The idea for this story came during my stay at a PYNET Camp. We were watching MTV and the video of Joey McIntyre’s newest single came on. I was glued to it and guess what? I kind of fell in love with him again. Hey! I was a NKOTB fan. The idea came to me today actually, and I thought of writing a short story on one of the BSB, from his POV.
This is set nineteen years into the future and a lot of things have changed. The usual disclaimer, I don’t know BSB, their management, or their record company. This is a fan for fans sort of thing.
It was a leisurely Tuesday afternoon. Randy had stayed home from school today since he was sick, and I was ever ready for company as I had nothing to do. We were cuddled up together on the couch, doing the usual father and son thing, watching baseball, of course. Then I switched to MTV. Don’t ask me why. I had no idea why I did it. It’s been years since I tune to that channel. And with Randy and Thomas around, I never let them watch too much TV. Kids nowadays get so hooked on the TV they don’t do anything worthwhile anymore or even talk to their parents. I remember shuddering at the thought of hanging with my parents when I was a kid.
"It sure is," I drawled. My Southern accent still lingers even after all the years spent in Orlando. We watched the video of "Everybody" silently. I recalled back the good times we had filming it. The fun, the hard work, the final work, the satisfaction at seeing the video on MTV and other music channels.
"How come you’re sitting down, Daddy?" Randy asked, jarring me from my thoughts.
I smiled at the sight of me on the floor surrounded by the other guys and dancers. I had a bewildered look on my face. I remembered what had happened.
It was the final scene for the video, Fatima Robinson was giving last minute instructions, the director, Joseph Khan, was barking last minute orders. It had been chaotic but an orderly chaos. The music started, we moved in sync to it as one. Somehow, I don’t know, I slipped. Guess the boots were slippery or the floor was slippery. I even had thought it might be Nick who did it. I landed on my butt, stunned and you could say, confused. Joseph thought it was hilarious and kept on rolling while everyone kept on dancing. It had been the most memorable thing to happen in the shoot. Days later, Joseph showed us the final cut, but left my sitting down in. I remember us all laughing about it. Nick kidded me about it sometimes.
"I slipped, Randy. Guess the floor was too slippery or else we wouldn’t be spinning around so nicely now, would we?" I ruffled my boy’s hair.
He giggled, clutching the stuffed dinosaur. It was Nick’s present to him.
He was a cute kid, more outgoing than Thomas, with a smattering of freckles and a huge gap-toothed grin. Thomas, my older one at eight, was quieter.
Did I tell you how we finally broke up? It happened five years ago, so it wasn’t too long. I have to admit we had all grown maturely being in the business for years. We knew the good and bad sides of being entertainers. We’ve seen the boy band come and go, some made an impact, others fade away to oblivion, most struggle just to make it. It was tough for the young groups and singers. N Sync have faded away, but they were still talked about. The Spice Girls? Split up after their fourth album. Their singles went downhill. Only Posh Spice remain in the spotlight. And Hanson? The eldest is now a famous director, from TV movies to documentaries and music videos. Last I heard, he recently married to his long time girlfriend of six years. The middle one kept a low profile, no one knew what he does nowadays. The youngest became an animator. He had worked with WB, Disney and other studios, just by drawing cartoons. Not bad. 98° were as successful as Boyz II Men, staying on the music scene for a long time.
And us? Well after our greatest hits album, we stayed together for a while before discussing things together. We agreed to part mutually. It had to be since we can’t always go on forever singing "Everybody". How are you going to dance around when you’re sixty? Kevin went his way. He married, became a writer and producer. He now owned a record company of his own, handling new acts that are coming. I heard he has a new group called Splashes consisting of two girls and guys.
AJ became an actor/director/choreographer. He acted in a few movies. They did well at the box office. He also directed music videos and Broadway plays. It was an achievement for him since he had always loved theater. He got lead in Phantom of the Opera. It was a dream come true for him. AJ’s still single. He dated around but never long enough to settle down. Some things don’t change. And his hair color was one of them. He still dyed it whenever he could, though, we joked that he could go bald one day from doing it.
Howie? He got married, have three kids - two girls, one boy - lovely wife, Carolyn. They’ve settled down quietly, away from the limelight. Howie and Carol shared a restaurant. The business was and still is doing well. We sometimes went down there for dinner, talking about old times. Howie stayed out the entertainment business. He never got involved in it anymore unless it was, say, a charity event, then he’d turned up. Otherwise, he kept away.
And Nick. He married his long time girlfriend, Racheal. They have a two-year-old little girl, Hannah. She’s a sweetheart, Nick adored her. He and Racheal lived in Tampa. Nick still act, in movies but his heart was still in singing. He had a few solo albums under his belt now. They went platinum. Other than that, like Howie, he kept a low profile, staying away from the media.
As for me, I’m happily married to a wonderful person named Lisa. We have two kids, as you know, Thomas Andrew and Randall Josaiah. Pretty Biblical names, I know. We own a house in Lexington, Kentucky and one in Orlando. Life is pretty good. Lisa is a teacher at a Christian elementary school, while I stayed home and be Mr. Mom to our boys.
"Daaaaddy," Randy whined, bringing me back to the present.
"What is it?" I paid him the attention.
" Is Uncle Nick and Aunt Racheal coming to dinner tonight?"
"Yeah, they are, Sport. Hannah’s coming too." I smiled down at him.
"Then we’d better make dinner ready before they come," he said.
I laughed as I lifted him up, carrying him. He never ceased to amaze me. "Sure thing, Sport. You can help."
I turned back to switched off the TV, and caught the last of "I’ll Never Break Your Heart". I smiled slightly. Those were the good times and they bring back wonderful memories.
© Rusty 1999.