Eight

Noah

After carrying out my promise to Lucy by tweeting to my fans about my recent break up, I got drunk in the comfort of my home but when I woke up with my head banging, I had the itch to write something down. It was not my usual kind of writing but if it was worked well on, it could be charts topping. 

And so after finding a pen and paper, I started my scribbling. I was still scribbling hours later when I yawned, raising my head from the paper to see that my manager, Ernie, was in the room with me.

“When did you get here?” I asked him, shocked at his appearance in my home, something which he doesn’t do too often anymore. 

 “About two hours ago, you have been scribbling like a fiend, I am sure that your coke has not lost some of its coolness though. He tossed a drink at me. 

I snatched it out of the air. “Thanks man.” I opened the drink, took a sip and close my eyes.

“Noah, this Break up was good for you.”  Ernie whistled as he looked through some of the paper I had spread across the floor. “These lyrics are hot.”

 “Thanks.” I grimace, not correcting his words about the lyrics being related to this break up. I wish I could get away with deceiving myself but I can’t.  There has been only one person who has always being my muse and that was the ice queen. 

“Like how many songs do you think you wrote?” Ernie asked. 

“I don’t know, like maybe three or five.” I shrugged like it was no big deal and Ernie rolled his eyes at me. Still too busy reading as fast as he could just so he could move on. 

I waited for his reading to be concluded in silence as my mind cuts back to the scene of this afternoon. My girlfriend betrayal and my lack of feelings towards it. Yes I was feeling something but what I was feeling was for my relationship which ended four years ago. It is like every break up since then just made Tiffany own more hurtful and I needed some air. 

When I pushed my seat back. Ernie dragged his eyes away from my lyrics to look at me. “Where are you going?”

“Out, I just want to stretch my legs, I will be back in no time.” I tell him, he nodded as he went back to the reading. I grabbed my jacket and grabbed my keys then I left. Yes I wanted to stretch my legs but I don’t know what time will be when I do get back but it was okay though. I was not in a hurry to be back. 

****

On getting to the club, I found my way to the vip lounge before I settled in and started tossing the drinks one after the other. Forgetting my worries was the goal forget tonight but I forgot that just as I forgot who I was. I made a deadly mistake. 

***

“Noah, up now.” An annoyed voice called as I groaned rolling back to sleep. 

“Sir, please. Let me get him ready. He will be in the company in less than two hours.” A voice screamed into my ears as I frowned at the loud noise. The person didn’t have to use a mic. With some difficulty, I managed to exchange the position of my head on the bed. The pillow was now on top of my head, reducing their words. 

“You better because I cannot stand it when people don’t stick to their images. He is supposed to be the perfect man, someone whom any kind of lady can take home to their mother, he cannot be perfect if he is drinking and getting drunk and causing a bar fight then going to an hotel with two women, one of whom is very married.” The door slammed some distance away as somebody sighs. 

“Here goes another downwards spiral because of a girl.”

***

I was hustled to the label within two hours while I was sobering up, with each moment my head gained clarity even with the pounding headache I was dealing with, I began to dread my actions. 

“Can you not give me an hint?” I begged Ernie who has put me on some silent treatment like he was a kid. “Something which I did.” 

“You went home with a married woman known for sleeping around. It is everywhere.” Ernie said as my stomach sank. 

Oh God! What have I done?

“What is boss man planning?” I asked Ernie who gave me the stink eye but didn’t respond again.

I kept my worries to myself and didn’t say anything until I was sitting down on the chair I was sitting yesterday when I came for a visit. 

“Handling Musicians Career is what I have been doing since I was a little boy. Over that long course of time, I have seen good men fall all because of a silly mistake. Less than the one you did last night.” I gulped at that. 

“And you know what, I cannot even punish you for it because you got the public on your side but you want to know something. The public is very fickle, you can be their favorite person one minute and their worst enemy the next. Don’t fuck up anytime soon when they hate you. Got it.”

“Got it Sir.” I whispered. 

“Good and based on what Ernie presented me yesterday. Your punishment won’t be much. You will release your new songs in singles and with one being this month. From the tone of the lyrics, ‘Remembering Memories’ will go first. Let’s play up the broken hearted you. Something which you have already started yesterday. Get to work on more songs Noah. Within one day you can come up with something like this. I hope you can write something over the course of the next two weeks while the get the melody right and then you can start recording.”

“Thank you sir.” I replied him, not saying anything. I didn’t have a choice to refuse, not after the PR nightmare I must have created yesterday. 

Someone knocked on the door and opened. “Sir, Vera was seen dancing on a pole a few hours ago. The Video is already on YouTube and people are speculating where she was scouted from.”

“For god sakes.” Tony roared in anger. “Musicians will be the death of me. Get her agent number for me, I want to talk to him myself and while you are at it. Send a broadcast message saying any star to step out of line for then next week should think of signing with another record company.” 

I cringed as Tony continue to spit in anger. Yeah, Vera was a wild girl but she should not have been anywhere near a pole and not even know how to use it. It was wrong from the storyline she fed us about where she is from and her background and well, a girl who know how to work the stripper pole is not something which a mother would want her teenage son crushing on. She just lost the sweet image she was going for. 

At least, I am happy that this scandal will take some of the heat away from me.