The Gemini

19 - Past Lives

December 5, 1978

Starting his car, Roger cursed his alarm clock for umpteenth time. The faulty battery powered machine going off ten minutes after it was supposed to. Figures. The one night that he decided to get a decent rest it turns into a scuff on his normally punctual reputation. Now he had to haul ass down to the studio to meet up with Owen and Chris.

Excited wasn't strong enough a word to describe how he was feeling. Happy wasn't either. Ecstatic came close but still it wasn't quite the one. Roger was sure that there wasn't an adjective in existence that could fit his current mood. So if anyone were to ask him hed just go with 'on top of the universe'.

Tomorrow afternoon he would be heading off to California to finish up the recordings of his debut album. Last night he had drifted off to sleep wondering if the sun beams in Sausalito felt the same as the ones in Minneapolis. Though he supposed that he wouldn't be able to tell the difference since he had felt not one lick of Minnie's sunrays in what felt like ten years.

Winter weather was in full effect even though the season hadn't officially started yet. The heavily clouded sky was dumping out snow like it was on sale. Buy one foot, get three more for free. Quite tiresome. Roger's eyes were dying to see another color besides gray.

Taking a left at the next light, he had to fulfil an agreement that he wish hed never made. Cynthia's car was on the outs leaving her without a way to get to and from work. Roger promised to at least do one or the other when he was available. It was only fair since the girl did the same for him when his clunker broke down during the summer. She sacrificed her popular social life dealing with his unhuman studio schedule, further proving how much she really cared about him.

All of that aside Roger still didn't want to take this detour. Normally it wouldn't be a problem, but this meet up with Owen and Chris popped up last minute. His mind told him to keep driving. Was it selfish? Yes, but in the choice of Cynthia or music.... He loved the girl, but music would always win without a doubt. Except this time because now his car was sitting in the drive way of her parents home.

Damn.

He honked the horn. He wouldn't usually but time was ticking.

Seven minutes later out came Cynthia.

"Jeez, what's the rush?" she questioned. Her words lightly dusted with a natural Puerto Rican flair.

"I'm late." Roger replied tightly, pulling off down the street.

"For what?"

"A last minute thing at the studio."

Checking her hair in the visor mirror, Cynthia sighed a little. "Are you gonna be able to pick me up later?"

"I don't know. You know I'm leaving tomorrow. I've still got to get a hold of Andre."

Roger hadn't been able to get in touch with him for three days which was weird. It was as if his best friend had fallen off the face of the earth. He was supposed to be tagging along to California.

Still fingering her curls, "Are you gonna drop the car off at my house before you leave?"

"That's what I planned." Roger said.

The deal had been that Andre would follow him to her house and then they'd ride off to the airport together. The man's MIA status was really throwing it all off.

Halting at a red light, Roger looked at Cynthia. "Hey, remember, no funny stuff going on in my car." He pointed.

Closing the mirror. "It will only be Michael and probably Rick but that's all. We'll clean up after."