False Starts || Dave Grohl

Chapter 54

"A Simple Round of Conversation ... Became a Shameful Equation"

December 25, 1996

Alexandria, VA

As I let Rhys lead me up the trail to my childhood home, I can't help but think about how domesticated my life has become since he was born. He's my younger brother, but I've played a large role in raising the kid due to our age difference. Then add on Frances Bean, who is currently propped up on my hip, and I'm practically a suburban single mom.

"Do you think dinner is ready now?" His green eyes stare up at me and I can't help but melt. He looks so much like our mother that it hurts sometimes, reminding me just how much my appearance matches our fathers.

I bounce a little to get a better hold of Frances before pulling my keys from my back pocket, using my teeth to assist me in grabbing the correct key. "Should be little man."

When it comes to the holidays, my mother has always been over the top in the kitchen.

With Rhys running around and Frances crying when he accidentally runs into her, it's no wonder why my mother asked me to get the two of them out of the house while she finished cooking. The forty-five-year-old can hardly deal with me half of the time, let alone two young children while trying to cook.

Rhys bolts into the living room as soon as the door swings open and I almost drop Frances when I spot Dave and my mother smiling at me from the living room couch. "Mom?"

"Hey honey," she pushes herself up from the tan surface to take the young girl from my arms, "Dave showed up a little while after you left. We've just been waiting for you to get back and catching up."

He is nervous, it's written all over his face as he clutches my red coffee mug between his hands.

"Okay," I nod and place my keys in the bowl next to the door, "Rhys is starving by the way."

The skin around her eyes crinkles as she smiles up at me. "Figures. That kid could eat a house and still be hungry afterwards."

"Reminds me of someone else I know." My eyes dart over to the older male sitting on my couch whose eyes widen at my glare. "I'll be in to eat in a few minutes." With one a final nod and a skeptical glance in my ex-boyfriends' direction, my mother turns and walks into the den area to pull Rhys into the kitchen.

Once she's out of earshot, I cross the room and fall onto the couch next to him. Wrapping my arms around my torso as he shifts to pull something out of his back pocket. "So, what's up?"

"I've uh... had this thing lying around since '94." Dave pauses, tapping his thigh with the tape twice before placing it next to me on the couch. "I made it for your birthday, but then y'know..."

My eyes dart between the brunette in front of me and the tape a couple of times, internally debating on whether or not to accept his peace offering. The other day, things seemed rather normal between Dave and me. We were laughing and carrying on like we did in the late 80's, but that doesn't make our more recent history disappear.

"It's old demo tracks and covers Barrett and I made before I decided to release the Foo Fighters album." Dave's hand unconsciously ruffles his hair as he continues, "You always got on my ass about not recording the songs I wrote when the first leg of the In Utero tour was over."

My arms untangle from my body, deciding that it was safe for the time being, before I grip the hard-plastic case in my hand. "I couldn't just let you waste your talent. The songs were good whether or believed me or not, and it's pretty obvious with the bands success that I'm not the only person thinking this."