Handle With Care - Book 4 in "What is Life" series

Chapter 8

As I sat on our private jet across from my wife and daughter who were reading fashion magazines together I closed my eyes and thought hard about where we were in life.

I was the parent that was concerned and scared for my child to leave the nest for good and to be a husband. On the contrary, Lauren is all for it.

It was difficult to reconcile. I didn't expect her to react in that way. There was nothing wrong with it but I couldn't help but wonder how that came to be. This wasn't expected from her.

I turned my head to look out the window.

"Are you good, George?" Lauren looked up at me.

"Very good, indeed," I responded.

"Is it about Ollie?" She asked me seeing past my response.

He was at the front of the plane with Tom and Darry. Ethan was passed out across the aisle from us in his seat.

"What about Ollie?" Annie asked us.

"We're worried about him touring this summer," Lauren told her, brushing it off.

"He's going to do amazing, he's so talented!" She said, "I sure will miss him."

"Us too," Lauren said and then winked at me and went back to her magazine.

Annie moved over to sit by her little brother and she soon fell asleep as well.

I got up and sat beside Lauren and held her hand.

"I just didn't think I would be the nervous wreck out of the two of us," I admitted to her.

"Honey," she said smiling at me, "we've done our job raising him the right way... much of that is thanks to you. All those years ago when we were separated you protected them when they were in your care. You supported him and taught him everything he knows about music and life."

A tear shed from my eye.

"You're the best husband and father," she said, "everything is going to work out."

....

I realized Lauren was right. When we all landed in LA and got home we were pretty exhausted and I sat out on the back patio with my older sons.

"Us Harrison men need to stick together," I said to them, "no matter where life takes you both and what you decide to do... where you decide to live... promise to always find time to be together."

"That's never going to change," Ollie said to me.

The conversation then shifted to the meeting we were going to have tomorrow at Tom's house.

"I know Ollie will come with me but what about you Darry? Do you want to come discuss business with the men and what we can do to make an album together?"

"I like the business side of things," he agreed, "if anything I can learn a thing or two from Uncle Jeff."

He was right about that. Jeff is very knowledgeable when it comes to that kind of thing. Just as Glyn Johns was.

"Do you guys think about Glyn at all?" I then asked them. I wanted to be more in tune with how they were feeling.

Ollie looked at me like I brought up something never to be brought up. He looked around to see if his mom was anywhere nearby.

Darry was staring at the ground.

"He loved you both very much," I said to them.

"I know you love Mom," Darry said to me, "but the love between them... it was incomparable . They were so perfect together ...until they weren't."

"Because Mom was in love with Dad," Ollie pointed out.

"This conversation does not make me uncomfortable," I assured them both, "I am looking for more ways to keep his memory alive for her and for Ethan."

I knew deep down she still wasn't over losing him in her life.

"Let's bring Ethan to the meeting tomorrow," Darry said, "he can see what Glyn used to do and spend some time seeing music be made."

I liked this idea. I also liked the idea of Lauren and Annie getting to have a girls day while we watched Ethan.

Unlike her enthusiasm for Ollie and his decisions, she was less thrilled to agree to let Ethan come with us to our meeting when I asked her about it in the morning before leaving. She wanted to be there to protect him always.

So many of her loved ones have fallen victim to fate including two of her unborn children and she hit a breaking point with Glyn. Ethan is his only child he ever had and Lauren doesn't want anything to happen to him. She wants Glyn's legacy to be Ethan's responsibility.

"Then please come with and bring him," I encouraged her.

She looked me in the eyes and took a deep breath.

"I'm sorry," she said, "it's just Ethan is my baby... but I can't change that his father is gone."

"I am here for him as his step dad and Tom loves him so much he's practically his father too."

"You are so right," she nodded and smiled, "please take care of my baby."

She went and got Ethan ready and then off we went.

....

"The Harrison's have arrived!" Tom invited us in and then saw that Ethan was trailing behind and accompanying us, "oh and look what we have here... a Johns."

"Ethan Thomas Johns," Ethan said his full name.

"I like your middle name very much," Tom picked him up and swung him around. His middle name was in honor of his godfather Tom as a matter of fact.

Soon Roy arrived and then Jeff. And finally after waiting almost an hour Bob finally arrived fashionably late.

"The gang is all here," Tom said.

"We're doing this thing," Jeff said happily.

Through the course of the afternoon we got so much of our planning taken care of.

Jeff and I were heading with my family back to England for a few weeks and then from the beginning of June for 3 weeks we would have Bob before he has to head out on his own tour.

We're going to come with ideas but we plan mostly on all writing together the same we did for the first track.

The end result after 3 weeks will be a fully recorded album.

Ollie spent much of the evening talking music and touring with Bob. They would both be on separate tours this summer and I couldn't help but appreciate him giving advice to my son.

"Tell the guys your news, and tell your brother..." I then encouraged Ollie.

He looked at Darry who then smirked.

"Dad, I've known this whole time. I was the first to know," Darry stated.

"I am also aware... but do tell the others," Tom laughed.

"I asked my girlfriend to marry me before this trip," he said proudly to all of the men.

Cheers, hooting and hollering erupted.

Everyone was excited about this for him, except myself. I have been still hesitant but trying to be okay with it.