Chapter 39
Darren
I woke up with Bailey sleeping under my arm. We were both naked, under the covers, sore from a day of hard work and a night of intense passion. I thought back on the last several days.
We finished packing up everything at my house. Then, on our way to Tennessee, Bailey called the management staff at the place we liked in Nashville and requested lease paperwork for the unit we liked the best. By the time we all arrived in Nashville, the apartment we liked was cleaned and had power and water started for us.
Our place in Nashville had a lot of space. It was two stories, with a spacious living area and kitchen, and several modest bedrooms and bathrooms spread across both floors. There weren’t any furnishings in the place, and we were planning on painting the walls, but we could immediately see our home when we walked through the door.
We unpacked me, stayed in Nashville for another day, and then we scooted over to Memphis to help Bailey pack up and prepare to move. Luckily for us, she hadn’t unpacked any of the things she had taken from her parents’ house, and Bailey wasn’t heavy with possessions. It wasn’t going to take long to pack up the trailer and get moving. Neither of us were in a hurry, but we were both anxious to start arranging our things in the new place in Nashville.
We were resting in her bed, sleeping on about the only piece of furniture left in her apartment except the couch Garrett was on. Bo was sleeping at the foot of the bed, and it seemed as though everyone was sleeping except for me. I tried to return to slumber, keeping my eyes sealed as tightly shut as I could make them go.
I was trying to think of names for the album we were going to release. We weren’t throwing out many names at that point, but we were both thinking about it. I went through each song in my head, trying to nail down a theme or dissect what inspired most of the music. The easy two answers were “love” and “each other,” but we wanted the title to reflect something unique and personable.
I got out from under the covers, slowly and carefully crawling from the bed down to the floor, where my laptop was which contained our untitled album.
I sat there with my earbuds in and played around with the order of the tracks, listening to how certain arrangements flowed better than others. We felt that if we could think of a good title, that would help determine the track list or vice versa.
We had recorded twenty-one songs, but we were planning on only putting fourteen or fifteen on the album release. We hadn’t been planning on using certain songs, but once I removed that factor from play, I started having more fun figuring out a good running order.
We had discussed the possibility of a two-disc release, but we hadn’t firmly decided on that, although we were leaning toward it being only one disc. But, I found a few good track combinations, which featured all twenty-one songs. The first set of ten songs were more driven by their beats and instrumentals and featured lyrics more about life, growing and learning; whereas the second set of eleven songs were primarily rock, R&B or country-inspired.
I listened to the track list a few times in a row, letting it sit with me and simmer. I kept the volume low so as not to disturb my girlfriend or my dog. However, at some point in the night, Bailey stirred and was drawn by the light coming from the laptop.
“What you doing, baby?” she mumbled.
“I’m finishing our album,” I told her.
She wrapped herself in the blanket and comforter like a massive human burrito. She scooted close to the edge to look over my shoulder and watch.
“I see what you did there,” she said with intrigue as she looked over the proposed track set. “You know, that order could work.”
“Right?” I said with excitement, causing Bo to stir in his sleep.
“Let’s work on that in the morning,” she said sleepily. “Come back to bed.”
“I just need to come up with a name for the release,” I said frantically. “I can feel it there. I know we’re going to figure this out.”
“We’ll figure it out tomorrow,” she said. “You need to sleep.”
“I’ve been asleep.”
I focused on the lightest track on the first disc with the catchiest rhythm, which was a song inspired by, with words taken directly from, Bailey’s father. Wayne sometimes played short little tunes he would make up, even if you were just hanging out with him. They weren’t anything complex or convoluted, but they were always catchy.
The song we made that was inspired by him was “Friends.” We originally were going to integrate a piece of Wright home video, where Wayne was talking to a younger Bailey, into the song; but we were unable to make it sound how we wanted. Instead, the finished song consisted of words and rhythm that felt like something Wayne might create on his own, rather than something taken directly from his words.
While we had sworn not to name the album after any of our tracks, I began to ponder.
Then, I had my epiphany. The idea that I would be unable to shake and yet, somehow I knew it was what we were supposed to do.
Disc one would be titled “Friends” and the second disc would be called “Lovers.” That way, the listeners could go on the journey Bailey and I had taken: from friends to lovers.
I closed the laptop and got back into bed with her. I fell asleep with thoughts of crazy dreams coming true. Friends/Lovers becoming a hit and being a vehicle for Bailey and me to tour the world and sing our songs. Writing songs together on a cool, sunny Tennessee day at the park or on our balcony. Earning a living finally doing what I’ve always wanted to do since I was a child trying to figure out life, love and the world.
I wrapped my arms around my lady, seeping into sleep with thoughts of her.