Chapter 1 "Ticket To Ride"
I think I'm gonna be sad,
I think it's today, yeah.
The girl that's driving me mad
Is going away.
She's got a ticket to ride,
She's got a ticket to ride,
She's got a ticket to ride,
But she don't care.
She said that living with me
Is bringing her down yeah.
For she would never be free
When I was around.
The smell of burnt bacon and coffee lingered out into the balcony as Craig smoked a cigarette. He had forgotten how much he missed Toronto and even in the daytime the skyline from his hotel room looked incredible. As he took a last puff he came to realize how much of a fool he had been when it came to his finances. He was almost flat broke and with his indie label merging with a big corporate record company he feared getting dropped. His first record was not a huge smash but at least it was certified gold, selling an impressive 118,000 copies in Canada and the US. However his last cd wasn't doing so well and after partying, drinking, and getting back into drugs his label had warned him that if he didn't clean up his act they would have to let him go. He was meeting with the new VP of CW Music and some more execs later on to discuss his future. "Craig! Are you coming in? You're food is gonna get cold!" Manny shouted. The thought of Manny's cooking made his stomach turn. She pulled out a chair and placed a plate full of food on the table. "Breakfast is served," she said trying to sound all fancy motioning for him to sit down. "You really didn't have to cook. They have room service you know. They have the most amazing French toast…' he replied looking at the burnt bacon, runny eggs, and pancakes that were swimming in maple syrup. He could see her face grimace. "What?" he said smiling as he had done nothing wrong. "I was trying to do something nice for you." "Well we all know you're not the best of cooks," Craig sarcastically added grabbing the newspaper nearby. "That's not funny. Why do you always have to be such an ass? I'm only in town for a few days. I'm starting to think you're just taking advantage of me," she cried. Although Manny was getting on his nerves, he did start to feel a little bad. For years they had been off and on again until finally settling on just being friends with benefits. It wasn't official or anything but it was pretty much unspoken and Craig liked it that way. Unfortunately he was starting to get the feeling that Manny was hoping for something more. Maybe she was right. Maybe all he cared about was the sex. "Sorry. Thank you for making me breakfast. It looks delicious," he said pulling her close into his lap and kissing her on the forehead. "If you think you're just gonna sweet talk me than forget about it," she replied pouting, trying to pretend she didn't care. He began to kiss her this time on the lips and then slowly moved down to her neck. "Stop it! That tickles," she laughed. They continued to kiss and eventually winded up into the bed. "Damn it this wasn't supposed to be happening", he thought to himself. Maybe she was right. Maybe all he was doing was using her for sex.
After they had finished their little rendezvous Craig looked at his watch. It was 11:30 am. He needed to be Downtown for his meeting in 20 minutes. Manny was reheresing lines very loudly for a new play she was auditioning for while doing her hair. Craig shook his head in annoyance and grabbed a clean shirt to put on. He hated to keep stringing her along but he at the same time he didn't want to hurt her feelings. "Manny I've go to go. I'm late for my meeting," he replied enetering the bathroom "Craig, do you love me?" she asked as she looked at him standing behind her in the mirror. Craig knew where she was going with this. He didn't exactly know the answer the question himself. He hated to see the worried look in her eye. "Manny, I can't talk about this right now. I'm late. We can talk over dinner. I'll call you later," he said kissing her on the cheek and running out.