The host led Ike, Tay, and I to our table. We were meeting a reporter from People magazine for dinner and an interview. We had a photo shoot this afternoon. Oh yeah, and Tay returned from his honeymoon this morning. Things were back to being hectic as usual. We sat down at our table, one chair remaining empty, though. The reporter hadn't arrived yet.
"So, how was it?" Ike asked Tay.
"Incredible. Unbelievable. It was SO nice to just get away from everything and everyone for a while. Laura loved Hawaii. But it was wierd. I mean, I hate to say it, but Maddy had always been a obstacle kinda when it came to Laura and me finding time to be alone. We had a whole week to ourselves, and by the end of it we were lost as to what to do. Okay, not ENTIRELY lost, but we spend so much time doing everything for Maddy we forgot how to do things for ourselves. It was, like, too easy or something. And for some bizarre reason, we actually began to miss the interuptions. Not that we really like them or anything. It's just that, well, hehe... they kinda made things fun," babbled Tay.
Ike nodded his head, apparently understanding the situation of the babbler. I, the non-father of the trio, just rolled my eyes. I had a sneaking suspicion that Tay would be eating those words later on tonight. "I can't believe you just said that."
"Said what?" Tay asked me.
"That, about the interuptions."
Older brother number two chuckled. "You just don't understand yet. You will someday."
"Don't understand? Hello? Do you hear yourself? You'll be singing a different tune soon enough. Tay, there will be few surprises in life to match looking Laura directly in the eye, and feeling someone tickle the bottom of your foot."
Ike, to prevent himself from choking, spit the water in his mouth back into the glass. He began to cough and laugh at the same time. And it's at times like these that I swear Tay's a chameleon. He turned three different shades of red.
"Great. Once Kaitlyn is out of the crib that'll be what Rebecca and I have to worry about. How long do you think we can keep her in there?"
"Don't worry about it, Ike," I told the eldest Hanson. "Before you tuck her in at night, just slip a cowbell around her neck."
Ike snorted with laughter. Tay opened his mouth to say something, but then shut it. He appeared to be contemplating this course of action. Finally, the three of us burst out laughing.
"I'm glad you're getting along fine without me."
I recognized the voice, and turned towards the speaker. "AJ! What are you doing here? I thought you had a meeting tonight?"
"I do."
"Here?"
She nodded her head.
"Well, we have an interview."
"Yeah, I know. I'm sorry I'm late guys."
"Oh, don't worry about it," Tay said, pulling out the empty chair for her. "Traffic can be a bitch."
"Thanks. Ike..."
"Hey, AJ," was his response.
"What the hell is going on here?" I asked. Granted it was pretty obvious, but I wanted to hear the words out of her mouth.
"AJ's going to interview us. Duh," said Taylor.
"You knew about this?"
"Oh course. Laura told me on the way to Hawaii."
"And you?" I asked, turning to Ike.
He shrugged. "Yeah. Taylor told me before the shoot this afternoon."
"Why the hell didn't you tell me? Why doesn't anyone tell me anything? Why am I always the last to know? Jesus Christ, I'm not eleven anymore!" I looked at AJ, who was sitting across from me. "Why didn't YOU tell me? Did it just sort of escape your mind over the course of the week?" I absolutely HATE IT when people play games.
"Oh, Zac, get off it! This isn't about you, it's about me. Admit it, we had a great time this past week. But there's no way you would've opened up to me and let me get close if you knew I worked for a magazine. And don't say I'm wrong 'cause you KNOW I'm not."
"Fine. But you at least could've told me in the lobby of the hotel last night." I kept my voice low, not wanting to cause a scene.
"Should've, would've, could've. Point is, I didn't. If you want, after dinner we can go out to the parking lot and you can wring my neck. In the meantime, I've got a deadline. Ready?" she asked, pulling a small tape recorder out of her purse. AJ's voice and movements demanded attention and respect. "So, let's get started," she said, pressing the record button. "I guess the most obvious question would be, did you ever think you would be in the business this long?"
Ike and I shook our heads. "Never," we said simultaneously.
"I mean, we hoped we'd be in the music business this long, and longer. But you just don't know what to expect. I mean, we knew what we wanted, but the public plays a role, too. And as long as they want to hear from us, we'll be here," rambled Tay. Apparently, he thought my and Ike's answer needed clarification.
"Ah, yes... Good ol' capitalism, supply and demand. But you could've chosen not to fill the demand. Did the word 'break' ever come to mind? Not 'break up,' but just 'take a break'?" asked AJ.
"Yeah, things get hectic and crazy. That's usually when we'd truck off to the studio and record. But college also serves as a break. Ya know, arranging performances and such in between semesters," I answered her.
"Now, Zac, you're still in school, right?"
"Yup. I'm in my last semester. Usually it takes engineering majors five years, but I'm getting out in four and a half. I received credits for my work in the studio."
"Hey, every little bit helps. Now, correct me if I'm wrong here. Ike, you majored in business. Taylor, you majored in music. And Zac, you're studying music engineering. Now, was this all planned in conjunction with starting your own record label? What's the story behind that?" I had to give AJ credit. She's the first to TELL us what we majored in, not ASK us.
Ike prevailed over this question. "Well, it didn't start out that way. Little by little, we always became more involved with our music, producing, etc. When it came time for me to go to college, I wanted to learn more about the business aspect and managing. Tay and Zac chose what they were interested in. We had also been writing and producing for others, as well. Starting our own record label just sort of evolved from that. Everything fell into place."
"But you still record under Mercury, right?"
"Yes," my brothers and I said together.
"Mmm... taking lessons from Sir Andrew Lloyd Webber?"
"What?" I didn't have the foggiest as to what AJ was talking about.
"Sir Andrew Lloyd Webber. He was knighted. Blech. Anyway, in London he has his own theatre company. Calls it the Really Useful Company. What he does is run one of his shows in a competitive theatre on the West End, London's equivalent to Broadway. Then he'll run another big show, like 'Les Miserables,' in his theatre."
"So, how are we taking lessons from him?" I asked. I wasn't really following the lines AJ was going along.
"Well, you have your own record label, yet you record under that of one of your competitors," she explained.
"Oh. Yeah." Now I was following her. "Wonder why."
"Maybe you should ask Ike. He took economics," suggested AJ. I didn't realize I said my last thought aloud.
"Why DO we do that?" I asked my eldest brother.
"Marketability," was his response.
"I thought it was because we were loyal to Mercury."
"We are," Tay told me.
"But I'm sure loyalty wasn't on the CPA's list of reasons to stick with 'em," said AJ.
"How do you know all this?" I asked her.
"Know all what?"
"This, Sir Andrew Lloyd Webber, marketability."
"Hey! I went to college too! And I must give credit to the wonderful world of gen eds." She giggled. "Now, next question..."
"Wait!" I interupted her. "I want to hear more."
AJ laughed. "Zac, this article is about Hanson, not me."
"Well, then, turn off the tape recorder." I flashed her my most dazzling smile. Damn! Why does she have to leave tomorrow?