Bitter Farewell by Karolyn James Page B

happy. He said I deserved to be loved and cared for. But they were just words, the right words to say at that time. His eyes told me a different story. And so did my own heart.”
    Lorraine’s husband died of cancer five years earlier. And the way Lorraine took care of herself and lived life so happily and free, she’d have another thirty years, if not more, before she’d get to see her husband again.
    “I’m sorry,” Liv said.
    “I’m not. Barry’s love was the only love that mattered. Even in death. Nothing could come close. So I wait. And when my time comes and I’m gone, I’ll have Barry again. And the wait will have been worth every second.”
    Lorraine rubbed Liv’s back again and went back inside.
    Liv didn’t feel much better, but at least she didn’t feel so alone.
    Could she really just stand there, on a deck, staring at a big empty backyard, a broken fence, and just wait around for a rockstar to come to his senses completely and love her again? And if so... how would it work? Seeing Danny leave once was hard enough, Liv couldn’t imagine it becoming part of her everyday life. Not with her father like he was.
    Liv drank her water and inhaled the fresh air. She knew the feelings would eventually go away. They always did.
    “Hey, Liv?” Lorraine called for her.
    Liv spun, expecting something with her father. Lorraine stood holding the house phone.
    “Someone’s on the phone for you,” Lorraine whispered. “Chrissy...?”
    “Yeah,” Liv said. “Chrissy’s a friend.”
    “She wants you to come out.”
    “Crabley’s? Why?”
    “Well...,” Lorraine paused as a smile overran her face. “Apparently, Chasing Cross just showed up  at Crabley’s to play a show.”

(10)
     
    Danny would never tell Peter, but the spontaneous gig was probably one of the best Chasing Cross shows in a long time. From the second they opened the front door to Crabley’s, it was nothing but energy and fun and. They received a cheering until the owner of Crabley’s begged them to get on the small stage and play a few songs to calm them down .
    The mics weren’t the right volume and the sound system was terrible. But that made it so much better because it all relied on the actual sound of the instruments and the voices. The bar was cramped and warm with seven spotlights hanging above the stage. Three of them were burned out, one of them flickering a few times.
    They ran through the usual hits, letting the acoustic style give its own sound. When it came time for the solos, Danny and Davey faced each other, smiling ear to ear, playing the solos note for note, even as impossible as it felt climbing the neck of an acoustic so much. There wasn’t enough room for a couple of the notes but it didn’t matter. Danny slid his fingers past the neck still on the strings and let the sound cry out. It was out of tune and horrible but didn’t matter.
    It was fun.
    It was a release.
    It was what Danny needed.
    Even when Johnnie messed around with the crowd, taking requests for covers, it was fun. The band that had been on stage before Chasing Cross was brought up onto the stage to play a few songs.
    The guitarist had hair to his shoulders and looked like he needed a good shower. His worn shirt and ripped jeans added to the allure of being a rockstar and the second Danny saw the kid, he thought of himself. They shook hands and the kid looked nervous as anything.
    “What’s your name?” Danny asked.
    “They call me Axe in the band... but I’m Andy. I love Chasing Cross.”
    “Let’s play,” Danny said. “Show me your most popular song.”
    The kids fingers were shaking as he strummed the chords and showed Danny the riffs. It took all of a minute of random jamming before they were ready to go at it.
    “What’s the name of the band?” Danny asked.
    “Uh... Forever Tuesday Down,” Andy said.
    “Nice name,” Danny said.
    Danny walked to Johnnie and whispered the name to him. Johnnie looked back and nodded.
    “Okay,