Legacy

Chapter 2

Mark poured more wine into their glasses and sat back against the couch. He realized how comfortable he was sitting there talking to her. It had been a long time since that had happened. Since he had just enjoyed himself like this. The past two years he had been working so much he didn't have time. Well, he said he didn't have time. Dr. Maureen, the great psychologist she thinks she is said he didn't want to have time. That he thought if he just stayed really busy he'd forget and life would pass him by. Maureen was full of it. He just finally had a decent career going. So what if the only people he ever hung out with was his ex- girlfriend and her lesbian lover. There was nothing wrong with that. Besides, this was totally different. Here he was having a great time, with a great girl he once knew.

"Okay, so now that we've drunk almost two bottles of wine, I'm gonna ask. Why did you leave Chelsea? It seems like you just up and disappeared one day. Like we just all of a sudden didn't see you anymore. You didn't even say good bye."

She looked down and ran her finger along the edge of her wineglass. "I know. I'm sorry. I really should have at least said goodbye. I should have, but I couldn't."

"Why not?"

"Well, it was taking all I had to pick up and leave, and saying goodbye to my friends would have been too much."

"But why did you leave?

"I had made some life altering decisions. I needed to get out before it was too late. Before I got myself into big trouble."

Mark took all this in. He had an idea what she was talking about. The time frame she was talking about. "It was because of the band wasn't it? Roger and the guys were just starting to get into the heavy stuff around that time weren't they?"

"Yes." She told him. "They were doing stuff I didn't want to be a part of. I couldn't be a part of. It was better for everyone if I just left. I needed to. Do you understand? I couldn't watch them do that to themselves, you know what I mean?"

"Yeah." Mark said sadly. "I know exactly what you mean."

"Mark?" She asked softly. "Can I ask you a question? What ever happened to Roger?"

Mark's eyes went to his glass. He studied his the wine in it for a moment. "He got hooked on heroin and got HIV. He died about two years ago."

"Oh Mark! I'm so sorry." She reached forward and placed a hand on his leg. "I know how close you guys were. I was afraid something like that would happen." She wiped a tear away with her other hand.

"What do you mean?"

"Well, you know, I only sang with them once in awhile, but I went to most of the practices, and most of the shows. The Hungarians were getting good. They were getting known. They were also getting groupies. That's pretty much were the heavy drugs started coming in. Paul and Toby were the first to get into the coke and stuff, and then it just snowballed from there.

"Roger was pretty much just into pot. And speed once in awhile. But they started doing heroin, and well, he was pretty open to the idea. I tried to talk him out of if, all of it. But you know how he was. They were his buddies. His band. Idiots. Makes me crazy to think about it."

Mark realized he was probably drunk and this conversation wouldn't help him any. He felt the tears welling up in his eyes. "You were his girlfriend then right?"

"I don't know. I mean I wasn't really his girlfriend. We had a strange and twisted relationship. We were more like good friends than boyfriend and girlfriend. I mean we still saw and hung out with other people, but yeah, we were close. More like friends, with benefits. It was easier that way. I couldn't have handled dating Roger on a full time basis. I had a feeling he would have been too controlling. He would get almost jealous of me and the guys hanging out. I would have to remind him that just because we slept together sometimes, didn't make me his girlfriend and then he'd settle back down.

"What a waste. That boy had such talent. He just never believed in himself enough. I always hoped I'd hear him on the radio one day. I knew if I did I would recognize his voice in an instant. I always hoped that for him. I knew that would make him happy. Did he ever get anything like that Mark? Was he ever happy."

God how do you answer that? Roger Davis? Happy? "Well, sort of. I mean he never got famous or on the radio or anything. He did write some stuff he was real proud of though."

"But was he ever happy?"

"For awhile he was. He fell in love with this girl, Mimi. She was great. She was a junkie when he met her, but he helped her get clean, and she stayed that way. They both did. They really loved each other, but then she died. She was positive too. Not from Roger, from before he knew her. They were together for about four years. Well off and on for the first year. Then they were okay for the next three till she died. Then he died the next year. I think he sort of lost all the energy to fight it after that. Her dying took a lot out of him. That was about two years ago."

"What about before that? Before he met her? And when did he get clean?"

"Well, I guess it was not long after you disappeared, he started dating this other girl, April. He was with her for about two years. But they were both junkies big time by then. April killed herself after she found out they had HIV. He got clean after that." He wiped the tears off his cheek with the back of his hand.

"April? Short with dark, long hair. Sort of curly?"

"Yeah, that was her. Did you know her?"

"Not really. She was part of that group of groupies. She wasn't around a lot while I was still there. She hung out with the guys that started bringing in the drugs. I never really liked her. I just didn't trust her. I mean I didn't really know her, but I just didn't like her. I remember her being all friendly with Roger one night after a show. All I wanted to do was get away from her. She felt like trouble. I can't believe he ended up with her." She smacked the back of the couch. "Damn it! I told him he needed to stay away from that stuff!"

"Why didn't he listen to you Chels? Why?" The tears were running down his face now. His whole body felt like it weighed about a thousand pounds. He could barely lift his head up to look at her. "Why didn't you stay? Maybe he wouldn't have started dating April. Maybe it would have been different."

"Did he listen to you Mark?"

"No." He said solemnly.

"Well, he wouldn't have listened to me either. He didn't listen to me. That was one of the reasons why I left. He was starting to do stuff and I didn't want any part of it. I couldn't be any part of it. That's why I had to go. If I had stayed, it wouldn't have changed anything Mark. Roger still would have done what he wanted to do. It wouldn't have stopped him. It might have kept him away from that April girl, but it wouldn't have stopped him from doing major drugs. The end result would most likely have been the same for him, and watching that would have killed me too knowing how many people that would have affected."

"Your right. I know that. I'm sorry. I didn't mean to say that. To make it sound like it was your fault or anything. I just.I'm sorry Chelsea."

"It's okay Mark." She let him hug her. After a few minutes she shifted and leaned against him, his arms still around her. "You really miss him don't you."

"Yes. He was my best friend. For most of our lives. Since we were kids. We were so much a part of each other's lives, it just feels like part of me is missing with him gone."

"I understand. I really do."