The Show Must Go On, page 1
Life, Love, Music, and Dreams
Book One
The Show Must Go On
Lisa Bailey Davis
Published by:
Publisher name: Lisa Bailey Davis
Publisher address: Indianapolis, IN
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First Edition © 2022 by Lisa Bailey Davis
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, scanning, or otherwise, except as permitted under Sections 107 or 108 of the 1976 United States Copyright Act, without the prior written permission of the publisher. Requests to the publisher for permission should be addressed to:
author@LisaBaileyDavis.com
Table of Contents
Title Page
Copyright Page
Acknowledgments
What Does the Phrase The Show Must Go On Mean?
Characters of the Life, Love, Music, and Dreams Trilogy
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Coming soon: Life, Love, Music, and Dreams, Book Two, Just an Old-Fashioned Love Song.
Author Bio
Acknowledgments
I would like to express my deep gratitude for all of the support, help, ideas, and love that my husband, Paul, gave to me during the long process of writing this trilogy. He has always believed in me and that means more than he will ever know.
I would also like to thank Amanda at AM Design Studios (amdesignstudios.net) for creating the most wonderful cover art for this book. And she was so helpful to an author new to publishing.
I would also like to thank my friend Renee Masingo for her interest, support and enthusiasm. I appreciate it.
What Does the Phrase The Show Must Go On Mean?
I’m sure you’ve heard the idiom "The show must go on". What you might not know is that it’s a show business expression meaning that no matter the circumstances, there must still be a performance. Regardless of what happens, whatever show has been planned still has to be staged for the waiting patrons.
When you hear the phrase, perhaps you instantly think of the chart-topping hit by the same name from the British band Queen. Pink Floyd also has a song with the same title. I’m definitely thinking about a song but I’m thinking of the song with the same name written by Leo Sayer and the performance by Three Dog Night in nineteen seventy-four.
But here is a bit of background about this expression. The saying and principle are traditional in the theater, but they both originated in the nineteenth century with circuses. If an animal got loose or a performer was injured, the ringmaster and the band tried to keep things going so the crowd wouldn’t panic. Eventually, the phrase began to be used regarding actual show business.
But eventually this expression came to have broader implications. It has an additional figurative meaning. Yes, it applies to shows, circuses, etc. But it can also apply to getting through life no matter what obstacles or pain might be in one’s path. One can’t go to a very dark place or give up, even if one desperately wants the pain to end. So, the show goes on. Life goes on.
My trilogy Life, Love, Music, and Dreams uses both of the meanings. Literally, the performance the band plans to give must go on. Figuratively, the hero and heroine experience many of life’s most painful events and decisions but must work their way through somehow and hopefully learn something and come out as a better person.
Characters of the Life, Love, Music, and Dreams Trilogy
Main Characters
Natalia Tonner - heroine
Rob Kelson - hero
Jake Masterson - antagonist
Natalia’s family
Dr. Bert Tonner - father
April Tonner - mother
Will Tonner - older brother
Lauren Tonner - Will’s wife
Caleb Tonner - Will and Lauren’s son
Brynlee Tonner - Will and Lauren’s daughter
Marissa Larson - older sister
Charlie Larson - Marissa’s husband
Brandon Davenport - Marissa’s son
Mae Norton - maternal aunt
Bandmembers/Friends
Andrew Gardner
Eric Reyes
Val Novack
Natalia’s Friends
Jennifer Green
Lakeisha Holland
Kaede Kobayashi
Ian Rhys-Davies
Rachael Rhys-Davies
Rob’s Family
Peggy Tilley - mother
Lindsay Kelson - older sister
Other
Emma Tyler - Jake’s ex-girlfriend
Christina Smith - Rob’s ex-girlfriend
Zane Singer - Jennifer’s cousin
Chapter 1
Natalia
Monday 12/12
Natalia Tonner felt a sudden blast of warm air as it blew her skirt around, and she turned to see who had arrived right behind her. Her best friend, Robin Kelson, stepped into the stairwell, and she smiled.
“Hi, Rob.” Noticing the grim expression, she said, “What’s up?”
Continuing down the stairs, they entered the band’s practice room. Without a word, Rob walked in front of her, took her bags with her synthesizer and equipment, and placed them in their usual spot. Natalia could see he was upset about something. Walking over, she placed her hand on his arm and looked into his deep blue eyes.
“Blue Crab Records doesn’t want us,” he blurted out.
At his words, her heart sank. Another rejection. Natalia thought the pain would lessen after hearing “no” so many times, but this one hurt even more than the others. The band seemed so close. Tears stung her eyes, but she forced them back as she digested the unpalatable bit of news. Her shoulders sagged. “You heard from them today?”
He ran a hand through his windblown, dark-blonde hair. It was so strange to see him without his usual quirky grin.
“Yeah.” He grimaced. “They texted a message. The bastards should’ve talked to me, told me what was wrong.” Rob plopped into one of the chairs, rubbed his eyes, then dropped his head into his hands.
Natalia sighed. She had been in a rock band since she was nineteen and had answered an ad for a keyboardist. She spent three years with Rockhead and two years so far with her current band, RAVEN. Hadn’t she paid her dues yet? Rockhead had been so close before Joey’s death tore the band apart. Should she have stayed with that band? They had regrouped with a new name, Falling Rock Zone, and a new attitude.
Her gut tightened with the memory of Joey, a pain that never seemed to go away. No, she could not have stayed with the old band. Too many memories and too much pain. That was why she had to make a change.
As she thought about it, the guys in the current band were great. They had welcomed her and even changed the name of the band when she joined. RAVEN was an acronym, an abbreviation formed from the first letters of their names, so she was an integral part from day one.
“I haven’t told the guys yet.” Rob’s deep voice interrupted her thoughts.
Natalia stiffened her spine. “Did you call the record company to find out what was wrong?”
“Yeah.” Without raising his head, he said, “Let’s wait until the others get here.” He stared down at his shoes.
She took his hand, and he gave hers a soft squeeze.
Her mind spinning with possibilities, she said, “We need an agent to handle the problems with potential record labels.”
“I still wonder if we have a big enough fan base and bring in enough money to actually afford one.”
Why was it always the same story? Not enough money? Not enough good luck? Not enough talent? Or could it be Rob didn’t work hard enough or push hard enough? In the past, he had been slow to return calls and hesitant to do the mundane business-related things. He even uploaded the demo MP3 to Blue Crab Records late. Was that the problem? Should she step up and do something about this? No, the members had signed an agreement designating each one’s responsibilities. Rob’s were promotion as well as songwriting and singing. Natalia played piano and synthesizer. On occasion, she sang and helped Rob with songwriting, but her duties didn’t go beyond that. Releasing a deep breath, she tried to smother her frustration.
“We’re not getting anywhere doing what we’re doing now.” She forced her voice not to rise.
“Nat, I’m working on it.”
She studied Rob. He averted his eyes, and she couldn’t help but wonder if he was hiding something. No. He wouldn’t do that. She fumed for a moment but decided that being angry with him really didn’t accomplish anything. He would just say that he did things as soon as he was able. In truth, they were a group and would succeed or fail as a group. They just had to stick together. Natalia sat next to him and bumped her shoulder against his. He leaned closer to her, and she bumped him again. When he still didn’t meet her eyes, she put her hand on his shoulder and massaged it.
He finally turned his head to look at her, and Natalia could see a faint smile on his face.
At that moment, Eric Reyes arrived in a whirl of activity. Pulling off his light jacket and tossing his keys aside, he said, “God, I love Orlando weather. It’s so great that it’s this warm in December.” Stopping as he saw Natalia and Rob,
Rob clenched his jaw. “Let’s wait until the others get here.”
Shrugging, Eric sat at his drum set and began to tap out a rhythm. He really worked the kick drum too, the large one which had the band’s name and raven logo.
Natalia watched as Rob repeated the unwelcome news to the band. Her heart ached for him as he was clearly upset by the conversation with the record label. They all thought they had this one. The rest of the band sat and stared as if unable to take in the news. Their heads fell forward, and Val Novack, the bassist, swore under his breath.
Eric pounded his sticks against the drum rim in frustration “Es una locura. Esto me cabrea.” Suddenly he was on a roll.
“English, please.”
Eric grimaced. “What the hell was wrong?”
“Rob raised his head and said, “All they would say was someone demanded a change in our lineup, or the label wouldn’t even consider signing us.”
“Who did they want to drop?”
“They weren’t specific.”
“Well, who was the ass making the demands?”
“I don’t know. It sounded like someone outside of the company itself.”
Val frowned. “That’s weird, and disturbing. Why would someone unrelated to the label do something like that? And what are we supposed to do now?”
Andrew Gardner, the lead guitarist, who had been silent so far, spoke up. “It must be someone pretty important or thinks he’s important.” He looked around. “What would he accomplish by insisting the label drop one of us?”
They all gazed at one another. Finally, Andrew spoke again. “I say we forget about it and keep trying, and we continue working on the whole package: the music, the show, our presentation, our promotion.”
“I’m doing my best,” Rob said with a grumble.
Natalia gave Rob’s back a quick rub. “I’m sure Andrew didn’t mean to criticize you. I think he means we all need to step up our game some. Try a little more, work a little harder.”
Her hand fell away as Rob stood. He rolled his shoulders, unwinding a bit, then smiled at her. She smiled back.
“Nat’s right,” Rob said. “There’s bound to be other opportunities to work toward. Let’s not let this sidetrack us. Why don’t we get started on practice?”
For the next four hours, the band went through their program, repeating some songs over and over. By the end of the night, Natalia thought they sounded better than ever.
On his way out, Eric stopped Natalia. With a grin, he said, “Why is an eleven-foot concert grand piano better than a studio upright?”
She smiled and shrugged. The battle for the best musician joke continued.
“Because it makes a much bigger kaboom when pushed off a cliff.”
“Okay. What do you call a drummer without a girlfriend?”
Eric raised an eyebrow. “I don’t know.”
“Homeless.”
Eric and Natalia laughed, and the others shook their heads good-naturedly. They left as a group, the unwanted news forgotten.
Natalia
Monday 12/12
NATALIA SANG ALONG with the radio as she pulled up to her apartment. What had started as a depressing evening had ended on a positive note for her and her bandmates. Exhausted from practice, she plopped down on the sofa. A quick glance at the clock had her thinking of her boyfriend, Jake. Her heart beat a little faster. With the time difference between Orlando and Sydney, Australia, this could be a good time to call him. She might actually catch him when he wasn’t busy.
As the phone rang, Natalia grabbed a pillow and snuggled into the couch, hoping he would answer.
“Talia, love, it’s marvelous to hear from you. How are you?”
She smiled when she heard his voice, his Aussie accent sounding totally sexy.
“Hi, Jake. Not so good.” Natalia told him about the news from the record company, working hard to hold back the tears.
“Bloody hell. I’m sorry. I know that meant a lot to you. How are you holding up?”
“Okay, I guess.” She paused. “Oh, Jake, I’m so disappointed. We’re getting nowhere no matter how hard we try.”
“Well, I have a surprise for you that might make it better. But you have to wait until I get there.”
“That will be forever.”
He laughed. “No, only until New Year’s Eve. You have to wait that long.”
With a sigh, she said, “But that’s two and a half weeks.”
“I think you can do it,” he said in an indulgent tone. “Now, tell me you love me.”
“Oh, Jake, I do, very much.”
“I love you just as much. I’ll ring you again on Christmas, if not before.”
“Okay. I miss you.”
“Miss you, too.”
Natalia ended the call and wondered what kind of surprise Jake had in store for her. She thought back to the times they had spent together over the past year. He had surprised her by sweeping her off her feet and away to several wonderful places, dancing in the snazziest clubs in Miami, snorkeling in Key Largo, and golfing in West Palm Beach. Every time he came to visit, he was bursting with new plans. He made her days fun and her nights exciting. He was like a taste of champagne when her usual life was more like flat soda, and she really enjoyed it. How could she wait that long to see him?
Natalia
Tuesday 12/13
THE NEXT DAY, NATALIA arrived home from work at a much later hour than usual. She sat in her car for several long moments, reliving the day’s events. When would her boss ever get a clue that he was the one hurting morale? He always blamed the employees for any problem at the music store, but the problem really was him and the economy. Not everyone wanted or could afford an expensive musical instrument. Thank goodness music lessons were still going strong, or she would have lost her job months ago.
She looked around to make sure no one suspicious loitered about. A girl could never be too careful. She walked from her car to her door and saw a large package waiting. Picking it up, she found that the bottom was wet. Struggling with her purse and the package, she finally fit the key into the lock and pushed the door open. She tossed her purse and keys onto the end table by the sofa and almost tripped over her cat as she placed the box on the kitchen counter. Unwrapping the tissue paper, she found two dozen red roses nestled with fern and baby’s breath in a huge crystal vase. Wow. The card read, “Thinking of you. Roses for Natalia Rose. Love, Jake.”
Oh, for goodness sake. He always got her middle name wrong. How hard was it to remember Lily? But still, it was a generous gesture. “I’m so lucky to have him in my life.” He knew the past week had been difficult for her, and he sent flowers. Placing the roses on the coffee table, she hoped her cat, Sebastien, wouldn’t knock them over or eat them.
Holding the card to her chest, she sighed. Leaning close, she inhaled the beautiful scent and smiled as she thought of Jake. Only the ringing phone had the power to pull her from her thoughts.
Rob
Tuesday 12/13
ROB’S WORKDAY ENDED, and the first person he thought of was Natalia. Hell, he always seemed to be thinking of her. He whipped out his phone and pressed her number. If he hurried, he could shower and still have time to take her to dinner.
“Hey, Nat. How are you?”
“I’m okay. How about you?
“About the same.” He arrived in the parking lot and rushed into his apartment, kicking off his shoes and struggling to pull off his socks. “How are you doing with the crappy news we got?”
She sighed. “I’ll survive.”
“Same here.” He pulled his pants down, hopping first on one foot, then the other, then pulled his shirt over his head while still holding the phone. “Would you like to join me for dinner?”
“Sure.”
“Great. I’ll pick you up in forty-five minutes.”
“Sounds good.”
Pumped that she accepted, he took the quickest shower on record. He jumped in his car and sped along the road. The heavy traffic on I-4 slowed him down, and he tried to keep a lid on his frustration as he drove.
