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Transparent Christmas Story – Written By You!
As the sun gleaned off the hood of his metallic blue 2004 Toyota 4 Runner, Conner Bentley still wasn’t sure why he agreed to come back to White House, Tennessee, (his home town) for the Christmas Concert.
The request to do the show was delivered in such a strange way, and his band ‘CB Radio’ hadn’t played a show since the incident at the local coffee house. He wondered if Annie still had her job at Casablanca Coffee… man he really missed her, especially around Christmas.
Conner was dressed in a fleece pullover, a pair of jeans, brown comfortable shoes and sported a 2-day stubble of a beard. He noticed it was unseasonably cold today.
Conner hoped he could still remember the original songs they used to play, along with the obligatory Christmas tunes. Sure, Silent Night, “everyone’s favorite Christmas song”, he thought out loud, was simple when played in the key of D, but would ‘Stump’ still remember the harmony? (Conner always laughed to himself when he thought about how Stump Jeffries got his nickname. “Bass players, he chuckled.) Plus the band really liked to rock, and this Christmas show was supposed to be acoustic, a style he always found so revealing. At these shows, Stump would play his acoustic bass, and the Riley brothers, Brody and Keegan would play djimbe and lead guitar respectively. Conner had heard that the boys had been playing their own acoustic shows lately, with a cajon, guitar, and Stump on the bass but he wondered how they could handle the vocals, if HE wasn’t singing lead.
Conner liked Christmas music. It reminded him of simpler times in White House. This city seemed to be enjoying the growth of the surrounding towns, without becoming ‘Suburbia’. Did that “alcohol by the glass ordinance pass recently” he wondered? He remembered first hearing that term thinking that it meant you could buy a drink at a bar and walk out onto the street. Someone recently explained to him that if the ordinance passed, certain restaurants would be able to sell beer, wine and mixed drinks with a meal… He wondered if that would be such a good thing for this quaint town.
Conner pulled into the gas station on the corner of Highway 76 and 31W to refill his 4 Runner, and was happily surprised to see Stump standing on the curb with a goofy grin on his face. “I’ve been waiting for you old friend!” He yelled as he threw his arms around Conner in a friendly hug. “I can’t wait to tell you what I’ve been up to”…
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December 5th, 2008 at 1:46 pm
Conner began crying as he was in his embrace. Stump was a little stumped of why the usual jovial Conner was crying. He thought perhaps he could share his news later after comforting him.
“Stump, I am scared out of my wits to play at the coffee house. I have so much fear from the unforgivable incident that happened there”. Conner went on and said, “But I am so glad that you and my band mates are going to be there to help me get through this”.
“Yeah man, that’s what we’re here for” as Stump nervously stated.
Right there and then, Stump’s eagerness of telling Connor the news was meant with fear himself. You see, the news was that he and the other band members had this gig to play at a coffee house in DC a few blocks from the White House with the possibility of President-Elect Obama being in the audience. He was literally living up to his name as he was confused on how to tell Connor this now “bad” news.
December 6th, 2008 at 12:01 am
Stump woke with a start around 2pm.
“I really have to stop drinking,” he muttered to himself as he groggily sat up in his bed. His dreams were getting stranger and stranger.
Conner was never one to show much emotion at all, let alone break down in tears. And how that little Hallmark Movie Moment fit in with the fantasy about playing an acoustic show for Obama… Stump wasn’t sure. What a crazy dream. What Stump was sure of was that the more he leaned on the bottle, the more he lost his grip on reality.
He glanced at the clock. 2:10. What time was Conner coming into town? 3? Stump couldn’t remember. His head was thumping and his throat was burning.
It would be good to see his old friend… but not like this. Stump needed a shower. He needed a drink too, but the last thing his reunion with Conner needed was another reminder of “the incident.” Stump’s addictions were only beginning back then, but they had played a part in tearing the band apart.
It hadn’t been easy to talk Conner into returning to White House for this one-time show. Showing up to rehearsal already buzzed wouldn’t exactly set the right tone, Stump reasoned.
And so, for the first time in over 10 months, Stump Jeffries left the house without his customary double-shot of Jack. Popping a Tums, Stump fired up his Pontiac Firebird’s rattling engine, backed out of the frozen gravel driveway, and headed out to meet his returning friend.
December 6th, 2008 at 4:22 am
With the old Firebird parked next to Conner’s 4 Runner, Stump jumped into the front seat next to his old friend and tried to size up Conner to see if he was ready for what was going to be an eventful reunion. Conner smiled at his friend but had a strange look on his face as if there was even another secret between them.
In the corner of his eye, Conner could see the edge of the Backstreet Boys CD in the side-pocket on the passenger’s side of the SUV. Fortunately, it didn’t appear that Stump had seen the jewel case but would have been shocked to hear “I Want it that way” coming out of 1500 Watt Custom Alpine stereo system. The 12″ 1500W Dual 4-Ohm Subwoofers mounted in the back panels the SUV were still not even paid for and Stump would have likely ripped them out with his bare hands if he heard as he calls them the “snotty white-bread jerks trying to do hip-hop” playing in Conner’s SUV.
“Stump, you stink!” said Conner with a smile and a fist bump. What have you been doing for the past ten months?
December 6th, 2008 at 6:21 pm
Libbi tucked her pen behind her ear, as she watched from the window of Jacques Eatin’ Place. “Looks like the boys are back in town.”, she giggled to Jacques. Jacques rolled his eyes and said “Dem boys iza handful, no doubt. Best de stay on yonder side o’da highway. Listen, girl, I don wan dem in here ettin’ up all da steak biscuit an makin a mess with dat “free da pig” crap… pitchin’ a food from one end o’da place to de other… Dat stumpy little fella, he mama prolly doin’ back flips and handstands in de grave right dis now.” “Jacques, it was just one time, they were teenagers back then, do you ever forgive and forget?” Libbi chided. “How da heck you gonna forget I’s fell off o’da ladder an crack my ankle? Couldn’t cook fo six day… who pay dat price? An how da heck de gets dat fork stuck in da ceiling in da first place? Trouble, dem boys together iz jess plain trouble” Libbi, turned back to the view across the street and smiled, she was in her 50’s now, but those frisky boys always took her back to the days when she and Jacques first met in New Orleans. She knew Jacques couldn’t see that he used to be just like them, but she still loved him and loved the stubborn old cuss he was today even more.
December 12th, 2008 at 1:51 pm
Stump and Conner got out of the car and headed across the street. Stump smelling of strong booze wasnt watching where he was going. a car speeding by honked loudly just to get him out of the way. Libbi ran to meet the guys. It was clear to conner that his friend had a problem.
” You boys havent changed one ounce. you look as crazy as you did then but taller. you stomp need a bath” Libi just looked at conner.
conner was almost ashamed of this friend he was once so close to.
” You boys really bringing the band back together fa cancert? Libbi asked kind of doubting it could happen with Stump looking the way he looked.
” Yep and were going to a smashing hit. Christmas will bring back CB radio. we are going to be in all the magaazines like Billboard, Rolling stones, Transparent and even Rockers Reunite.” Stomp said as he wiped his nose with his sleeve.
” Where you boys living again? ” asked Libbi . Conner was kind of getting tired of being caled boy. he just kept that to himself.
“im in washington dc . i work for the whitehouse as a pet advisor” said Conner. proud and showing off a bit. but he had been doing that since Bush jr was elected.
“Whats a PET ADVISOR? ” Libbi asked . totally confused what that could truly mean.
“well when one of our elected needs a pet. i go and help locate one for them with the description they asked for. ”
Libbi shook her head ” i see where our taxes are going?wonder why our country needs bail outs. ” that made Conner laugh.
Stump ashamed to tell the two he has no home. he had been in homeless shelters for years tried to advert the original question. “how long you staying” he asked.
Stump where do you live my friend” conner asked looking him right in the eyes.