Another Day, Another Hotel
Like Father Like Son
"Here," Mike says, handing me a sleeping Jakob. It's after midnight and we're getting on the bus after packing up from the show. I heave my load up the bus steps and try to spot where Adie and Joey have claimed bunks.
"Hey," I smile at Adie as I make my way over. Joey's sitting on the bunk above her with his legs glung over the edge and he's yammering away about the gig.
"It was so cool, with all the explosions and fireworks and bad words!" he says with his eyes wide with excitement.
"He's a little excited," Adie says as I lay Jakob in the bunk next to her. I scoot him over to the wall to leave room.
"You've seen your dad's shows before, Joey," she says, I think to try and calm him down, but he just rambles on, a mile a minute. She gives me a 'we are never going to get him to sleep' look, but I just laugh. I'm amped too.
I hop up in the bunk next to him and say,
"I know, the pyrotechnics, right? I knew you'd geek out over that."
"Oh my God, it was the best," he says, his eyes glistening. "And, boy, if you ever cussed at home when you hurt yourself...'
I look at him. He's right. I hear Adie laugh underneath us.
"Of course you won't be repeating anything," I say, trying to cover my ass, so we don't get phone calls from the school.
He gives a crooked grin. "What, like," he mouths the word 'fuck'.
"Yes, like that smartass," I say, ruffling his hair. I can't but help think about how much like me he is. Good or bad, which ever you take it for.
"I won't, I promise," he says with big, pleading puppydog eyes.
"And don't teach your brother," Adie laughs up at us.
We talk like geetered-up six year olds until way past our bedtimes. I know he's getting tired because it's becoming longer and longer between his responses.
"You know... American stuff...like Civil War and Colum....bus," he says trying to keep his eyes open. Finally, he just passes out. I fish around the bunk for my iPod and turn it on to see the time. 4:28. Pretty good for a ten year old. I stretch to try and crack my back and ease down in the bed to go to sleep. It feels like I've been out for about seven minutes when I hear the blaring of a trombone in my face followed by giggling.
"Goddamn it, Jason!" I yell at out traveling horn section member Jason Freese. He carries that damn horn around with him to commit, in his words, random acts of evil. Evil is right. I groggily sit up and I get blasted by it again
'HOOONK!'
"GAAAH!" I yell back as I try and grab at the protruding slide, but it's no use. He pulls it away before I get it and I go tumbling over the edge of the bed and land hard on a Mike passing through to, I presume, go to the bathroom.
He says from under me, "If I piss on the floor because you won't get your skinny ass off of me, I blame YOU!", but it comes out muffled.
"Huh?" I say, but he flips me off of him into the mini fridge.
"OW!" I say as my shoulder blade connects with the door handle. From up it the front of the bus I hear a sleepy "Why is Daddy yelling?" from Jakob.
"He's brutally attacking the beloved horn," Jason responds and I can't help but laugh. Jason and his goddamn horn.
"Hey," I smile at Adie as I make my way over. Joey's sitting on the bunk above her with his legs glung over the edge and he's yammering away about the gig.
"It was so cool, with all the explosions and fireworks and bad words!" he says with his eyes wide with excitement.
"He's a little excited," Adie says as I lay Jakob in the bunk next to her. I scoot him over to the wall to leave room.
"You've seen your dad's shows before, Joey," she says, I think to try and calm him down, but he just rambles on, a mile a minute. She gives me a 'we are never going to get him to sleep' look, but I just laugh. I'm amped too.
I hop up in the bunk next to him and say,
"I know, the pyrotechnics, right? I knew you'd geek out over that."
"Oh my God, it was the best," he says, his eyes glistening. "And, boy, if you ever cussed at home when you hurt yourself...'
I look at him. He's right. I hear Adie laugh underneath us.
"Of course you won't be repeating anything," I say, trying to cover my ass, so we don't get phone calls from the school.
He gives a crooked grin. "What, like," he mouths the word 'fuck'.
"Yes, like that smartass," I say, ruffling his hair. I can't but help think about how much like me he is. Good or bad, which ever you take it for.
"I won't, I promise," he says with big, pleading puppydog eyes.
"And don't teach your brother," Adie laughs up at us.
We talk like geetered-up six year olds until way past our bedtimes. I know he's getting tired because it's becoming longer and longer between his responses.
"You know... American stuff...like Civil War and Colum....bus," he says trying to keep his eyes open. Finally, he just passes out. I fish around the bunk for my iPod and turn it on to see the time. 4:28. Pretty good for a ten year old. I stretch to try and crack my back and ease down in the bed to go to sleep. It feels like I've been out for about seven minutes when I hear the blaring of a trombone in my face followed by giggling.
"Goddamn it, Jason!" I yell at out traveling horn section member Jason Freese. He carries that damn horn around with him to commit, in his words, random acts of evil. Evil is right. I groggily sit up and I get blasted by it again
'HOOONK!'
"GAAAH!" I yell back as I try and grab at the protruding slide, but it's no use. He pulls it away before I get it and I go tumbling over the edge of the bed and land hard on a Mike passing through to, I presume, go to the bathroom.
He says from under me, "If I piss on the floor because you won't get your skinny ass off of me, I blame YOU!", but it comes out muffled.
"Huh?" I say, but he flips me off of him into the mini fridge.
"OW!" I say as my shoulder blade connects with the door handle. From up it the front of the bus I hear a sleepy "Why is Daddy yelling?" from Jakob.
"He's brutally attacking the beloved horn," Jason responds and I can't help but laugh. Jason and his goddamn horn.