December 31st, 1970

    Geoff had given Cameron more news since we’d last seen him on Christmas Day, but he refused to share it with me until everyone had arrived for the party. I gave up trying to get the news out of him after the third time asking, and instead contented myself knowing it was good news, at least.
    I was in my bedroom, trying to decide on a shirt to wear, when I heard the front door open. I sighed at the selection of clothes on my bed but when Sylvia entered the room, I thanked myself for having already put my jeans on.
    “Sylvia! Come on in,” I told her. “I’d be downstairs but I can’t figure out which shirt to wear.”
    She picked one up off the bed and handed it to me. 
    “Thanks.” I put it on and grabbed the rejected options to put them back in the closet. “How are you doing?”
    “I’m alright,” she answered, her voice quiet. Sylvia met my gaze and I saw her deep frown. “I don’t know how I’m going to do it…”
    “Do what?”
    “Be around Dale,” she explained. “I haven’t seen him since the tour ended, and… I want all this to stop.”
    “You’ll be fine. The hardest part is over with,” I assured her. “Come on, we should go downstairs. Someone else just came in.”
    I gave her a reassuring smile and led her down the stairs, to find that it was Lee who had just arrived. My sister was standing with him by the door, chatting happily.
    Willie and Dale arrived not long after, which brought us up to a full house. Everyone would be staying overnight, as I wouldn’t allow anyone to leave in the drunken state I knew they would be in, so Clyde and Sylvia claimed the bedroom on the main floor.


    By ten o’clock, there was a poker game being set up. Willie, Dale, and Clyde were ready and willing, but Lee was more interested in my sister than gambling. I had made a personal decision years ago that I wouldn’t gamble in a card game, and when Cameron and Sylvia declined as well, the trio were left wondering if they should play at all.
    “Poker with only three players?” Willie scoffed. “We need at least one more.”
    I suddenly had an idea, and told them to hold on. I went into the hallway and looked through the telephone book on the small table until I found the number I was looking for. I dialed, and after a few rings, someone picked up.
    “Hello?”
    “Hi, is this Steve?” I asked.
    “Yes. Who’s speaking?” he replied.
    “It’s Emily,” I reminded him. “We met at Calvin’s Coffee last month.”
    I could hear his surprise at learning who was calling him, even without him directly expressing it. “Wow, it’s nice to hear from you, Emily.”
    “I’m glad you answered. We’re in a bit of a pinch,” I explained. “Do you play poker?”
    “On occasion,” he chuckled.
    “Well, I’ve got an occasion for you,” I said with a laugh. “If you’re up for it, I’ll send a taxi to pick you up.”
    Steve arrived at the door within thirty minutes, looking starstruck and in awe when Dale opened the door.
    “Are you the poker man?” Dale questioned.
    “Yes.” Steve was nearly stuttering. “I’m Steve.”
    Dale let him into the house and I strode up to him. I greeted him with a hug and told him to make himself comfortable. He soon did, and was being dealt a hand of cards not much later.


    Cameron and I were sitting on the couch, each of us with a drink in our hand. I was glad to see Sylvia had relaxed and seemed to be having a good time. Willie was also enjoying himself; I’d rarely seen him looking so pleased and practically worry-free in the five months I’d known him.
    “Are you going to tell me what the news is?” I asked Cameron in a sweet voice.
    He looked at me before he spoke, so I pouted and batted my eyes at him.
    “Alright. Come on.”
    I followed Cameron when he stood from the couch and walked out of the front door. I closed it behind me and we sat beside each other on the steps.
    “The album is a gold record now,” Cameron told me, a wide smile on his face.
    “I remember.”
    “The record company wants another album to be released in April, at the latest,” he continued. “The tour for the new album will be a little more extended than the last.”
    “Are you excited?” I asked. His tone wasn’t giving anything away.
    Cameron turned to me as his smile grew. “We’re going to tour in America. Canada as well,” he told me excitedly.
    “That’s wonderful!”
    “There’s something else,” he added. “They want a live album from the tour.”
    I pulled Cameron into a tight hug and he kissed me.
    “You were right,” I said, my voice cheeky.
    “About what?”
    “You will be known all over the world.”


    After a while, Cameron and I went back inside. I noticed the time and went into the kitchen, where the poker game was happening. I took nine small glasses out of the cabinet, as it was five minutes until midnight and I certainly wasn't going to usher in a new year with my new family without a glass of whiskey.
    I half-filled the glasses and called everyone into the kitchen. Cameroon stood beside me and put his hand on my waist as I instructed everyone to take a glass.
    The clock inched closer to midnight as I raised my glass. "A little toast, in the last moments of 1970," I began. "I'm happy I've met you all. It's been quite the year, but I hope for many more. With my family."
    As everyone raised their own glasses, I glanced at my sister. She had a beaming smile and was standing quite close to Lee.
    "And, some news," Cameron added proudly. "We've got a gold record, and a tour of North America in the works!"
    The stunned silence lasted only a fraction of a second before the clock's midnight toll rang through the house and set off a frenzy of thrilled yelling and cheers.