THE GUITARIST: Nicholas Gets a Call

 

 

CHAPTER FOUR

We were within a day or two of finishing the record and my week-long break needed to be planned.  My plan was no plan.  I would stay here at the hotel, go to the Velvet Room occasionally then meet the lads in London before the tour.

One afternoon, I got a call labelled “Charleston, SC” on the caller ID.  I answered immediately.  It was not Caitlin.

“Nicholas, it’s Billy Farmer.  How are you?”

Billy Farmer was made famous as the singer in the wildly popular hard rock band, 2VS.  Later, on his own, he remained a successful act onstage and also had begun producing new artists at his studio near Charleston where he’d moved after marrying his third wife.  We were colleagues—friends—and it was good to hear from him.

“Billy!  I’m fine, how are you?”

“I’m good, but somewhat in a bind.”

“What’s that?” I asked.

“I have a group of young musicians in the studio who are very talented.  Extremely talented.  But their music is all over the place.  They need a direction to focus on.  A particular point of view, if you know what I mean.”

“Yeah.  I think I do.  How can I help?”

“Several of their songs . . .” he paused momentarily.  “Honestly, in my head, I hear your guitar work and it would be brilliant.  It would set them apart from the pack, which they deserve, and of course your name associated with them would lend credibility.”

“Don’t they have their own guitar player?”

“They do, but he doesn’t have the chops—he’s not hearing the possibilities of the music.  And he knows it.  I mentioned your name and his face lit up.  Any chance you could come meet with them?  It would be a tremendous help.”

“As a matter of fact, I’ve got some time coming up in a few days.”

“You’re recording with Taylor, right?”

“Yeah, but we’ll be finished in a couple of days.  I could be there by the weekend at the latest.”

“That would be fantastic!  Let me know when to expect you and I’ll send Raymond to pick you up at the airport.”

I grinned into the telephone.  “Raymond,” I said.  How is he?”

Billy laughed.  “You’ll see,” he said.  “He’s in love.”

We made some further arrangements and rang off.

Raymond.  In love.

I was on my way to Charleston.  Hope began to fill me.  I would see Caitlin again.

*          *          *

“Raymond!” I greeted, recognizing the huge African American and former military, former policeman, who worked as driver and security for Billy Farmer.  Besides those duties, he was a talented bass player.  “It’s good to see you!”

We met in the current fashion of half-hug/half-handshake.

“It’s been too long, Nicholas,” he said.

He opened the car door for me and loaded my bag and guitar into the boot while I settled into the backseat.

Raymond was one of those people who, after not having seen them for a long time, was able to pick up the friendship like you’d seen them last week.

Once we were on the road, I couldn’t help but tease him.  “Billy tells me you’re in love.”

“I got married.”

“You got married?  I’m truly shocked.”

“The love of my life, man.  You’ll like her.” 

I could see him grinning.  “Tell me about her.”

“What do you want to know?”

Raymond was also a man of few words.  I knew I’d have to pull the information out of him a bit at a time.

I laughed.  “What’s her name?  How did you meet? How did you know she was the one?”

“Her name is Mary.  We met at the compound.  She works for Billy and Hannah and we started hanging out when we had down time together.  She started flirting with me when we’d see each other on the grounds.  I flirted back.  When the band was on the road, I missed her.  And when we were home, I couldn’t wait to be done with work so I could see her.  After a while . . .”  he glanced back at me “. . . she let me know she was the one I should be with.”

“She did, did she?”

“Yeah.  I already knew it was true.  I just needed to hear it.  We got married at the compound about six months ago.  It’s been great.”

“You look happier than I’ve perhaps ever seen you.”

“You got that right.”

“So tell me about the compound.  I’ve heard quite a lot about the studio there.  Is that where we’re going now?” I asked.

“No.  Studio’s under renovation.  Billy’s turning part of it into a performance hall.”  Raymond grinned back at me through the mirror.  “It’s gonna be spectacular.  We’re headed downtown.  Not too far from your hotel.  He’s rented a space that used to be a bar.  It’s handy for everyone and since he made some improvements, it’s suitable for recording and performing.”

“That sounds great.  I look forward to seeing it.”

We were quiet for a bit, while I contemplated Caitlin.  “I met someone a few weeks ago,” I offered.  “She actually lives in Charleston.  I dunno if I’m in love or not.  Even if I am in love with her, I don’t think she feels the same way.”

“Women can be funky, man.”

“Yeah,” I answered.