Elegy - Chapter 31

Mr. Campbell was furious after the hearing ended. He glared at the sheriff and then at me before stomping out of the courtroom. I resisted the urge to smile at him in return, since he was still going to be a problem for me. Though, if the judge’s threats held any weight, maybe I wouldn’t have to deal with him for much longer. Besides, I doubted he could hate me any more than he already did.

“I can’t thank you enough,” I said, turning to Mr. Eaves, who was collecting all of his papers and putting them back into his briefcase. “I assume this means all my restrictions are gone, and I can go back to my life?”

“Yes. He can appeal, but if the judge also files a grievance, and I think she’s going to, I’m not even sure the Appellate Court would take it. Either way, the case being dismissed means that, yes, you’re off all restrictions. You can go back to playing your music and leave the state if you need to.”

I actually didn’t need to do that, at least not anytime soon. With my contract gone, the only work I could reliably get was at the Blue Ridge. While not the worst thing in the world, I needed to get in front of other audiences if I was ever going to be more than a local musician. That was tomorrow’s problem. Right now, I could at least be happy that I had my life back, even if that was bittersweet since Mom wasn’t here to celebrate with me.

“Well, thanks a lot. I owe you.”

“I was just doing my job,” he said. “Not that I’m not thrilled that we won. You did everything you were supposed to do, listening to me, and it all worked out. Meet me at my office on Monday, and we’ll make a trip out to the school district to start the process of getting you back in school, since I’m assuming the school administrator is going to still be something of a problem.”

“Yeah, he’ll almost certainly try to keep me out, even though the charges were dropped.”

“Then, yeah, let’s go see the school district people on Monday and try to get some common sense back in the world. I’ll call them after we leave here and get an appointment. I’ll also start working in earnest on your contract and see what kind of options we have available to us. You understand the least likely thing to happen, especially after we start talking to them about legal action, is for them to bring you back on, right?”

“I know. I’m pretty sure I’m done with them, no matter what. So now all I can do is try and get a little something out of it. What about the District Attorney? I can’t imagine he’s going to let this drop. If anything, I feel like he’s going to try and double down on what he’s been doing.”

“Maybe, but he’s going to have bigger things to worry about than you. He made a lot of mistakes here. Even if his end goal was to find something to get you charged with, he pushed too hard on a case that he had no chance of winning. In doing so, he went way, way out on a limb, and it got noticed. The best thing we can do is keep pushing him and not give him time to get all this stuff pushed under the rug. In addition to the other things I’m working on for you, I think we should file a wrongful prosecution lawsuit against the county. Besides getting you a payout for what they’ve done to you, if we can make it expensive enough and embarrassing enough for the county, he’ll become a liability, and the county will start looking at recalling him. What’s more, with the transcript of this hearing as evidence, we have a good chance of winning, too.”

“Good. I’m done being his punching bag and trying to stay off his radar. I’ve been used as a punching bag by the school district, by the label, and by the DA, and I want to punch back.”

“I get it, and we’ll work on it. Just be aware there’s only so much that can be gained from lawsuits. The best you can get in most of the cases is a payout, except for the school district where they allow you back in school.”

“If these people have to pay out enough money, they’ll get some repercussions though, right?”

“Most of them, yeah. No one likes paying out money they don’t have to, and their organizations will come down on the person costing them. Don’t expect that to mean people get fired. The DA is an elected official, so unless he gets arrested or recalled, or loses his license, he’s going to keep his job. And the execs who made the call on your contract are the people who decide to fire someone, so they’re unlikely to fire themselves.”

“I’m less concerned about the record label. I just want to get something back so that I don’t have to start over. I’d really like the rights to my album since I don’t know when I’ll get another one made, and I don’t want them to just sit on it. I do want to see Mr. Packer and Mr. Campbell out of their jobs. I know that’s not guaranteed, but I want to make sure they don’t come after me anymore. I don’t want to always be looking over my shoulder.”

“I’ll see what I can do. Okay, get out of here. I’ll call you Monday morning.”

I gave him a thumbs up and headed out, not really sure what I was going to do over the weekend. It was Friday, so theoretically, I could go back to the Blue Ridge, but Dwight and the rest of Willie’s band were already set to play, and I didn’t want to pull the rug out from under them. Also, I didn’t have a band at the moment, so I needed to basically rework all the music to fit just Lyla and me, and we’d need to find a drummer. I could get away with no keyboard, but nothing we’d written would work without a drummer.

I was still considering my options when I practically ran into Sheriff Gibbs as I exited the front door of the courthouse. Thankfully, he was paying more attention than I was because he jumped out of the way at the last second, avoiding a collision.

“Sorry, Sheriff. I wasn’t paying attention.”

“No problem. I’m sure you’ve got a lot on your mind. Congratulations on your win. I’m glad the judge saw things for how they are.”

“I owe it to your testimony. If it weren’t for you, I don’t think we would have gotten the case thrown out.”

“I only did what anyone in my position would have done. What the district attorney was doing was wrong, and I wouldn’t have stood by and let it happen to anyone.”

“Well, I appreciate it all the same.”

“Sure,” he said, giving me a tight smile and turning to continue down the courthouse steps.

“I have to ask, why were you willing to go out of your way and put yourself in danger to help me, but you also used this to convince Sydney to break up with me? I don’t get it.”

“Because you’re dangerous for her. I know you don’t mean to be, but you are a magnet for bad things happening, and I don’t want Sydney put in that kind of position.”

“Every time I’ve gotten in trouble, been a ‘magnet’ for trouble, is because I saw something wrong happening and tried to do something about it. I would never have gotten into so many fights at school if I hadn’t tried to keep Aaron, Harry, and Paul from beating up Hanna’s little cousin. I wouldn’t have gotten Aaron’s father gunning for me if I hadn’t stopped Aaron from assaulting Camille at Prom. I only try to do the right thing, and it feels like I’m being punished for it.”

“That’s completely fair, and as a person, I think you should be commended for being willing to stick your neck out for other people. But as a father, there is no one I’d want my daughter to date less than you. I know you’re just trying to help people, but you put yourself in positions where you make the kinds of enemies that put targets on you. Other people, they see things happen, they call the police or let someone in authority know about it. That’s what makes you dangerous. You act without considering the consequences.”

“So I should just call a cop and wait? If I had done that Camille would have been assaulted before you ever showed up. I guess my dad would still be alive, but my mom would still be dead. Sam would have had the crap kicked out of him, and the bullies would have been long gone by the time you showed up. Sometimes, there isn’t time to stop and think.”

“Maybe, but like I said, there are consequences. I’m glad you managed to get your case dismissed, Charlie. I really am. But please respect my daughter’s wishes and stay away from her.”

With that, he turned and continued down the steps. I still thought he was wrong, and it was insane to say someone should just walk away when they see something bad happening, just because they don’t want to get into trouble. He was undoubtedly going to face some kind of repercussion for standing up to the district attorney, and that would affect Sydney, but he did it anyway. To me, it was an unfair double standard.

Not that I’d want to be back with Sydney now. She walked away when I was at my lowest. She knew how bad I was hurting and called us off anyway, even though she’d said she loved me. If she was willing to drop me then, especially after saying that, I couldn’t ever trust her again. And I couldn’t be with someone I didn’t trust.

As soon as I got back to Wellsville, I headed straight for the Blue Ridge. I needed to get things going again, and that started with being back on stage. I already knew I wasn’t going to play this weekend, but I needed to find out if I was going to be able to count on this for regular work while I figured everything else out.

I could probably manage without it, since I had a roof over my head and Mrs. Philips refused to allow me to pay rent or even for the food I ate or any of the bills, but Lyla needed the work. Yeah, she was living with Tabitha, but no one wanted to be stuck, reliant on their significant other for everything. Besides, we needed money if we were going to start trying to book gigs out of town.

Chef must have seen me coming because he came out of the front door and was up on the porch before I even got to the steps.

“I hear congratulations are in order,” he said, beaming.

“Mr. Eaves called you?”

“Yes. Case dismissed and all restrictions lifted. I bet you’re feeling pretty relieved.”

“I am. That’s actually why I came by. I wanted to see if there was any chance I’d still get to play here, I …”

“Absolutely. I’ve had people asking every night when you were going to be playing again. Not just townsfolk either, but people who made the drive regularly to see you from all around the county. Lots of people have been missing your music. I might have to change the sign on the highway just so everyone knows you’re back. I already talked to Dwight, and he doesn’t mind splitting sets with you this weekend and going back to the old schedule next weekend.”

“I can’t do that. He’s already counting on working full nights all weekend, and I take enough business from those guys. Let him play this weekend.”

“He doesn’t mind, really. The audience has started to fall off since you’ve been gone, and some nights the count is lower than what he got for the second show since so many people would stay on to hear them after you finished. I think he’d be happy to do it.”

“I also need some time. The band’s split up, and right now it looks like it’s just going to be Lyla and me. I’m headed to talk to her next, but we have to rewrite everything to cut out the keyboard parts, and I’ll need to talk to Arnie about covering us on drums while we try and find a replacement for Seth. I know his elbow has been hurting him, or it was the last time I talked to him, and it’ll be hard to play both our set and Dwight’s, so I might need to come up with someone else.”

“Okay, I’ll let them know, but get back to me by Monday, and let me know if you’re good to play next weekend, because I really need you back and I want to market it a little to get things kick-started.”

“Yeah, I’ll let you know.”

“Good. Now, I know you rushed back here from Asheville, so come in and let me feed you, then you can run off and start taking care of things. I want to hear the details about how the hearing went and what your plans are moving forward.”

I really just wanted to get going, because I was excited to start working on my music again, but he held open the door and gave me a look that told me I wasn’t going to talk him out of his offer. Considering all I owed him, it wasn’t like I could say ‘no.’

After a quick meal and answering a barrage of questions from both Chef and the rest of the guys working there, who came out of the kitchen when they realized I was in the dining room, I finally made my escape. It had been a full day and it was getting late, but I wasn’t ready to head home yet.

Chef had made it clear that he wanted me back playing next weekend. The reason he gave was because he was getting a lot of requests for me to come back and play, but I think he really wanted to get me back up on the horse, so to speak. Dwight came by to set up while I was eating, and Chef had him come over and he practically demanded that I start playing tonight. Again, it felt like a setup, that maybe Chef had called Dwight to come by since it was a little earlier than they usually started setting up, but I wasn’t going to call them out on it.

However, I cut him off when Chef tried to bring up the need for a drummer. While I did need to talk to Dwight about that, I wanted Lyla to be present for that conversation. There were going to be some significant changes in how the band was going to run, moving forward, that could potentially make Lyla reconsider playing with me. I had given it a lot of thought since we last talked, including the drive back from the hearing, and I believed these changes needed to be made. If Marco was still in the band, I would definitely fire him, but Lyla usually saw the bigger picture and was more understanding. Still, I couldn’t spring my ideas on her and then tell her I unilaterally decided who would take over for Seth.

I texted her and got Tabitha’s address, and I made sure Lyla was home while I ate, but it still took me a while to find the place. Tabitha lived in a small apartment building on the south side of town. It looked like it only had six units in total and was set up like a strip mall, unlike what I had seen in other towns. It wasn’t located on the main road, which explained why I had never seen it before. I didn’t even realize the narrow alley actually had a name, let alone buildings with addresses on it.

Tabitha looked shocked to see me when she opened the door.

“Kid?” she said, which was how I knew she was shocked.

I was aware that was how she referred to me when talking to Lyla, but she had never actually called me that to my face before.

“Hey, is Lyla around?”

“Uhh … sure,” she said, and started to close the door before changing her mind. “Come in, I guess. Lyla, the ki… Charlie’s here.”

I stepped inside and stood awkwardly by the front door, with Tabitha standing across from me, arms folded across her chest, alternating between looking toward what I assumed was the bedroom and giving me questioning stares.

“Invite him all the way in,” Lyla chastised, coming out of the bedroom. “Charlie, stop lurking in the doorway and come sit on the couch.”

I edged around Tabitha and went to sit on the couch as instructed. While Lyla sat next to me, Tabitha remained standing next to the couch, arms crossed, like some kind of bodyguard. It was a little unnerving and was throwing me off.

“So, the case was dismissed,” I said awkwardly, trying to get the conversation started.

“Really?” Lyla asked, suddenly animated. “That’s great. Does that mean you can go back to playing in clubs and traveling?”

“Yes, I’m good to start playing again. I just got done talking to Chef, and he wants us back on stage by next weekend. I told him that should be doable, but I needed to come talk to you first.”

“Why? I’m in. I can’t wait to get back up on stage.”

I hesitated for a beat. I had thought about this conversation and what I wanted to say on the way over here, but I hadn’t found a way to say it without sounding harsh.

“I know you are, but … I’ve done a lot of thinking since we talked and since everything happened, and I think before you say you’re in we should be clear on the specifics of how everything’s going to go moving forward. I don’t want you to feel like I hid anything from you or tricked you in any way.”

“Okaay,” she said hesitantly, drawing the word out. “What did you have in mind?”

“First, we’re going to do this without Seth and Marco. I know Marco would probably never come back, although who knows? If we start having regular gigs and they can’t find anything, he might change his mind. But, they made their choice when they decided to quit, or I guess tried to go it without me. Then they doubled down on that decision when they decided to go to the label and tried to get a contract for the Wild Cats without me. I can’t trust them anymore, so if we do this, it’s just us.”

Lyla started to say something, but I cut her off, “I know, we need a drummer. For now, when we’re at the Blue Ridge, I’d like to ask Willie and Dwight’s drummer to sit in with us, so we will have steady work again. We will have to start interviewing drummers, and preferably find one who can commit to playing every gig, but I want to be clear with you that this is going to be a session musician. I don’t want to give someone else an opportunity to take things over again. You and I will write all the music and will decide on how the band progresses. Whoever we get on drums is welcome to offer input, but it’ll be just that. They don’t get a say in the final direction we take.”

That was the least drastic of the things I wanted to talk about, since it was already clear to both of us that Seth and Marco were out. Still, the words hung between us in an uncomfortable silence for a little too long.

“So where does that leave me and my role in the band?” Lyla asked, reading between the lines that Marco and Seth weren’t the only changes. “When we talked before, you said you still wanted me to be a part of it, but this sounds like you’re wanting it to be less of a band and more of a solo act with regular band members backing you up. And I get it. Since we talked, I’ve thought a lot about it too, and it’s clear to me that you were the only reason we were seeing any kind of success. There’s a reason the label only wanted to contract with you and not the whole band. I know I’m a good bass player, and I think I’m pretty good at writing songs, but I’m never going to get huge on my own. I know that. I guess what I’m saying is, if you want to make a clean break of it and just become a solo act, I understand.”

“That isn’t what I want. I can’t imagine doing this without you. You aren’t just a good bass player, you’re a great one, and I love your ideas. One Night Stand is one of our most popular songs for a reason. And it’s not just that. My own music is better when I can work on it with you. We work so well together, bouncing ideas around and figuring everything out. I wouldn’t want to do it with anyone else.”

“Okay,” she said, relieved.

“You’re right, though, that there are going to be some changes with how the band needs to be structured,” I said.

Her relief faded away almost instantly. There was no better way I could think to have said that. I knew it sounded ominous, but I also needed her to hear me out and understand what I wanted.

“When we start back up, we’re going to go out just under my name, kind of like how Ronnie Ralston performs under her name, but always has the same people in her band, backing her up. All of our future albums and performances will just be as Charlie Nelson. I know that might seem unfair, and if you don’t want to be part of something like that, I understand. What I don’t want is us getting into a situation like before, where the contract with the label was with just me, but I tried to alter it to be a contract with all of us. I thought I was being fair, but what I was really doing was putting us in a no-win scenario. We were operating among ourselves in one way and with venues and the label in a different way, and I think it caused a lot of our problems. Especially with Marco.”

“Yeah,” Lyla agreed, but she seemed deflated.

I knew it was going to be a bitter pill for her to swallow, but it had to happen. I wouldn’t come out and say it, both because I couldn’t imagine saying words like that out loud, and I couldn’t do that to Lyla, but she was right, there was a reason I got the contract and they didn’t. One thing this whole business with the charges, losing my contract and Sydney showed me was that sometimes you have to think of yourself first. Trying to bend over backward to be fair to everyone just made everything worse for everyone because it was all a lie. In a way.

“I’m honestly lucky I was too young to have a real contract in my name before; otherwise, if I ever manage to get the rights to our album back, Marco could make it difficult for me to sell it, even though the studio copyrighted it in my name alone, and not the band’s.”

“Yeah,” she said again, looking down at her hands.

Tabitha was giving me a death glare, and I was pretty sure she was going to toss me out any minute, which meant it was time for me to get to the upsides.

“I know this sounds horrible, and I’m probably coming off as a massive dick, but I wanted to be completely transparent with you about how things need to be. What I also want to make clear is that you’re not going to be a session player or just backup. You’re going to be taken care of and get a fair cut of whatever we make. We’ll get a contract written up for that, guaranteeing you a percentage as long as you’re with the band. We’ll also make it clear in the contract that any song you come up with, even if we work on it together, you’ll get the full writing credit. Any song we work on together, you’ll get a co-writing credit. Any album we do together, you’ll get a performance credit. I want to make sure you get your part of the copyright of anything you work on, so even if we break up, you keep getting residuals as long as they sell.”

“This deal is only for you,” I added. “Anyone we bring on later, to play drums or anything else, will get paid well, but they’ll only be getting performance rates, not part of the copyright, and they won’t get royalties beyond performance royalties. This is only for the two of us. We’ll hire whatever other support we need. As long as we’re playing together, I’m going to make sure you’re taken care of. I want that to be clear.”

“I don’t think it’s fair,” Tabitha said. “Lyla’s as much a part of your band as you are. She should be equal partners, fifty-fifty, not getting scraps you decide to leave her.”

“No, Charlie’s right,” Lyla said, looking back at Tabitha. “When I said he was the only reason we were seeing real success, and the only reason we might be able to make it again, I wasn’t kidding. I know you don’t like our kind of music, but you’ve heard us play. Charlie’s a once-in-a-lifetime talent, and he’s going to be huge one day. I’m good, but I’m not that good. Riding on his coattails, or whatever, is the only way I’m going to see any of the success I know, not think, know, he’s going to have. I won’t lie. Hearing it laid out like this is a blow to my ego, no doubt about it. But I don’t think he’s wrong.”

Turning back to me, she said, “I trust you, Charlie. If that’s what you need to hear to feel comfortable doing this again, I’m on board. I know you’ll make sure I’m treated fairly. I know some drummers I can reach out to who might work out for us. I think I’ll need them to come see us play first, because until they realize what a shot this is, and the kind of exposure we could ultimately give anyone who plays for us long enough, they’ll probably balk at your terms. Once they hear you though, I think I can convince them.”

“Did you just use a baseball term?” I asked, faux-shocked.

“I do sometimes listen when you ramble on about your stupid game. Plus, she likes it too,” Lyla said, jabbing a thumb in Tabitha’s direction.

“See what I have to put up with?” Tabitha asked, which was maybe the first comment she’d made where it didn’t feel like she was treating me like a kid.

“No kidding. Well, if you think you know some good drummers, let’s check them out because I don’t really know anyone.”

“You know this means we’re going to have to rewrite all of our songs to remove the keyboard parts, right?” Lyla asked.

“Yeah, I’ve already started on that, and we’re going to need to practice a lot this week if we’re going to be ready to play on Friday.”

“Dammit, I already told my mom I’d go see her on Tuesday and Wednesday,” Lyla said. “Maybe I can cancel.”

I knew Lyla’s family was from Charlotte since she mentioned it when we had the show out there.

“No, don’t cancel. We can practice tomorrow, Sunday, and Monday, and then on Thursday and Friday before we play. I’m still not allowed back in school, so I have a lot of time. We just have to put in longer hours on those days if we’re going to be ready.”

“Sounds good,” Lyla said, finally sounding hopeful and excited again.