Chapter 16
The Dusty Brooms are on the road again, finally finished with all of their Michigan shows and now driving toward Wisconsin.
Ray sits next to Carol on the bus in the back, with most of the Brooms surrounding their seats in one way or another.
The only Broom that isn’t back here with them is Gene, who’s taking a seat more in the middle of the bus next to Maurice.
It was like this after their Sault Ste. Marie show when they were travelling to Marquette, and Ray supposes it might be like that for the rest of the tour, if Carol still is hanging around.
But—Ray doesn’t want it to stay this way.
He’d love for Gene to come back to sitting with him again.
But he can’t exactly tell Carol to go away either. He likes her here, too.
They stop at a rest area before they cross the state border.
The crew gets out and stretches their legs, and some go off to use the restrooms there.
Carol is one of them, heading off to freshen up in the ladies’ room.
Ray, however, stays back, standing outside and leaning his back against the side of the bus.
The wind is a bit chilly this late into October, almost feeling like winter already this far north.
Tall hills that seem like mountains cast the scene in the distance, peppered with red and orange trees.
Santiago joins him. Ray bums a cigarette from Santi—he doesn’t smoke often, but even with the comfort of having Carol around, he’s been feeling rather stressed with how Gene’s been avoiding him.
The zap from a hit of nicotine calms him, smoothing out his thoughts. Or, so he hopes.
“I finally got you at a time when Carol’s not clinging to your side,” Santiago says, taking a puff of his own cigarette, the other hand in his jacket.
“Yeah, well, I can’t exactly follow her if she goes into the ladies’ room,” Ray says.
“Exactly.” Santi smiles. “I didn’t want to ask while she was around, but… Damn, Ray, what’s been going on between you and Gene?”
Ray blinks, startled. “Um, nothing! Nothing’s going on. Why do you ask?”
“Because when we played the Marquette show, it seemed like Gene wasn’t playing the same.
He wasn’t dancing around you like he usually does, and basically stayed by Pat and Stefan the entire time.
And then with how he hasn’t been sleeping in the same room as us for the last few days—not to mention how I’ve barely seen you two talk to each other…
He’s not even hanging out with us now, in our down time. ”
“Well, I think that’s ’cause he had to use the bathroom, too.”
“That’s besides the point I’m trying to make, man. Forget that. I mean about all the other stuff. Don’t dodge the question.” Santi waves his cigarette hand.
“Okay, okay. Um…” Ray scratches the back of his head with his free hand.
Honestly, he doesn’t know how to describe it, other than something along the lines of how him getting together with Carol seemed to make Gene upset.
It doesn’t make any sense, especially when he knows that Gene doesn’t harbor any actual feelings for Carol, dismissing her as a one-night-stand.
No, Gene’s not upset at Carol, he’s upset at Ray.
Is it that because I have a girl now, he thinks I’m not spending enough time with him? But he wasn’t avoiding me this much back when I’d gotten together with Harriet. I’ve tried being friendly towards him, and yet, every time, he still seems so upset…
“I don’t know. That’s the short and easy answer, Santi, I don’t fucking know.”
“Well, I don’t know either. That doesn’t help anything.
” Santiago blows out a large puff of smoke with a sigh.
“I just don’t wanna go the whole rest of the tour with you guys avoiding each other.
You guys write the songs, for Pete’s sake!
We’ve only just started getting big! All I’m saying is you better work your shit out and become close like you used to before things get worse and start affecting the whole band, y’know.
I can tell even Dennis is a bit worried—he just hasn’t been vocal about it.
Probably because he doesn’t want to make this a big deal, hoping it all blows over. ”
“Yeah, yeah, I get that.” Ray takes a drag from his cigarette, the chilly wind blowing the smoke away from them. “Did… did you maybe want to talk to Gene for me?”
“I’ve already tried bringing up the subject to him. He barely said anything to me.”
“Oh. Well… I don’t know. What about asking Maurice? I’ve noticed he’s been hanging out with Gene, since they’ve been rooming together.”
Santiago shrugs. “I guess I could try. Wouldn’t hurt.”
As soon as Santi’s finished with his sentence, Ray notices from the small building a few hundred feet away, across the parking lot, that Gene steps out of the men’s room.
“Uh, I’m gonna head back inside the bus,” Ray says.
Santi rolls his eyes. “Alright, alright. You keep avoiding him, now.”
Ray can’t help but chuckle at that. But his stomach ties in a knot, not knowing what else to say. As he steps onto the bus, his back turned toward the others, he hears Santi call out, “Hey, Gene!”
He can’t hear the rest of their conversation, as he finds his seat in the back, waiting for Carol to join him again.
The Dusty Brooms arrive in Green Bay, Wisconsin, unloading their bus and moving into their new rooms at yet another Holiday Inn.
They have a show tomorrow night, Thursday, at the Brown County Arena, followed by another free night on Friday: Halloween.
Ray’s hoping that things will be more back to normal with Gene then, if they’re anticipating any sort of party to be held that day.
The current day goes by rather uneventfully—mostly just relaxing after such a long drive.
Once the evening comes, Santiago is off somewhere else to give Ray and Carol some alone time in their room, and Gene is…
well, who knows where. I don’t think he’s even spoken to me all day.
He’s likely just staying in Maurice’s room again.
Ray wants Gene here with him, but he knows how it must be pretty awkward with Carol, and her feelings she may still have for Gene.
Presently, Ray’s had a few drinks. Since it’s one of their free nights, he thinks: why not?
Carol waits for him on one of the beds, in nothing but her bra and panties, having had a few drinks herself.
After Ray tosses back his third shot of rum, setting the glass on the dresser, he undoes his slacks and pulls them off, leaving him in his underwear—his shirt already off and tossed to the floor.
He climbs onto the bed with Carol. Snuggling close to her, he pulls the blanket overtop them both.
“Ah, now that should do it,” he says.
“If you think so,” Carol giggles. “We’re gonna run out of booze if we keep drinking so much.”
“I think we make enough money now to where we can comfortably buy more, if we need it. Besides, RCA is paying for pretty much everything on the tour.”
“That’s true.”
She pets his shoulder, and he leans forward, capturing her lips in a kiss.
Her lips are so delicate, her skin so sweet and soft.
The alcohol catches up to him a bit, knocking a dizzy rush in his head.
He probably hasn’t had enough to eat, making it hit his system faster.
That’s alright, though—he’ll just eat something when he and Carol are done. A post-sex snack.
He pulls his lips away, smiling at her lovely face. “You look beautiful, darling.”
Her expression softens a little, lips pouted slightly. She looks down towards his chest. “Thank you. Um… could you maybe call me something other than ‘darling’? It feels a little awkward, since that’s what Gene called me that night…”
“Oh, sure.” I hadn’t realized I didn’t call her that until now. “Babe, love, sweetheart, dear, or even just Carrie—that all good?”
“Of course.” Her smile returns. “All good.”
When he kisses her again, his mind swirls once more.
It’s so strange to think that she’d been with Gene.
Her lips have touched his, she’d been intimate with him, naked together—oh my god, she knows what his cock feels like.
Ray’s own cock twitches, and not because of the lady in front of him.
Thoughts of being intimate with Gene keep pestering his mind, and he closes his eyes.
For a second, he allows himself to let go.
Sex with Gene, what a concept. Sex with Gene. Sex with Gene. Sex with Gene.
What if instead of Carol here with me, it was actually him…?
It’s almost like second-hand touches, kissing the same lips that Gene had kissed. She knows what it’s like. The rum kicks his head again, nagging, nagging, nagging. As they pull away from the kiss, alcohol taking control, he can’t stop his mouth from running—
“What was it like having sex with Gene?” he asks.
Carol instantly frowns. Her brows crease together. “What? Ray, what the hell?”
“I’m curious, babe…”
She sits up on the bed, pushing the blanket away, and she puts a hand on her hip. “Why would you be curious about that? Why the hell would you ask me that? That’s a little weird…”
He blinks once. Twice. Shit. That probably is really strange to say. Think of something! Quick!
“Um, well…” Ray sits up as well, rubbing the back of his neck. “It seems like you still really like him, despite being with me now. So… I was curious what it was that made him so great. So that… I could learn, and do better. For you.”
That seems to have worked. Carol’s expression softens into something more of an understanding. She licks her lips before she speaks. “I… I guess that makes sense.”
“I’ve had a little bit to drink too, y’know,” Ray chuckles. “So sorry if I was rather blunt.”
She chuckles as well. “Alright, alright. If you really want to know.” A sly smile spreads across her face. “If you’re going to be blunt, I’ll be blunt too. Gene’s cock is bigger than yours. But maybe you already knew that, since you guys live together.”