A new Short Story - The Roadie

October 22, 2020

The music was hard rock with an orchestra mixed into it, of course, the "orchestra" is a synthesizer, but, it's a sound that is so completely different from the mainstream I can't help but love it.

I don't even like hard rock music. I like just about every kind of music as long as the vocalists are actually singing and not shouting or screaming, or in certain styles, doing some kind of fast-talking. But this music, the heavy bass is matched with the low orchestra sounds and the high orchestra complements the distortion guitars surprisingly well. Best of all, the vocalists are actually singing, and not at the top of their lungs. Jeez, there's even the sound of a harp in a couple of songs. It's fantastic, I love it. And my friend, Andrew, plays in the band.

"Hey, Jakob!" that's me, Jakob, and some person on the sidewalk is yelling to get my attention.

"Umm, yeah, can I help you with something?" I ask the guy, wearing new jeans that are torn in the front of the upper legs and a sleeveless t-shirt with the words "Marz-n-Me" - the name of the band my friend Andrew plays in.

"Nice t-shirt," I said to him as he reached out his hand for a handshake, "did you buy it at their concert?" The band had played a concert the night before.

"Yeah, man! It was incredible! I saw you up there on stage, you were amazing, man!" the guy went on like that until I managed to interrupt him.

"What do you mean, you saw me on stage?" I asked him.

"Dude! You were back there ripping that guitar like there's no tomorrow, I loved it!" he said, excitedly as if he was meeting some god of the rock world. That wasn't me on that stage. Oh, I was there, but I was behind the stage preparing extra guitars for the band members. That's my job, I'm a roadie for "Marz-n-Me".

"Ok, yeah, sure, if you say so, thanks," I said, "excuse me, but I need to be going, I have things to do."

"Sure, it's been cool meeting you!" He finally let go of my hand.

***

Later that day I met up with the band as they were rehearsing. I told the story to the guys and Andrew said, "See what happens when you tour with a big name band? You'll become famous like the rest of us". Of course, his voice was dripping with sarcasm.

"Don't let it go to your head, Jakob, it's only temporary. This whole business is only temporary," said the bass player, Reg, who often looked on the negative side of things.

***

The next day while buying a few things at a local music store one of the guys behind the counter was whispering to the other guy, and they were pointing at me. I knew what they were talking about and was prepared.

"Hey, you're in the band Marz-n-Me, right? You guys rocked last weekend! How do you do it?" One of the sales guys asked.

I placed a couple of cables on the counter and asked, "Do what?"

"Play like that! Man, you were incredible!" the other sales guy said.

"Oh, that, well, practice, lot's of practice," I said as I handed him some money for the cables, got my change, and hurried out of the store.

***

"This week I've had 3 people tell me how great I was at the concert, can you believe that?" I told Shelley, my girlfriend.

"Why would they say that? You don't play in the band," she said while washing the coffee pot.

"I know! It's so weird! They all said they watched me on stage shredding the guitar. Obviously, they were watching Rudy and they think I'm him."

She gave me a kiss on my cheek and walked out to the living room to watch something on TV, "Just don't let it go to your head, sweetie."

"Yeah, that won't happen, I hope it stops soon. I've seen the crazies that go after the guys in the band. I don't need that in my life," I said as I sat next to her on the couch.

"Okay, darling. The show's starting now," she really wasn't very interested in band stuff. We watched the show.

***

The band is playing, ripping through their set; the crowd screaming and singing along, it's a real rush.

"Hey, Jakob!" I heard a shout from the stage, it was Rudy. He gave me the signal for another guitar. I rushed his second axe out to him, grabbed the one with the broken string, and hustled back off-stage. This stage isn't big enough to allow the guitars space on stands near the guys, so I take them out to them if needed.

After the concert, we were outside talking among ourselves and a couple of guys with their girlfriends came walking up to us.

Rudy said to them, "Hey, you guys aren't supposed to be back here. How'd you get past the security guy?"

"You guys rock!" they ignored his question and came right at us, grabbing our hands for handshakes and hugs before we knew what hit us.

"Wow! Amazing! All of you!" and this girl wrapped her arms around me as she said that then planted a kiss on me. "I'll never forget you, especially, your solo was so emotional, I was in tears. How do you play like that?"

Andrew saw that she was mistaking me for him, but went along with it, "Well, sweetheart, he's an amazing player, he is. He practices every day. He's shredding that axe like there's nothing else in life, not even women."

Then Reg got into it, "Someday you'll see him in the Rock-n-Roll Hall of Fame!"

"Wait a minute, that wasn't," and I was cut off by another kiss. The young woman pressed her lips against mine and really went at me.

The groupies finally left us alone and the other guys just cracked up laughing and couldn't stop teasing me.

"Jesus, dude, how do you do it?" asked Rudy.

"I didn't do anything! I'm telling you, they simply think I'm the one up there shredding. I've never said anything to anyone, I swear!" I protested to them.

Laughing, Andrew said, "No problem, friend, it's all cool. I'm glad it's you, and not me. Jonelle would have a fit if she saw me getting all those kisses."

***

On Friday, we're doing a radio show and Rudy and Andrew will be doing the talking.

The DJ started out with the normal questions and then started getting a bit more personal.

"Are the guys in the band married? Or have girlfriends?" he asked.

Andrew replied, "Yeah, we're all either married, I am, or have girlfriends."

"So nobody in the band is available? There are many young women out there listening to this show wanting a chance with any of you guys. What about Jakob? He's a favorite for so many of those young ladies."

"Jakob? Yeah, he has a girlfriend," Rudy said, "but he's…" before he could finish he was interrupted.

"Wait, we have a call from a listener. Ok, Hi, You're on the Ricky Show, do you have a question for the guys?" The DJ asked the caller.

The caller was a young woman, "Yeah, I really, really, like Jakob! I mean, like, I love him! I want him! Please! I want to meet him, how can I meet him?"

Andrew replied to the girl, "Well, sweetie, Jakob has a girlfriend. A wonderful young woman. So, I'm afraid you probably won't get that chance, but maybe Roger or Mick can meet you someday." They are also band members but not at the front of the stage. One played the second drums and the other was an extra keyboardist.

"Cool, okay, I guess so," said the young woman and she left her number with the DJ.

After the interview finished the DJ asked, "Hey guys, what's up with all these people asking about Jakob? Who's Jakob? Are you hiding a band member?"

"No, no, man, he's on the crew. Somehow, all these people think he's up there playing guitar. I don't get it either. He has people after him almost every day," said Rudy.

"Honestly, I don't mind," said Andrew, "he taking the attention of the groupies off us. I'm fine with that."

***

It just continues and it seems the more I try to make it stop the more people come out and find me and want photos with me, want to kiss me, and more. It's driving me crazy! Shelley is beginning to get weary of all the attention I'm getting, also. Especially the attention from the girls.

"Jakob, you have to do something about this. You're in the crew, not the band. Why are they all going crazy for you?" she asked me.

"I don't know, sweetie, I wish it would stop, too," I said.

At the next rehearsal Andrew said, "Hey, Jakob, you know that mag Rock-n-Bands, right? Well, they want to interview you for an article."

"What? Me? You can't be serious!" I said.

"Yeah, you, my man, you're the most famous member of this band," said Reg.

"But I'm not in the band, on the stage, with you guys! Why is this happening?" I asked them all.

"Don't know, don't care. The groupies are after you, not me, so that's good for me. Andrea thinks so, too," said Rudy. Andrea is Rudy's wife.

The magazine interviewer wanted me only. She was a pretty, young woman, long black hair, very nice figure, athletic, and very personable, a little too forward. During the interview, she had been touching my knees, my hands, even one time she caught herself start to run her hand through my hair. I'm glad I was the only one from the band there, and especially glad Shelley was at her own job.

***

"This is getting out of control," I told Shelley, "How can I bring it to an end?" I asked Shelley that night after the interview.

"Well, you have to come right out and tell them you're on the crew and not in the band, sweetie," she said.

"I've tried so many times I lost count! Every time I try to tell them I'm a roadie, they cut me off with more questions. And some have tried for more than just questions," then I realized I shouldn't have said that last part.

"What? What are you talking about? Have you had sex with any of those groupies?" asked Shelley, now giving her full attention to me and this problem.

"No, baby, I haven't had sex with any of them, but they sure have tried, I'm telling you. It's crazy! And that magazine interview, that woman just about sat in my lap!" Again, too much info.

"You! That better not happen or I'll leave you!" now I had her full and undivided attention. That's what I've been wanting, but not in this way.

***

The band is playing tonight, and here I am, getting the guitars ready, and a pretty redhead walks up to me, wraps her arms around me, and presses her lips against mine. She wouldn't let up no matter how much I tried to resist. There's a limit to what I can do without getting in trouble, in regards to getting her off me, but there's also a limit in what I can do with her attached to me. What am I going to do? She pushes her tongue between my lips.

I gently pushed away from her, finally breaking our nearly sealed lips apart. She smiled and said, "Wow, that was great! Let's keep going!" She quickly removed her t-shirt revealing her perky young breasts that weren't constrained by a bra and pressed herself against me again. Her hands went down to my pants and started to unbutton them, then unzip them. Her hand slid into my jeans.

***

The band is playing again, this time in a stadium, and the crowd is huge! Our biggest yet. It's so exciting to be a part of something like this. I have the extra guitars all set out on the stage where the guys prefer them and I'm now ready to relax and watch the show. The hard work starts after the show is finished.

The band is wild tonight, the crowd is even wilder. It's amazing, the response we're getting. And what's this? I don't hear my name? What's happening? Nobody's yelling my name. What happened?

My life is back to normal and Shelley is happy now that I'm not getting all the attention.

Something changed. I can't explain it. It's weird, but now the guys in the band are getting all the attention and having to deal with jealous wives and girlfriends. Not me, not anymore.