Chapter 1

All the World's a Stage

As far back as I can remember I always wanted to be an artist. An artist I said! What did you think I was going to say? Ever since I was little I always wanted to entertain people. To me it didn't matter whether they laughed or cried as long as they felt something as I long as they understood the message that I was trying to deliver to them. Shakespeare said it best; "All the world's a stage. And all the men and women merely players. I also believe in the motto they're no small parts only small actors. Sometimes the small roles are some of the best and most important. Anthony Hopkins in his chilling role as Hannibal Lector; was on screen for just 24 minutes out the films 1hour and 58 minute runtime and he won an Oscar for it.

Now I consider myself a man of many talents but I am a musician first and foremost. This is Gene here if you had not guessed it already. I'll be your leading man, your lead singer, your tour guide if you will at least for the time being. Now where was I yes music. I knew from an early age that I was meant for the stage and felt the music stage fit me the best. I finally started getting proper music training when I was 12. I was taught how to read music and took music theory. I took lessons for a plethora of instruments. (After I put on a few concerts that the town and Mr Fischoeder loved he realized we or more so he could make a lot of money from my concerts so he gave us the money to fund my lessons) I'll begin at the beginning. I started taking keyboard lessons, piano, vocal then later harmonica, saxophone and flute. My favorite was of course the keyboard.

After high school I went to college and got my masters in music. Now after high school I was damn near ready to start a band and hit the road looking for gigs. However mom and dad wanted me to pursue my masters in music. They felt it would look great on a resume, give me a lot of experience and knowledge and plus if somehow my career as a rock star didn't pan out I could be I music director or teacher which would have been pretty cool as well. (even if it was just a back up plan) Mom and Dad were right as usual. Now in terms of my love life people often get the wrong idea about me. In spite of my eccentric, flamboyant, scintillating behavior (and penchant for cross dressing) I've always been attracted to girls and who says only girls can wear dresses or play girls in theater. Shakespearean plays and Japanese kabuki theatre feature cross dressing for example but I digress.

However I had a type and like most people man or woman I knew what I like and what I didn't like. At first I was attracted to two types of girls. Tomboys and girls with musical ability and if she could sing oh my God my heart would melt. I'm not a great athlete but after I went to baseball camp when I was 11; I had improved a bit. I liked playing baseball for fun after school during freshman year and later in sophomore year I became the team's back up catcher. I turned into a respectable fielding catcher and could get the occasional hit now and then in terms of bating I wasn't good by any means but I was no slouch.

Now by the end of junior year I become a little more popular in school and even had a girlfriend by the summer before my senior year. I dated one of the girls softball players. One of the pitchers Lindsay Schmidt. She was short and cute with shoulder length red hair and hazel green eyes. She started off very nice but after a while she began to show her sarcastic side which got to be a bit too much sometimes. It was cute at first but I eventually grew tired of it and it ended up irritating me. We got to be fairly close but no I didn't go all the way. Of course I was just a kid. We were going steady and became fairly close and intimate. Well as intimate as I couple of teens could be. But I was raised right by mom and dad.

Lindsay and I were close but she had gotten an athletic scholarship and was going away to Florida for school and I was going away to Pasadena California. I was going to pursue my music studies and we promised each other we would keep in touch but we started drifting away from each other. At that point in our lives we were getting ready for our college careers and are paths were just too far apart. We were becoming too different demeanor wise as well. She also started to become needy and a bit clingy and overdramatic about small things. Every time she had a bad hair day, got a zit, every time some little annoyance happened it was like the end of the world to her. I didn't like al that drama.. Her behavior din't gel with my carefree happy attitude.

We tried to make it work for a while but it just wasn't meant to be. I knew it wouldn't last by the last few months of the school year. We had mutually broken up as a couple a few weeks before senior year ended. We were still friendly with each other and we would make small talk after class or in the hall or at lunch. But we no longer saw each other after school our days as a couple were over. We said we would keep in touch and call or text each other know on how our studies were going but we never did.

Then college began. I went out with some girls during college here and there but nothing serious. Then I just focused on my studies and by the time I graduated I was dying to take my act to the streets. (cue Takin' It to the Streets by The Doobie Brothers) I had two close friends from college who were my compadres or buddies my band mates for our music adventure. One of them whom you may already know is Darryl. He's a great singer and now he also plays several instruments but his specialties are the drums and saxophone.

I'm sure you've heard of the other member of my band as well. His name is Peter Pescadaro. Peter sings and specializes in playing trumpet, trombone and tambourine. For our first album we did a ska/punk album heavily inspired by one of my favorite ska bands Reel Big Fish.

Our next four albums were of the classic rock genre as our albums were inspired by artists such as Jethro Tull, Led Zeppelin, The Animals and The Beatles. On these albums I sang and played the piano, organ and mellotron. I love the flute but I wanted to play the closest thing to my keyboard that I could find. Peter played the Flute which I was surprised he was great at (not as good as me but great nonetheless) while Daryl played drums and percussion. Our last four albums are of the jazz/rock variety inspired by Gerry Rafferty'(We covered his song Baker Street on our second album) Steve Miller Band, Chicago and Steely Dan.

We're now working on our 9th album after a two year break and I have a feeling number nine is going to be the best if not the best. During our break I made my one man hit musical Work Hard or Die Trying Girl. Daryl released a solo vocal album inspired by Frank Sinatra and Michael Buble' and Peter played jazz music on the movie soundtrack of a new movie about Dizzy Gillespie. I did a few commercials advertising a cleaning robot and had a cameo as a poker player in a western but anyway the break is over now. Where was I? Oh yeah back to the album. On the new album we took in a new musician that our record producer/audio engineer/sound mixer; Robert Gray recommended.

I was a little nervous about bringing in a new member of the group at this point after it had been Peter, Daryl and myself for so long and we had gone through so much together making 8 albums and all. We had taken on a few guest musicians on quite a few of our albums but they were only for a few songs so they didn't stay around for an extended period of time like our new member is planing to.

However she came highly recommended. My ears also perked up when I heard the musician was a woman. Her name is Raven Brooks. She plays guitar, bass guitar and violin. She came into the studio with her guitar, long flowing raven colored hair and a daisy chain of flowers she wore to look like a crown. She looked like she fell right of the late 60's like she came right out of Woodstock. Her guitar playing was raw, fiery and passionate. Her voice was enchanting and angelic. I almost felt as if I was under a spell and transfixed while she played the song House of The Rising Sun on guitar. "And it's been the ruin of many a poor girl and me, oh God, I'm one". After she finished singing I longed to hear more.

We become friendly over the next few weeks and after a few months we realized how much we both had in common that we started "dating" as it were. I use dating it air quotes because once you grow up no one ever asks someone to start dating them or saying please date me or please go out with me like Kuno in the anime Ranma 1/2. You just ask someone if they would like to go out and do something with you.

Now 5 months have passed since we started dating and Raven and I our coming into Semyour's Bay to visit everyone. We're going to see Louise, Rudy (Regular sized Rudy) but no has called him Regular sized Rudy since well middle school or was it high school? I don't remember. We'll see Louse and Rudy's daughter Hailey of course.

We're coming in the weekend before Halloween. We're coming in Friday the 27th and we're leaving Wednesday November the 1st. So we're staying 4 fun filled days. I heard Tina and Jimmy Jr are coming in with their son Jimmy Pesto the 3rd. Of course I can't forget about Mom and Dad. It's been a while since the last time I saw everybody. I think the last time I saw everybody was Christmas. I've seen everyone since then but it was separately I think the last time we were all together was Christmas.

I got so busy with work but I do text and call Mom, Dad and Louise often. I must admit though I'm now a bit closer with Louise than I am with Tina. I still talk to Tina but not as much because she usually has something going on with her books. Last I heard she's done writing romance novels after writing five of them and is finally writing something new and has found a new publisher. I forget which kind of book she said she was writing now…. Was it a science fiction or was it a mystery? Maybe it was a science fiction mystery like who kidnapped Dracula's son?

Anyway I'm so happy to that everyone will get to meet Raven and that the Belcher family will get to spend another Halloween together. We had so many fun Halloween's when we were kids. We stayed in a haunted house, we went werewolf hunting, we even got to witness a seance. Aaah memories. Anyway now I get to experience those memories of kids dressing up and trick or treating with my niece and nephew.

One day hopefully God willing I will get to do that with my own children. Because I feel like in a way parents, uncles, aunts, grandparents vicariously get to relieve their youth through their children, grandchildren and nieces and nephews when they watch them grow up. It's almost like a fountain of youth. I think being around them will keep me young. Not that I'm that old I am only 34. Now when I was 11 that might have seemed old to my pre teen mind but now that I'm older I can see that it's not. Age is just a number after all. You're only as old as you feel and I don't feel old yet. At least not that old.

*Time passes to Friday the 27th*

Raven and I are riding in the taxi on our way into Seymour's Bay. Raven is wearing a red blouse with black dress jeans and a black belt and Midnight Calf colored The Daisy, Tecovas boots. I'm wearing a long black dress shirt with a black belt and gray pants and black Oxford shoes.

The taxi finally pulls up across the street from Bob's Burgers by childhood home and stops. My first job is filled with mostly happy memories of my youth. The taxi driver turned off the car. He then got out of the driver side of the car and opened the trunk and helped us get our luggage out of the trunk. After we got our bags out of the trunk and into our hands I payed and tipped the heavyset driver of slightly below average height. "This is it. This is house I grew up in and the first job I ever had. Bob's Burgers!" I cheered with a big smile. "I can't wait to meet everyone" Raven cooed with a small grin. We set our bags with wheels on the pavement.

We pulled up the handles on the bags and used to them to maneuver our bags as we wheeled them to the door of the restaurant. I pushed open the door and I left the door open behind me to let Raven in. When I came inside I was greeted by the smiling faces of my family standing before me. Mom and Dad stood behind the counter as always in their usual attire.

My eyes went from my parents now in their late 60's to my younger sister and my older sister. My younger sister Louise is wearing a Poppy Red Ponte Clifton Dress and Red Basel Smooth Leather Side block heel western booties. Apparently Louise and Raven each got a western ensemble memo that I did not receive. My older sister is sporting a white silk blouse, a black skirt and black Coach brand flats.

My brothers in law and my niece and nephew (all the guys are wearing dress shirts and slacks of white black or white and red. Hailey is wearing a purple t-shirt and gray slacks ) "Everyone meet Raven" I bubbled as I introduced Raven to everyone. "Hello….Hello nice to meet you" everyone piped in unison. "Did you have a nice trip?" Mom inquired. "I hope the flight wasn't too bad" Louise commented. "I hoped they had a good movie on the plane at least" Tina implored. "The flight wasn't bad" I affirmed. "They did have that new zombie movie that was pretty good . It was very entertaining" Raven divulged as Louise eyebrows perked up.

"Oh do you like scary movies?" Louise inquired with a very interested grin on her face. "Oh yeah. I'm a big fan. The gorier the better". Raven granted with a devilish smirk. "Oh…Oh….I like her! She seems fun! Gene you know how to pick em!" Louise hooted happily as my father rolled his eyes. "You guys must be starving. Who's up for some burgers!?" Dad asked rhetorically. "We hope you're not a vegetarian, because we eat a lot of meat. Nothing against you if you are." my Dad chuckled sheepishly. "Nope I love burgers." Raven volunteered happily. "Great!" Dad commented as he began to prepare making everyone burgers. *Bob fights the urge to tell Gene to marry this woman upon hearing this statement*

Later during dinner Raven excuses herself to use the restroom which I had used right after Dad had started cooking dinner. Of course I knew the inevitable barrage of comments about Raven would start the moment she was out of the room and out of ear shot of hearing said comments. "She seems nice. She's personable and has a good sense of humor". Tina revealed. "She really likes Jimmy Pesto the third and Hailey she seems really good with kids". My mother piped. "I know what you're thinking mom. Don't get a head of yourself we're not that serious yet". I cautioned. "I know" my mother responded with a small sigh.

My younger sister Louise was oddly over the moon for Raven. "I wanted to tell her not to break your heart. I wanted warn her if she dared looked at you wrong or said something mean she would regret it! But then I looked into her eyes and she has the kindest eyes, the prettiest eyes. Next to Rudy I mean for a woman she does. Oh my God. I'm straight but if I wasn't…I mean Gene if I was a guy…If I was your brother and a man. I would fight you for her. I would." Louise quipped as she drifted away to God knows where in her head. "Um..uh…thanks I think" I gaped nervously.

Rudy seemed to be understandably uneasy over his wife saying how beautiful another women's eyes were so he tried to snap Louise out of her trance. Rudy puts his arm around Louise and replied "Louise it's your husband. The father of your child come back to earth" but Louise still seemed miles away.

Rudy then thought for a moment and grabbed Louise and in his best Cher impression from Moonstruck he exclaimed "Snap out of it!" and Louise suddenly did just that and was brought back to reality. "…Oh I'm sorry what happened? I was talking about something oh yes Raven I'm sorry Rudy but your eyes are much prettier than her eyes" Louise wept as she touched Rudy's face and gave him a light kiss on the lips to which the children in unison exclaimed "bleh gross." As Raven returned from the bathroom and appeared and stood everyone looking slightly worried.

"Is everything all right? I heard screaming." Raven inquired in a concerned voice. "Everything's fine. Rudy's just doing his Cher from my moonstruck impression. Ha ha..ha ha" Tina explained with her trademark nervous laugh to cover a lie. "Oooo I love that movie. My turn" Raven piped. Then Raven waited a few moments and in a near flawless version exclaimed "Snap out of it!" Louise moaned quietly to herself as I looked at her warily. Everyone applauded and after a few moments Louise squealed loudly with delight;"My God that was incredible! I love this woman!" "Louise…I'm glad you like Raven but tone it down a notch you just met her you'll scare her" I warned as Raven chuckled to herself and smiled.

End of Chapter 1