[A_NINmas_Carol: Chapter_5]

by Mimi Jones-Taylor

            Trent buried his face in his hands and screamed. The room around him was suddenly silenced. He looked up, and was in the rehearsal hall. He looked at the clock on the wall. It read 6:40. Trent ran out of the studio and out into the street. The sun was just starting to rise in the east.
            “I didn’t miss it! I didn’t miss it! I… oh no, it’s nearly 7AM!”
            Trent ran into his car, and sped down the road. Reaching his house, he tore out of the car and ran to his computer. Checking his IM client, he saw that Jeordie, Aaron and Josh had already signed on. Trent typed in an IM message and broadcast it to all three of them.
            Sorry, change of plans. Go back to the hall. Now. TR.
            “Hee hee hee,” Trent giggled as he hit. Next, he picked up the phone and dialed.
            “Pronto,” said a very tired Alessandro at the other end.
            “Buon Natale!” cried Trent. “Dude, go get some sleep. Spend some time with your family. Fuck the session.”
            “Perdono? Who is this?”
            “It’s me! It’s Trent.”
            “Who?”
            “Yeah, it’s me. I know, I was being a real prick, and I’m so sorry. Dude, your family is way more important than any stupid rehearsal session. We’ll worry about it when you get back. And take your time, okay? You wanna be off for three weeks, go for it. No worries. Oh and if you ever manage a band that performs my songs, you’d better teach them the history of it because I’m not becoming a game show host.”
            “Perdono?”
            Trent hung up the phone and dashed to his car.
            Back at the rehearsal hall, Jeordie sat, holding his bass, yawning into his latte.
            “What the fuck? Dude makes us come all the way here and he’s not even in the fucking room. I say we go.”
            “Yeah, I hear that,” said Josh.
            “Give him five more minutes,” said Aaron. “We can do that.”
            Suddenly the door of the studio burst open, and Trent came in, his hands loaded with paper bags.
            “Hey guys,” he said, “I brought you some coffee and some rum cake.”
            “Rum cake?” Josh’s eyes perked up. “Wait… what’s the catch?”
            “The catch is, I’ve been a real jerkoff, and I’m sorry,” said Trent as he put down the bags. “You guys have been the greatest, putting up with my shit, hell, even sacrificing your well-being for the band and the damn stage show. And I keep pushing and pushing you til you break. That’s not fair, to put it mildly. So you know what? We’re gonna have some coffees, and you’re gonna have rum cake and I’m gonna just have this bagel, and we’re just gonna hang, and then we’ll go home.”
            “But dude, aren’t you paying overtime for the hall?” said Jeordie. “Shouldn’t we be playing?”
            “Bah,” said Trent. “It’s only money. Let’s just have a good time, shooting the shit. It’s Christmas!”
            Trent handed out the coffees, and gave out the cake. Aaron smiled, and bit into a piece.
            “Wow, this is awesome cake,” said Josh. “Thanks Trent.”
            “You’re welcome,” said Trent. “It’s great to have good friends at Christmas.”
            “Yeah,” said Jeordie, “Especially with good rum cake.”
            “For sure,” Aaron raised his paper coffee cup.  “God bless us, every one!”

THE END