I've Loved These Days: A Billy Joel Fanfic

Chapter 12 - Weekend Song

••••
This back-breakin' bone-shakin'
Belly-achin' hard-workin'
Two more hours to go
It's keeping me alive doin' nine to five
And I ain't got nothin to show
Pretty soon I'll be leavin'
With the wages I'm receivin'
But I know it's gonna be all right
Come on babe and take me away
We got some money to spend tonight
Pick me up at the station
Meet me at the train
I'll have a meal and a shower
And a change of clothes
I can't afford a vacation
But I can take the strain
As long as I can be with you
Find a way to burn it
As quickly as I earn it
••••

Friday, November 2, 1973
Dear Diary,

Add Seattle to the list of cities I never thought I'd be visiting, and yet here I am. Bill is opening for The Beach Boys here at the Paramount Theatre, and I couldn't be more excited and proud of him! His new album is called Piano Man and it hits the shelves today. This is his first show as "himself" in over a year. He's been playing all over L.A. this entire time, but tonight he finally gets billed as 'Billy Joel' instead of that ridiculous 'Bill Martin' name he had been using. He always gets a little nervous before a gig, but I don't think I've ever seen him as nervous as he is for tonight.

He's got 3 nights here with The Beach Boys and then we'll be back in L.A. for a few days before he takes off again. He's booked solid all over the place through December, which is great, but he's not making enough money for us to live on yet, so unfortunately I can't just quit my job and go with him. If I'm being honest with myself, I'm pretty bummed about that, but I'm also just so happy for Bill because it seems like all his hard work is finally starting to pay off.

xoxo,
Kat

****

"What if they boo me off the stage? They're here to see The Beach Boys, not some schlep behind a piano."

I watched Billy as he paced the dressing room. For the past half hour he had been getting himself more and more wound up. When I looked over at his bandmates they all seemed to have a fair amount of nerves as well, though they were being less obvious about it. Rhys was tapping his drum sticks on Marilyn's leg, periodically tossing one up in the air. Al was plucking at his guitar in between swigs of beer, and Larry was nervously nibbling on the finger foods provided by the green room.

"What if I forget all the words?"

"You won't."

Billy sighed and continued pacing until I finally stood up and walked over to him. I placed my hands on his shoulders.

"Bill, when have you ever forgotten all the words?" I picked up his beer bottle from the table and handed it to him. "Never. So calm down, finish your drink, and just go out there and knock 'em dead."

He took the beer and chugged the last of it, spilling a few drops onto his shirt. "Goddammit..."

I looked over at Marilyn and we shared an amused smile. I knew I shouldn't laugh, but seeing Billy this wound up was funny. "It's fine. Let's go get a paper towel or something."

I headed towards the small bathroom and Billy followed behind me. The room consisted of a single toilet, a sink, and barely enough room to spin around in a circle. The two of us squeezed face to face while I dabbed Billy's shirt with a wad of toilet paper.

"You've got to chill out. I've never seen you this worked up before."

"I just feel like I'm gonna jump out of my skin." He was bouncing up and down as he looked at his reflection. "Is my hair okay?"