Cautious Optimism

After I had a chance to really digest the information I had just been given, I called up the guys...band and crew...and called a meeting at my house. Everyone needed to hear this news. The episode at the East Hartford club had created an air of uncertainty within the band...and morale was becoming a little fragile. The fact that the record hadn't made it to the air, combined with the fact that we weren't playing much, and my brother had failed to come through with even one gig yet...even though he had been given an exclusive to do that two months earlier, provided I didn't interfere with him...were all factors. The crew was great, and just took things in stride. Mark and Barry, also seemed to have decided to just trust that things would work out, but, like me, they were frustrated at our loss of momentum. Charles, however, was becoming a wild card. He was drinking more, staying out every night...often at the club after hours, getting drunk and doing lines, and venting his frustration on anyone who would listen. He would often show up at my house at two or three in the morning, looking for me to pull him out of a stupor, often staying till dawn as I tried to just calm him down. He was starting to wear me out physically, mentally, and financially. It was costing me hundreds of dollars every other night, and  I was most frustrated with his lack of faith and patience. We were still doing extremely well for a new band...and Charles (or Bonnie and Nick, I was never really sure where it was coming from) was forgetting that. I felt the news from New York, about our imminent management deal would make everyone, especially Charles, feel better. The strange thing was...after I told everyone what I had just heard from Annie...I wasn't sure if any of them really believed it. Hell, if I hadn't heard it myself, directly from Annie, I might not have believed it either. With all the things that had been going wrong...I think on that day, they weren't sure what I was telling them was the truth...and that had never happened before. I sensed they thought I was just trying to "pep talk" them. Although everyone left that day with a sense of cautious optimism, I started to feel like the 90 days couldn't go by soon enough...