Rock and Roll Never Forgets (The Rock and Roll Trilogy) (11 page)

She nodded and he began, “I know this relationship is hard, this lifestyle isn
’
t for everyone, and you have given far more than I have. You’ve handled this with more poise and grace than anyone could imagine. I know it’s a struggle and I’ve forgotten along the way that I had to work at it in the beginning. I'm very sorry for that.”

“I don
’
t usually get into that whole party thing. You
’
ve been with me enough to know that. But I did this time. I was ready - mental meltdown… partying sounded good to me. It was no big deal. Some music, some rum, some women…” He paused, “Yeah, they were there, but that doesn
’
t mean you can
’
t trust me.”

“
It
’
s me I don
’
t trust,
”
she said between sobs.
“
I don
’
t trust me to handle this relationship. It terrifies me.” 

Taking her hands again, he was very quiet. Looking very deep into her eyes he finally spoke.
“
I
’
m not sure I understand what you mean.” Beth could feel the hurt in his voice as he spoke.

She looked at him and tried to pull her hands free, but he held firmer.
“
Tell me what you mean, Bethy.”

Suddenly, she was just exhausted.
“
No, not now, I just want to go to bed.” 

He let go, they rose, and walked toward the apartment. Andy closed and locked the door behind them. Beth slipped into a big t-shirt, saying nothing, she crawled into bed.

Andy came into the room with a glass of milk. He’d mixed in just a little chocolate syrup. He sat on the edge of the bed and told her,
“
My mom always brought me a glass of chocolate milk when I
’
d had a bad day and she wanted to make sure I’d sleep.” 

He paused a minute, in thought.
“
The last time she did it was the day Dad died. He’d been so sick in the end, she never left his side. I stayed pretty close to home so I was there if she needed me. Here was this incredible woman who
’
d just lost her husband and she wanted to make sure I slept.” He sat, quietly remembering for a moment. “Drink up.
It
’
ll help.”

Beth took the glass and sipped, he gently tipped up the bottom of the glass and she finished it. He pulled out his shirttail to wipe her mouth, leaving her smiling at the gesture as she snuggled into the covers.

“
Where will you be?” she whispered.

“
I
’
ll be here. I won
’
t come to your bed. I know you
’
re troubled by all of this. But I won’t leave, I
’
ll be right here.” He leaned and kissed her forehead.
“
Good night, Bethy.”

Around four, she rolled over and looked, but the bed was empty. The apartment was dark. Beth walked to the living room and found Andy sprawled on the sofa. She pulled the loose cushions from behind him to give him more room, and lightly tossed a blanket over him. He had opened the windows and it was cool in the room.

He stirred, leaning up on his elbow.
“
Hey,” he said, sleep heavy in his voice.

“
Hey, back to you,” Beth said.
“
You comfortable?” 

“
No, come here,” he said as he scooted back into the sofa where the cushions had been. She walked over and sat on the edge. He eased her down, pulled the blanket over them and wrapped his arms around her. Spooning her, he said,
“
Now, I
’
m comfortable, what about you?” 

“
Mmm hmm,” she murmured and fell back asleep
.

Monday morning when she awoke it was around 7:30. She slipped off the sofa and into the kitchen to start some coffee. She needed it, and she knew Andy would want some. She walked into the closet in her room, thinking about what to wear. Her hand brushed the black evening dress from the Grammy Awards and she began to cry. She slid to the floor and hugged her knees, as tears turned into sobs. She sat like that for a while. Finally, Andy came looking, and found her there. He didn
’
t say anything, just sat on the floor behind her, scooted close and wrapped his body around her. He sweetly kissed the top of her head as he held her.

“
I never feel secure,” she said finally, feeling the need to explain
.

“
Why?" he asked, stroking her hair.

“
I
’
m not glamorous. I’m not a groupie. I
’
m surely not beautiful. I
’
m just a girl, Andy, just a plain’ol, simple girl.”

He buried his face in her neck, and kissed lightly.
“
The girl I love,” he said as he held her, gently rocking her in his arms.

“
Why me Andy?
”
 

He pulled her legs around, pulling her on his lap. He thought a minute, and turned her to face him.
“
When I walked into the room that night in Orlando, I saw those eyes and they captured me. It was like I could see your heart, and I knew it was a good heart. You crawled into my soul, became part of me. I saw the inner beauty, and regardless of what
you
think, the outside wasn
’
t bad either,” he laughed
.

“We started talking,” he continued, “And you mesmerized me. I felt as though you were allowing me to see what made you tick. It was like I had known you forever, and I liked it, a lot. I
’
ve enjoyed our late night phone calls more than I can tell you. You
’
re a real person, a smart, beautiful woman. Not some giggly bimbo trying to get my attention. Those are the kind of women I meet, the ones who constantly surround me. You and I had a meaningful conversation. I think I fell in love with you at that moment. There was no one there that night but you; no one who mattered anyway.” 

He looked into her eyes and pulled her to him. “Let’s go have that coffee,” he whispered in her ear. They went to the kitchen, and the coffee was good. It seemed to pour life back into her tired body
.

“
I don
’
t know how to make you more comfortable in this relationship, Bethy, except to tell you that I love you. It
’
s you and me, my love.” He reached across the table and took her hand. “We should get ready for the funeral,” he said
.

She looked at him, and peered into those eyes that seemed to see her soul.

“
I love you,” he said, and again she cried.

~ ~ ~

That misunderstanding helped Andy realize that he needed to gently ease her into his lifestyle. He didn’t realize how hard it was for her until then. Now it was
their
life, no longer just his, and he needed to remember that. He knew it was hard, the road, the travel, the lack of privacy, the hours, the female fans, all of it. He had to help her adjust, because it was important to him. Because she was important to him
.

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Rock and Roll Never Forgets

Chapter Ten

T
he two years that followed were some of the very best and busiest times in their lives.
Traveler
’s
following grew larger with each song they released. It was exciting to go from the smaller venues as the opening group, to being the main headliner. Shows were selling out all over the U.S.

Beth made some big changes during that time. Nana Morgan’s family had been big in the citrus business for many years. As Nana and Pappy got older it became too much for them to manage. Pops was their only child and he and Beth’s brothers had other interests. They sold the business and much of the land. Nana and Pappy
led
a comfortable life and set aside money for their grandchildren. After Nana’s death
,
Pappy sold their home and moved in with Beth’s parents
. He
made arrangements for all the grandkids to receive a part of their inheritance
.

Pops helped Beth invest some of the money. They were selling the apartments where she lived as condominiums. She took part of her inheritance and purchased her unit. It was a place for her to return to when she didn
’
t travel with Andy, so she was close to her family. They worked together to make it comfortable for Andy when he was there. It was important that it was home to him
,
also.

Their relationship grew stronger and Beth finally began to feel more confident, more secure. She left her job, feeling that it was time. Things were happening in the economy, her company was downsizing and after a lot of thought she resigned. It was a huge step. Giving up her source of income was scary. She knew she had Nana’s money but she still worried. Pops did as well, and he told Andy so. Andy assured him that he would take care of her
.

It was very different to give all of her time to Andy. It was exciting, scary, and wonderful all at the same time. When they weren
’
t on the road they went back and forth from Andy’s home in Galveston to the condo in Florida. There were also many wonderful trips to the cottage on Eleuthera. Beth was happy there…

June 15, 1980 ~
These times when we escape to the island are always peaceful… romantic. The beach means solitude.
It
’
s just us there, peaceful and quiet, us.

Together, they purchased a chalet in the mountains of Colorado. They went there to ski, but being a ‘Florida girl,’ the cold didn
’
t appeal to Beth as much as it did Andy. They needed places to retreat, and unlike the cottage in Eleuthera, this was
theirs
and they could share it with others. It was in an area where other celebrities resided, so it was comfortable there. They could get out and about, shop and dine, with very little interruption
.

They spent many weekends combing antique stores and shopping to set up the chalet in a comfortable way that they both wanted. She wanted a homey and warm feel, but comfortable for Andy, and a play place for everyone else. It was a retreat, so they worked together to make it a fun place.

It was a gypsy lifestyle. They didn’t really live any place but out of a suitcase. Beth learned that she needed five of everything, one at the condo, one in Galveston, one in her travel bag, one at the chalet, and one in Eleuthera. She’d always thought of herself as a ‘homebody’, a ‘nester’, so this new lifestyle was an adjustment, but she did it because she would have done anything to be with Andy.

Traveler
outgrew their bus and purchased two custom coaches for touring. This was a big step, a measure of their success. At a show in Detroit, when rap music was first getting started, Andy was telling the audience about the buses between songs. Nathan and Mark started a beat and Andy laughed. It was “
Rapper’s Delight”
by the
SugarHill Gang
,
and Andy began singing;
“Everybody go hotel, motel, Holiday Inn…
”
and the crowd went crazy singing along.

With the new coaches came more space and Beth traveled with Andy more. They now had some privacy. With the old bus there were just seats and bunks, and everyone was pretty much together all the time. Usually it was fine, but Dane made it known he didn’t like Beth being there.
Beth knew why. Her presence made him feel as though he didn’t have the old freedom he experienced. She inhibited his freewheeling lifestyle, and he resented it.
Dina came only occasionally and none of the other guys had steadies. Dane’s
dislike of her being with Andy
made it tense at times. Beth made a point to stay out of his way, but even that caused tension between Andy and Dane. The thing was; Andy wanted Beth with him. The new coaches made it easier, so she went.

~ ~ ~

In January 1981, the band began working on their fifth album. This became a trying period. There was chaos that finally brought things to a head. Dane
’
s free lifestyle finally caught up with him. He was using drugs and no one was happy with that. Candy left him and they went through a very nasty, very public separation, followed by an even nastier, more public divorce. It kept everyone on edge. The fighting within the group got bad. Finally, Dane left, by mutual agreement. The bad publicity with the divorce, the drugs and the masses of women Dane chose to keep made it rough. The band didn
’
t want his lifestyle associated with their reputation. It was an unpleasant time, but everyone came through unscathed.

It took a few months and many auditions, but the guys found a guitar player named John Smith to fill Dane
’
s place in the band. John was from another group called
Expend
that had recently disbanded. Everyone had a good laugh over his name. Sometimes they called him, ‘Dear John,’ but mostly, because he was so tall, they called him ‘Stretch.’ They got busy and the album was once again in the works.
             

After this, a special time of settling followed. It seemed the scenario with Dane made it feel like it was time. Both Nigel and Mark were in relationships. Nigel
was in a relationship with a girl he’d met during their last bit of downtime. He
and Christy rolled into the
life together
quickly and would be married in September.

Mark met someone who made him think about settling down as well. Anna was an accountant he met when he was working on some financial business. Mark introduced her to the group as a ‘bean counter’, and earned her the nickname, ‘Bean’.
Anna and Christy traveled with the band often, Anna more than Christy, and Beth enjoyed the female company.

It wasn’t just the guys settling down though, Kimmy was too. She met a guy, Lane Parker, and their relationship blossomed quickly. Everyone knew marriage was in their future.
They were a perfect match;
both tall, blonde and athletic. Kimmy settled into that relationship fast, in a big way. Lane was a pharmacist and a
Traveler
fan, which made him and Kimmy being around even more fun.

~ ~ ~

September 12, 1981~
Time is flying by, but I’m enjoying every second of it. The next album, Continuing, a name they chose to let the fans know the changes in the band hadn
’
t held them back, is in the completion stages. But this means they
’
ll be going out on the road soon, the first time out with Stretch. They worked together to write their own material for this album. They pulled some of the original songs because of conflict with Dane, but some new exciting ones emerged. There are more ballads than the hard rock they
’
re known for. They were anxious about that.
‘
Will
the fans like it?
’
they wonder…

Beth sat in on recording sessions and wondered how they couldn
’
t
like it
, they were beautiful
, but they still had a rock and roll feel
. Andy and Mark produced it, an anxious first for them as well. On several of the songs they recorded with the o
rchestra from Andy and Nathan’s
high school. It was a very special experience. They practiced and worked with the kids, who were so in awe. Each of them would have their name listed on the album credits and they were very excited. The kids on violins were a beautiful addition. After recording with the kids was complete, the band threw a huge pizza party at the school as a way to say ‘thank you’, followed by a sizable donation, a “give back” they called it, to the school’s music department.

When they began touring again
,
Andy would fly Kimmy and Lane to join them when they could. Beth loved the times when Kimmy could be there. With four brothers, Kimmy was the sister Beth longed for but never had.

Beth was becoming more and more comfortable in her role as ‘Andy’s girlfriend’. Most of the time she sat with Roddy on a stool in the wings when the guys performed, and she liked it there
just fine
. She also liked being with Roddy, they’d grown into a comfortable friendship over the years and she enjoyed his company.

From her spot she could see everything that was happening. It became known as her ‘perch.’ There were a few times Andy dragged her on the stage to sing to her. It was a nerv
e
-wracking experience at first, but special, and most times it just made her laugh.

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