Kid A
Three.
Thom stopped talking to us again and we all got really worried. None of us knew where we were but it seemed like a lot of it was that we just got lost without him. With a group like us you just get lost when you don’t have one of your members, and in ways it makes what we have better but in times like this it just wears on you…
Colin and Ed and Phil all wouldn’t stop trying to get Thom to come back but he just didn’t respond… He just needed a break, we all could tell he did, but we’d come to that point where it wasn’t just about us anymore, it was about everything. Still, I let it be for some time. I figured that if the other three couldn’t get through to him there was no point in me trying…
“Thom, look, I know it’s been hard. We’re all losing ourselves here and we know how you feel… Just… We miss you. And if you need a friend I hope you know I’m always here for you.”
He didn’t respond to that for the next couple of days, but I guess I wasn’t expecting him to. At this point everything rested on him, and the four of us knew he would pull through even if it took him months to get himself together. And so Colin, Ed, Phil, and I went out and did interviews, visited radio stations and bookstores, kept our names out there for the sake of the band. Sometimes it seemed like everyone was a little disappointed when they saw Thom wasn’t there, but they still seemed happy and things were working out.
It took a week or so but eventually I heard a knock on my door; Thom finally came around, a bit. “Hi, Jonny.”
“Hey, Thom. Come in!”
He twisted his mouth, but followed me inside to the kitchen and sat down at the table. He let out a sigh.
“Thom, do you want anything? I was just making some mint green tea if you’d like…”
He smiled, “I swear Jonny, you and your weird teas… Sure I’ll try some.” He shrugged, staring intently down at the surface of the oak table. I nodded and walked back to grab some mugs for the two of us.
I set the steaming tea down in front of him, and the minty smelled made the whole atmosphere feel a bit more relaxed. I turned on the stereo at a moderately quiet volume; Total Life Forever, the album by Foals, started to play in the background as I took my seat across from Thom. I smiled at him shyly.
He took a sip of tea, “You know this is actually pretty good…” I laughed a bit to myself, “I’m serious though, Jonny, I like it.”
“Yeah it’s one of my favourites,” I nodded. Thom smiled back at me.
“Anyways, Jonny?”
I nodded, “Yeah?”
“I um… well… Actually nevermind.”
I frowned, but I didn’t question him. “… Alright. Well hey, do you want to go watch a show or something? I just got Donnie Darko on blu-ray.”
He smiled and nodded, and we made our way over to the couch. The next two hours were silent, for the most part, as we both sat there mesmerized by the film on the screen. By the time it was over, I noticed that Thom was at least a foot closer to me than he had been, but I didn’t say anything about it. I was just happy he was there.
Colin and Ed and Phil all wouldn’t stop trying to get Thom to come back but he just didn’t respond… He just needed a break, we all could tell he did, but we’d come to that point where it wasn’t just about us anymore, it was about everything. Still, I let it be for some time. I figured that if the other three couldn’t get through to him there was no point in me trying…
“Thom, look, I know it’s been hard. We’re all losing ourselves here and we know how you feel… Just… We miss you. And if you need a friend I hope you know I’m always here for you.”
He didn’t respond to that for the next couple of days, but I guess I wasn’t expecting him to. At this point everything rested on him, and the four of us knew he would pull through even if it took him months to get himself together. And so Colin, Ed, Phil, and I went out and did interviews, visited radio stations and bookstores, kept our names out there for the sake of the band. Sometimes it seemed like everyone was a little disappointed when they saw Thom wasn’t there, but they still seemed happy and things were working out.
It took a week or so but eventually I heard a knock on my door; Thom finally came around, a bit. “Hi, Jonny.”
“Hey, Thom. Come in!”
He twisted his mouth, but followed me inside to the kitchen and sat down at the table. He let out a sigh.
“Thom, do you want anything? I was just making some mint green tea if you’d like…”
He smiled, “I swear Jonny, you and your weird teas… Sure I’ll try some.” He shrugged, staring intently down at the surface of the oak table. I nodded and walked back to grab some mugs for the two of us.
I set the steaming tea down in front of him, and the minty smelled made the whole atmosphere feel a bit more relaxed. I turned on the stereo at a moderately quiet volume; Total Life Forever, the album by Foals, started to play in the background as I took my seat across from Thom. I smiled at him shyly.
He took a sip of tea, “You know this is actually pretty good…” I laughed a bit to myself, “I’m serious though, Jonny, I like it.”
“Yeah it’s one of my favourites,” I nodded. Thom smiled back at me.
“Anyways, Jonny?”
I nodded, “Yeah?”
“I um… well… Actually nevermind.”
I frowned, but I didn’t question him. “… Alright. Well hey, do you want to go watch a show or something? I just got Donnie Darko on blu-ray.”
He smiled and nodded, and we made our way over to the couch. The next two hours were silent, for the most part, as we both sat there mesmerized by the film on the screen. By the time it was over, I noticed that Thom was at least a foot closer to me than he had been, but I didn’t say anything about it. I was just happy he was there.