The Sauna Part 227

After breakfast with the guys, we returned to our room and showered and dressed in fresh clothes and I was glad I had brought a couple of turtlenecks. The gig wasn’t until later tonight and I was dying to see some of the sights since I’d never been to Scotland before. Since it was Jon’s favorite place for a show, they had arranged their schedule to spend a few days there and he was anxious to give me a personal tour. We were just about ready to leave when Jon’s cell rang.

“Hey Rich, we were just heading out. I wanna show Trish around before the show tonight. Wanna join us?” Jon offered.

“I’d love too, bro, but I’ve gotta figure out a battle plan. My PI just called and he followed Elaine here this morning. She’s in Scotland” Richie replied and Jon stopped dead in his tracks.

“Fuck! Are you shitting me? Where are they? In Glasgow?” he demanded.

“Yep, they just left the airport and he’s following her in a cab. I’m waiting to hear where they’re going from there. We’ve gotta alert all the crew as I’m guessing she’s gonna show up at the show tonight. Dammit, Jon, I don’t wanna see her, but I’ve gotta make it clear that we’re done” Richie said, sounding angry and exasperated.

“Jesus Christ! Alright, look, we’ll stay here until we figure this out. We’ll be right down to your room. Just stay put, okay?” Jon replied, closing the phone.

I had heard enough to put together what happened and my heart sank. I’d half expected this in the back of my mind and I think we’d all been on pins and needles without really knowing it. No matter what happened, it was going to get ugly. That much I was sure of.

“I heard, Jon. Let’s go” I agreed and we headed straight towards Richie’s room.

It was only ten-thirty and Richie met us at the door with a drink in his hand and my stomach immediately knotted. Jon didn’t appear to notice, but using alcohol as a solution was a pretty common response in his experience. I followed Jon into the room and gave Richie a hug.

“We’re behind you, Richie. How do you wanna handle this?” I asked, trying to stave off Jon’s instinct to react and take over.

“I’m hoping I’m wrong and that Elaine is just heading home to her family, but my gut tells me otherwise” he replied, shaking his head.

I hoped so too, but we all knew too well how Elaine had behaved lately. The shy, quiet woman I thought I had known had disappeared without so much as a trace and none of us believed she’d come home just to lick her wounds. A confrontation was inevitable and like a general, planning his attack, Jon took the lead without hesitating.

“She’s here to find you, Rich. There’s no reason to kid ourselves at this point. I’m thinking we’ve got the advantage as we know she’s here, but she doesn’t know that we know. We’ve gotta turn the tables this time and surprise her” he declared with authority.

“What are you thinking, man?” Richie inquired, anxious to hear any suggestions.

“I’m thinking she needs to hear that you’re done with her, but she needs to hear it from you, bro, not your lawyers. I think you need to confront her and the sooner the better. As soon as the PI calls and says where she’s at, you need to show up unannounced and tell her to get the fuck out of your life!” he insisted.

“Shit, Jon, I really don’t wanna see her. I’m afraid of what I might do if I’m alone with her” Richie replied, downing the last of his drink.

He stood up to go fix another and I stopped him, taking his glass. He looked me right in the eye and I shook my head sadly from side to side.

“No, Richie. You need a clear head and this isn’t going to help you stay in control. Let’s get some coffee” I explained gently.

His shoulders slumped and I saw his features rapidly change. He looked completely deflated and I hated to see the toll that this took on him, but he needed to feel his emotions and work through them. Alcohol would only get in the way. I hugged him again and this time he held onto me for a moment and silently nodded. I looked over his shoulder and exchanged looks with Jon and he nodded back.

“Can ya send up a pot of coffee right now? Thanks, appreciate it” Jon said in his business-like tone as he hung up with room service.

Richie’s cell phone was ringing and he broke our embrace to answer it. I took a deep breath and waited, knowing it was his PI calling to update him. Elaine had apparently stopped at a nearby coffee shop to plan her assault and he’d call us back if she was on the move again. Richie settled into the couch and sighed.

“What do I say to her? I don’t wanna do this, but I know that I need to tell her myself” he asked heavily and I replied before Jon could jump in.

“Richie, just say whatever is in your heart when you see her. Trust yourself; you’ll find the words. No one can tell you how you feel or what you should say. Whatever you decide is the right way for you” I interjected, looking sharply at Jon.

This wasn’t a time for a battle plan and it wasn’t the time to focus on the band’s image. Richie just needed permission to do what he thought was best. It was his life and his pain and it wasn’t up to Jon or me to tell him how to handle his personal affairs. This wasn’t about the band and it wasn’t Jon’s call to make, it was Richie’s. If he was going to get through this, he needed our support and that meant backing his decisions.

Jon sat quietly, but I could see he was bristling. He knew what he would have done and he was chomping at the bit to jump in and rescue Richie from having to think it through, but he held back and waited. Richie sat up straighter and actually squared his shoulders and gave us a thin smile.

“Ya know, I’ve played this scene over and over in my head many times. And I’ve got more questions than answers, but the one thing I know is how I feel and there aren’t any answers she can give me that can change that. Actually, I’m relieved. I always knew this was coming and I’ll be glad to get it over with finally” he said, speaking with certainty.

I smiled at him then and I knew he really did need to do this. He flipped open his phone and called the front desk and asked them to call him a cab. He was ready.

“Do you want us to go with you, bro?” Jon offered.

“I need to do this alone, Jon. It’s between me and Elaine and I’ll be okay. But I’d really like it if you guys were here when I get back” he smiled genuinely.

“You know it, buddy. We ain’t moving from here until you get back” Jon said affectionately as he stood up and gave Richie a bear hug. “Just remember, man, we got your back if you need us, okay?”

I stood up too and Richie held out his arms. I hugged him back for the third time and tried to hide the tears in my eyes. I had come to love Richie as much as my family and I would have done anything to save him this agony, but I knew it needed to happen if he was ever going to heal. And I was really proud of him.

“I love you Richie” I whispered.

“Thanks, Trish. I love you too” he said as our eyes met and then he was gone.

The coffee arrived shortly after and Jon and I settled down on the couch to wait. We would need it ourselves as we prepared for the hardest few hours we could imagine. Jon held me while I cried for Richie, finally shedding the tears I’d been holding at bay since I first saw his face when he opened the door.