January 16th, 1971
The band had arrived
earlier in the day and promptly set up in the studio. As we expected,
Lee seemed less heartbroken than he had on Wednesday, though I could
still easily see that he missed Liliane.
With everyone but Sylvia and I having been in the studio for the better part of three hours, the two of us lounged in the kitchen with hot drinks.
“Did your sister enjoy spending the holidays here?” she asked me.
“I think she enjoyed it more than she expected to,” I admitted. “How has everything been with you and Clyde?”
“Not terrible,” Sylvia replied. “I think I might be getting a handle on all this.”
I smiled. “I’m glad, then.”
Sylvia excused herself to use the bathroom, so I stood and poured myself a glass of water. I drank slowly and filled the glass a second time, only shutting off the tap when I heard hushed voices in the hallway.
I quietly walked towards the hallway but stayed out of view. I made out Sylvia’s voice and could tell she was trying to quiet the other person. They answered her, and I realized it was Dale.
“Dale, no,” she urged. “Stop.”
“We’re having fun,” he insisted.
“It’s not fun for me anymore.”
“Yeah? What is fun for you?” he retorted. “Fucking that caveman?”
“Leave Clyde alone!” she whispered in anger. “He’s not the one who-”
“Who what? Made you happy?”
“You made me come,” Sylvia jabbed. “You didn’t make me happy.”
The next sound I heard was the sharp sting of a slap. I took two steps and emerged into the hallway to see Sylvia with a hand on her cheek and a bewildered look on her face.
“Hey, Dale, it’s a good thing you’re here. I can’t reach the top cupboard shelf, could you give me a hand?” I asked in feigned innocence.
Dale shot me an angered look and replied in a cold tone. “Stand on a chair.”
“Only if you’ll be the chair,” I replied in the same tone.
Dale turned his gaze to Sylvia as a sly grin crossed his features. “I’ll ruin you,” he said firmly before he turned to walk down the hallway.
Sylvia glanced at me at the same moment I realized what was about to happen. I reached the studio door just as Dale began to speak.
“Everyone, I have some news,” he announced loudly. “Clyde, I’ve been fucking your wife for months.” Dale turned to me and spoke. “You’re welcome.”
“Get the fuck out of my house,” I ordered. My voice was unwavering and the look on my face matched it.
Dale’s expression changed slightly, but he did as I said and walked down the hallway towards the front door.
Clyde stood from behind the drum kit and spoke, his voice low but clear and infuriated. “He’s got me to deal with first.”
He walked past me and followed Dale into the sitting room. He didn’t spare a glance at Sylvia, who hadn’t moved from where she stood when Dale slapped her.
“Go upstairs,” I urged her. Silent tears streaked Sylvia’s face but she listened and hastily walked up the stairs.
Cameron and Lee appeared behind me just as I turned to watch Clyde. He put his hand on Dale and pulled him back, stopping him in his tracks. Dale couldn’t even blink before Clyde’s fist slammed into his face. He staggered backwards, but Clyde closed the gap and swung once more.
“Outside!” Cameron shouted. He grabbed both of them by their shirts and dragged them out the front door.
I turned towards Lee and noticed Willie standing beside him, looking mildly pleased. Cameron must have seen the same thing I did as he walked back into the house.
“William, wipe that fucking smirk off your face before I do,” he angrily warned.
“I’ll just… referee.” Willie slipped past us and walked outside towards Clyde’s shouting.
Lee shook his head. “I’m glad your sister wasn’t here to see that.”
I replied with a nod. “I’m going to check on Sylvia.”
She was laying on the bed in the guest room, with her head buried in the pillow. I sat on the bed and put my hand on hers.
“What are they doing?” she asked dejectedly.
“There’s a fisticuffs.”
Sylvia lifted her head off the pillow. “A what?”
“They’re fist fighting,” I clarified.
“God, this is all my fault!” she cried.
“I’m sure Dale had a little something to do with it,” I said in an attempt to make her feel better. “You can stay here tonight.”
She thanked me through tears and I excused myself, going to the large window at the end of the hallway. I looked down into the yard and saw Dale aim a punch at Clyde’s jaw. I shook my head and sighed, yanking the curtain shut.
Clyde eventually stormed off, leaving Dale battered and bloodied. I had little sympathy for Dale, and let Willie call a taxi to take them both into the city. Lee left a while later, driving Clyde’s truck to his rented house in Balmedie. I checked on Sylvia again and found her sound asleep on the bed, and though I doubted the quality of her slumber, I let her be.
I went back downstairs to find Cameron in the kitchen. “That was…”
“Something else,” Cameron finished for me. “I’ve never seen Clyde hit someone so hard.”
I sat at the table and watched Cameron take two glasses and a bottle of whiskey out of the cupboard.
“Good one, by the way,” I mentioned, “telling Willie off. He looked so smug.”
“Makes you wonder if he was behind it all,” he said offhandedly. He handed me a glass and sat beside me.
“I don’t think so,” I answered. I took a sip and put the glass down. “Though he certainly enjoyed it.”
“Doesn’t matter much.” Cameron drank the rest of his whiskey in one gulp. “Come, let’s go to bed. I’m sure we’ll have visitors in the morning.”
With everyone but Sylvia and I having been in the studio for the better part of three hours, the two of us lounged in the kitchen with hot drinks.
“Did your sister enjoy spending the holidays here?” she asked me.
“I think she enjoyed it more than she expected to,” I admitted. “How has everything been with you and Clyde?”
“Not terrible,” Sylvia replied. “I think I might be getting a handle on all this.”
I smiled. “I’m glad, then.”
Sylvia excused herself to use the bathroom, so I stood and poured myself a glass of water. I drank slowly and filled the glass a second time, only shutting off the tap when I heard hushed voices in the hallway.
I quietly walked towards the hallway but stayed out of view. I made out Sylvia’s voice and could tell she was trying to quiet the other person. They answered her, and I realized it was Dale.
“Dale, no,” she urged. “Stop.”
“We’re having fun,” he insisted.
“It’s not fun for me anymore.”
“Yeah? What is fun for you?” he retorted. “Fucking that caveman?”
“Leave Clyde alone!” she whispered in anger. “He’s not the one who-”
“Who what? Made you happy?”
“You made me come,” Sylvia jabbed. “You didn’t make me happy.”
The next sound I heard was the sharp sting of a slap. I took two steps and emerged into the hallway to see Sylvia with a hand on her cheek and a bewildered look on her face.
“Hey, Dale, it’s a good thing you’re here. I can’t reach the top cupboard shelf, could you give me a hand?” I asked in feigned innocence.
Dale shot me an angered look and replied in a cold tone. “Stand on a chair.”
“Only if you’ll be the chair,” I replied in the same tone.
Dale turned his gaze to Sylvia as a sly grin crossed his features. “I’ll ruin you,” he said firmly before he turned to walk down the hallway.
Sylvia glanced at me at the same moment I realized what was about to happen. I reached the studio door just as Dale began to speak.
“Everyone, I have some news,” he announced loudly. “Clyde, I’ve been fucking your wife for months.” Dale turned to me and spoke. “You’re welcome.”
“Get the fuck out of my house,” I ordered. My voice was unwavering and the look on my face matched it.
Dale’s expression changed slightly, but he did as I said and walked down the hallway towards the front door.
Clyde stood from behind the drum kit and spoke, his voice low but clear and infuriated. “He’s got me to deal with first.”
He walked past me and followed Dale into the sitting room. He didn’t spare a glance at Sylvia, who hadn’t moved from where she stood when Dale slapped her.
“Go upstairs,” I urged her. Silent tears streaked Sylvia’s face but she listened and hastily walked up the stairs.
Cameron and Lee appeared behind me just as I turned to watch Clyde. He put his hand on Dale and pulled him back, stopping him in his tracks. Dale couldn’t even blink before Clyde’s fist slammed into his face. He staggered backwards, but Clyde closed the gap and swung once more.
“Outside!” Cameron shouted. He grabbed both of them by their shirts and dragged them out the front door.
I turned towards Lee and noticed Willie standing beside him, looking mildly pleased. Cameron must have seen the same thing I did as he walked back into the house.
“William, wipe that fucking smirk off your face before I do,” he angrily warned.
“I’ll just… referee.” Willie slipped past us and walked outside towards Clyde’s shouting.
Lee shook his head. “I’m glad your sister wasn’t here to see that.”
I replied with a nod. “I’m going to check on Sylvia.”
She was laying on the bed in the guest room, with her head buried in the pillow. I sat on the bed and put my hand on hers.
“What are they doing?” she asked dejectedly.
“There’s a fisticuffs.”
Sylvia lifted her head off the pillow. “A what?”
“They’re fist fighting,” I clarified.
“God, this is all my fault!” she cried.
“I’m sure Dale had a little something to do with it,” I said in an attempt to make her feel better. “You can stay here tonight.”
She thanked me through tears and I excused myself, going to the large window at the end of the hallway. I looked down into the yard and saw Dale aim a punch at Clyde’s jaw. I shook my head and sighed, yanking the curtain shut.
Clyde eventually stormed off, leaving Dale battered and bloodied. I had little sympathy for Dale, and let Willie call a taxi to take them both into the city. Lee left a while later, driving Clyde’s truck to his rented house in Balmedie. I checked on Sylvia again and found her sound asleep on the bed, and though I doubted the quality of her slumber, I let her be.
I went back downstairs to find Cameron in the kitchen. “That was…”
“Something else,” Cameron finished for me. “I’ve never seen Clyde hit someone so hard.”
I sat at the table and watched Cameron take two glasses and a bottle of whiskey out of the cupboard.
“Good one, by the way,” I mentioned, “telling Willie off. He looked so smug.”
“Makes you wonder if he was behind it all,” he said offhandedly. He handed me a glass and sat beside me.
“I don’t think so,” I answered. I took a sip and put the glass down. “Though he certainly enjoyed it.”
“Doesn’t matter much.” Cameron drank the rest of his whiskey in one gulp. “Come, let’s go to bed. I’m sure we’ll have visitors in the morning.”
Playing with fire gets you burned
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