Tender (A britpop era fiction)

Take Me

Since it's my birthday today I decided to share this with you a bit earlier than planned so I'm very sorry for any mistakes that might be. Have a lot of fun and have a great fuckin start to the week!

...

"Noel was away for almost two fuckin' years, only came home at Christmas and one time for me mams birthday. He had a ride, they went through Europe and to Argentina. Found some good friends there, Clint Boon and especially Marc Coyle. Coyley always told me what a lazy fucker me brother was but still everyone, band included, was terrified of him. It's funny to hear that about your usually quiet, observing brother. But as soon as it comes to music, he was the one in charge without a doubt. That later continued in Oasis."

"But at that point it wasn't Oasis." Matt interrupts. "Do you remember how Noel got into the band?"

"It's all a bit blurry, but I know that our kid Paul and mam told him one day on the phone that Liam's joined a band. Later that evening Noel called me to ask if its true and was dumbfonded when I said yes. Couldn't believe it. As I said Liam cracked jokes about us when we would listen to our vinyls and them sharing a room they had proper fights about Noel playing guitar from time to time. And Liams used to demolish Noels precious music equipment from every now and then when he was pissed. Something about a stereo, I think. I can't remember that well.

Anyway, our kid came home from tour one day, around spring 1991. I must have been the only one that knew that the Carpets finally sacked him for his laziness. He moved in with me and Meg for a while 'cause him and Louise had a little crisis again. As it happened I also had problems with my on/off boyfriend at the time  who happened to be my boss at the radio station 'cause he was shaging another bird. And as you can imagine, I got kicked out for causing a scene. So we both had no job, no idea what to do next and a lot of time to kill."

I think about those weeks with mixed feelings. Noel was down because being a roadie was something he really had enjoyed and he missed touring around. I was grieving for my first real attempt to have a relationship with someone I admired but didn't love, but at the same time I also knew and felt something for Tony which made thing complicated, for me and him both. 

I smile at the memory of him these days. The curly haired pretty boy with the tender smile who was my first love and for a long time the man I thought I would spend my life with. 

As soon as Liam joined The Rain which he soon renamed into Oasis, they started to hang around at me mams. First Bonehead, who soon became Liams close pal and then Guigsy and Tony. Its funny to think that I met him sitting on the kitchen table at me mams, me wearing sunglasses and smoking and trying not to die from the massive hangover I had from the night before. Then Liam swaggered in, behind him the rest of the band and immediately they got sit down by our mother and fed with pie. I sat next to them, smoked my cigarette, took a pain killer and listened and watched quietly. 

Tony soon caught my eye. Not only because he was very good looking, but because he was too polite to tell my mom he didn't want any more pie. So her being the sweet soul she was, she just refilled his plate over and over again and Tony just ate it away although I clearly could see he was struggeling. But he would've never admitted that and just kept going so she wouldn't be disapointed. Clearly, she loved him most out of the bunch after that. Mam was Irish through and through and Tony also was very Irish in his ways, so they almost naturally took a liking in each other. Often enough she told me that I should look for a guy like him for myself not knowing our little secret. 

They often came around at that time, sometimes also hung out in Megs and my flat and I soon fell in love with Tony. He had a sweetness and calmness in him I myself with my struggling relationship and restless nature was longing for. When we talked about music his eyes brightened up and when he talked about his little girl his smile caught me everytime. He was the perfect antithesis to my nervousness I felt back then and the more time I spent with Liams band mates the more I never wanted Tony to leave. It was a very confusing time.