The Sauna Part 304 (12 years later, 2019)

The years had marched on and time had been good to us. Jon and I were as close as two people could possibly be and we’d managed to negotiate the rocky shoals of independence without destroying the bond that kept us connected. The passion we’d shared in the beginning burned brightly still and the flame of desire never left us; it just became a less frequent visitor as we grew older.

Floyd, Opie and Zeke were gone now, but we’d been blessed with our newest addition, Richard the cat, for several years. My sweet little Edward had become an old man and he seemed to enjoy his seniority. There were times when he asserted his position in our household and poor little Richie had no choice but to give ground, but mostly Eddie had become a generous old codger who no longer needed to entirely hog all the attention. Today, however, was not one of those times and Richie was licking his wounds on the floor while Eddie claimed his rightful place on the bed between us.

“He’s still a spoiled brat, you know” Jon baited me, turning towards me in the bed.

“And you’re still just jealous because he always gets what he wants” I replied with a smirk.

“I got what I wanted this morning” he replied with a gleam in his eye.

“I think we both did” I bantered back.

“Touché” Jon laughed, stretching before he sat up.

“French toast?” I asked, making puppy dog eyes.

“Yes, mistress” Jon mocked indulgently.

That was another thing that had changed over the years. Jon had actually learned to cook. Now, mind you, he hadn’t reached the level of gourmet chef-that was Richie’s domain-but he’d learned how to make some pretty passable dishes and French toast was one of his specialties. Jon threw on his robe and padded down to the kitchen, little Richie following in his wake.

“C’mon, lil’ buddy, Daddy will get your breakfast too” Jon cooed to the cat who mewed gratefully back.

It was a glorious day and the sun was shining high in the sky, brilliant against the back drop of azure blue we still saw only in Colorado. We’d sold the house back in Buffalo and we’d kept the place in New Jersey although we rarely used it. Jon had become quite the homebody over the years and he still didn’t care much for hotels after so many years of touring. It was good to have a place of our own when we decided to visit New Jersey and we did fly back fairly often to see the kids.

Stephanie had grown into a beautiful young woman and she’d begun a career in modeling, so she stayed close to the city. Jesse lived in New York in a loft where he had plenty of space to work on his painting and he’d begun to develop a bit of a following after his first successful gallery show. Jakey, who now insisted we call him Jake, was a senior in high school and Romeo was a sophomore. Romeo’s name fit him well, too, as he’d grown into a younger version of Jon and had become quite the heartthrob. He’d even started a band.

Jon still toured occasionally, but nothing like he had done in his heyday. Tico and Hugh had rebelled on the last extended tour and Jon had relented, realizing he too was growing tired of feeling so driven himself. When he got restless these days, he found other things to capture his interest and he and Richie still did a number of spotlight performances all by themselves. That was enough.

And Richie. Richie was enjoying one of the best periods in his life now. It had taken a few years, but once he’d become comfortable with himself again, he’d found the love of his life. His soulmate for real. I’d never seen Richie happier than he was now. It all happened a year or so after the ‘Lost Highway’ tour.

Richie met Carla in Rehab where they were both working on maintaining their sobriety. Richie had spent a year toying with trying to control his drinking before finally realizing it really was all-or-nothing when it came to his nemesis, alcohol. After a particularly public misadventure where his drinking and driving had jeopardized Ava, Richie sobered up and realized things needed to change. He hadn’t touched a drop since.

Carla had checked into Rehab on the same day as Richie and they bonded at first out of sheer misery. Carla was just a bit older than Richie, but she was still quite a knock-out with gorgeous blonde hair and a vivacious personality that years of adversity hadn’t dampened. I secretly suspected that she bore some connection to Dick Clark, or at least shared his genes; Carla could have easily passed for being just over forty rather than her fifty-something years. When Richie became quiet and morose, Carla could bring him out of his shell.

Despite all the warnings not to hook up when first reaching sobriety, Carla and Richie were good for each other. They started off merely as buddies, supporting each other in their mutual struggles with the bottle. Jon’s mother actually had become Richie’s sponsor and that went a long way to healing the breech between Jon and his Mom. Both Jon and I had initially been a bit leery of Richie’s blossoming relationship with Carla, but it was Carol who encouraged him to follow his heart. She knew from experience how much it mattered to have a partner who loved you.

Carla was such a departure from Richie’s previous girlfriends and that in itself was a refreshing improvement. She had none of the narcissism we’d come to expect and she stayed in the background when the flash bulbs went off. Carla’s “career” had been raising her children and she’d done a remarkable job considering she’d had little help. Richie found himself welcomed into the fold and it helped take the place of the family he’d always wanted. Carla’s children were older than Ava, but they showered her with attention and took her under their wing. Richie’s home was no longer a quiet, somber abode; it was filled with noise and activity and that suited him well.

Ava had just graduated from high school when Richie became a grandfather for the first time. Carla’s eldest daughter, Maria, and her husband had their first baby and one would have thought the babe had a fan club as the whole clan waited expectantly at the hospital. Richie couldn’t have been more excited if it had been his own child and Ava finally had the chance to play “big sister” herself. It was almost a competition between Grampa and Aunt Ava as far as who got to babysit the golden haired little angel who they appropriately named Angela.

I remember Richie and Carla’s wedding as if it was yesterday. Jon and I had flown out for the week and we ended up staying with Cherie and Jim. Richie’s enormous house was packed to the rafters with family and Richie couldn’t wipe the smile off his face if he’d been told we were under nuclear attack. His joy was infectious and I remember feeling for the first time that he was really okay.

The wedding itself was held on the beach and we were all in attendance when Richie and Carla exchanged their vows. It was a simplified Catholic ceremony, as they had both found their faith in the religion with which they were raised, and while it was very different from Jon’s faith and mine, it was still very spiritual and I cried the whole time. Jon was Richie’s best man, of course, and Carla’s eldest daughter was her Maid of Honor, but she’d asked me to be one of her bridesmaids and I was honored.

“Trish” Richie said, smiling softly after the ceremony.

“Oh Richie…I’m so happy for you” I bawled into his chest.

He patted my back and held me close as he spoke.

“Trish, you don’t have to worry about me any longer. I never thought this day would come, but I finally feel the love I’d witnessed for so long between you and Jon. I never thought it was possible to feel like I do…” he said in a trembling voice.

I looked up at his face and saw the sprinkling of tears that were threatening to fall, but his eyes were full of the love that he’d found. Gone from his face was that haunted look I’d come to recognize over the years and I saw no trace of the emptiness that had left wrinkles of sadness in his otherwise perfect features. Somehow now, they looked like they belonged; a living testament to the pain he’d endured for so long. But that was the past, and Richie was reborn as the man he had always been meant to be.

“Richie, you deserve nothing less. I know Jon and I were skeptical at first, but any doubts that we had were erased some time ago. Carla is a remarkable woman and we’re glad that you found one another” I said honestly.

“Your blessing means the world to me, you know. No one else, besides Carla, knows me like you and Jon. I’m so grateful to have you both here to share in this day” Richie replied as he wiped the tears from my cheek. “So let’s celebrate!” he said with a laugh as the shadows of the past disappeared from his face.

And celebrate we did! It was a fabulous party and we played on the beach for the rest of the day. There was volleyball and swimming for the kids and younger adults and food aplenty for us older folk. As the sun receded beyond the horizon, bonfires were lit and the guys gathered round to sing and play together in a medley of tunes. It was almost a catalog of hits as they strummed their way through the decades of music they’d all shared together. The final song was a beautiful one that Richie had just written for Carla and he sang to her in a voice pure and sweet. I’ll never forget the words that he spoke:

When I was lost, you searched 'till you found me,
When I was deaf, you spoke 'till I heard you.
When I was trapped, you released the chains that had bound me,
I’m no stranger any longer, not since you loved me.

The evening moved into nighttime and the band that was actually hired for the wedding took over the entertainment. Jon and I danced barefoot under the stars and it was a magikal time. The countenance of the Goddess shone down upon us and all was right with the world.