn't have to suffer the heat of summer before our little girl was born. We were still debating names, but I knew we'd settle on one soon enough. Robert Donald Murchie was just two years old. His middle name was my grandfather's name. Our daughter's middle name was to be Eleanor, a tribute to the woman who had rescued Gina and Fran's father. The first name was still up for grabs.

Our band was still intact and Lyndon Bale had been as good as his word. We were financially successful, as well as popular. We'd maintained all our good habits and it continued to pay dividends. No one could say we didn't come prepared to give the audience a Class A show.

Olivia and Fran had created several new songs and one of them had been nominated for a Grammy. It was not favored to win, but it got the girls a lot of attention, and they were being approached by established singers looking for fresh new material. They had chosen Lyndon to represent them, of course. The writing duo of Cryder and Garrison was being set up as a separate entity, and rightly so. If we couldn't use their music, someone else could.

We travel more these days. With the children and as big an entourage as we have, it was necessary to purchase comfortable transportation for the longer trips. We fly to places like San Francisco, Denver, and St. Louis. We drive to Portland, Seattle and other nearby cities and towns. We're still Spokane's Own, as our promotional material maintains. We received a commendation from city hall last fall for our promotion of Spokane and our support of tourism. We still make sure we are available for the Spokane County Fair, but we're the headliner now.

We're pretty choosy where we agree to perform. Lyndon doesn't object if we turn down a lucrative offer because it doesn't fit. He knew right from the start we weren't going to be on the go every week. He has a number of other clients, but he claims he likes us best. We don't give him a hard time and he responds well when we want or need some help. We've given up our day jobs, although we are well known in town, so dropping into the music shop is always a nice experience, renewing old acquaintances and shooting the breeze.

I have no idea where this path is going to go in the future. We are all still enjoying ourselves, so it's too early to tell if it will wear some of us out. I hope not. I genuinely like our fellow band members. We've become a family of our own, and very protective of each other.

Fran and Olivia are trying to adopt a child, but it's tough going for same sex families. They may try the private route, and we wish them luck. They will make great parents and we all hope they will get that chance.

Gina and I have decided two children are enough for now. We've invested our earnings in this lovely three bedroom home in the suburbs and it's our sanctuary when we aren't on the road. I have a feeling of complete peace here. With Gina by my side and our son and soon-to-be daughter close to us, it's as perfect a life as might ever have imagined.

END