He Told Me To Walk This Way

One Big Happy Family

That night things got even more complicated than they had been. With nowhere for Aerosmith to spend the night, I knew I had to beg my mother to house everyone just until they could get another gig or two and pay their rent. This, of course, didn't go over well with my mother.

"Ginger, I don't want a house full of beatniks livin' with me!"

"It's just temporary ma!" I said, ignoring her crude label for them.

She sat down at the small table in the kitchen. she checked the egg timer sitting on the counter and looked at me. "Why Gin? They go from opening for the Stones to homeless? That's crazy."

"I know it is, but I told you what happened. They refused to pay Aerosmith at all when I called. They have nowhere to go. Steven's parents are in New Hampshire and sure as hell cant afford to hitch a ride all the way there."

"Is Steven okay?" My mother asked suddenly, almost as if she genuinely cared.

"I think so. He's being released tomorrow morning."

"Worst case scenario, how long would they be here?"

"Three weeks, worst case scenario." I said, flat-out.

She thought for a minute, and finally shook her head as if she was doubting herself. "Fine. but only three weeks. After that, they're on their own, do you hear me?"

"Thank you mom. They're at the hospital still, so is Angela. Can I use your car mom?"

"Yes, but be careful, okay?"

Traffic was surprisingly low on my way to the hospital. I had no idea how this was going to work out, living with Tom, Joey, Brad, and...Joe. I regulated the speed to the best of my ability, considering how anxious I was. After finding a space in the parking garage I hurried into the waiting room where I saw Tom, who was reading a magazine, Joey, who was staring off at nothing, Brad who was at the snack machine and Joe, whose limbs were entangled with Angela's. Their faces were smashed together. An elderly couple was trying to ignore the two of them.

I cleared my throat, hoping that it would get their attention. It got everyone's attention except Joe and Angela's. I walked over to the chair that they were both sharing, and nudged Angela's shoulder. "So my mom said it's cool for everyone to stay at my place." I blurted out. Angela turned around and climbed down from Joe's lap.

"Great; you're mom is so nice."

"She seems alright." Brad said.

"Not overly-nice, but polite." Tom added.

"She does have a temper though." Joey said, adding to my mother's testimonial.

Joe rolled his eyes and muttered, "Your mom can shove it."

"Excuse me? This is your fault. No one's forcing you to stay with her. You don't want to, you don't have to. Got it?"

"What the fuck's up your ass?"

"Just leave me alone." I now directed my attention to the rest of the group. "I have my mom's car so, why don't we head on over there?"

By the time everyone got in the car, no one was comfortable. Everyone was squeezed in like a lot of popes in a Volkswagen. On the way to my house, we remained silent for the most part. The radio was never turned on, and no one complained about being cramped up, not even Joe.

-------------------------

"Hello boys." My mother greeted when she opened the door.

Everyone referred to my mother as "Mrs. Eisen", just as they had on my birthday. Joey lingered for a moment to speak to my mother. "I just want to tell you that we're really grateful for this. Steven will be so happy."