Date: Sun, 4 Aug 2002 18:15:57 -0700 (PDT)
From: James <xxx_supafly@yahoo.com>
Subject: Memoirs Chapter 5

As always, this story cannot be used without my permission.  If you
would like it, contact me at XXX_Supafly@yahoo.com.  This and all my
other stories can be found on my website
http://www.angelfire.com/mi3/TripleX.

Disclaimer:  This story is fiction.  I mean no offense to anyone with
the contents herein.  I don't own Jessica Simpson or Columbia Records.
Everything else in here I do own.  I hope you enjoy this.

********************

Back in the present. Things changed a lot after that trip to Dallas. My
relationship with Doyle, as can be expected, brightened intensely. My
mother was suddenly interested in everything I did musically. And with
school out, I was asked to perform at Jensen's on a bi-nightly basis.
I'd yet to hear from Jessica, but I didn't really have time to think
about that. When I wasn't performing, I was with Doyle. And any time I
wasn't with Doyle, I was working on new music. So my life was pretty
busy. And as she said, it would take time. That's why when it finally
happened, I was more shocked than I probably should've been. In any
case, cue the flashback wavy line things.

* * *

Chapter 5: The Real Beginning

It was a typical Tuesday in what had become my extremely hectic life. I
slept until almost noon, before getting up and eating my usual
breakfast of fresh fruit, no sugar, and orange juice. After that, it
was into the shower, then straight to the keyboard where I spent most
of my afternoons. Today was no different. I remained glued there until
almost 6, but I was able to finish off two songs I'd been working on.
After that, I ran into the bathroom to get ready for my show. I'd
perfected that over the past two months, so I was ready and out the
door in less than 15 minutes. As always, I did my vocal warm-ups in the
car.

Jensen's was jumping by the time I got there. I fought through the
crowds and made my way on stage. I said a quick hello to Skye, and told
him I'd be ready in a minute. My show wasn't supposed to start until
7:00, technically, but I'd been starting earlier every night. The
people expected music when they came here, and I didn't want to
disappoint. I dug in my pocket and pulled out a new CD I'd burned. I
tried to work in new material every time I performed. It'd get boring
pretty fast if I just sang the same 12 songs every night. I told Skye
to play it in order, then went up and grabbed the microphone.
Instantly, all eyes in the restaurant were on me, and I felt like the
most powerful man in the world. There really is nothing better than
knowing that people have come just to see you. Well, there are a few
things better, but none that I can do on stage.

"How's everybody doing tonight?" I asked, messing with the microphone
stand.

The crowd replied with various different answers, most of which
amounting to "okay." Once I'd fixed the microphone stand, I deposited
the microphone down and stared out at the crowd.

"I'm going to try some new music for y'all tonight. Some new old music,
actually. This first song's called Sparkle. Hope you like it."

The crowd cheered briefly as Skye started the music. I waited for my
cue, then softly started with the lyrics.

Through the clouds
A nice surprise
To see that twinkle
Return to your eyes
I searched my head
For some old spark
Been around this place
Stumbling in the dark
And when I feel the skies will never clear
You remind me that spring is near

How you sparkle
How you shine
How you rise above
The darkest skies...

* * *

As usual, the crowd seemed to erupt after every song. You can call
Anson a lot of things, but non-enthusiastic is not one of them. I took
my usual break after song number six, Angry All the Time by Tim McGraw.
Doyle and Ashley were out of town at their family reunion for the week,
so I sat in the break room talking with some of the waitresses. The
conversation settled on how their jobs sucked, and mine ruled. I
offered to switch them places whenever they wanted, and all of them
said they'd take me up on the offer. Truths be told, they'd have to
stab me to death with their little pencils before I'd give up that
stage voluntarily. Look at me, already having diva moments. But hey,
I'm not going to disappoint the people. After all, they came to see me.
Man, it feels great to say that.

After about 15 minutes, I made my way back to the stage. Skye stood
over by the bar, drinking his daquiri and flirting with Melanie, the
bartender. I whistled loudly to get his attention, and he jumped from
his stool. He ran back on stage and grabbed the microphone. I pulled
out the second mic, and took a seat behind him. It was time for what
had become one of my trademark numbers, and he always got it started.
The biggest reason for that, I'm just too white to rap.

"Oh yeah. Are you ready for this Jensen's?" He asked, fumbling with
buttons on the sound system.

"Tell 'em Skye," I piped in.

"Yeah, here we go,"

The music slowly spread through the speakers, and Skye began the rap
verse.

We can do it in the mix
I'll even raise the privacy shade if we do it in the six
Everything his and hers
I know you like sipping K until you vision blurs
Exquisite furs, this preferred
You even got a set of keys to the Spin in Jers
Get your man that ain't promise
I'm the kid that'll make sure you keep that tan from St. Thomas
It's no trouble at all
So you can imagine after I go double this fall
Most this player can do is retire
I know Gucci's newest attire
And shoes is required
I don't care who was your priors
Any man saying he don't want you is a liar
All they can do is admire
F-A-B-O-L-O-U-S I do this Mariah

As soon as he finished the rap, I began with my part. I always loved
this number, because it gave Skye a chance to go out and work the
crowd, and that got the crowd really into it. I'd yet to perform this
song and not have half of the restaurant standing up and dancing. This
time was no different. I got right into it with them, dancing on stage
while I continued to belt out the song. That's probably how they were
able to sneak in without me noticing. But I noticed the huge entourage
as they neared the stage and sat down in front of me. My jaw nearly
dropped as Jessica looked right at me and waved happily. Thankfully, I
was able to finish the song. The second I finished, Jessica rushed on
stage and hugged me.

I was shocked to see her. I was starting to think everything was going
to fall through, after all it had been over two months and I'd heard
nothing. But here she was, surrounded by bodyguards and lots of people
in suits. I kept glancing down toward them as Jessica was still hugging
me, trying hard to recognize at least one of them. I couldn't do it.
When our hug parted, I was shocked again as she snatched the microphone
from my hand. She winked at me, and ushered me over to the stool I'd
been sitting in. I raised my eyebrows questioningly, but did as I was
told. She walked to the middle of the stage, and the entire restaurant
gasped when they realized whom it was. They erupted in applause, but
she was able to quiet them down by simply waving her hand downward,
telling them to sit down. That was something I'd yet to manage. When
they wanted to cheer, they cheered, I couldn't stop them. But I wasn't
Jessica Simpson, either.

"How 'bout him huh?" She yelled, glancing back toward me. "He's
awesome, isn't he?"

I found myself blushing when someone yelled back "Hell yeah he is!" If
I didn't already know she was out of town, I'd swear it was Ashley.
That's the type of thing she'd do, just to make me blush. But this was
a guy, Drunk Darren, I think. That's what the waitresses had nicknamed
him, because anytime he's here, that's exactly what he is. His name is
Darren, and he's always drunk. I just smiled and jokingly shrugged off
their praise, secretly loving every minute of it.

"He is awesome, and that's why I'm here. Y'all might not know this, but
about two months ago Ethan here recorded a demo with me,"

Again, the restaurant gasped in surprise. This time I laughed, because
they either wanted to pretend they didn't know, or never listen to me
when I talk, because I know I mentioned it several times after it first
happened. The excitement of mentioning it died down after awhile
though, so maybe they just forgot.

"Yeah, and it was a damn good demo, too. Well, it took me a couple
months, but I got it all straightened out. So we came here to make it
official," She explained, motioning toward the people in front of the
stage.

My pulse was quickening as she continued to speak. I could literally
hear my heart thumping in my ears. I saw one of the men stand up and
open a briefcase. Piles of documents were pulled out and sat on the
table, facing the stage. He pulled a gold pen from his pocket and sat
it dramatically on top of the first stack of papers. He adjusted his
glasses with his thumb, then stared up at Jessica. My eyes shot to hers
immediately. She simply smiled at me, and nodded her head.

"It's real Ethan," She explained, completely reading my mind. "Are you
ready to become Columbia Records' newest recording superstar?"

I couldn't move. I almost felt glued to that stool. I glanced around at
the crowd, all of their eyes glued on me. And for the first time ever,
I got stage fright. My mouth felt incredibly dry, and my palms were so
sweaty a microphone could've rusted in my hand. Jessica must've noticed
my nervousness, because she deposited the microphone back onto the
stand and walked over to me. She put her hands on my shoulders and
squeezed them lightly. She then brought them to my face and lifted my
eyes to hers. The smile on her face was incredible. You could almost
drown in the happiness in her eyes.

"Ethan, baby, you've earned this. Everybody loved you. You sign those
papers, and you are on your way to superstardom,"

It took only seconds for her words to sink in. I could almost feel my
own face light up. I stood up from my stool, but my knees were too weak
to hold me, so I fell right back down onto the stool. Jessica threw her
head back in laughter, then walked around behind me. She started to
massage my shoulders, and instantly I was reminded of Doyle. While her
massage was good, it was nowhere compared to his. The smile left my
face only briefly as I thought about him not being here. Any other
week, he'd be right beside me. But this week, the week when my dream
finishes coming true, he's in Michigan at a family reunion. Talk about
bad timing. But nonetheless, he'd still be happy for me. He understood
this was my ultimate dream. And while he'd be upset about not being
here for this moment, he'd want nothing more than for me to sign that
contract. I craned my head back toward Jessica, and she dropped her ear
near my mouth.

"I don't really have to sign it now, do I? I can't legally without my
mom's permission, anyway," I asked in a whisper.

"Oh, no," She replied quickly, shaking her head. "This is just a mock
contract, couldn't legally bind you if they taped it to you. Just a
little show for the crowd,"

"Okay," I replied, glancing back out into the crowd.

All eyes were still on me, but this time, my nervousness didn't exist.
I stood confidently from the stool and stepped off stage. The second I
neared the table, I heard someone yell Ethan. I glanced around quickly,
not really searching for the voice, and smiled as I stepped to the
table. As I picked up the pen, the restaurant began chanting my name.
For what seemed like the billionth time over the last few months, my
smile couldn't be surgically removed. I held the pen up for all of them
to see, then brought it back to the paper. In John Hancock fashion, I
signed my signature as big as I possibly could, this being a phony
contract and all. The restaurant burst into applause, and Jessica
tossed her arms around my neck. She planted a big kiss on my cheek,
staining it with the ruby of her lipstick. I giggled, but didn't
attempt to rub it off for fear of smearing it. She laughed and squeezed
around my neck before jumping back on stage. I shook hands with the man
who'd produced the documents, then turned to Jessica. Another dream
came true for me this very instant. She stood on stage, a microphone in
one hand, and the other extending one to me.

"Get your ass up here and sing with me Ethan!" She yelled as I stepped
on stage.

I'd probably never smiled bigger in my life than I did at that very
moment. I took the microphone from her hand and glanced over at Skye. I
held up 2 fingers, which had become our universal code for
Irresistible. He gave me the thumbs up, and if he had spoke, I'm sure
it would've been "You got it, Chief." When the music started to play, I
bowed to Jessica and stepped out of the way. She smiled and stepped to
center stage to sing the song that put her on the map.

* * *

Jessica (and myself, though I didn't do a whole lot) kept Jensen's
rocking until 2:00 A.M. After that, she and I talked for a little while
about the whole contract situation. She apologized countless times for
taking so long. Eventually I got sick of it, and told her to shut up. I
guess I felt comfortable with her as a friend to do that. She just
laughed and hit me in the shoulder. If you would've asked me even three
months ago, I never would've guessed that I'd be giggling and talking
with Jessica Simpson. I don't think I'd ever fully get a handle on that
one.

After Jensen's closed down, some of the "suits", as Jessica had called
them, explained the contract to me in full detail. They advised me to
have a lawyer look it over, which wouldn't be hard since my neighbor
was a retired lawyer. It didn't really matter to me what was in that
contract, as long as I got to sing. They explained a few of the minor
details, and said if I had questions, have my mother call them. That
might be a problem, with her being in Houston for the week. I didn't
let them know that, and just sleepily nodded my head. They all shook my
hand before they filed out and into their limo. Jessica hugged me, and
said she'd call in the morning. By this time, all I could do was yawn.
She laughed, and I kid you not, said "Okay, let's do lunch." I was able
to nod my head. She gave a quick hug to Mick before rushing out the
door and to the limo. I gathered up all the documents I'd been given
and yelled bye to everyone who was left. I didn't stick around for
replies, just walked out to my car and fired up the engine. I was
totally drained. How I made it home without falling asleep at the wheel
will forever remain a mystery. When I got home, I left the contract in
the car and walked inside. I didn't make it much further than the
couch, where I instantly fell asleep.

* * *

I woke up the next morning with the stiffest body I've ever encountered
in my 17 years. When I rolled off the couch and got to my feet, I felt
like I'd been paralyzed and suddenly got better. Stiffly, I walked down
the hallway and into the bathroom. I turned the shower on and slowly
stripped out of my clothes. Each tiny movement caused my entire body to
ache. By the time steam began building, I was begging for hot water to
relieve the stiffness. I stepped cautiously under the stream and let
the hot water pour onto my back.

I spent at least an hour in the shower. When the water began to turn
cold, I realized it was time to get out. My skin had pruned almost
beyond recognition. But on the plus side, the stiffness was gone. I
quickly dried myself and fastened the towel around my waist. I walked
across the hall and plopped down onto my bed. I glanced over at the
picture of Doyle on my night stand and a smile came to my face. I
couldn't wait for him to get back so I could tell him about everything
that had happened. My euphoria wouldn't be complete until I saw the
happiness in his sparkling green eyes. I don't think I'd really be able
to enjoy everything if he wasn't happy for me. But thankfully, I knew
he would be.

Eventually, I got up from the bed and slapped some clothes on. I tossed
the towel back into the bathroom as I made my way into the kitchen. I
grabbed a bottle of orange juice and skipped out to my car. I grabbed
the contract from the passenger seat and made my way over to the fence.
I opened the gate and walked into my neighbor's back yard. I glanced
around quickly and saw him watering the flowers surrounding his patio.
I walked up behind him slowly, scuffing my foot on the ground to alert
him I was here. He turned around when he heard me and smiled.

"Good morning Mr. Weisman," I said as I approached, shielding my eyes
with the contract.

"Good morning Ethan. What can I do for you?" He asked, motioning me
over toward his gazebo.

"I was wondering if you could glance over this contract for me. You
remember the whole music thing? Well they gave me the contract last
night and asked me to have a lawyer look it over,"

"Sure, lemme have a look," He said, pulling the contract from in front
of me. "Do you want something to drink while you wait?"

"No thanks, got my orange juice," I replied, shaking my bottle of
orange juice.

He just smiled and pulled his glasses from his shirt pocket. He opened
the contract and began reading it over as I glanced around the yard.
For as long as I could remember, Mr. Weisman had the best lawn in the
neighborhood. My mom always said she was going to make hers better, but
she never stopped working long enough to do so. As soon as I started
making money, I was making her quit. Shed worked nonstop my entire
life, there was no way I'd let her keep doing it after I was making
millions. She'd taken care of me, now it would be my turn to take care
of her.

It took him close to a half hour, but Mr. Weisman read through all 17
pages of the contract. He explained everything to me, and it all
sounded pretty good. Seven albums at ten million-dollars an album, and
a one million-dollar signing bonus. Three to four singles to be
released per album, an unlimited video budget, complete per diem, a
huge advertising budget, and a puppy. Okay, so there was no puppy. But
that was really all that could've made this better. I could hardly
contain my excitement as he went over the details of the contract. By
the time he finished, I was fidgeting in my seat.

"That's everything," He stated, depositing his glasses back into his
pocket.

"So it's all legal and fair and stuff?" I asked, standing up from my
seat.

"Absolutely. I'd still go over it with your mom though, just so she
knows about everything,"

"I will, don't worry," I replied, gathering the contract up and tucking
it under my arm. "Thanks Mr. Weisman," I said again, shaking his hand.

"Anytime Ethan, anytime,"

He walked from the gazebo and back toward his house. I walked back over
to the fence and opened the gate back to my yard. I couldn't help but
yell "Yes!" from the happiness coursing through my body. I ran into the
house and immediately grabbed the phone. I dropped the contract onto
the coffee table and plopped down onto the couch. I tried to dial, but
my hands were shaking too much from my excitement. I sat the phone down
next to me and took several deep breaths, trying to calm myself. That
succeeded somewhat, so I grabbed the phone and dialed my mom's cell
phone number. I don't care what she's doing, she needs to come home and
sign that contract. As far as I was concerned, she could quit her job
now. I get one million just for signing, she doesn't need to work
anymore. I waited impatiently for her to answer. Then just before the
voicemail picked up, I heard the phone turn on.

"Ethan, what's wrong?" She asked, barely audible over the noise
occurring in her background.

"Nothing is wrong. I just want you home so I can sign the contract," I
replied plainly, waiting for her reaction.

"What?" She asked, sounding shocked.

"The contract, THE contract. Jessica and company brought it to me last
night at Jensen's. I had Mr. Weisman go over everything, and it's all
good. I just need you here to sign it,"

"Oh Ethan! I'm so happy for you honey! I'll be home by tonight, I
promise!"

"Okay, see you then Mom,"

Love you sweetie,"

"Love you too,"

I hung up the phone and collapsed back onto the couch with a happy
sigh. As soon as my mom signed the contract, I'd officially be on my
way to superstardom. I would officially be a Columbia Records recording
artist. Just thinking those words made my heart flutter. I hadn't felt
this happy since the first night with Doyle. I almost felt like I could
float from the excitement running through my veins. Nothing had ever
made me this happy in my life. Not even Doyle, as much as I hated to
think that. I sat up on the couch and grabbed a pen. I flipped to the
last page of the contract and stared at the X next to my name.

"Eh, what the hell," I said aloud, and signed my signature to the
contract.

When I finished my signature, I closed the contract and placed the pen
on top of it. I stood up from the couch and stared down at the contract
with a smile on my face. One more signature, and everything would be
complete. It may've started over two months ago, but this was it. This,
was the real beginning.

TBC