GraceRyan
Rock n' Roll Doggie FOB
I'm on a tear lately. Doesn't matter if it's good or bad - it's done at least.
Fiction based on real life events. I hope I have not tarnished anyone's memory or good name. Fan fiction can be the highest form of flattery....
I don't pretend to know these people - well actually I do pretend - but this all a figment of my mind. Enjoy.
“C’mon Da, it’s time,” Aaron called from the living room. He sat crossed-legged on the floor in front of the television.
Larry pulled a beer from the fridge. “Does he really want to watch that shite?”
Ann shrugged. “I guess he does.”
Larry rolled his eyes. “It’s almost torture.”
“Daddy!” Ava cried. “It’s starting!”
Larry sighed. It looked as if he would be subjected to another season of American Idol. At least it was more entertaining than the British equivalent. He settled onto the sofa as he watched his two oldest gaze up at the screen. Ann curled up on the other side with her feet tucked under her. Outside, the wind rattled the windows. Aaron grabbed the remote and turned up the television.
“It was like bad karaoke,” Simon Cowell droned.
Larry chuckled to himself as he thought back to bad karaoke – this was nothing…..
Bono slapped Edge square on the back. “It’ll be fun.”
“We’ll need another round to make this fun,” Larry motioned the waitress over to their table.
Bono had the grand idea of playing Russian Karaoke. It was a game he just conjured out of his wine addled head.
They held court in a Tokyo Karaoke bar – the band and the entire crew. As always, the drinks flowed and Bono’s wild ideas followed.
“Is this a new game he’s just come up with?” Abby asked.
Adam nodded. “It would appear so.”
Larry’s arm rested comfortably on the back of Abby’s chair. She shot him a knowing glance. She wished she could curl up in his arms. He sent her a secret smile.
“So what is this Russian Karaoke?” Abby asked.
Bono hopped to his feet. “Okay….we ask Mr. Karaoke,” he gestured to a shorter man than him holding a microphone beside the Machine, “to randomly pick a song. And you have to sing it. If you decide to pass, you have to drink.”
Abby chuckled. “I don’t think I’ve played drinking games since college.”
“How much do you have to drink?” someone called.
Bono shrugged. “The rest of your drink?”
“Bono, we don’t want anyone dying of alcohol poisoning,” Edge said.
Bono thought for a moment before nodding. “I guess you’re right. Okay, you have to drink at least half of your drink.”
“That’s better,” Larry rolled his eyes.
“What the hell am I to do?” Adam asked.
Bono sipped his forbidden wine. “You can pass on whatever you like. Who wants to go first?”
Larry thought it was stupid game. He imagined that he would be so drunk at the end of the night just for passing on every song. Two more beers later, he was ready to belt out a song. His first song was ‘Hey Mickey!’. He drank. His next song was a Madonna song he had never heard of. He drank. He settled on a Neil Diamond song which he managed to slaughter. Unfortunately, he couldn’t conjure an Elvis song in his draw.
Edge fared better. He bellowed out ‘Unchained Melody’. His second song was a Vegas lounge version of ‘Everybody Hurts’. He passed on a Carpenters’ song and downed the rest of his drink.
Abby first drew ‘Mysterious Ways’ which she had no hope of singing in front of Bono. She chose a beer instead. Her second song was ‘Burning Love’ by Elvis. She sang and attempted to gyrate her hips in the best Elvis fashion. All the guys hooted and hollered. Larry smiled with the knowledge he would know all the moves of those hips later that night.
Adam passed on everything that came up for him. He crossed his legs coolly and sipped his sparkling water with lime. He was above all this silliness. Not that he didn’t laugh heartily as Edge attempted to tackle a Spice Girls song.
Bono sang anything that came up on the screen. The best was his rendition of drunken ‘Supercalifragilisticexpiadilious’.
“Okay Abby. It’s your turn,” Bono panted after his turn at Mary Poppins.
The first song was a Barry White song. She took a rather large gulp of her drink. There were catcalls from the audience.
“C’mon, I have no hope of hitting those low notes,” she said.
She nodded to the next song that came up on Bono’s Russian Karaoke. She only hoped that she could hit those notes and not be laughed off the stage.
Abby stood center of the stage. Mr. Karaoke clambered off to the side. She clutched the microphone. As she sang the opening lines of ‘And I’m Telling You I’m Not Going’, Bono sat straight in his seat. She was amazing. He looked over at Edge whose mouth hung open. Inside this short blonde breathed and beat the heart of a woman with soul. The whole crowd was silent. Adam edged forward in his seat. No one knew Abby had such a powerful and amazing voice.
“Did you know?” Bono whispered to Edge.
He shook his head. “She shouldn’t be managing a tour….”
“She should be on one,” Adam added.
Every hair on Larry’s body stood on end as her voice wrapped around him. Deep inside him he felt a longing and an emotion that he could not understand. He stopped breathing. His skin felt numb. Was it her voice? Was it the song? Was it the passion? He sat motionless. The rest of the room disappeared for those five minutes. He could only see Abby on that stage as if she were singing only to him.
It was as if something possessed Abby’s body. Every word resonated through her. What was it about the song that took hold of her and made her sing like her life depended on it? Without intending, her eyes locked on Larry’s.
“You're the best man I'll ever know.There's no way I can ever, ever go,
No, no, no, no way No, no, no, no way I'm livin' without you.
Oh, I'm not livin' without you, I'm not livin' without you.
I don't wanna be free.
I'm stayin',
I'm stayin',
And you, and you,
You're gonna love me”
He felt tears collect in his eyes. He thrown completely off guard on the effect a silly a karaoke song had on him.
As Abby belted out the last notes, the crowd lept to its feet and cheered as if they had been to see the original Dreamgirls.
“Holy shit!” yelled Bono.
Abby took possession of herself again. She took a deep cleansing breath. Suddenly a wave of exhaustion washed over her entire body.
Larry wiped his eyes quickly. He couldn’t let the others see how she affected him.
“I had no idea you had pipes like that!” Bono exclaimed joyfully. “I think I see another duet in my future.”
Abby’s cheeks pinked. She shook her head. “That was a rare, rare moment. I had always wanted to sing that song…and I think the drinks helped.”
“Nonsense,” Adam said. “I’m sober as they come and it was amazing. Where have you been hiding that songbird?”
She shrugged as she glanced at Larry. A bemused smile rested on his lips. His eyes were still a bit glassy.
“I think we are done,” Mr. Karaoke declared. “We have a winner!”
Thankfully passion won out over ability. Abby knew she could have made a huge fool of herself in front of people that would’ve taken every opportunity to take the piss out of her.
“You were amazing,” Larry said plainly. His arms wrapped around her in a tender hug.
“Okay, I think we are done here,” Edge scrambled to his feet. “Unless Bono, you think you can top that.”
Bono coughed. “Not bloody likely tonight.”
They all filed out of the bar to black cars waiting to take them back to their hotel. Members of the crew patted Abby on the back as they bid goodnight. Adam jumped into the first car. Bono and Edge greeted some ardent fans that heard rumors of the band attending the bar.
Larry walked out with Abby; his arm slung around her shoulders casually. He leaned closer. “I can’t wait to make love to you tonight,” he whispered lowly in her ear before ducking into a waiting car.
“And you, and you,
You're gonna love me.
Oh, hey, you're gonna love me,
Yes, ah, ooh, ooh, love me,
Ooh, ooh, ooh, love me,
Love me,
Love me,
Love me,
Love me.
You're gonna love me.”
“She was good, wasn’t she?” Ann asked.
His eyes focused on the televison again. “Who?”
“Lakisha…the last girl to sing,” Ann examined his face.
“Oh yeah,” he said dismissively. “Not as good as the original,” he added.
Ann shrugged. “I thought she was much better than the others.”
He nodded slowly. He fell in love with Abby the moment she sang that very song. It was painful to sit on his sofa in Dublin and come to that realization. Could he ever feel that way for Ann again? Larry closed his eyes and remembered going to Abby that night. He said nothing as he walked into her hotel room. He gathered her in his arms and held her all night. The words were in the back of his throat. But to say them outloud for Abby to hear would be walking through a door he wasn’t sure he was ready to enter.
“Lar, are you alright?” Ann stared at him with concern.
“Yeah,” he rubbed the back of his neck hard. “I’m just knackered. The kids and I played football for awhile today.”
Ann moved closer to rub his neck. Immediately, his neck tensed under her touch. Slowly, she withdrew her hand. They held a gaze for a moment that said more than their conversations since he returned from New York in January. She tucked her blonde hair behind her ear.
“C’mon kids. It’s bedtime,” she hurried off the couch. She needed to be in a different room from him right now.
There was a chorus of discontent from all three. She herded them out of the room – tossing one more glance at the man she had sacrificed everything for. He stared beyond the images on the televison.
“Wait, we have to kiss daddy,” Ava rushed to her father. She wrapped her arms around him. “Night night.”
He held her close. He did love his family. He loved Ann. Ava ran out of the room. Ann and Larry exchanged a small smile before she turned to follow the children. He placed his head in his hands. How could he do this? If he could turn back time, would he not take Abby to his bed that Thanksgiving? Would he have to bo back farther? Would it be the Carnival? It would have to go all the way back to August 2001 to trace the beginning…..
Bob Hewson was gone. His long suffering body was now resting in peace. The air was heavy and dark. Everyone milled outside the church feeling a little lost. Larry clutched Ann’s hand tightly. Losing Bob brought him back to the place where he lost his mother. Everyone was tired from the tour which wasn’t close to being over.
Abby stood with Bono and Ali talking intimately with them. The whole Hewson family gathered around her. Bono handed little John to her. He buried his little head into Abby’s neck as she gently rocked him. Ali squeezed her arm appreciately. Bono leaned over to kiss John and drop a small kiss on Abby’s check. Ali and Bono walked over the Norman and his family. The girls stayed with Abby. Larry was amazed how the Hewson’s were leaning on her today. Especially after what had happened only nine years ago between Abby and Bono. Watching her cradle John hit a nerve with Larry. She illuminated that dreary day. His eyes followed her every move – as she chatted with Edge and Morleigh, as she hugged Ali, as she made the girls smile through their tears. He couldn’t believe he had treated her so disdainfully in the last year that she toured with them. He was suspious that she had her eyes on Bono again. Yes, she did love him, but she loved his family just as much. Everything was forgiven and Larry was the last to let go.
Abby caught Larry’s eye as she rocked John in her arms. John’s fingers played with her hair as he stared sleepily off in the distance. She gave Larry a weak smile that sent a lightning bolt through his body. His grip on Ann’s hand loosened.
“We should go over,” she said.
He cleared his throat. “Yes.”
Larry leaned back on the couch. That was the moment when it all began. He opened himself to Abby and let her inside every part of him. It was over five years ago and distance had not closed the connection he felt to her.
Ann watched him from the doorway. She remembered that after his time in New York, Larry came back refreshed and committed.
“Maybe you need to go to New York again,” she suggested.
Larry turned his eyes to her. New York was the last place he needed to be right now. Abby was there – maybe with Jake. “I don’t need to go to New York.”
“I think you need to go find whatever it is that’s missing. Maybe it’s in London or in France,” she paused. “Or New York.”
Ann wasn’t sure if it was something or someone that held him so tightly. She knew he wasn’t here with her or the kids. Usually, he was distant after a tour. ZooTV and Zooropa were tough transitions. He left Ireland for several months to unwind. But he came back. After Elevation, he was a little scattered and preoccupied but after the Grammys, he settled back into home life easy enough. After all, there was one year old to care after. Vertigo was a bit rough. He was disjointed and irritable – more than usual. She figured it was his concern for Edge and the interruption of the tour. He came home tired and his arm caused him pain most days.
“Ann, I don’t want to go to New York. I’m happy here,” he said wearily. “I’m anxious to get in the studio and start recording.”
“Okay….I just thought….” Her voice trailed off.
He went to her. “I’m sorry if I’m out of it lately. I’ll be better. I just go mad when I don’t feel productive, you know that.”
Ann was not convinced. This seemed more than just idle hands. She decided to not fight about it tonight. She would go to bed and curl up on her side of the bed – feeling the cold space between them.
Fiction based on real life events. I hope I have not tarnished anyone's memory or good name. Fan fiction can be the highest form of flattery....
I don't pretend to know these people - well actually I do pretend - but this all a figment of my mind. Enjoy.
“C’mon Da, it’s time,” Aaron called from the living room. He sat crossed-legged on the floor in front of the television.
Larry pulled a beer from the fridge. “Does he really want to watch that shite?”
Ann shrugged. “I guess he does.”
Larry rolled his eyes. “It’s almost torture.”
“Daddy!” Ava cried. “It’s starting!”
Larry sighed. It looked as if he would be subjected to another season of American Idol. At least it was more entertaining than the British equivalent. He settled onto the sofa as he watched his two oldest gaze up at the screen. Ann curled up on the other side with her feet tucked under her. Outside, the wind rattled the windows. Aaron grabbed the remote and turned up the television.
“It was like bad karaoke,” Simon Cowell droned.
Larry chuckled to himself as he thought back to bad karaoke – this was nothing…..
Bono slapped Edge square on the back. “It’ll be fun.”
“We’ll need another round to make this fun,” Larry motioned the waitress over to their table.
Bono had the grand idea of playing Russian Karaoke. It was a game he just conjured out of his wine addled head.
They held court in a Tokyo Karaoke bar – the band and the entire crew. As always, the drinks flowed and Bono’s wild ideas followed.
“Is this a new game he’s just come up with?” Abby asked.
Adam nodded. “It would appear so.”
Larry’s arm rested comfortably on the back of Abby’s chair. She shot him a knowing glance. She wished she could curl up in his arms. He sent her a secret smile.
“So what is this Russian Karaoke?” Abby asked.
Bono hopped to his feet. “Okay….we ask Mr. Karaoke,” he gestured to a shorter man than him holding a microphone beside the Machine, “to randomly pick a song. And you have to sing it. If you decide to pass, you have to drink.”
Abby chuckled. “I don’t think I’ve played drinking games since college.”
“How much do you have to drink?” someone called.
Bono shrugged. “The rest of your drink?”
“Bono, we don’t want anyone dying of alcohol poisoning,” Edge said.
Bono thought for a moment before nodding. “I guess you’re right. Okay, you have to drink at least half of your drink.”
“That’s better,” Larry rolled his eyes.
“What the hell am I to do?” Adam asked.
Bono sipped his forbidden wine. “You can pass on whatever you like. Who wants to go first?”
Larry thought it was stupid game. He imagined that he would be so drunk at the end of the night just for passing on every song. Two more beers later, he was ready to belt out a song. His first song was ‘Hey Mickey!’. He drank. His next song was a Madonna song he had never heard of. He drank. He settled on a Neil Diamond song which he managed to slaughter. Unfortunately, he couldn’t conjure an Elvis song in his draw.
Edge fared better. He bellowed out ‘Unchained Melody’. His second song was a Vegas lounge version of ‘Everybody Hurts’. He passed on a Carpenters’ song and downed the rest of his drink.
Abby first drew ‘Mysterious Ways’ which she had no hope of singing in front of Bono. She chose a beer instead. Her second song was ‘Burning Love’ by Elvis. She sang and attempted to gyrate her hips in the best Elvis fashion. All the guys hooted and hollered. Larry smiled with the knowledge he would know all the moves of those hips later that night.
Adam passed on everything that came up for him. He crossed his legs coolly and sipped his sparkling water with lime. He was above all this silliness. Not that he didn’t laugh heartily as Edge attempted to tackle a Spice Girls song.
Bono sang anything that came up on the screen. The best was his rendition of drunken ‘Supercalifragilisticexpiadilious’.
“Okay Abby. It’s your turn,” Bono panted after his turn at Mary Poppins.
The first song was a Barry White song. She took a rather large gulp of her drink. There were catcalls from the audience.
“C’mon, I have no hope of hitting those low notes,” she said.
She nodded to the next song that came up on Bono’s Russian Karaoke. She only hoped that she could hit those notes and not be laughed off the stage.
Abby stood center of the stage. Mr. Karaoke clambered off to the side. She clutched the microphone. As she sang the opening lines of ‘And I’m Telling You I’m Not Going’, Bono sat straight in his seat. She was amazing. He looked over at Edge whose mouth hung open. Inside this short blonde breathed and beat the heart of a woman with soul. The whole crowd was silent. Adam edged forward in his seat. No one knew Abby had such a powerful and amazing voice.
“Did you know?” Bono whispered to Edge.
He shook his head. “She shouldn’t be managing a tour….”
“She should be on one,” Adam added.
Every hair on Larry’s body stood on end as her voice wrapped around him. Deep inside him he felt a longing and an emotion that he could not understand. He stopped breathing. His skin felt numb. Was it her voice? Was it the song? Was it the passion? He sat motionless. The rest of the room disappeared for those five minutes. He could only see Abby on that stage as if she were singing only to him.
It was as if something possessed Abby’s body. Every word resonated through her. What was it about the song that took hold of her and made her sing like her life depended on it? Without intending, her eyes locked on Larry’s.
“You're the best man I'll ever know.There's no way I can ever, ever go,
No, no, no, no way No, no, no, no way I'm livin' without you.
Oh, I'm not livin' without you, I'm not livin' without you.
I don't wanna be free.
I'm stayin',
I'm stayin',
And you, and you,
You're gonna love me”
He felt tears collect in his eyes. He thrown completely off guard on the effect a silly a karaoke song had on him.
As Abby belted out the last notes, the crowd lept to its feet and cheered as if they had been to see the original Dreamgirls.
“Holy shit!” yelled Bono.
Abby took possession of herself again. She took a deep cleansing breath. Suddenly a wave of exhaustion washed over her entire body.
Larry wiped his eyes quickly. He couldn’t let the others see how she affected him.
“I had no idea you had pipes like that!” Bono exclaimed joyfully. “I think I see another duet in my future.”
Abby’s cheeks pinked. She shook her head. “That was a rare, rare moment. I had always wanted to sing that song…and I think the drinks helped.”
“Nonsense,” Adam said. “I’m sober as they come and it was amazing. Where have you been hiding that songbird?”
She shrugged as she glanced at Larry. A bemused smile rested on his lips. His eyes were still a bit glassy.
“I think we are done,” Mr. Karaoke declared. “We have a winner!”
Thankfully passion won out over ability. Abby knew she could have made a huge fool of herself in front of people that would’ve taken every opportunity to take the piss out of her.
“You were amazing,” Larry said plainly. His arms wrapped around her in a tender hug.
“Okay, I think we are done here,” Edge scrambled to his feet. “Unless Bono, you think you can top that.”
Bono coughed. “Not bloody likely tonight.”
They all filed out of the bar to black cars waiting to take them back to their hotel. Members of the crew patted Abby on the back as they bid goodnight. Adam jumped into the first car. Bono and Edge greeted some ardent fans that heard rumors of the band attending the bar.
Larry walked out with Abby; his arm slung around her shoulders casually. He leaned closer. “I can’t wait to make love to you tonight,” he whispered lowly in her ear before ducking into a waiting car.
“And you, and you,
You're gonna love me.
Oh, hey, you're gonna love me,
Yes, ah, ooh, ooh, love me,
Ooh, ooh, ooh, love me,
Love me,
Love me,
Love me,
Love me.
You're gonna love me.”
“She was good, wasn’t she?” Ann asked.
His eyes focused on the televison again. “Who?”
“Lakisha…the last girl to sing,” Ann examined his face.
“Oh yeah,” he said dismissively. “Not as good as the original,” he added.
Ann shrugged. “I thought she was much better than the others.”
He nodded slowly. He fell in love with Abby the moment she sang that very song. It was painful to sit on his sofa in Dublin and come to that realization. Could he ever feel that way for Ann again? Larry closed his eyes and remembered going to Abby that night. He said nothing as he walked into her hotel room. He gathered her in his arms and held her all night. The words were in the back of his throat. But to say them outloud for Abby to hear would be walking through a door he wasn’t sure he was ready to enter.
“Lar, are you alright?” Ann stared at him with concern.
“Yeah,” he rubbed the back of his neck hard. “I’m just knackered. The kids and I played football for awhile today.”
Ann moved closer to rub his neck. Immediately, his neck tensed under her touch. Slowly, she withdrew her hand. They held a gaze for a moment that said more than their conversations since he returned from New York in January. She tucked her blonde hair behind her ear.
“C’mon kids. It’s bedtime,” she hurried off the couch. She needed to be in a different room from him right now.
There was a chorus of discontent from all three. She herded them out of the room – tossing one more glance at the man she had sacrificed everything for. He stared beyond the images on the televison.
“Wait, we have to kiss daddy,” Ava rushed to her father. She wrapped her arms around him. “Night night.”
He held her close. He did love his family. He loved Ann. Ava ran out of the room. Ann and Larry exchanged a small smile before she turned to follow the children. He placed his head in his hands. How could he do this? If he could turn back time, would he not take Abby to his bed that Thanksgiving? Would he have to bo back farther? Would it be the Carnival? It would have to go all the way back to August 2001 to trace the beginning…..
Bob Hewson was gone. His long suffering body was now resting in peace. The air was heavy and dark. Everyone milled outside the church feeling a little lost. Larry clutched Ann’s hand tightly. Losing Bob brought him back to the place where he lost his mother. Everyone was tired from the tour which wasn’t close to being over.
Abby stood with Bono and Ali talking intimately with them. The whole Hewson family gathered around her. Bono handed little John to her. He buried his little head into Abby’s neck as she gently rocked him. Ali squeezed her arm appreciately. Bono leaned over to kiss John and drop a small kiss on Abby’s check. Ali and Bono walked over the Norman and his family. The girls stayed with Abby. Larry was amazed how the Hewson’s were leaning on her today. Especially after what had happened only nine years ago between Abby and Bono. Watching her cradle John hit a nerve with Larry. She illuminated that dreary day. His eyes followed her every move – as she chatted with Edge and Morleigh, as she hugged Ali, as she made the girls smile through their tears. He couldn’t believe he had treated her so disdainfully in the last year that she toured with them. He was suspious that she had her eyes on Bono again. Yes, she did love him, but she loved his family just as much. Everything was forgiven and Larry was the last to let go.
Abby caught Larry’s eye as she rocked John in her arms. John’s fingers played with her hair as he stared sleepily off in the distance. She gave Larry a weak smile that sent a lightning bolt through his body. His grip on Ann’s hand loosened.
“We should go over,” she said.
He cleared his throat. “Yes.”
Larry leaned back on the couch. That was the moment when it all began. He opened himself to Abby and let her inside every part of him. It was over five years ago and distance had not closed the connection he felt to her.
Ann watched him from the doorway. She remembered that after his time in New York, Larry came back refreshed and committed.
“Maybe you need to go to New York again,” she suggested.
Larry turned his eyes to her. New York was the last place he needed to be right now. Abby was there – maybe with Jake. “I don’t need to go to New York.”
“I think you need to go find whatever it is that’s missing. Maybe it’s in London or in France,” she paused. “Or New York.”
Ann wasn’t sure if it was something or someone that held him so tightly. She knew he wasn’t here with her or the kids. Usually, he was distant after a tour. ZooTV and Zooropa were tough transitions. He left Ireland for several months to unwind. But he came back. After Elevation, he was a little scattered and preoccupied but after the Grammys, he settled back into home life easy enough. After all, there was one year old to care after. Vertigo was a bit rough. He was disjointed and irritable – more than usual. She figured it was his concern for Edge and the interruption of the tour. He came home tired and his arm caused him pain most days.
“Ann, I don’t want to go to New York. I’m happy here,” he said wearily. “I’m anxious to get in the studio and start recording.”
“Okay….I just thought….” Her voice trailed off.
He went to her. “I’m sorry if I’m out of it lately. I’ll be better. I just go mad when I don’t feel productive, you know that.”
Ann was not convinced. This seemed more than just idle hands. She decided to not fight about it tonight. She would go to bed and curl up on her side of the bed – feeling the cold space between them.
