Goodbye Reckless
fourteen
"I'm not having this! No way!"
It was the first, and hopefully last time that I heard Andy shout. I'd never even heard him raise his voice so to hear him shouting down the phone to the German Embassy was rather frightening.
There were problems getting to arrange meetings with my father, and Andy wasn't having any of it, as was becoming apparent very quickly. He was fighting tooth and nail to arrange more meetings, before The Academy Is had to leave Japan. Regardless of this fact I had come to terms with the idea that Andy and the rest of the boys were going to have to move onto Australia without me. My father's lawyer had not yet arrived over from America and in general things were moving far too slowly for my liking.
Andy slammed the hotel phone down and the whole desk shuddered.
"Arseholes," was all he said as he sat down heavily on the bed and carried on fuming.
"It'll be okay I'm family, they have to let me see him," I tried to reassure him as I sat down next to him reaching for his hand.
"No it's not okay. This is all going too slowly. You're father should have been out of prison two days after our arrival. It's been five days now and we've only got less than a week left. Something is going to have to change," he said threateningly and this threat soon became true.
Two days later the door of our hotel room rang. I opened it and my jaw hit the floor as my eyes fell upon the entire members of Cobra Starship, Panic At The Disco and Gym Class Hereos. All of which were wearing the FREE STEPHAN and FREE BEATRICE t-shirts.
William, urged by a fuming Andy, had pulled many many strings and in the end got through to Pete Wentz and after explaining the situation to him, Pete declared himself ready to help out. He sent the rest of the bands on his label to Japan to help out with the publicity and back home in Chicago, Fall Out Boy along with Paramore, Cute Is What We Aim For and The Cab were kicking up a royal media fuss.
So the next day The Academy Is, Cobra Starship, Panic At The Disco, Gym Class Hereos and various Japanese interpreters hit the streets of Tokyo armed with paper, pens, stickers, badges, t-shirts and the petition tackling the passers by in the streets collecting sympathy and promises to sign the petition.
In Chicago the miracle that is Wentz, through the equal miracle of the internet, organised a massive peaceful demonstration that walked from downtown Chicago all the way up to the Japanese Embassy. Paramore, Cute Is What We Aim For and The Cab leant their voices and talent to entertain the crowd and press the matter.
It was a total miracle. The collected support was heart warming, especially when the live pictures of the FREE STEPHAN AND BEATRICE march in Chicago hit the tv screens and was discussed on CNN and other news channels.
"Stephan Sanders and his fiancé Beatrice Wisner have been kept in Japanese prison for six days now, and through the many efforts of his daughter, her boyfriend and his band The Academy Is, which is signed to Pete Wentz's label, their situation has been brought to the focus of the public. All the bands on Wentz's label have drawn together and organised a petition and a march in Chicago and the cry to take Stephan Sanders and his fiancé out of prison has been enforced by various politicians."
"Bloody hell," I whispered in an awe filled voice. "You are amazing." I said with pride and something else lining my voice, as I turned to face Andy who was sat next to me in the living area of our hotel room where we were watching the news.
"I know," Andy said smugly but with a grin on his face. "I did say something was going to change. The guys and me have also decided that 25 percent of the profits from the third album and going to go to the Save the Whales Association." Andy said with a grin.
"Oh god don't you start too," I said with a groan, hiding my face in my hands. But gazing out from my splayed fingers to see Andy grinning.
"But I've already signed up for a Greenpeace membership!" Andy protested with a laugh.
"Remind me never to eave you alone in the same room as my father and Beatrice," I said firmly, but a smile spreading across my face.
It was the first, and hopefully last time that I heard Andy shout. I'd never even heard him raise his voice so to hear him shouting down the phone to the German Embassy was rather frightening.
There were problems getting to arrange meetings with my father, and Andy wasn't having any of it, as was becoming apparent very quickly. He was fighting tooth and nail to arrange more meetings, before The Academy Is had to leave Japan. Regardless of this fact I had come to terms with the idea that Andy and the rest of the boys were going to have to move onto Australia without me. My father's lawyer had not yet arrived over from America and in general things were moving far too slowly for my liking.
Andy slammed the hotel phone down and the whole desk shuddered.
"Arseholes," was all he said as he sat down heavily on the bed and carried on fuming.
"It'll be okay I'm family, they have to let me see him," I tried to reassure him as I sat down next to him reaching for his hand.
"No it's not okay. This is all going too slowly. You're father should have been out of prison two days after our arrival. It's been five days now and we've only got less than a week left. Something is going to have to change," he said threateningly and this threat soon became true.
Two days later the door of our hotel room rang. I opened it and my jaw hit the floor as my eyes fell upon the entire members of Cobra Starship, Panic At The Disco and Gym Class Hereos. All of which were wearing the FREE STEPHAN and FREE BEATRICE t-shirts.
William, urged by a fuming Andy, had pulled many many strings and in the end got through to Pete Wentz and after explaining the situation to him, Pete declared himself ready to help out. He sent the rest of the bands on his label to Japan to help out with the publicity and back home in Chicago, Fall Out Boy along with Paramore, Cute Is What We Aim For and The Cab were kicking up a royal media fuss.
So the next day The Academy Is, Cobra Starship, Panic At The Disco, Gym Class Hereos and various Japanese interpreters hit the streets of Tokyo armed with paper, pens, stickers, badges, t-shirts and the petition tackling the passers by in the streets collecting sympathy and promises to sign the petition.
In Chicago the miracle that is Wentz, through the equal miracle of the internet, organised a massive peaceful demonstration that walked from downtown Chicago all the way up to the Japanese Embassy. Paramore, Cute Is What We Aim For and The Cab leant their voices and talent to entertain the crowd and press the matter.
It was a total miracle. The collected support was heart warming, especially when the live pictures of the FREE STEPHAN AND BEATRICE march in Chicago hit the tv screens and was discussed on CNN and other news channels.
"Stephan Sanders and his fiancé Beatrice Wisner have been kept in Japanese prison for six days now, and through the many efforts of his daughter, her boyfriend and his band The Academy Is, which is signed to Pete Wentz's label, their situation has been brought to the focus of the public. All the bands on Wentz's label have drawn together and organised a petition and a march in Chicago and the cry to take Stephan Sanders and his fiancé out of prison has been enforced by various politicians."
"Bloody hell," I whispered in an awe filled voice. "You are amazing." I said with pride and something else lining my voice, as I turned to face Andy who was sat next to me in the living area of our hotel room where we were watching the news.
"I know," Andy said smugly but with a grin on his face. "I did say something was going to change. The guys and me have also decided that 25 percent of the profits from the third album and going to go to the Save the Whales Association." Andy said with a grin.
"Oh god don't you start too," I said with a groan, hiding my face in my hands. But gazing out from my splayed fingers to see Andy grinning.
"But I've already signed up for a Greenpeace membership!" Andy protested with a laugh.
"Remind me never to eave you alone in the same room as my father and Beatrice," I said firmly, but a smile spreading across my face.
♠ ♠ ♠
This story should be finishing around part 20...xxxx