Chapter 27
The Dusty Brooms’ final show of the tour is just amazing as all the rest. Gene does his best to avoid the opening band, but once it’s the Brooms’ turn, it’s smooth sailing.
Well, aside from his injured hand, but prior to the show he’d discussed with Santiago that Santi will take over solos and Gene can stick to simply strumming rhythm.
The cuts on his fingers are honestly not that bad, just broken the skin a bit.
But it still hurts to pluck strings with his bare fingers, so strumming with a pick will have to do for now.
The performance is everything Gene could ask for—cheering fans, a groovy rhythm, and singing on stage with Ray.
It lifts his spirits, giving him butterflies.
Ray’s voice can make anything better. Despite not playing the solos he usually does, Gene still has a wonderful time, jamming out and playing the blues with the band that means the most to him.
Afterwards, the Kilotones are, unfortunately, still hanging out in the greenroom.
Also unfortunately, Carol is back from her strange fling with Tim Price.
Well, Gene doesn’t know if he should actually call it a fling, but it is suspicious she left with him during the Halloween party and hasn’t shown up again until now.
Ray was just as confused. He’d thought she didn’t have another gig for some time.
Either way, she’s back now. For how long, though?
Gene can’t really be sure, since now she knows the truth of Ray’s cheating.
The Kilotone that Gene had punched gives him a cold stare as he puts his guitar away in its case.
No words are spoken between them. Hopefully, if all goes well, Gene will never have to see him again after tonight.
Well, unless the Kilotones rise in popularity.
But with an attitude like that, Gene would rather see them fall into obscurity.
The next morning, the Dusty Brooms drive their bus to their recording studio: Sunset Sound.
The building looks small on the outside, but it’s rather large on the inside, with a sizable recording booth that can be either divided with sectionals or spread out for the entire band to fit in.
They have the space rented out for about a week-and-a-half; Gene hopes that by the end his fingers will have healed enough for him to record some more complicated plucking.
But they need to get started right away if they want to make good use of their time.
Dennis reassured them that he can always try squeezing in some more recording time next month, though, should they still need it.
On the topic of Dennis, he didn’t seem too worried about the fight Gene was in.
Since there were no serious injuries and everyone came out of it fine for the most part, he thought it might actually do good for the Brooms’ rock-’n’-roll image.
The Dusty Brooms have made themselves known as a force not to be messed with.
Like Ray said earlier, they’re hardly the first band to get into a fight.
And no one seemed to hear (or at the very least remember) the slurs the Kilotone said about Ray.
Gene’s ‘fighting spirit’ could be interpreted as a play on rebellion—just like the lyrics to their song ‘Burn it Down’.
So all in all, everything seems to be working out alright, Gene thinks.
Dennis also still has no idea about the fact Ray cheated on Carol with Gene.
Not unless Carol told him, but she’d made a promise to Ray, and that’s showing to be true.
Dennis never asked Gene or Ray about any relationship drama, so that means he must be blissfully unaware.
He doesn’t need to know. Sure, Dennis seems like a good guy, but the less people that know the truth, the better.
If word gets out, rumors could spread—which means gossip, tabloids, and hurting their reputation as a band.
No, Gene can’t have that. He needs this band. The music, the members, everything about the Dusty Brooms is all he’s ever wanted.
Gene walks through the door of the recording studio, guitar on his back, with the rest of the band.
Ray has Carol in tow, unfortunately. She’d spent the night in Ray’s room after the show, too.
As much as it pains Gene, maybe Ray is right—maybe it is for the best to keep her around.
Having a girl beside him makes him look ‘straight’.
Same goes for Gene having Toshiko. People are less likely to speculate about him being queer if he’s attached to a lady.
Speak of the devil—
In the main room with wood-paneled walls, jumbled cords, machines, and the sound engineers, is someone Gene knows well.
Toshiko Tanaka.
My girlfriend.
She smiles at him, giving him a cute, friendly wave. Standing beside her are her manager, Yasuhiro Nakajima, and her American publicist, Pete Something-or-other.
“T-Toshiko,” Gene stammers, gripping tightly onto the strap of his guitar. “I… wasn’t expecting you to be here.”
“I wanted it to be a surprise,” she says. She’s wearing her blonde wig today, cut in a perfect bob with blunt, straight-across bangs. “Hiro was able to contact Dennis, and he told him when you’d arrive here at the studio.”
“Wait… Denny, you knew?” Gene turns toward him.
“It’s Dennis, actually.” He coughs a fake cough, adjusting his orange-tinted sunglasses. “But yes, I knew. Thought it would be a fun surprise, so I kept it a secret. And look! Now you can properly celebrate the end of a successful tour with your girlfriend,” he says with a smile.
Gene tries to smile too, albeit awkwardly.
It makes sense that she could show up here. He remembers now that her own tour of Japan was scheduled to end before the Brooms’ tour. So she had enough time to settle things over there and fly to America. She probably has tons of free time, now that that’s done.
He looks toward Ray, desperate to know his reaction.
Of course, Ray is frowning. He purposefully looks away from Toshiko, and away from Carol, too.
His eyes are locked on a random wood-paneled speaker in the corner.
It’s just as much of a surprise to him as it is to Gene.
Gene’s heart beats madly, palms sweaty, still hanging onto his guitar strap.
“Y-yeah, that’s nice,” Gene says, gazing back at Toshiko. “You’ve never been with us recording before. So… it’ll be fun.”
He swears he can hear Ray grunt at that.
“Since we know you are here, I think we shall take our leave,” Yasuhiro says, always looking dapper in a black business suit and square-framed glasses. “We wanted to make sure you would show up.”
“Yeah, just in case you guys had to cancel last minute, we figured we’d stay with her,” Pete chimes in.
“Oh, no, it’s fine,” Gene says. “Well, we’re here. So I’ll take care of her.”
This time he definitely hears Ray scoff.
“Cool it, will ya?” Santiago says. Ray simply shrugs.
This is going to be a long week.
After getting their equipment set up, the Dusty Brooms rehearse one of their new songs before they move onto recording.
They’ve been playing ‘Golden Sunset’ regularly during this tour already, so they figure that’ll be the easiest one to record first. Gene feels this song has single potential, and they might lead with it before their next album releases.
Playing with the band comes easily to him, despite Toshiko and Carol watching them through the glass.
It’s only the main five of them, because for some reason, Nicky hasn’t shown up.
The last time Gene saw him was last night after the show.
Nicky had said he was spending the night with some contacts he knew in LA and would meet up with them in the studio in the morning, but so far, he’s not here.
I hope he’s simply running late, and nothing bad has happened.
They record the instrumental first, with Ray using more harmonica than he normally would live.
Santiago also plays every lead guitar part since Gene’s hand is still injured.
He might need to overdub the piano too, if Nicky never shows.
After they get that on tape, Gene and Ray stand in the booth alone together, just as they always do for vocals.
They share a mic like they do on stage, faces coming so close to each other, lips almost touching.
Gene’s cheeks feel warm as they sing the chorus—
“Take me away, honey, where dreams are met.”
Gene gazes at Ray, catching a dashing smile.
“I’ll drive you away through the golden sunset.”
The warmth flows through him as he smiles back, butterflies dancing in his chest.
“Woah-oh, baby, through the golden sunset.”
Gene looks through the glass, at the Brooms and their entourage watching them both—and he locks eyes with Toshiko. She smiles at him.
His gut sinks.
All this time, she’s had no idea of the things he’s done with Ray. For all she knows, he and Ray are simply best friends. She’s supposed to be Gene’s girlfriend, and yet he cheated on her without a second thought. What does that say about him?
That I’m a piece of shit for doing that to her.
He turns his gaze toward Ray again as Ray takes over the verse solo.
He knows Ray must also have his own internal struggles with Carol.
With how they’d argued before, with Ray wanting to stay with her, combined with the feelings Gene remembers from so long ago—how he’d comforted Ray when he broke up with Harriet—there’s more than meets the eye.
Gene wishes he could just forget everything all over again like he did while on tour.
But that’s impossible now with Toshiko actually present.
He can’t push her away when she’s been wanting to reunite with him—no, he needs to act like he’s missed her, otherwise he’ll come off as a selfish prick.
Which, maybe he is, but he doesn’t want her to think that.
Maybe during their down time today, he can write her a song.
Maybe a song she can sing, for her next English album.
He’s never written a song by himself—always with Ray—but he figures if it’s something simple for Toshiko, he can figure it out.
Something to show he still cares for her.
Something to show he’s not a lying cheating asshole, that he wants to treat a lady right.
Something to pretend he’s not queer.