Duets Aren't Easy
Sometimes Rayna wished she didn't answer her phone, or even had one. Amongst the chaos and beautiful madness of trying to get two girls both under ten ready definitely didn't make her morning easy to start with. The phone call in question which might have tipped her morning into a darker shade of black was from Bucky. Who to her sounded far to chipper for this hour of the morning then she would've liked, he telephoned to tell Rayna she had been picked by CMT to take part in a segment for the CMT awards later this month. The segment in question was to pay tribute to the great country duets, like Jackson, Golden Rings and When The Fire Is Gone. Bucky had told Rayna she was given free choice of which ones she could do and how she wanted to do them. She earned that right since was fast becoming the queen of country her last album Little Bits Of Heaven had sold more then six million units and had gone triple platinum. She held her breath for a moment, she knew what this would mean to her, but she also knew who should would have to do these songs with. Deacon. She levelled the scales in her mind of the risks involved. Music wasn't just music to either of them, doing duets especially weren't, even thinking about it made her feel the hot danger that came with it. Singing with someone was to them so intimate in some ways more then the love they made together. Rayna has realised she left the silence burn to long after catching her breath she politely told Bucky to accept the request and see if they could book some time at sound check to prepare.
Two weeks had passed since the Buck's bombshell of a surprise; she kept putting off doing the rehearsals. Excuse after excuse had fallen out of her mouth down the phone. It was fast approaching the third week the awards were at the end of the week on the Sunday at the Bridgestone arena. It didn't take long for the urgent phone call from her manager giving her the riot act. It wasn't often Bucky was like this, he knew more then anyone the stresses and strains that Deacon could put on her but this was important could also be the event that cemented her and change her from just a well selling country artist into a legend in her own right.
Rayna had relented and went to sound check on Wednesday it was hot dry mid afternoon in Nashville, dressed in skinny jeans and her favourite sky high heels she walked with confidence inside the room. Nobody expect her and two others knew of the minefield that was going off inside her. Bucky directed to the table in front of them. The three of them sat down like a million times before, Deacon pulled out his shoulder bag and folder bursting with different sheet music. Some of those sheets contained the classics, country standards he would call them, often on tour in the early days they'd chuck a cover in during the acoustic part of their show it always went down a treat with the fans and the press. The other sheets contained in many ways their hearts; it was full of their duets like No one will ever love you, surrender and at least half a dozen more.
Together like a well oiled machine they bounced ideas of each other for an hour or more, trying to balance the mix of classic and modern duets. Deacon finally hit the nail on the head; the set list should glide together reaching almost like a climax taking people on a journey through each song. Rayna liked the idea a lot, she always admired his way with music and how with almost enviable ease he made it all look and sound. After another half an hour they'd had settled on a list. Deacon would work on the arrangements and send a recording across for Rayna to rehearse with. Knowing it was getting closer to the awards on the Sunday Deacon knew he had to work quickly to get a good turn around on it.
Rayna was deep in the depths of her home in the music room, it was her refuge from the world and she always adored it, she was very specific when she was decorating it. Over the years many additions from her storied career adorned the walls surrounding her she was still in some ways in shock when she looked at them, she never expect this journey to go like this. Deep in her heart she would've been happy with a quiet career touring with Deacon in a tiny tour bus being successful singing their duets. History wasn't that kind to them not that she would change it after all she did have two beautiful girls of her own to love and cherrish. Earlier on that afternoon the courier had dropped off a CD it was the arrangement for Sunday, she pushed it into the sound system in front of her and listened with great intent. It was perfect as always, his choice of songs and the melody was point perfect. Just as she was about to turn it off, his voice broke across the room, stopping her in her tracks.
The gravel tone sending a shiver down her spine, just like she was 16 again making her heartbeat as fast as he could pull those strings. Rayna sat back down on the coffee table, she waited "Ray, I'm leaving this gap on the end for us to fit one of our songs in, I was thinking postcard from Mexico? Or maybe one of the ballads? Anyway let me know"
She could've killed him, she knew it was going to be hard enough to sing together and it being a duet let alone doing all of the above and one of their own. She shook her head with her head in her hands, that wasn't the only problem she knew it would work; Deacon had mapped the melodies out perfectly enough that one of their big duets with the full band would be the perfect climax to the segment and the show itself. The plan was to stand together and go through six duet just them two with his guitar and as far as Rayna had thought that was perfect enough, as well as challenging enough, but Deacon throwing this spanner in works wasn't what she was expecting. She thought for a moment, she locked the door leading into the room, this would require thought, this really was a burning ring for them as it is, she could trying and pick the most superficial duet she could from their catalogue and it would be fine, it would still be a success but she would be selling herself short as a artist. She grabbed her phone, she rubbed her temples one last time before tapping out her fate on the keyboard, her thought was if she was going to do a climax of a show she might as well give them food for thought, do one no one had heard yet, giving them an exclusive and giving her heart a break. She simply sent four words "End of the Day".
End of the Day was a song they both loved but never recorded, written straight after Postcard from Mexico but never put on the record. They had both sung it a many a time in private but never at a show or for anyone but them to hear. It was a perfect duet for them to do now publicly, this time as history had moved them both on to a simpler path in their complicated relationship. It was a hopeful duet of fixing mistakes and the past. Rayna sighed and moved over to her records, behind the box was a bottle of wild turkey bourbon she hid for herself when she needed a little push to give herself a break. She poured herself three fingers into the crystal glass she had that was sitting next to the bottle. She sipped it, unlocked the door and walked off to bed.
Finishing the glass the by the time she got to her room, she took off everything but her T-shirt and glided into bed next to Teddy, placing a impassionate kiss on his forehead and fell into a deep sleep.
Sunday rolled around; Rayna was in her dressing room getting glammed up to the max. Not that she needed it, it was more for her. Wearing a red dress with a slit clean up to her hip and her air up and wearing her mother's diamonds in her ears and around her neck. She looked dressed to thrill, Deacon looked speechless as he turned the corner, she beckoned him into a small corner she passed him a guitar and asked if they could run through it quickly before she had a panic attack, he suddenly had realised they hadn't ran through the order together in person yett. Deacon had spent the afternoon getting the band up to speed on the arrangement for the end of the day which was another worry to Rayna; they had never done it for a crowd to start with let alone with a full sized band with a full range of strings. Using the spare guitar Deacon quelled most of the worries Rayna had, he even dug deep into his pocket and pulled out a single cigarette for her to hold, that alone brought out the brightest smile in her that could light the stage.
With 20 minutes left of the show they took their places at the side of the stage, she looked nervous he noticed, he gave her a nudge with a smile. Faith Hill who was a great pal to Rayna as they had both came up in the business together and had a healthy competition together was announcing the close of the show with a speech of the importance of the country duet. Explaining the intimacy between two singers sharing a microphone " and our closing act and by no means least knows all to well about this intimacy having almost all their duets in the top ten over just as many years, closing our show tonight is the great Miss Rayna Jaymes accompanied by the musicians musician Deacon Claybourne!"
The crowd roared with delight, the both strode out together not letting the world know how much trembling was happening internally or how ill prepared they felt. Deacon strummed the lick to It Ain't Me Babe, both harmonies mixing to perfection and sliding with perfect grace into When I Stop Dreaming, keeping their eyes locked onto each other. The only thing between them was the mic stand and the music, she felt sixteen again singing to impress a boy with a guitar that had her heart in all of ten minutes. Without missing a beat or a breath Deacon changed pace to start After Is Gone, still keeping everything sailing Deacons voice clear and sober, which always made Rayna's heart ache. What the duo hadn't noticed was the silence around the room, the audience hanging on every note and still standing eyes transfixed knowing this was something special something to be documented.
Together they flowed through the next two with grace and ease, Islands in The Stream which worked great with just one guitar and the back and forth between them both.
Now came the big set piece, Deacon strummed and plucked thoughtfully giving the look, Rayna leaned into the first verse. Each word dripping off her lips like honey to him, powering through the chorus together before the full band kicked in. It sounded like their souls laid bare, the steel sounding like the millions of times they'd hurt each other, the soft hum of the drums like the doors they've slammed shut at each other.
The room went dark to them, they could only see each other as they both harmonized through the last half of the song deep into each others gaze. It was a full two minutes after the last note had passed before they had realised where they were again, the bubble around them had popped, and reality had appeared again. The crowd was still standing and showing their admiration for their love, they couldn't end the broadcast it just didn't seem right to cut country music history in the making short, the standing ovation carried on for a full five minutes after they had finished.
Rayna smiled for Deacon and mouthed her love; she leaned into the microphone and pointed to his guitar. It was like telepathy between them sometimes, as an unofficial encore they sang the chorus one last time but this time not in their bubble, letting the moment of adulations and respect from their peer's wash over them.
After that last note from them both for the last time of that night they took their leave. Hearing the rapture of applause as they walked backstage. Deacon walked her to her dressing room, still applause ringing out around them, giving her a hug and a tender friendly kiss on the check he walked away and she opened the door walking in to an empty room.
The press the following day was insane and full of nothing but praise for the both of them, her album sales were up across the board everything she ever put out was selling like it was going to run out. Albums that were gold were now triple platinum; singles that were platinum were diamond. The demand for their duet was almost unbridled and the radio stations were flooded with requests for it. The week after they had recorded it together using the same arrangement, CMT had asked if they could use the audio from the awards but after listening to it Rayna thought it deserved a proper recording and mixing, Deacon oversaw the production alongside John Carter Cash who was thrilled to be asked. End of The Day became a huge monstrous hit and the music video from the award show even more so. It was the first country duet to get 4 million views within a week.
Many years after the untimely death of the legend herself, Deacon was sorting through the music room looking for a record he had sworn blind he had for Scarlet, he bent down and a CD had fallen out from the rack below, he nearly put it back without looking at it but the image had caught his eye. It was a warn coloured polaroid shot. Deacon sat down and tuned on the lap and put on his glasses after blowing the dust off he could make out the image, it was of them. The both of them together at the awards show, he mused about the year but he remembered the outfit, her red dress and his black denim shirt and jeans. She was stood staring at his eyes as he's sat on top of a road case going thought the arrangement again trying to calm her. He chuckles as at that, how much of a perfectionist she was, shame she wasn't when it came to cooking he caught himself laughing aloud to himself. He grabs the guitar from the chair next to him and like a thousand times before he strummed, he was plucking the strings to the tune of that duet, he closes his eyes tight as he dares he swears he can hear her echoing, singing each note with pure perfection as she always did.
Together again through music they are one again. Doesn't matter how many years pass or how old he gets he can still connect with Rayna Jaymes. They'll always be the duo everyone wants to be.