Ch. 29

Over the next few days, Trina kept a careful distance from Jon.

She acquainted herself with New Jersey life. She learned where the local stores, shopping malls and theatres were.

She loved it. It reminded her of own hometown. Everything was so close to Jon’s home, yet far enough from him to give him the distance right now he so needed.

His home was beautiful. Although sparse because of his ongoing touring schedule, she loved how open and airy the contemporary designed home was.

Juanita was a joy. It was clear that she cared more about Jon the person and not so much Jon the singer. Each day she learned something new about Jon from her.
Fresh from running errands, Trina went into the kitchen. She watched as Juanita took out two cookie sheets of chocolate chip cookies from the oven.

“Mmmm. Smells great in here.” Trina said as she walked into the kitchen.
“Well darlin, you’re just in time. You may want to take a couple of these before you know who realizes they’re here.”

Trina laughed. “Glad to see that he can eat solid food again.”

Juanita laughed. “I thought I’d have to kill a cow they way he ate that steak the other night. By the way, where were you at dinner?” She asked.

Trina sighed as she sat down at the counter. “I didn’t want to impose. I think I pushed it a few days ago when I talked to him.”

Juanita shook her head in disagreement.
“He told me a little bit about that. To be honest, whatever it was, he needed to hear it.” She said as she took a couple of cookies off of the cookie sheet and placed them onto a plate.

His assistant passed the plate to Trina. Trina picked up one of the cookies and took a bite. The cookie was delicious, chewy, rich. She especially loved how the the chocolate chips melted in her mouth.

“Yum!” Trina yelped.

Juanita smiled proudly as she poured her a glass of milk. She placed it next to Trina’s plate.

“Thank you.” Replied Trina as she took another bit of her cookie.

“He’s not God Trina. You didn’t overstep. In order for things to change, he needs to hear every now and then, a no to go with all the yes’ he hears on a daily basis.” Juanita told her.

“I suggested that he change things after the tour. I told him that maybe Doc didn’t have his best interest at heart.” Trina told her looking sad.

“What was wrong with that? Jon’s got to make changes anyway because of his voice. I would have told him that if I had the opportunity.”

Trina took a sip of her milk. “Yeah?” she asked Juanita.

Juanita nodded her head. “Absolutely.”

“So you don’t think he’s mad at me?” Trina asked

Checking to see if the cookies had cooled down a bit, Juanita began to place the cookies in two large glass cookie jars. She turned to Trina.

“Not at all. Trust me, if he wanted you out. He would have told me so. Well, he would have written it.” Juanita snickered.

Trina felt relieved. “Good. I’m worried that if he continues after this tour at the pace he’s going, he’ll do even more damage to his voice.”

“He will. You’re right.” Juanita told her.

“Think he’ll listen?” Trina asked her.

Juanita nodded her head. “Obie and Paul are in Jon’s office with him now. Maybe they're already trying to make changes.”

Trina continued to eat the cookies as Juanita began to clean up in kitchen.

She couldn’t help but wonder what and if was being said to Jon at that moment.

~


The three men were in Jon’s office attempting to spread out the remaining dates of the Jersey Syndicate as much as possible.

“No one’s budging Jon. Even the European ones.” Paul told him as he continued to look through the itinerary.

Jon pursed his lips in disgust. He was mad that no one would make any changes to the dates.

‘The fuckers were eager to add them, but now won’t budge. You’d think I’d made a deal with the devil. Shit! How could they not compromise?’ he thought to himself.

He took another long look at the itinerary with Obie and Paul. He shrugged his shoulders, took the pen and notebook from his side and began to write for several seconds. When he was done he passed it to Paul.

He wrote, ‘Nothing we can do. I’ll just have to be careful.’

Paul passed the notebook back to him.

“Now that we’re done with that. How are you feeling?” Obie asked him.

“You look good.” Paul said.

Jon smiled. He wrote in the notebook and passed it to his friend.

Jon wrote, ‘Feel good. Throat hurts every now and then but I feel so much better.’

“Trina keeping you company?” Obie asked.

Jon nodded his head. He mouthed ‘No.’

“What?” Paul and Obie said together.

Jon put up his hands. He began to write in the notebook again for a few seconds. When he was done he passed it to Obie. The message read,

‘It was my fault. She gave me some advice and I wasn’t that great to her. I wasn’t mean. Just not that receptive.’

“Why?" asked Obie as he gave the notebook back to him.

Jon wrote back to him.

‘To change things. Scale things back because of my voice.'

Obie laughed.

“Oh you mean like you were just trying to do now?”

Jon smirked at his longtime friend.

“She’s right. Now tell her she’s right and that you’re sorry.” Obie told him.

Jon put his head down on his desk.

Paul got up from his chair.

“Okay, my cue to leave. I’ll come back in a couple of weeks to check up on you. Try to behave will you?”

Jon looked up and nodded. Paul snickered. “These are going to be some fun weeks. See ya later.”

Jon nodded. He shook his head. He began to write in his noteobok to Obie.

Obie looked concerned as he watched him write. Before Jon passed the noteook to him. He took a deep breath.

“What is it?” Obie asked. Jon passed the notebook to him.

‘She makes me crazy Obie. I want her to be around; but then I hear Ally in my head telling me not to trust her. I feel all of this doubt, but yet she helps all of you with this crap and I’m so grateful. But that little voice in keeps saying. What if? Why is she really doing is?’

Obie rolled his eyes. “She told you. She cares about you. You’re her friend. Ally’s an idiot. Trina could have sent you, me and everyone else up the river. But she didn’t. Why the hell do you care what Ally thinks?”

Obie passed him the notebook. Jon wrote a message and quickly passed it back to him.

Jon wrote, ‘I don’t care about Ally. I just think I’m thinking about this too much lately. You told me to slow down with Trina and all I do now is wonder about how and what she thinks of me.’

Obie laughed as he passed the notebook back to Jon.
“You now have time to tell her what and why you’re feeling this way. You care about her. Tell her that. Sort all of this crap out and see where all of this goes.”

Jon nodded in agreement.

“Do you want her here?” Obie asked.

Jon nodded his head in approval. Obie got up. He touched the blank sheet of Jon’s notebook that was across from him.
“Then tell her. Enjoy this time. It’s the longest break we’ve had in a long time. Everyone will be fine. You’ve worked so hard that I think you’ve forgotten that there’s more to life than the music business. All of us want you well and if it turns out that makes you a changed person well then so be it. People who know you, want you back. Find that person again. When you do, talk to Trina.”

Jon smiled at him.

“Don’t thank me. Don’t thank me. I love how you have to listen to me now. I’ll be even happier when John Bongiovi comes back because we have cars to build.”

Jon laughed.

“See ya tomorrow.” Obie said as he walked out. Jon looked at the plain sheet of paper.


‘Okay. What to write, what to write. What am I going to say to her?’ Jon thought as he took his out his pen and began to write.

‘Trina, the other day when you talked with me about things needing to change, I realized how right you were…’