The Tender Familiar by F. Fox North

Author:F. Fox North [F. Fox North]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Phoebe North
Published: 2022-12-19T00:00:00+00:00

One Last Night, Alonzo

In a fit of rage, and after the long divorce had been all finished in ‘71, Baron had torn the address of the Scotland house from his phone book. After Ed squeezed him for everything he could, dragging his name through the courts for his protection, for the safety and the sanctity of his family, Baron had thought he’d never wanted to see him again. Charlie and Liam had tried to warn him that Ed was only doing what his lawyers said, preserving the nest egg for the next little litter of Hammonds, but Baron hadn’t altogether believed it. He knew that Ed had a vicious streak, driven and calculating and that, when it came down to it, Hammond had never cared about anything as much as he cared about money. Wasn’t that his first worry when his dear old mummy died? What they were going to do without her cash? Well, he hadn’t changed one bit in fifteen years, if you asked Baron. Was all money to Ed.

Certainly Ed hadn’t seemed to care about Baron Templeton’s feelings. Even after everything that had happened.

So Baron tore it out. Burned it. He kept the photos, the letters, the lyrics sheets, the scrap of newspaper from the day buggery had been made legal-ish. He was, after all, a sentimental sort. But burned the addresses, the phone numbers in a metal trash bin out back while Peggy Jones and Shakaboom both watched, wondering what their nutter of an owner was up to.

“You see, love,” he told Peggy, crouching on the ground, “If I’m going to make a fresh start I need to be sure I’m without temptation. This will keep me from getting pissed and ringing him.” Or, worse, showing up at his home in the middle of the night. It was the nights that were hardest, always, in part because he knew how poorly Ed slept, knew that he was probably up somewhere, thinking of him.

Fuck, no more of this, he told himself. Let it burn.

Embarrassing, then, just a few years later, to ring up Liam and ask him if he could have Ed’s address. Again.

“What’re you plotting, Barry?” Liam asked. They had a different sort of ease with one another these days. No longer bandmates, though they’d played on each others’ last albums. Liam’s loopy avant garde crap, if you could call it playing. Baron’s protest flops. Hammy’s star meanwhile had of course been rising again, the stadium tours and all that, but that was just fine with Baron, and he suspected Waller felt the same. What good was money if it was all going to go to the lawyers, anyhow? Besides, they’d always hated touring.

“I’m off to find work in the New World, Wally,” Baron told him. “Need to be able to say a proper goodbye to me old friends.”

“Are you sure he wants to say goodbye to you?” Liam asked. “It’s a different sort of life he leads out there, mate. Peaceful, like, with the sheep and kids.

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