Never Signing Off

  The Book If you watch the trees for long enough, you might believe they could come to life. Pull their roots out of the ground and stomp along the highway. The branches lightly swaying as they propel forward. The sound of the leaves rustling creates a whisper that sounds like words if you're listening close enough. Right now, I can only hear the hum of the bus underneath me. These bunks are more comfortable than the last ones we were on. No memory foam this time. I'm sitting in the lounge with my legs pulled to my chest. Everyone else is asleep right now, but I just couldn't get my mind down. Instead, I watch the trees as we pass them. The leaves are half-off the trees, still trying to grow back from a cold and bitter winter. Global warming is making the winters colder, but Mother Nature just keeps going. The seasons keep changing, one ending and another beginning. It's funny how even nature lets go of the old, to make room for the new. I hear footsteps...

  Luck, Be A Lady Jared has always had an insecurity about going home. If he can help it, he'll avoid getting anywhere near Las Vegas. It wasn't always like that. Sure, he was happy to leave it all behind. He hit the road when he graduated high school and never looked back. His father passed shortly after he started his band and he didn't even care. But since the band broke up, he's had reservations about the city. He didn't want any of his bandmates to call him on the split. He wanted to avoid the confrontation. Crystal came up with an idea that was so insane it might work. Of course, I didn't think he would be comfortable with it, but he was. In fact, he seemed eager to see the results. He said he was more interested to know if she could actually pull it off. He agreed that it was a good way to avoid the spotlight. He couldn't be called out if no one recognized him. Well, no one was going to recognize him, that's for sure. He didn't...

  Former Lover California feels like a stranger. It's been so long since I've seen her. We got on the plane in the afternoon, but lost two hours during the flight, arriving just before noon in California. The flight itself was so short, I barely noticed it. I'm normally a nervous wreck, but I guess my mind was elsewhere. I spent the whole flight thinking about those bright brown eyes. When we landed, it took an hour to get our stuff from baggage. In the meantime, Crystal wandered around the airport with Charlie. We may have left only a few short months ago, but it's been years since Charlie has been in the city. She has plans to take him sight seeing later, since the show isn't until tomorrow. We had our timing mixed up, because we intended to go to Jared's after the show. But, we have to get on the bus after the show and head to Vegas. The hotel room is booked in Vegas already. When we finally get our luggage, we pile into a limousine headed to Jared...

  Time, Estranged I realize I have a terrible relationship with time. I have trouble remembering things that have happened, and even more trouble remembering when. Time doesn't move the same way for me as it does for everyone else. My brain isn't linear enough. Every minute that passes in normal time is hours in my own time. I see everything happening in slow-motion. It feels like turning the page of a book is taking forever. Unless it's something big. Something tragic. Then, my brain fast-forwards through the sad parts and I come out on the other side of the disaster. I have to write everything down, or I won't remember it even happened. It's a coping mechanism, I think. It's something my brain started doing when I was younger. It wasn't because I had a terrible life or anything. It was hard, of course. I mean, it's not easy raising yourself. It's difficult to see the adults around you acting like helpless children. I moved around ...

I'm not a commentary person by any means. I don't normally pay any attention to celebrity gossip. I certainly give no attention to TikTok. But this came across my radar for more than one reason, in more than one circle, because it was awful.  I don't care what opinion other people have of Perez. I always thought he was a good guy. That's why I'm writing this.  I often paint the vultures in a negative light in my writing. Everyone can assume I'm including all of them. But while writing The Morgan Series, I intentionally highlighted that Mario wasn't a bad guy . Yes, the internet hated him for a while. But he's not a fucking devil by any means. He's just a messed up human being, like all of us are. For people to say that what happened is okay or for attention or however else they are trying to write it off is insane. It's not okay. Someone should have done more than report the video. Someone should have reached out to the authorities. Someone shoul...

  Stray Cats Charlie was thrilled with Frankie's announcement. I think he was only invited to come along by default. Frankie didn't know him, and didn't seem to care. But Charlie sees the tour as an opportunity for his book. He's going to get a bunch of his books printed and have them join us when they are ready. He's never been able to afford a cross-country book tour, so it's going to be different for him. Crystal agreed to help him run the merchandise stand that Frankie has agreed to give him. This is a big opportunity for promoting his brand at no extra cost. Charlie can sell his books and make new contacts. He can really get his name out there. Crystal always wanted to have her own tent on a festival circuit. It was her youth-inspired dream. She told me that she'd see those girls working at the tents and she thought it was the coolest job. It gave them the opportunity to meet all the bands, while interacting with the fans and getting to know wha...

  New Additions We were out at the bar when Crystal and Charlie got in from the airport. I open the front door, greeted by the smell of something divine. It's five in the morning, but Charlie is at the stove. “ Welcome home.” He greets, looking over his shoulder. I throw my coat towards the living room, walking further into the house. “ Don't make a mess.” Jared whines from behind me. I look over at him and shake my head. I look around when I get to the kitchen. Charlie has pots and pans everywhere and he's cooking. “ Are you making dinner?” I ask, groggily. He nods, looking over at me. I notice his eyes widen slightly when he looks past me. He's looking at the man closing the front door. “ Um.” He mutters, looking back to the stove. Crystal flies off the stool she was sitting on and towards the front door. Her arms wrap around Frankie's neck and she starts kissing all over his face. “ Why are you making dinner this early in the morning?” I ask Cha...