Page 109 of Marley
The rest of the labour was a piece of piss. No idea why women bang on about that shit.
Joe was delivered safely after just twenty-eight hours of unnecessary ranting and raving from my wife.
Calm yourselves, women of the world! I’m joking. I will never, ever understand why any woman would choose to go back and do that more than once. I was in pain just from watching the pain she was going through and it’s something that will stay with me forever.
When Joe was put into my arms and wrapped all of his little fingers around one of mine, the world fell from under my feet. I quite literally fell onto the bed next to Ash, and as the doctors cleaned and stitched her up, we both stared at him in wonder. He was totally and utterly perfect.
I would give up everything that I’d ever achieved in my life for this one success. In my head, I prayed to a God I’ve never been quite sure existed and asked him to help make me the dad that this little boy deserved and as I did. Joe opened up his eyes and looked right at me and I knew that I would do anything, lay down my life, sell my corrupt soul to the devil if necessary, to love and protect him for the rest of my days.
Within the space of five years, we’d added two little girls to our tribe, and within six, Len and Jimmie had two of each. When you added Billy and Tom’s five to the mix, touring sometimes became crazy.
I wanted Ash and the kids with me when I was away, but waking up a five and three-year-old at three in morning to get off a plane when it’s below freezing outside, is not fun. Add a newborn to the mix and it actually becomes a nightmare.
My kids woke up starving at two am and were ready for bed at eleven in the morning by the time they were on their fourth time zone in ten days. They were miserable, Ash was miserable, and I just felt guilty.
On the few occasions they did stay home, I’d end up exhausted due to flying back to them on our days off.
On top of that was the press. The fucking press and their ridiculous, made up stories. We were nowhere near as wild as we were in the early days, but we still liked to party and you could always guarantee that if there were women in the room, a photograph would somehow be leaked of them standing within a twenty foot radius of myself or Maca.
Georgia was never very far from Maca’s side, but for Ash, being the one sitting at home with three kids, sometimes the rumours were hard on her. Picking up the paper every day to read who your husband was apparently fucking was no fun.
Luckily, we were tight. I missed her and the kids like fuck when we were apart, and Georgia always backed me up when the stories got too much for her.
I’ve never strayed. Not ever. Ash and I had a threesome once with another woman, but even then, she was all about Ash and didn’t touch me.
I could go into detail about that experience, but my wife will have my balls and my kids might read this so yeah, not happening. You’ll all just have to use your dirty minds.
I totally understood why George and Maca held off on having kids. Touring with them put a massive strain on our marriage, and we’d have some huge blow-ups because we were both so tired and stressed. Studio time was the best time for us. It meant I could be home for dinner most nights and able to bathe and tuck my kids into bed. That’s all I wanted from life, my family. The rock and roll lifestyle held no appeal to me anymore. Like I said, we still liked to party, but I did it with my wife beside me nowadays. Ash and I have always had a fiery relationship, we’re both passionate people, so that will never change.
George and Maca finally decided to tie the knot in October of 1998. The stars finally aligning to put us all together in the same place at the same time.
We had just finished a short tour of the States and were taking a break in Florida before flying home.
Maca brought my mum, Dad, Bailey, and Sam over and the happy couple said their ‘I do’s’ in front of us all on a beach in St Petersburg at sunset. The day was perfect; chilled, laid back, and without a single member of the press in sight.
The happy couple delayed their honeymoon until the following year and then took off on a world tour of their own, spending most of their time in Australia.
I did very little in 1999, except kick back and enjoy time with my family. We’d stayed on in Florida, loving it so much that we’d bought a house there before we left, three weeks later.
We had been booked to play at the opening game of a European football competition in September and George and Maca returned from their travels just before then.
The album we had released the year before had been recorded in the South of France, and the bloke that owned the studio was also part owner of one of the teams that were playing. He’d invited the whole production team to watch the game from a private box.
Carla was in attendance. It was the first time we’d been in her company since Maca’s wedding and I could tell straight away she wasn’t happy. She’d started the evening ignoring us, but as she got slowly pissed up, she got brave.
“Dude, you seriously have to get her away from me, otherwise I’m leaving.” Maca told me quietly over his beer. It was the third time Carla had tried to engage him in conversation and he’d brushed her off.
“I don’t understand what her problem is. You’ve been back with G for years. She must’ve known that you’d get married at some stage.”
He let out a long sigh before looking me in the eye.“She didn’t. She’s always thought that G and I were bad for each other, and that she and I should be together.”
I fucking knew I didn’t like the girl.
“And how the fuck do you know that?” I asked, sliding from best mate to big brother mode in an instant.
“Because she’s told me, more than once.” He admitted.
“And you’ve said what? Told her to fuck off, I hope.”
