Total pages in book: 74
Estimated words: 71054 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 355(@200wpm)___ 284(@250wpm)___ 237(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 71054 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 355(@200wpm)___ 284(@250wpm)___ 237(@300wpm)
We pulled up to our building, and I parked in my paid spot, another perk of living here.
“You ever get the garbage disposal fixed?” I asked Ellis as we made our way inside.
“Yeah, Leonard sent a plumber out a couple of days ago.” Leonard was the building’s superintendent and was pretty accountable when something broke.
“Cool.”
Ellis paused at his door so we could fist-bump before I turned toward the elevator.
“Have a good weekend,” I said since I wasn’t sure if I’d see him. Then I remembered and turned back around. “Oh wait, you have plans tomorrow night.”
“Yup.” Ellis’s tone was nonchalant, but I could hear the uncertainty underneath. He’d joined a dating site a few months back and had been trying to get out there again. His ex-wife, Gayle, didn’t appreciate the musician lifestyle, believe it or not. The late practices and bar visits were a bit much, she’d complained.
What was that saying? Four drunk guys start a fight, four high guys start a band.
“Hit me up after and tell me how well it went.”
Ellis chuckled. “You mean if it goes well?”
He was normally a glass-half-full guy except in these scenarios because he’d had his share of duds.
“When it does.”
“Yeah, yeah, see you later.”
I pushed the button for the elevator when I could’ve just as easily walked up one flight to the second floor. But exhaustion had set in. Plus, it was late, and to be honest, the dark stairwell was creepy. I keyed into my apartment, where I was greeted by Wednesday, my black cat. She’d been named by the shelter after the famous Addams Family character, and she’d already taken to it, so who was I to change it? Besides, it totally fits her personality.
“Come here, sweets.” She wasn’t sweet at all. She was rude, antisocial, and hissed when picked up, but I’d grown to love her, and I thought, possibly, the feeling was mutual.
I put food in her bowl so she wouldn’t bother me in the wee morning hours, then fell into bed.
2
Ellis
When the alarm blared Friday morning, I buried my head under the pillow. I was exhausted, but that was standard after a night of playing, and I wouldn’t give up this schedule for anything. I enjoyed my day job teaching middle schoolers, but I always wished weekends lasted longer and could involve more of the things I loved. We all had dreams of retiring early so we could play more often, but that was about all any of us could do—dream.
It was impossible to make a career out of music unless you got a recording contract instead of a measly payment you split between the four of you every Thursday night. Still, none of us complained because we loved music. In fact, I’d argue that having our gigs on the side was what kept that fire burning in our bellies.
I shaved my ever-growing stubble, jumped in the shower, and got dressed for work. On my way out, I stopped at the windowsill where I kept some of my favorite carnivorous plants—the others were in my classroom—and made sure they were watered. I’d always enjoyed working with my hands, which was where my love of gardening and nature came in. And it gave me a hobby I could do with my mom.
I also grew my own pot plants at our practice studio, which was legal in Michigan, but only because Perry encouraged me after a failed effort on his part. I had the green thumb, after all. He kept our band well-supplied with weed and edibles before shows. But maintaining a couple of plants was my limit. No way I wanted to step into that business. I had enough on my plate.
Horticulture was my second love, so this teaching gig got me up early in the mornings. The kids got a kick out of my last name being Bloom—go figure—which only proved it was meant to be. The school year had gotten off to a good start, and I was enjoying the students—as much as one could with middle schoolers.
Nolan always joked that Ellis Bloom was a fitting stage name too. Though I was no delicate flower, at least stature-wise. I was a big guy with a stomach that wasn’t always flat and with no muscle definition because working out was never my forte. But mostly, I was all shoulders and limbs like a tree trunk, which proved useful in high school for intimidating the bullies picking on the nerdy kids. I hated that shit. It reminded me too much of my biological father, who’d been harsh and punishing, almost like he got satisfaction out of making me cry or squirm. Fortunately for my mom and me, she divorced him when I was ten.
On the way out of the lot, I glanced at Nolan’s car, knowing he kept different hours than me. I sometimes envied his schedule until it came to summers off. That was when living in a house and keeping a garden paid off, and I missed that. But I’d get there again. The divorce from Gayle had been hard, but we’d split our assets easily and moved on with our lives. And living in a small apartment in Ypsilanti beat staying one more night with my mom and stepdad no matter how welcoming they were. I was thirty-three, for Christ’s sake. I loved them, and they got me through a dark period of my life, but it felt good to strike out on my own again. Besides, being able to spend more time with my best friend was cool, and I’d been grateful when he’d hooked me up with a place to live.