Things Happen.

Things Happen. [Pt. I]

It’s all happening. Happening whether you want it to or not. You can go along with it and make something of it or you can do nothing. You choose because it’s a choice. Most people can’t decide. I’m not most people. The difference between me and most people is that they will decide to do nothing.

You can follow along and you do nothing. Waiting. Waiting for nothing won’t make something happen. And it’s amazing how long people will wait for something to happen before making something happen.

That’s the thing with making things happen. It’s not like you wait and think ahead. It’s like you know ahead. There are no plans, just details. The kind you make when the timer is about to run out on the bomb. Tick. Tick. Tick. 5-4-3-2-1. Too late. You should already know before the time runs out.

And I’m the type of guy that already knows. Knows exactly what you want and how to get it. This is how I run things. Things that are already happening. Happenings set into motion.

It’s 9:15 am.

Sunday Morning.

And all of it is happening. All the strings that I pull. All that I already know will happen.

Adrian’s called at least fifty times. All fifty of which I’m not returning immediately because he knows I’m in the Islands. Gina isn’t coming back from the complimentary Yoga-Ballet-Pilates class anytime soon as I continue to skim my voice messages.  Alex rings that he’s been staying in New York with Andy and somehow Adrian is involved. The voice on the line says “we’re flying out to LA later” but the tone in the voice indicates more. Alex wants something. I decide after listening to this message I want to I call Alex. I need someone to check on the progress of events. He isn’t answering when I hang up because Gina is calling me on the other line. She wants to have breakfast on the beach at 10am. She says that she feels like it will be a nice change of atmosphere for us and I agree before hanging up. I put away my palm after I text the replacement Gina at the office to handle a few more things. It’s business as usual but I can’t stop to wonder about it right now because breakfast is waiting and I need a shower.

After getting out of the shower the phone rings. Gina’s on the line and I already know how I’m dealing with her before she ever starts talking. I know she’s been going through my messages and I’m right when she tells me a little more about the trouble with Adrian. I remind her that Adrian isn’t really a problem because he’s spent. And I know that Adrian sober isn’t the same as Adrian spent. Gina continues to tell me about all these crazy calls from Adrian that her replacement has been taking before telling me about Alex. Alex is still a phone call away that I need to make after I hang up with Gina. I tell her this and she hangs up after telling me to be on time for breakfast. I tell her of course and listen as she breathes into the line before hanging up.

The line rings and I know that Alex owes me because he always owes me a favor before ever picking up the line. Alex answers the line with a question or two but in the end he’ll say yes instead of no. I ask Alex about New York before mentioning a favor. I make sure he understands this is a favor requiring his full attention and that Adrian can not be involved. After it’s become clear that keeping Adrian busy isn’t optional Alex says he needs money so I say of course before giving him further instructions regarding the situation. My last words to Alex are “make sure he’s not on the plane” instead of goodbye. I’m looking at my watch after I hang up with Alex. It’s 9:58 am. Time for breakfast.

These are all the things I know as they happen before my 12 pm meeting. A meeting that has to happen even though I’m on vacation.

Along the edge of the East Bound I-580 between Oakland and San Leandro there’s a car parked with three men waiting for my approval. There’s a chance that two of the men will have to take care of the third man, but not before I make that call. A call that calls Gina back to Okay the order because that is what I do. I call the shots, plan the plans and decide the destinies of others with a choice. Most people decide they can’t when all I can see it what is possible to achieve. Right now as I’m dialing up Gina’s line I decide that I’m personally going to take care of this man. I’ve decided that this is what is possible to accomplish before catching my flight out to LA.

Somewhere between the third and fourth exits until last one before the bridge Adrian’s agent calls me again looking for the next big album from his favorite big artist of the last fifteen months and instead of handling this business that has nothing to do with me, I tell him to get a hold of Adrian’s artistic management for things of that nature. This isn’t my scene and I remind this misinformed fellow that I personally handle Adrian’s situations as a friend. Before I hang up the line I state to him again “Adrian is not my professional responsibility” and suggest he find himself more informed in the future. Handling Adrian’s situations, financial or otherwise, is something I’ve been doing since I met him five years ago. Just a dumb kid my sister got mixed up with a long time back. Long before the snakes got their fangs into him and turned simple musical genius into a complicated gimmick.

It’s after talking with the man on eastbound I-580 that I’ve grown a conscience and decided he has fifty-two hours to figure out how to correct this situation he’s presented me with. Before I turn him loose I tell him that he can thank Gina for suggesting the small act of clemency and not to disappoint. As we leave him on the side of the road and head back to the city to catch a plane I wonder where that Bird is. I think back to Gina when she tells me to be on time for the flight and realize there’s no room to wait. Somehow I already know that Damn Bird will be late because she always is.

“Wayne baby,” Alton says loudly as she makes her way over across the middle aisle of the plane. The man sitting two aisle seats over from me winks as Alton shifts her breasts when passing him on the plane. Her cleavage is right in his face when she makes her way to my seat. He looks like he’s hit the jackpot when she presses her breasts against face until her knee lands in his crotch.

“Alton, so good of you to show up.” I ignore the man with the red face that’s erupted in tears as he nurses his manhood.

“I heard you wanted something.” She says while reaching into her blouse and pulling up her bra as she takes her seat.

“I wanted a little more than that but…”

“Sir, would you like a drink?” the stewardess interrupts.

“Scotch, rocks. And you Bird?”

“Vodka rocks. Twisted. And a separate cup of ice.” Alton unbuttons her blouse and plays with the peek-a-boo pink lace of her bra while talking to the stewardess. She’s practically coming onto the girl when I interrupt.

“Honey be a lamb and hurry it up. Thanks.”

“You’re no fun,” she interjects. “What do you care anyhow?”

“Please try to remember that I’m paying for this meeting. You always did like to play with your food before eating it. And you don’t really want that do you?”

“No I don’t recall how you paid for it when I slipped past security and got on this flight. Tell me how does that work? And how do you know what I want? I remember when you liked me playing with you first. ” she says while curling her fingers around my arm.

“You wouldn’t have had to slip onto any plane if you were on time. You’re late. And on my time. My money.” I shake myself free.

“What is it Wayne? Baby?”

“Bird. I need a favor and its right up your alley.”

“Lay it on me, Wayne. Baby, I’m all ears.”

And she is. All ears until the stewardess comes back with our drinks and she starts playing with her bra again. This time the stewardess has a name and she says it’s Sheila but people call her Shelly and as she leans in that Damn Bird starts whispering something into her ear. After Sheila called Shelly leaves with a smile Alton is still playing with her bra. But now she’s looking at me with an appetite and leaning over me without her full attention. She’s opening her mouth and chewing on a piece of ice two inches from my face before leaning away and reaching backwards across two seats to  hand the cup of ice over to the red faced man still nursing his bruised ego. I can see what game she’s playing and all I can think about is how much I need to…

“FOCUS!” This is what Leo tells me from across the table. While I’m in the middle of lunch I miss the point of it all, and start to think of crazy Adrian with the phone calls and talking too much to himself. We’ve met three new clients all during lunch and signed off on the final draft of the operations manual for next years plans. If all goes accordingly I won’t need to worry about next years plans. Yet my mind wanders before the next order of business falls. This is when I check my palm and realize I’ve missed thirteen calls.

I’m rearranging my luggage when it happens. The phone rings. It’s not that it’s an important call but it’s a call that I will take because I’m expecting a return. I cross the room and take another drink of my rum and coke before picking up the line. It’s Alex with a question about the never ending enigma of what happens next. I tell him I’m working on it and not to worry about going to LA cause I’m in the middle of the arrangements. Before he can ask I reassure him that his new friend Andy is a character that doesn’t come up on any of my radars so business shouldn’t be a problem only that Adrian will be. Alex says with confidence that Adrian is going to be “taken care of” and that I shouldn’t worry about. I tell him I haven’t been and I already know that Adrian is being handled from afar. I’m still on the phone when Gina comes in. I know she’s not happy when I make business a priority over our quality time, but I finish up with Alex before hanging up.

“Have you been to New York lately?” Alton asks as the captain talks about descent on the overhead speaker. “Cause I’ve heard that there’s a shortage on the…”

“Have you?” I return the question with another question instead of answering.

“Actually I haven’t. I’ve been slumming in LA with the vultures below Sunset.”

“Then what does it matter what you’ve been hearing?”

“I was simply making chit-chat. But that’s a nice attitude, Wayne Baby. Just so long as it doesn’t interfere with my getting paid.”

“I don’t need to chit-chat with you. And I paid to meet with you. Get the job done and we’ll have something to talk about.”

“Honestly it isn’t about the money.”

 “I know.”

 “And it shouldn’t be a problem. There’s nothing I can’t get my hands on...” she stops mid-sentence to wink at me when Shelly drops a note in her lap.

“This is where you leave. Fly Bird, fly.”

Before I finish saying it she’s already up and over two seats without buttoning up. Pink-lace shoots out from the front of her blouse but the man with the red face looks down to avoid eye contact. It’s a shame but she isn’t interested anymore. There’s an opportunity with Sheila called Shelly and a flight to catch after.

Alex rings me up on the fifth hour to let me know about the job. I tell him “it’s already handled” and the Bird has flown the coop. After I tell him she’s not in New York anymore I remind him to watch his back on the coast. It’s then I assure him I can handle the rest of this when I get back into town but he’ll need to make his flight.

“Don’t miss your flight.” I say quickly as Gina looks me over before undressing for the bath.

“I wasn’t planning on it. But is there any way that…

“No.”

“But I need to see Andy before…”

“Don’t fuck off. Get on the plane!” Gina slams the bathroom door as I raise my voice.

“Get me a later flight.”

“Make the plane or you get yourself a later flight back.”

“I don’t understand. You can ask me a favor but you can’t do one back.”

“Are you gonna start this? First of all you didn’t do what I asked. Secondly, you still owe me. And you know I don’t keep count. Alex. Just get on the fucking plane.”

“I’m getting on the plane.”

“Jemma will be waiting at LAX. Only call me if you NEED anything. I have to go.”

All the while Adrian’s continued to phone but instead of returning his not-so- important calls I let them go. I’ll be in town soon enough to handle his problem, personally. The label wants something new, Adrian needs happy to make new, therefore I need happy from Adrian to produce new. Right now Gina needs me to make her happy and that isn’t something I can make happen without hanging up the line.

New York. Alex isn’t speaking to me when we disembark the plane. He hasn’t said a word since take off. We’re supposed to take a car to the train station for another short trip. Alex won’t tell me where or why. Only that Andy will be there when we get wherever there is. I want some candy and there’s a girl wearing pigtails, a tight t-shirt and jeans talking to me. I don’t want to talk to her but she keeps calling me Frank and asking if I’m her boyfriend. Says something about me wearing a white t-shirt and black jacket and I tell her to blow me. She gets upset and leaves. I look at Alex who keeps walking and ignoring me. I don’t know what’s going on. I’m not certain of anything only that New York is about as much fun as a lobotomy is to a crazy person. But you wouldn’t know about that would you? You haven’t been around since we left the city. I thought you were coming too. But that’s besides the point. Because this isn’t what I needed. I’m almost dry. I need a hit. And this isn’t that. It’s only something to do. It’s something without you and away from there.

From the Perspectives.(???) Making things happen. What are you waiting for? Why wait for tomorrow when you could be doing something today? Time is not your enemy. Time is the only thing that continues to be constant. Moments are permanent. Past. Present. Future. You are the only thing that changes. It’s hard for some people to believe that they have a choice in everything that happens to them. It’s not control you seek. It’s not letting it all happen without control either. It’s learning how to grasp what is happening and harness that energy to move with it. Think of a surfer. He isn’t controlling the wave, nor is he letting the wave overcome him, he is riding that wave and enjoying it. Anyhow, I’m amidst the final pieces of THIS. I am excited for its completion and can not wait to share. It’s amazing to say you’ll do something and do it. Enjoy. kisses. m.