John Francis

Tico and Alejandra were sitting outside on the patio of their home, talking with their guests and friends. The kids had eaten and were already in the pool as the adults sat lingering over the buffet that had been offered and the excellent Cuban coffee Alejandra had prepared.

Trish and Jen were sitting beside Alejandra on lounge chairs by the pool, talking while keeping one eye on the kids. They all knew the nannies for the Bongiovi children were watching, but Alejandra keep watching her young son and their eyes traveled frequently to the laughing children.

Richie, Tico, and David sat at the table, sipping their coffees and smiling indulgently whenever a shriek came from the pool area. Tico turned dark eyes to David.

“So, what’s going on with you and Jen?”

David turned his head back from the kids with a slightly surprised look in his face.

“Where’d that question come from?”

Shrugging his shoulders, Tico gave a small smile.

“Just wondered. I like her. She doesn’t take any shit from you.”

David grinned a sly one cheeked smile and then smirked.

“Yeah, but it’s a lot of fun giving it back.”

He glanced at Richie, deftly turning the tables.

“What about you, Swing? You figured out yet Trish is smarter than you?”

“Fuck you, Lema.”

“Fuck you? That’s your best shot? You’re slippin’ man.”

Richie scowled at David over the rim of his coffee cup, meeting the twinkling eyes and wide grin of the other man.

“Either of you know if Jon invited his parents here?” Richie’s eyes glanced at both the other men as he spoke.

David shook his head ‘no’ and Tico just raised an eyebrow.

Richie shot a look at Tico. “What?”

Shrugging his shoulders, Tico answered. “Jon said yesterday that he had asked them to come but his mother was sick.”

Richie’s radar twitched at the slightly questioning expression on Tico’s face.

“She was sick? Or she didn’t want to come?”

Again shaking his head, Tico replied. “He said sick, but I think she didn’t want to come.”

David jumped in. “What’s up with her? I’ve never seen her be so rude to someone.”

“I don’t know, but Jon didn’t seem too upset when she said they weren’t coming. He also didn’t seem worried about her being sick, which made me think she probably wasn’t.” Tico answered as he refilled his coffee cup.

The men were stopped from pursuing the conversation further at the arrival of the other guests. Hugh and Kelli arrived, followed shortly by Obie, Chris, and Mrs. Sambora, with Tony and Matt following shortly. Everyone was spending the day together and the drinks soon began as the laughter grew.

The doorbell rang again to announce Susan and Mrs. Adams’ arrival. They entered to warm greetings from Tico and then a tour by Alejandra. Once they returned to the patio, Jennifer settled herself by Joan Sambora. The two were soon deep in conversation. Susan said hello to the other men and then wandered over to sit with Jen and Trish.

“Wow! Great house, huh?” She smiled at the other two, settling herself on a comfortable lounger.

Jen nodded. “Oh yeah, did you get the tour too?”

“Sure did.”

Trish smiled a little distractedly. After glancing at her and then at where she was looking, the other two women grinned at each other and then turned to her.

“Uh, earth to Trish…” Jen poked her with a finger on the shoulder.

Trish’s head snapped back to her.

“What?”

Jen laughed out loud. “You. Mooning over Richie. How old are you anyway, girl?”

Trish blushed lightly as she gave a small laugh. “I know, it’s ridiculous. But he’s such a great guy.”

Susan watched Patricia blush lightly and guessed correctly that she and Richie were sleeping together. She felt a small flare of jealousy when she realized that she had met Richie before Trish and he had never shown an interest in her. This was quickly followed by an image of the people crowding them on the street that day in New York and she gave a small shudder. She did not do crowds like that. Malls, concerts, that type of crowd were okay, but the pressing of bodies and shoving that had happened that day…no.

Her thoughts were interrupted as she was drawn back into the conversation, answering a question from Jen.

Trish found her eyes drifting again to Richie, remembering with an imperceptible shudder their morning together. A twinge of worry crossed her mind, but she brushed it away. It wasn’t that close to a dangerous time. They had always been careful. It would never happen again.

And no matter, it really, really wasn’t that close.

Hearing her name in a question from Susan, Patricia and then Jen talked about how they had met the men. She told about the dinner she had gone to for The Soul and how the press had been all over the event when Jon had announced the engagement. The three were talking and laughing over something Jen had said when a figure plopped down on a chair beside them.

“Can I join this party?” Amanda eyed the three who were now wiping tears from their eyes.

“Hey girl!” Susan threw an arm around her friend’s shoulder.

“Did you have a nice birthday night?” Jen asked with a wink.

Nodding with a big grin on her face, Amanda replied. “Yes…I’d have to say I did.”

“So…” Susan asked, throwing a smile at the other two women, “…what did you get for a present from Jon?”

Amanda made surprised eyes as she considered the question. “This…everyone here, that was my present. And I love it!”

The other three lightly raised their eyes to each other as Amanda looked around at friends and family. Susan shook her head at them, saying without words that this was Amanda. Sudden laughter from the men drew the women’s eyes to watch their group.

Tico stood there, the smallest of the group, but with a presence that made him seem larger than he was. He had heavily muscled arms from his years as a drummer and a full head of black hair. His voice was the lowest of the men also and his deep laughter could be heard across the length of the pool.

David’s golden corkscrew curls seemed to almost shoot off sparks as bright sunlight hit it. The curls shook when he talked and flew back and forth in continuous motion. Hugh was always the quieter one in the group, but whenever he spoke the men turned to listen. He seemed more low key, but heads were thrown back in laughter after he had added something to the conversation.

Richie’s own dark hair was also catching the light of the sun, or more likely it was the beading of the trinkets that dangled down below the ends of his longish hair. Constantly throwing different voices and accents into the group, he mugged for his friends, drawing frequent laughter. Somehow with the trinkets, the open front purple shirts, and the jeans, Richie also seemed to be ready for rock and roll.

Jon had already thrown on swim trunks and stood there in the sun, one arm under the other, a drink in his hand, the sun glinting off his hair and seeming to linger on the fur covering his chest, arms, and legs. He seemed supremely at ease, throwing his head back in throaty laughter at something one or the other of his friends said.

Watching with the other women, Amanda realized that she was seeing a rare side of Jon. A glimpse of the man when he was with friends, at ease, with no hint of the “rock star” persona he so often had to adopt. His smiles and laughter were genuine and there was no guardedness in his posture.