The Sauna Part 262

I laughed in spite of myself and somehow I just couldn’t say no to such a shameless request. Tico had a way of charming just about any woman and I was no more immune than the rest. I was still angry at Jon, but I wasn’t going to punish Tico.

“Alright, you win. Jim’s been at me all night to call him, so I might as well get this over with” I relented.

“Gracias, querida. He really is in a bad way” Tico said before handing the phone over to Jon.

“Trish?” Jon said in a tentative voice.

“I’m listening” I replied coolly.

“Baby, I made a mistake and I know that I hurt you. I can’t explain it and I won’t try to defend it, but I know what I did was wrong. I never should have interfered or stepped in and as soon as you hung up I knew you were right. We shouldn’t have shut down the boards. The easiest solution isn’t necessarily the best one-I know you said that before. I swear, I won’t ever do that again” he paused, waiting for me to respond.

I was silent. So far, so good but I was still waiting to see if he’d realized that it wasn’t all just another “glitch” that nobody caught but rather a malicious attack on me that showed no regard for either him or the fans. What I wanted to know was whether he trusted my judgment where his mother and brother were concerned, not just about how to handle the business with the Fan Club. It was important that he understood that their behavior had moved way past simple rudeness and had become overtly damaging, to him as well as to me.

“Trish?” he said, wondering if I was still there.

“Yes, Jon?” I replied.

“Can you forgive me?” he asked plaintively and I softened a little, but only a little. He still didn’t get the main issue.

“Jon, it’s not quite that simple. I know that you’re sorry for jumping in when you did and taking over. And I forgive you for that; it was second nature for you. But what really hurts is that you didn’t trust my judgment when I tried to tell you what was going on or how I wanted to handle it. You sided with your mother over me; you put me in charge and then undermined me when I needed you most. And what’s worse is that I think you still don’t believe me when I tell you I know that Matt and your mother did this intentionally. Matt didn’t simply fall asleep at the wheel-that’s what I did-and I could forgive that. He planned this Jon, along with your mother, and you haven’t even bothered to ask how I know this” I finished and now it was his turn to be silent.

“Trish, how can you be so certain? What makes you so sure that it wasn’t Matt just neglecting to pay attention? Do you know how hard it is for me to believe that my brother, incompetent as he may be, and my mother would actually jeopardize my relationship with the fans because they simply don’t like my wife? Do you know what you’re asking me to believe?” he said sharply, but he’d opened the door and asked how I knew.

I calmly explained just what I had told Jim about how the billing worked. Jon didn’t know that as he’d never had the need or the time to immerse himself in the minor day to day details. But I did. That’s why he’d put me in charge he suddenly realized.

“Jesus, Trish, I didn’t know that. I’m really sorry. I just never dreamed…” he said quietly as it all began to really sink in.

I wasn’t finished yet and I proceeded to tell him, word for word, what Matt had said and how he’d responded when I called after discovering what had happened. Jon was feeling sick to his stomach now and he asked Richie to get him a drink. He was beginning to tremble and neither Richie or Tico knew whether it was rage or anxiety. They knew Jon had had panic attacks years ago, but they hadn’t seen one in years.

“Jon, don’t you think it was rather a coincidence that your mom called you right after you and I found out what had happened? That didn’t strike you as odd?” I continued.

Jon was shaking violently now and suddenly felt very old. This was exactly the sort of shit that he hated about the music business and it was what had nearly driven him to quit years ago.

“She said that Matt had just discovered the problem and that you didn’t know what to do. I guess I believed that and I thought I was helping if Matt had called mom after talking to you and the two of you weren’t sure what to do” he said numbly, realizing now how well he’d been played and by his own mother.

He’d learned from her how to manipulate people to do his bidding. That’s why he’d been so successful with the media and the press. She knew how to turn everything into an advantage and he’d sat back and watched. And learned. He never thought she would use it against him. He’d been betrayed by people he’d trusted, but never his family. And now he’d nearly destroyed the one relationship that mattered most in the world because of his loyalty to her.

“Trish, what can I do? I know I can never make up for not having trusted you when I should have, but baby, if I lose you now…” he said, his voice trailing off as the panic took hold.

Richie was worried now as he remembered the signs. He’d seen Jon like this only once before and he wasn’t anxious to relive the ‘grey summer’ when the band had nearly broken up all those years ago. He watched Jon and prayed.

Jon was shivering and he’d broken into a sweat as he waited for me to respond. The violent feelings he’d felt towards his brother earlier were nothing compared to the murderous rage he was beginning to feel towards his mother right now. And even that paled in comparison to the hysteria that was welling up inside him at the thought of losing me because of them.

“Jon, you haven’t lost me; I’m still here. But I’ll say it again; I need you to believe in me and we need to work through this together. Can you do that, baby? Can you love me enough to trust me completely now and in the future? Jon, I need you too” I said as the tears started to form.

It was true. The feelings of hurt and betrayal, of love and necessity, longing and desire poured forth like a wellspring and I couldn’t put the cork back in the bottle. We both sobbed and together we wept away much of the pain that was between us. Jon’s lack of faith had cut me deeply, but his own wounds went much deeper than mine. Carol’s duplicity was far more pernicious as her betrayal had been selfish and calculated. A mother’s betrayal left scars that never healed and I prayed she hadn’t poisoned his soul.

“I’ll never doubt you again, just let me prove it” Jon said heavily.

He took a deep sigh and shuddered. The panic began to subside and left in its place a profound sense of loss. Jon’s loyalty was legendary and he’d always counted on that from his intimate circle. This breach in his trust had left an indelible mark and it shook him to his core. It made him question his own judgment and those things he’d always accepted as fact were no longer unshakeable truths.

“What do we do now, Trish?” he asked me as he walked to the waiting limo with Richie and Tico.

“Jon, I’m sorry to say this, but if I’m going to remain in charge of Backstage, then Matt has to go, along with anyone else who is loyal to him and your mother. I wanted the transition to go smoothly, but since it hasn’t, it’s time to re-evaluate personnel” I advised.

Jon had a flashback to a time years ago when he had found himself coming to the same conclusion about the band’s management. He’d caused quite a stir when he’d fired almost everyone and assumed the role himself and then placed people he trusted, namely Matt, in key positions. If he was going to remove him from Backstage, he was going to make a clean sweep and remove him from anything associated with the band and the business and he said so.

“Matt will no longer have any role with either the Fan Club, the band or my business. If I could remove him from my family, I would” he voiced resolutely.

The guys all looked at Jon with a startled expression as they hadn’t been privvy to all that had happened, but it was then that they began to appreciate that what had transpired between us was far more than a lover’s quarrel. Even Richie appeared stunned as he knew Matt was inadequate, but he didn’t know the full extent of his treachery. The guys exchanged glances and Jon held up his hand, indicating that he would explain later. He knew he could count on them to support his decision once he’d shared the whole story.

“Do you have someone in mind to replace him?” Jon continued.

“I’d like to ask Jack to step in, at least temporarily, as we need someone with the technical skill to rebuild the website and get it up and running. He can help ferret out who in the organization we should keep and who was simply there to back Matt” I suggested.

“Okay, that sounds like a plan. Let me know if he’s agreeable and we’ll take it from there. Once the site is back up, we can correct the problems with billing and I’ll make a formal apology to those who were effected” Jon replied, beginning to sound more like himself.

“Do you want me to notify Matt that he’s being dismissed or would you prefer to tell him yourself?” I wondered.

“It’s your call, baby. I’ll do whatever you want me to do” he replied, acknowledging that he meant what he’d said earlier.

“I’ll write him a letter and sign both our names and review it first with the lawyer. I’ll have it delivered tomorrow, accompanied by security personnel, as I want him escorted off the premises. I’m not giving him any more chances to sabotage the operation and I want to send a strong message to anyone else who may have pledged their allegiance to him that his reign is over” I decided.

I knew it was a harsh measure, but I felt it was warranted and I needed to test Jon’s commitment to follow my lead. There was no longer any reason to tread lightly where Matt was concerned and I’d pussy-footed around long enough because he was family. I was done. If Jon had any lingering doubts about my ability to handle the “business” they vanished into thin air.

“Let me know when it’s done” he said without hesitation.