Page 13 of Hollow Heart

I shake Lou’s hand, sealing my fate.

“When do rehearsals start?”

When I finally get home,the house is dark, and Bobby is passed out in his room.

I lean in the doorway, watching him sleeping peacefully, and I can’t help but think I lucked out in the kid department.

With my past, and his mother’s, it was a miracle I wasn’t pounding on doors looking for him.

To be honest, I’m not sure Bobby has even been to a high school party, let alone drank or smoked, or...

I smile, my pride swelling at all the opportunities in his path, and the ones that will inevitably come from working this gig.

ThePillars of Rocktour.

Though I do feel some sense of sadness and remorse that I’ll be away from him for a while when we leave LA to hit the other cities.

I remind myself I’m doing thisforhim, and that good things don’t often come without some sort of sacrifice.

Leaving his room, I head to my den, or as Marci used to call it, myman cave.

When we’d moved from the city to the suburbs, we’d downsized a bit, and as a result of such things, I’ve taken over the smallest bedroom and turned it into my own private media room.

Even now, as I scan the plaques and posters ofHollow Pointedecorating the walls, alongside photos and instruments and copies of magazines, I can’t help but remember being Felix’s age.

I met Marci, in 1991.

Backstage at a show in LA.

I settle into my lounge chair, leaning back as I spread my legs out, swiveling in the office chair.

Despite picking up a wasted Felix, the night hadn’t been without its charms. I don’t really talk to my former bandmates, since most of them moved away and had their own lives and issues to deal with, so it really was nice to just catch up and reminisce with Lou.

Isaax is on wife number four, and Randall, our former bassist, is tied up with his acting career. Even our second guitarist is still in Hollywood, working as a sound producer and composer.

Out of the band, I am the only one who actually settled down and made a family.

With one of our groupies, no less.

My mind wanders as I remember the height of it all.

The haze of alcohol and drugs always felt good at the time, and I won’t deny I still think about some of those crazy nights.

The sex was phenomenal. I did things drunk I’d never do sober, something Marci always reminded me of when we celebrated our anniversary.

“Careful, baby, or we might end up with a repeat of Tucson of ‘92.”

I laughed, remembering her irking me over a glass of wine.

That night, we’d all been wasted as fuck, including Lou, who was Issax’s main supplier at the time.

I’d never been into the pills, like Issax, but Lou insisted whatever it was we took would make sex like a fucking kaleidoscope.

He was right, by the way. I’d never felt like such a badass, despite being wasted off my ass.

So wasted I’d fucked the lead singer of my band, while he fucked my girlfriend.

I run a hand over my face, my cock twitching as the memories filled me.

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