Enigmas Jones 4
It all comes apart, and it all comes together
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The second record went gold in six months and climbed towards platinum. On this tour, they headlined smaller venues that could hold up to fifteen thousand people. Star enjoyed her star persona, while Annie just tolerated it.
I gave Annie eight new poems I thought would do well, and they chose five. I sent them another ten, and they picked another five. Three were almost bound to be hits. By now, other acts were sniffing around, trying to find out who I was, and they were driving Jack crazy. He called me one day to vent. "Brother, they're getting close to discovering your identity. And no, they didn't get it from me. They have some pretty smart people working on it, and my bet is eventually, they'll track royalty payments and even run through those shell companies. Eventually, they'll peel enough layers back to find you. Be prepared."
"What do you think I should do, Jack?"
When the next set of songs goes into the can, they should have your name. Beat them to the punch, and make it as plain as possible that songwriting isn't your career choice, and anybody tracking you down will get their feelings hurt. It won't stop them, but slow them down and let you control the situation."
I thought about that for a while, then talked to the people closest to me. I'd broken up with the woman I was seeing because, past a bit of fun and terrific sex, there wasn't a spark. She realized it as well, so we parted as friends. Mom and Dad agreed with Jack. Heather thought I should delay as long as possible to protect our business. We were making excellent money for potters, and she wanted to protect that. If I were known as a famous songwriter, people would show up at the expos to see me and ignore the pottery. It was a legitimate concern, but we mostly sold through galleries and word of mouth, so the impact wouldn't be severe.
I tried to talk to Star, but she was too busy being famous. Annie agreed with Jack, so we followed his advice but went with D. Osprey and hoped no one made the connection.
Annie was at the house when the tour ended and nearly fell off the stool she was on, playing her guitar while she worked on a new poem I'd given her when Maggie and her family stopped by. They did buy a home nearby, in an upscale, gated community, and would get away when they could. She and Will tended to dress down when they went out, and she giggled when she talked about going to the grocery store, but no one recognized them. They went by their real names, and no one made the connection. Heather and I had been to their 'cabin,' a five-bedroom, two-story monstrosity. I asked why they bought such a large house, and they grinned, telling me they hoped the bedrooms wouldn't stay empty much longer. She had thrown away her birth control pills after her last tour, but it was a little early yet.
By now, their child was four, and when they came, we had to watch him like a hawk because he loved to ramble, my mixed-breed hound by his side.
Maggie recognized Annie right away. "You're half of Starshine, aren't you?"
Annie stuttered while I grinned before she said she was.
"I love your work. The lyrics are on a whole other level than many things, poems put to music. I'm warning you now: if I ever find out who Enigma Jones is, I'm stealing him!"
Annie grinned and told her good luck. Maggie had heard a little of what she was working on and asked her to play it. She listened, made a few chord change suggestions, and was talking about a new bridge when Will laughed. "Come on, Dar, we might as well go outside and start cooking. I know that look. She might remember where they are in an hour or two."
Will was there to learn to cook Boston butts over wood coals. They had already been cooking for two hours and needed at least one more, so we worked, and I showed him my sauce recipe. They still hadn't come out when the meat was ready, so I showed him how to shred it, mix the sauce, and put it back on the grill to let it sit while the coals died.
We watched Jr. like a hawk, but he was happily playing with the dog before he had us lay him down in the hammock. We weren't back to the grill before Sassy was in it with him, and they both went to sleep almost instantly. Will took pictures, telling me they were thinking about a small dog for his fifth birthday.
Annie and Maggie finally came out, grinning sheepishly, before jumping on the meal like they'd slaved in a steel mill for hours. Finally sated, Annie got her guitar, and they serenaded us. The song still had most of my lyrics, with just a few minor word changes that helped tremendously, and the music was beyond good. Maggie grinned. "There it is, the next Starshine hit. When I hear it on the radio, I'll grin every time, knowing I had a little to do with it."
Annie blushed like a twelve-year-old girl meeting her teen crush. Then I got my three-string out, and we played some old country and blues. I sang with them, but Will declined, saying his contribution to music was silence. He did record most of it, sharing the video on Annie's phone. "I expect to see this on social media tomorrow, Annie. The songs, especially how your voices blend, will blow up the internet."
Jr. even got into the video, helping them sing a kid's song. Maggie was right; social media lit up like Fourth of July fireworks. Maggie's fans kept wondering where she was and who her friends were, but she never commented except to say the woman was Annie of Starshine, and I was her boyfriend. That wasn't true, but it was simple enough to satisfy everybody.
One reaction we didn't expect was the rant Star went on, chewing us out for not including her. I held it as long as I could before finally going off. "You know, if you showed up as we begged you to, you would have shared the magic, but Star was too busy being the STAR to consort with the common folk. You better enjoy my words, girl, because they're the last you'll get from me. I'm done with the whole mess!"
Annie sat with her mouth hanging open. "Really?"
