The promises we make pt 13

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Sad_Girl

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*Disclaimer: ~ Though inspired in part by real people; none of the stuff in the story really happened or is intended to represent reality in anyway. It’s just a daydream.

The Promises we make pt 13

Short notice. That was what Bono had said when he called and asked Cat if Tequila Monster would be ready, willing and able to perform for a ‘Rock N Roll can change the world’ benefit he had been partially responsible for organizing. It was short notice, but they needed someone to fill in a mere twenty minute gap in the schedule.

Of course she had told him to go ahead and put them on the schedule. This would be great exposure, it would be good to be on stage again. She was even excited about it, something to look forward to right at the time recording was getting monotonous. Then he had told her to round up the others, he would have his crew move their instruments from the studio to the airport and meet them their in an hour.

An hour. Cat’s jaw had dropped in shock and she had been struck dumb, unable to ask him if she had misheard. The sound of the dial tone shook her from her stupor, and she cursed under her breath as she dialed Krash and Alex’s number. She could only hope they would even be in. It was their day off after all. They could be anywhere.

Thankfully, they were there and although they were surprised, they agreed to pack quickly and hurry to meet the private plane which U2 was lending them for the cause. Cat had tossed a few things into a backpack and was on the way out the door, dialing Adam’s mobile from her own cell, when he drove in. She hung up the phone and slipped it in her pocket, slipping the backpack on and tightening it for the ride. She held her helmet in one hand and the key to the bike in the other as she approached his car.

“Hey. I’m so glad you’re home.” She told him, and he smiled at her slightly, his pretty blue eyes darkening at the sight of the helmet.

“Cat, do you really think it’s a good idea for you to ride the motorcycle right now?” He asked as he climbed out of the Mercedes, stretching his long lean frame.

“What? Oh. Oh, hell I didn’t even think of that. I don’t think it should be a problem.” She said, but she was obviously not convinced. “Ok, well… can you drive me to the airport?”

“Airport?”

“We’re performing in this benefit concert in Glasgow tonight. Bono just called and told us to meet him at the airport in… thirty five minutes now.” She informed him, checking the time on his wristwatch.

“That’s a bit sudden.” He told her, obviously annoyed.

“I don’t like it either, but what can I do? We talked about this, I’m not going to give up my career because I’m going to have a baby.” She told him, defensive of her decision.

“I know, I know.” He agreed, raising his hands in a gesture of surrender. “Go on, get in.” Cat hurried around to the opposite side of the car and climbed in, depositing her backpack in the backseat.

“I’m sorry about taking off like this.” She told him on the way. He reached out and took her hand in his own, sighing sadly.

“It’s what you’ve got to do. I wish there had been enough warning so I could come with you.” He told her honestly.

“I wish there had, too.” She told him, resting her head on his shoulder. “I don’t want to go to bed without you tonight. I won’t be able to sleep.”

“Of course not, not without someone to warm your frigid feet on.” He teased gently. She chuckled slightly at the truth in his statement. He pulled into the airport and he walked her to the proper gate, where the others were waiting. He rested one of his big hands on her belly, which had in the past weeks become firm and started to round just slightly.

“I love you.” She told him, standing on tip-toes to kiss him softly. He enveloped her in a hug, kissing her again and returning her love. It was strange, letting her go now. It wasn’t just his love, his wife, it was his unborn child as well.

“We’ll take good care of her.” Bono assured him with a pat on the shoulder as he and the others rushed her off to the plane.

*************************************************************************

They opened with a cover of ‘I want you to want me’, followed that up with one of ‘Black Leather’ and they were doing pretty well, for a basically unknown group. Cat knew as she introduced their third song, however, that the enthusiasm of the crowd was about to sky-rocket. She could practically taste the excitement which was about to overtake the crowd, and she loved it. It was one of the best moments to be on stage, right as something was unfolding which would knock the socks off the audience.

“Thank you! Thank you, you’re such a great crowd! We’re so glad to be here with you tonight!” She was saying into the microphone as she glanced over at the stairs behind the amplifiers and other sound equipment to see that Bono was ready and waiting.

“As you already know, thanks to the great introduction, we are ‘Tequila Monster’.” She paused for polite applause here, smirking at Krash as she did. “Thanks. We’re a new band, coming all the way out of Memphis, Tennessee.” More applause. “Thank you. We’re just wrapping up recording on our first CD, which will hopefully be out this coming spring.” Applause.

“We would like to introduce a song for you tonight, which we’re releasing as a single here in the next couple of months. It’s a song an old friend of ours wrote before he died, and it’s called Shadows.” More applause. “This particular song was written as a duet, so I had to ask a friend of mine if he’d help me out. Some of you might have heard of him, I think. Bono, you want to come on out here?” She said casually into the mic.

At the first mention of his name, the crowd noise actually dropped to nearly nothing as they wondered if they had heard her correctly. As soon as he stepped out onto the stage, however, the noise was deafening. The crowd surged forward and Cat smiled so broadly at the reaction her face hurt.

“I think maybe you have some friends or family in the audience or something.” She teased him.

“Something like that.” He agreed with a cheeky grin. He greeted the audience politely and turned to face Alex who set the rhythm for the song, and then to Cat as she and Krash joined in on the song. The moment he opened those gilded lungs the energy in the crowd surged again, to an almost unimaginable level. It was intoxicating.

The applause and cheering continued for several minutes after they left the stage, and if the next group scheduled hadn’t been ready and waiting to go on stage, they might’ve been convinced to do a spontaneous encore. Instead they moved on to the press area and the crowd of reporters who were anxious to get photos and comments from Bono especially, but also from his young protegee’s.

“Catalina is there anything to the rumor that you’re going to have a baby?” One reporter asked, and Cat’s sharp green eyes narrowed, her lips pursing tight against one another. Her first instinct was to lash out verbally and ask the reporter just what that had to do with the music, maybe make an insulting comment or two about her even. Instead she did her best to smile.

“Is that a subtle way of trying to tell me I’ve gained weight?” She joked coyly, and a wave of laughter rippled through the reporters.

“You’ve had a few changes in your band members since you first appeared in the public eye. What’s happened to cause you to lose so many band members?” Another asked.

“Tequila Monster is not a new group, we’ve existed for years. How far back do you want me to go?” Cat replied playfully.

“Just the last few months. I think the name of the bassist you had playing with you in Boston was … Shane Ingrham.” The reporter pressed on, obviously thinking he was on to something interesting.

“Shane had some personal business that needed to be dealt with back home. He’s taking care of that now; and it’s an ongoing process. He’s taking care of family obligations rather than working with us on this project.” She answered seriously, her voice strong and clear.

Bono looked down at his hands and tried not to smirk or snicker at her ability to spin the situation. She should’ve been a lawyer, he thought. She wasn’t lying, although it sounded a lot better the way she said it than the way it had really happened.

“And the other… the girl. Trine?”

“Trine, as some of you know is not only a very talented bass player and guitarist but is also my step-daughter.” Cat replied, and a handful of the reporters began scratching notes down wildly. She had discussed this situation with Adam and Trine and they had all decided they were fine with discussing their relationship candidly, but in limited detail.

“But she is only fifteen and we believe it’s more important at the moment for her to get an education and have a somewhat more normal youth before she gets into the music industry professionally.” She continued over the murmur of excitement coming from the gossip-hungry reporters.

“So Trine is Adam Clayton’s daughter?”

“Right. My step-daughter.” She replied curtly.

“There were a lot of sparks flying up there on stage during that duet, how does Adam feel about the two of you performing that one?” Another reporter asked, and Cat sighed, getting more frustrated with each question. This time, though, it was not she who lost her temper. Krash spoke up from his seat to her left.

“Does anyone have a question about the band or the album?” He asked sternly. He turned and whispered behind his hand to Cat.
“Because otherwise, I think Alex and I might as well leave.”

“Don’t even think about it.” She replied through her teeth, her hand slipping under the table to take hold of his own hand. She genuinely felt rotten about the way they were being ignored, their musical talent over looked because of her marriage.

“How long have you three been together, as a band?” Someone asked, and the three of them had to chuckle slightly.

“Well, let’s see. Alex is the only original member of the band. They formed in 1991. He was 13 at the time, right?” She asked and Alex nodded and smiled.

“My brother and his girlfriend were the ones who put the band together.” He explained. “I had been annoying him with the drumset for a couple of years already, and they needed a drummer. I was just supposed to be a temporary member, until they found someone older. Someone better.”

“I don’t think he has to worry about that anymore.” Krash joked. “I don’t think there is a better drummer.”

“Cat joined next, she was friends with Charlene and Gunnar already and she could play the bass. Gunnar was on guitar and they didn’t plan on needing anyone else until Cat shows up one day with Krash in tow…” Alex continued.

“Literally, she was dragging me by the collar.” Krash added, earning a ripple of laughter.

“And she announces she’s just discovered…” He paused here and looked at Cat, realizing how very strange it was now, the way she had admired the band who were now friends and family to her. “Uh, that she had discovered the next best thing the to ‘The Edge’.” He finished, and another laugh broke through the sound of flash bulbs and the whir of recording equipment.

“I think the three of us were all on board by 1995. Right?” Alex asked, looking at Cat and Krash who nodded in agreement.

“So the three of you have already been together for ten years. How does it feel to be suddenly thrust out into the world eye?”

“Not that different.” Cat replied acting melodramatically casual.

“It’s not a place we ever really prepared ourselves to be.” Krash replied, more seriously. “And who knows if we’ll be able to produce the quality of music we want and sustain the on stage energy we have? It might be over just as quickly as it started. Having been recognized as we have already has been incredible. It’s one thing to be received by the general public, a great thing. But to have received the support we have from other musicians has been beyond our wildest dreams.”

“And I think that’s it for today, folks. It sounds like they’re wrapping up on stage.” Bono told the reporters as he rose from his seat to Cat’s left and the others did the same. They stood and posed patiently for a blinding series of flashes before security escorted them back to the big black SUV’s waiting for them.

“You’re getting much better at that.” He told Cat after they were on their way back to their hotel for the night. Cat rolled her eyes and sighed.

“I still hate it.” She told him.

“But you don’t make that painfully obvious anymore.” He laughed.

“I’ve got a good teacher. He’s the king of suave.” She teased back, resting her head on his shoulder. “Do you think I should have stopped working?” She asked him after a brief pause.

“What? Oh, because of the baby? If you feel like working, why shouldn’t you?” He asked, looking down at her with concern in his expressive eyes.

“I don’t know. I felt bad leaving Adam today.”

“Well, I don’t think this is the type of thing you’ll be doing a lot of for awhile anyway.” He assured her. “We’ll release the single, of course we still have to shoot the video for it…”

“Video? When is this?”

“We haven’t scheduled it yet.”

“Great. I’m going to be as big as a house when we shoot our first video.” She sighed.

“We’ll get working on it soon.” He laughed, kissing her on the forehead in reassurance.

They went their separate ways once they reached their floor of the hotel, and Cat slipped into her room and quickly out of her shoes and socks. She turned on one of the bedside lamps and the television and quickly stripped out of her clothes. Her feet were swollen and her back ached, and all she wanted was a hot bath. She started running the bath water but was interrupted by a knock at her door.

Frowning deeply, she slipped on the terrycloth robe hanging on the bathroom door and moved to peek out the peephole in the door. She could hardly believe her eyes. She flung the door open to prove it was really him standing there. Adam smiled that sweet Adam smile and her heart jumped for joy.

“What are you doing here?” She asked as she flung her arms around his neck, kissing his cheek and the side of his neck over and over again as he laughed out loud at her greeting.

“I thought your feet might be cold.” He told her, dropping his bag to wrap strong arms around her and gazing down at her lovingly. His blue eyes shone with a love unlike any other she had ever known. She smiled and stepped up on tiptoe to kiss his mouth tenderly.

“I was just going to take a bath.” She told him, still holding tight to him. Her green eyes twinkled mischievously. “Wash my back?” She asked, and Adam drew his lips back over his teeth, as if seriously considering his options before speaking, in the habit Cat found so endearing.

“Yeah, I think I could do that.” He agreed, kissing her once more before releasing her so he could retrieve his bag and follow her inside.

*************************************************************

“Larry!” Pauley yelled, running to greet him with his arms held out. Larry knelt down and embraced the boy in greeting, unable to repress a smile at the boys enthusiasm.

“Hey kid. Trine taking good care of you?” He asked, standing back up and looking around for some sign of the girl.

“Yeah.” Pauley replied in his usual good natured way. He followed Larry into the living room, watched him look around for the girl and finally informed him “She’s in the bathroom.”

“Oh.” Larry didn’t know what else to say to that.

“She’s been in there a really long time.”

“Oh.” He said again, scowling now and wondering what a really long time would mean to a four year old. “Pauley, have you had dinner?” He asked, and Pauley nodded.

“Macaroni’s.” he responded him happily. Larry led the boy into the living room and found something on the television to hold his interest for a moment, instructing him to stay there and wait, that he would be right back. He had a bad feeling in the pit of his stomach about something, and he didn’t need Pauley to be involved.

“Trine?” Larry called, knocking on the bathroom door nearest the main part of the house. He called and knocked again and when he got no answer, he opened the door to find an empty bathroom. He tried her room but found that one empty as well. Finally, not comfortable going into her room but driven by the nagging suspicion in his gut, he tried the door to her private bathroom.
“What?” She replied sharply when he called out her name.

“Are you all right?” He asked, trying the doorknob when she didn’t reply.

“I’m fine! Leave me alone!” She yelled, ramming into the door and slamming it shut before he’d opened it wide enough to see with his own two eyes whether she was fine or not. He decided it was time to try a different approach.

“Trine, where’s Pauley?” He asked, and there was a pause. It was almost as if he could hear her holding her breath and trying not to panic.

“He’s watching TV.” She said finally, but it was more like a question than an answer.

“Are you sure?” Another pause and then the door started to open slightly. He could see one of her blue eyes peek out at him through the tiny opening.

“He’s there, right?” She asked seriously.

“He says you’ve been in there a long time. He shouldn’t be all alone like that.” He told her, saw her eye narrow as she scowled at him and backed up, planning to slam the door in his face. He slipped his hand in the narrow opening of the door before she could, and soon enough managed to force his way in. He could hardly believe his eyes once he was there.

He didn’t know exactly what it was he’d expected, maybe drugs or booze. Maybe she was cutting herself or something. What he found was a sink and wastebasket full of dyed black hair. She stood there in a tank top and underwear, a pair of scissors in her hand and her hair shorn down to shorter than his own. Before he could even react, her eyes were welling up with tears, her lower lip quivering as she broke down into a bout of body wracking sobs.

“Trine!” He groaned, running a hand over his face in frustration. He wrapped one arm around her shoulders and drew her close, and she gratefully wrapped her arms around his waist and wept against his chest. He ran a hand over her head, now covered with less than an inch of soft brown hair.

“It’s not that bad.” He said, for lack of anything better to say, and she laughed bitterly.

“I’m not crying because of my hair.” She told him as if he were stupid. She pulled back from him and grabbed a tissue to wipe her nose and eyes. “Today is my mom’s birthday.” She informed him, her eyes and nose red. He closed his eyes as it hit him that this was an important day; the first holiday since her mother died, and she’d been left here alone. Adam and Cat had rushed off to Glasgow suddenly, leaving her to baby-sit and asking Larry to check in on her.

“Aw, Christ. Trine, I’m sorry. Adam and Cat probably didn’t know.” He told her, his hands buried in his pockets.

“They didn’t.” She told him with a sniffle. “Is Pauley ok? I didn’t mean to be in here so long, I got carried away.”

“He’s fine. Look, I’ll take care of him for a bit, you just get yourself and all of this cleaned up. Then, if you’re up to it, I’ve got something we can do.” He told her and she nodded gratefully. He was eager to get out of there suddenly, now that he was no longer concerned with her welfare. She was not a little girl standing there in tears anymore, but a vulnerable young woman who was barely dressed and looking at him the way so many women did.

He hated that look, he’d seen it so often in his life. Especially when it came from someone like Trine. Uncomfortable did not begin to describe the way it made him feel. He fled as quickly as he could and joined Pauley in the living room. They didn’t have to wait long, surprisingly. She had dressed quickly and, most likely, left the mess in the bathroom for later.

He could hardly believe his eyes when he saw her in the doorway. The young woman standing there was not the one which had shown up on Adam’s doorstep a few months before. The dirty, baggy, threadbare clothes were gone, and now so was the long, dyed black and red hair. She had gained several pounds, replacing the gaunt, hollow look she had with a pleasant softness that suited her. She still wore all of her earrings but the others had all been removed from her face, including the one in her tongue.

She wore a simple pair of faded jeans and a tank top shirt which clung just a bit too tightly, in Larry’s opinion, for a girl her age. She had actually done a good job of evening out her hair so that although it was remarkably different, it looked good. Professional, even.

“Trine?” Pauley gasped as he stared at the girl with his mouth open in shock. He blinked in disbelief at the radical change, which was hard for someone so young to comprehend.

“Hey twerp.” She said with a little smile. “What do you think?” She asked.

“You look pretty!” he declared, nodding his head emphatically and making both Larry and Trine smile at his reaction. Larry hid his smile behind his hand, rubbing an itchy nose, and Trine looked shyly down at the floor.

“You ready to go for a ride?” Larry asked Pauley, who agreed eagerly. Once they were all loaded up in Larry’s jeep and headed into the city, Trine asked just what it was they were going to do, but Larry remained mysterious, simply telling her she’d have to wait and see. It wasn’t something he could explain. He even made her wait with Pauley in the jeep while he went into a couple of different stores. Finally he steered them toward Bono and Edge’s houses.

He led the pair around the side of Bono’s house and through the backyard to the bluff overlooking the sea. He knelt down and sorted through the bags, Pauley curiously gazing over his shoulder. He withdrew a sketch pad and some markers from one, handing it over to Trine.

“Write to her.” He instructed as he kept searching through the bags.

“What?” Trine asked, frowning at him.

“Write to your ma. Tell her what you want to. About Adam or what you’ve done since she’s been gone. What you feel about her being gone. Just write Happy Birthday, if that’s all you want to say.” He told her with a shrug. She blinked at him in disbelief for a moment, but then began to write. Once she started writing, it seemed she couldn’t stop.

Everything she’d seen and done and felt since her mother had been gone spilled out onto what turned out to be three pages. She stopped several times to wipe at teary eyes, but Larry waited patiently for her to be ready. He’d given Pauley a new toy to keep him busy, and so Pauley was contentedly running around the back yard, playing.

“Ok. What now?” She asked, finally finished writing.

“Do you know how to make a paper airplane?” Larry asked, rising from the place where he had settled in the grass. She shook her head and he demonstrated on a blank piece of paper for her. As she tried her hand at folding her letters into planes, he wrote one of his own and folded it to fly.

“I stole this idea from Bono.” He admitted with a little smile. “We did this one New Years Eve. Wrote prayers for the future and sent them into the sea at midnight.” Trine smiled at the thought. “You ready?” He asked and she nodded her agreement before tossing the first of her three pages into the water below.

The wind picked it up and she watched it loop in crazy, wild circles, high into the air and then down to graze the waves before finally being taken under. Pauley was standing at Larry’s side now, watching in wonder. Trine launched the second of the two pages and felt as if a weight was being lifted from her shoulders. It was almost as if she were out there, on the wind, flying free in the ocean air.

“Can I throw one?” Pauley asked, and Larry knelt beside him.

“Aye. This one.” He told him, holding tight to the boys waist as he tossed it over the cliff, making sure he didn’t tumble over the side himself in his enthusiasm.

“You wrote that one just for him?” Trine asked after tossing her final page.

“No.” Larry replied, shaking his head. “That one was written to my mother. She died when I was young.” He told her, and her blue eyes darkened with emotion. “Here, there’s one more thing.” He added, pulling three red roses out of the remaining shopping bag. He handed one to Trine, returned one to the bag and kept the third for himself.

“I didn’t know that.” She told him solemnly.

“I don’t talk about it.” He told her, as if stating a fact.

“Do you still miss her?” She asked, her eyes turning to look out over the ocean.

“Sure. But I’ll see her again, someday.” He replied. Trine envied the conviction of his faith, the certainty that this world was not all there was. He believed in God and the immortality of the human spirit, and she wished she could feel that way. She wanted to believe, but didn’t know how. He bowed his head in silent prayer before tossing the rose into the ocean, and Trine followed suit.

“Can I throw the other one in?” Pauley asked as Larry scooped him up with one arm and the last rose with the other.

“Nope. Those were for our mothers, this one is for yours. You can still give it to her yourself.” Larry explained, and although Pauley looked as though he would much rather have the opportunity to toss more things into the water, he didn’t argue. Even at age four, he could sense the solemnity of the ceremony.

“You know…” Larry started as they walked back around the house toward his jeep, “I like that hair cut a lot better on you than I did on Bono.” He joked, earning a gasp of playful indignation from Trine as she ran a hand over her hair and then swung out to try and slug him on the shoulder. Larry dodged her attack easily, grateful to see her smile again.
 
Wonderful chapter!


“Of course not, not without someone to warm your frigid feet on.”

Glad that Adam showed up. I can relate...I always have cold feet.
 
SG, sweetie, you've out done yourself! *sigh* It was wonderful as always!

But the Trine cutting all her hair off part, that I just don't get. I mean come on no woman in her right mind would do that! :giggle: Or would they? :wink: Do you really think Larry would go for the Sinead look. hehe :drool:
 
That was great Sad_Girl! I can see Trine cutting her hair all off, I've known a couple of girls that have done the same thing...haven't you ever seen Empire Records Russty Cat? Anyway, great chapter! My husband can totally sympathize with Adam and Cat's cold feet...I do the same thing. :)
 
KieraAnne said:
That was great Sad_Girl! I can see Trine cutting her hair all off, I've known a couple of girls that have done the same thing...haven't you ever seen Empire Records Russty Cat? Anyway, great chapter! My husband can totally sympathize with Adam and Cat's cold feet...I do the same thing. :)

KieraAnne, I was just teasing Sad Girl, cuz she knows that I cut all my hair off last week ala Sinead. I would recommend it to anyone. Its so nice to not have to mess with your hair and it stays alot cooler especially during the summer heat.
 
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