Chicago Chapter 3

The house was quiet. He had just gotten home from dropping the girls off at elementary school and Tara had left for her morning run already. A morning shower was in order. Gary ran his fingers along the banister of the stairs as he slowly made his way up the beige carpeted stairs, afraid to make a creak and disturb the silence around him.

He turned the heater on in the master bathroom, had the water running in the shower, and undressed. Taking a look in the mirror, Gary wondered where the years had gone. There were wrinkles on his face, and if he looked hard enough, he was sure he could find a gray hair. Before it got too depressing to move, he put on some music and hopped into the shower.

Shutting his eyes, he allowed the steaming water to cascade over his body. Humming along to the sweet melodies coming from the speakers on the radio, Gary reached for the soap and lathered up his body. Touring was stressful. You never had enough time with your family. The nights were long and hard filled with traveling, youngster food like pizza, and alcohol, alcohol that made you make regrettable decisions, decisions that make you sleep with your bandmates nanny, over and over again.

Squeezing his eyes tighter, Gary tried to get her out of his head, the memory of them together forever out of his life. Tour life stayed on the bus and home life stayed in the house. He loved his wife. She put up with all of his shenanigans like buying a farm and hunting turkey and deer. She carried two children and helped them grow and nurtured them in ways he couldn't. She's patient. She's love. What would he do with out her?

Yet, he knew without a shadow of a doubt she would leave him, when she found out, but did she have too? The thoughts churning in his brain made it hard to hear Tara coming in the front door, coming up the stairs, and joining him in the shower after her morning run. Her hands slid up his back and her mouth found his neck. Silence enveloped them into an embrace carrying their sounds of love throughout the house.

After actually showering, Tara went downstairs to make an early lunch for the two of them and Gary went to his office to check his email and check up on his farm run by his brother during touring time. His phone was sat next to his desk top, ringing. When he saw the number, his heart sank. This poor girl, she probably thinks I'm in love with her. What have I done?

The responsible thing to do would be to answer her call, end it right there, admit his mistake, and move on with their lives, but then how would he be able to face her for every tour they would be on together in the future? Gary's finger hovered over the answer button until the call ended. He sighed. He could always call her another time, when he was alone.

After a few answered emails and a call to his brother, Tara finally called him into the kitchen for lunch: a few slices of strawberries, kiwis, and bananas with a spoonful of low-fat yogurt. Tara had been on a diet ever since their youngest child was born, but Gary couldn't jump on that bandwagon after scarfing down whole pizzas and tacos with two or three beers a night on tour.

“Just try it. It's good for you. Don't you want to be around for a long time?” She sat the plates down on the table and sat down.

Forcing a smile and laugh, Gary said, “Babe, I want to be here forever, but I'll be miserable if I have to eat that.” He dipped his finger in the yogurt and playfully put it on her nose.

Laughing, Tara stuck her finger in the yogurt and in Gary's mouth. A full on food fight unfolded, but before it could get really messy, the landline started ringing, and Tara went to answer it, leaving Gary to clean up yogurt from all crevices of the kitchen.

“Hello.” Tara stood in the kitchen, wiping her nose off with a dish cloth.

“This is Tara Vernon, may I ask who's calling?” Tara looked at Gary and shrugged her shoulders.

“Oh, no sweetheart that's perfectly okay, and actually, I was meaning to have Angel ask you if you could babysit this weekend. Gary and I are heading to my sister's wedding. It would be Saturday, probably around four in the evening until eleven, probably.” Tara paced around the counter, waiting for an answer.

“Perfect! See you then.” Tara went back into the living room and hung up the phone.

“Who was that?” Gary joined her with a bowl of fruit that remain uneaten from their food fight.

“Tiffany, Joe Don and Angel's nanny. They really enjoy her, so I asked them if she was available to babysit this weekend. She had the wrong number, but it was the perfect time to ask her. She's so sweet.” Tara kissed Gary, as she stole a strawberry and placed it in her mouth.

Gary frowned and set the bowl on the coffee table.

“What's wrong?” Tara sat on the couch and turned the television on.

“Just hate weddings, that's all.” Gary forced a reassuring smile on his face as he cuddled his wife before they had to go pick up the girls from school.