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Product Details
| ISBN-13: | 9781491874493 |
|---|---|
| Publisher: | AuthorHouse |
| Publication date: | 05/09/2014 |
| Pages: | 302 |
| Product dimensions: | 6.00(w) x 9.00(h) x 0.68(d) |
Read an Excerpt
Chronicles of Nicky Spade
By Janice Williams, Tracey Rey
AuthorHouse LLC
Copyright © 2014 Janice Williams & Tracey ReyAll rights reserved.
ISBN: 978-1-4918-7449-3
CHAPTER 1
Middleton.... the Middle of Nowhere
"We run away all the time to avoid coming face to face with ourselves" author unknown
It had been snowing all day in the small rural town of Middleton, Michigan. The previous winter had set records for the coldest temperatures in over a decade. Inevitability, the Midwest had seen more than its average snow fall. As a result, the spring of 1970 was proving to be harsh.
Walking in, Nicky was still reeling from the shocking news that was circulating at Middleton High. Everyone was devastated to hear the Beatles had just disbanded via a press release from England. Unfortunately, he'd missed his opportunity to see them perform. This was the turning point which catapulted Nicky further in the direction of his goal. Middleton held nothing for him. He knew that remaining in this insipid town would dissolve any aspirations of pursuing his dreams. Some believed rock and roll would never be the same. However, the world was yet to meet Nicky Spade.
All he wanted to do after hearing this upsetting news was change clothes and go over to Larry's for band practice, hoping to get today's events off his mind. Entering the kitchen, Nicky could smell an enticing aroma. Joan, his mother, could be seen lifting a huge pan from the oven.
"Hey Nicholas, I need you to get the shovel and clear the front sidewalk before your father gets home. The snow has accumulated really fast," she mentioned sitting down her delectable dish of lasagna.
Nicky was a reflection of his dad. His Italian heritage was evident through his olive complexion and black hair. However, his most striking feature was his deep blue eyes and handsome profile.
The familiar sound of his mother's voice wasn't the first thing he wanted to hear, after coming in from a stressful day at Middleton High. Why was he the only one who knew how to shovel snow? Why hadn't she asked Tony, his brother? He could have easily done the job? He'd remained at home after graduating from Middleton while he attended the local vocational school. His ambitions had always been to become an auto mechanic, a fair trade for someone being born and raised in Middleton.
Their father, Joseph Spade, worked at the Ford Plant. He'd always thought his sons would someday follow him into the business. However, Nicky had no interest in cars or anything related to them. He was a dreamer and his dreams didn't include Middleton. Nicky was always trying to devise a plan which would take him far away from this pathetic place he called home.
"Nicholas, please don't make me have to tell you again. I need you to clear the sidewalk and don't forget to throw down some salt. I'm hosting the women in my Bridge Club tonight," she reminded him once again.
"Alright, but after supper I'm going over to Larry's house. We're having band rehearsals tonight in Larry's basement."
Nicky had inherited his mother's natural talent for singing. After years of practice, he'd become an awesome guitarist. He was the lead vocalist and played a mean guitar as well in the small band he'd formed with his friends at school. At this time, it was more of a hobby than a serious effort. However, little did the other members of the band know how serious Nicky's aspirations were? He knew one day soon, he would get his ticket out of Middleton.
Nicky hurriedly finished the sidewalk. He was anxious to get inside and get warm. Now making himself a huge plate of lasagna, he ate quickly and went over to Larry's. The only thing on his mind was getting together with the boys in the band and rehearsing. Middleton High had more than its share of boy bands in the seventies. However, theirs was unique. It had 'Nicky' on guitar singing lead vocals. Nicky borrowed his mother's car. After driving only a few short blocks, he parked in front of Larry's. Grabbing his guitar, he quickly ran up to ring the doorbell. He was freezing. He needed to get inside and out of the relenting snow. Hopefully, the snow plows would make a run down the street before he left.
"Hey man come on down to the basement, everyone's already here," Larry remarked as he opened the door.
Larry was more of a jock than a serious musician. He was the star quarterback for the Middleton High football team. Nicky thought he didn't par up with the rest of the members of the band as far as his musical abilities were concerned. However, Larry was a cool guy and his parents allowed them the use of their basement for band practice. They tolerated the noise level, along with the ever constant parade of young men coming in and out of their house. If it wasn't for this fact, he was sure the band could have easily used a more talented guitarist. Still, Larry was a decent musician and no one was about to oust him from the band, at least not at this moment.
Walking downstairs and entering the huge basement, Nicky could see the other band members had already arrived and ready to practice.
"Hey, where have you been? That was shocking about the Beatles, wasn't it? Bet you had your face glued to the television watching the news or did Aunt Joan have you busy doing chores again?" Jerry laughed.
Jerry and Nicky were cousins. Their mother's, Joan and Joyce, were twins and, as a result had always been very close. Joan had turned down a career in music to marry Nicky's dad. The boys shared a strong family resemblance between them. However unlike Jerry, Nicky always seemed to easily catch the attention of all the girls at school.
"No, just finished off some lasagna before coming over."
"Oh yeah, and you didn't bring us all some," Justin teased.
Sitting behind the drums was a young guy who was short and pudgy. He was by far the best drummer at Middleton High. The boys were lucky to have him as a member of their band. All at once an amp cord was thrown over in Nicky's direction.
"Good catch hope you enjoyed that lasagna," Jerry grinned with a bit of sarcasm.
"Hey bro, I'm not that late. You could have easily stopped by and picked me up."
"Oh, I had to run over to the Ford Plant and drop Joy off at work. Her car is in the shop and she's working the late shift."
Joy was Jerry's older sister. Middleton offered its residence no opportunity at a higher education, outside of trade schools. Dooming them for the most part to a fate of spending their entire life working at the Ford Plan. Except for the lucky few, who happened to own and operate the small shops located downtown on Main Street.
"Well, are you going to just stand there or are you ready to warm up?" Jerry asked grabbing his bass. Jerry was good and he could hold his own with any group of musicians. However, he was quite the showman and most of the time his antics were too outrageous for Nicky.
"Let's do, Wild Thing," Nicky suggested picking up his guitar.
He was talented and often felt frustrated being a member of this small band. He knew he was destined to become a solo artist. After finishing their first song, Nicky found himself dreaming of one day being on stage in front of thousands, at a sold out arena.
The boys would spend the entire evening practicing popular hits including 'Under My Thumb' by the Rolling Stones, except for the occasions when Larry's mom would bring down pizza and soda for the boys. She would sometimes sit in, listening to them practice. Looking down at his watch, Nicky discovered it was almost 11:00 p.m. and on a school night it was time to stop.
"Larry, I know football practice was cancelled for Wednesday afternoon, so would it be okay to get together for rehearsals say about 6:00 p.m. on Wednesday?"
"Sure that's cool."
The weekends were always out due to sports. You were nobody in Middleton, if you weren't seen at the Friday night football games. With nothing more to do in town except the movies, the game was the highlight of the week.
"Jerry, don't forget to have your mom call mine in the morning, I think they're going to the flea market tomorrow."
"Okay, see you later," Jerry said closing the door.
Reaching for his jacket, Justin looked over at Nicky.
"Hey, can you give me a ride home?"
"Sure, you're on my way. Let me get my guitar."
Stopping in front of Justin's house, Nicky couldn't help but let him know what a talented drummer he was.
"Man, if I ever make it to the big stage, I'm taking you along for the ride."
"Oh yeah, call me when that happens," Justin laughed getting out of the car.
Walking in, it was 11:30 p.m. Nicky was hoping to get upstairs and into bed before his mom discovered the time.
"Nicholas, do you know it's almost midnight? What did I tell you about being home by 10:00 p.m.?"
"Oh mom, it's not midnight. It's only a little after 11:00 p.m."
"Whatever Nicholas, you know the rules," his dad yelled up the stairs.
Nicky's parents were not exactly control freaks, but they did try to keep a close watch on their two sons. Nicky and Tony had an older sister, Annie. She had long since moved away from home when she married her high school sweetheart, Joey Morgan, at the young age of eighteen. They now lived in upstate Michigan where he was pursuing his law degree. Now with Annie no longer at home, it had left Nicky and Tony striving to live up to Annie's reputation. She had been the perfect child if you were to believe his parent's side of the story. Didn't his parents realize they were now left with two boys at home? Shouldn't they be allowed a little room for getting into trouble? They were good parents. However, Nicky dreamed of the day that he too would leave Middleton, just as Annie had done. Jumping into bed, his last thoughts were that his dreams were too big for this place. Nicky Spade was getting out one way or the other.
Nicky was awakened by the sounds of the train which routinely passed near the edge of town every morning. Looking over at his alarm clock, it was almost 7:00 a.m. Another day in the middle of nowhere, he moaned. Deciding to skip breakfast, Tony was waiting to give him a ride over to Middleton High. As brothers they shared their father's handsome Italian profile, but were completely different in personality. Tony was content to live and die in Middleton, however, Nicky would rather die than remain in Middleton.
"Bro, you better get a move on. You're not going to make me late for my class on engine repairs," Tony ranted as he walked downstairs.
"Cool your wheels Tony. You're not going to be late."
Taking a seat in first period Algebra, Nicky couldn't help but notice the stares coming from the new girl sitting across from him. Her name was Jenna. Her dad had just accepted a new job at the Ford Plant and as a result they had relocated from Quebec, Canada. Middleton was such a small town, certainly this must have been a hard place to wind up. She was amazing. She was tall and slender with long blonde hair which she wore pulled back with hair clips. She also had the most beautiful green eyes he'd ever seen. Sitting at her desk wearing bell bottoms, a pink sweatshirt and sneakers, Nicky thought she was absolutely stunning.
"Hey, I'm Jenna," she said reaching down to pick up her pencil as it rolled under her desk.
Looking up at him, she smiled.
For once, Nicky was almost speechless.
"Yeah, I know. My cousin, Jerry has chorus with you. He mentioned you just moved here with your family from Canada. How do you like living in the U.S.?"
"Oh, I'm used to being on this side of the border. Most of our family now lives in the United States."
"Well, maybe I'll see you around sometime."
It would be sooner than he thought, as she also shared his next class, English Literature.
After the Algebra class ended, they walked down the hall together in deep conversation. They were now carrying on a lengthy discussion about how they both detested homework. Nicky found himself becoming attracted to her. Looking into her eyes with her long dark eyelashes and sculptured brows, she was gorgeous. Maybe he should ask her out? If he didn't act quickly, he was sure Jerry would.
"Are you going to the game Friday night?"
"Yes, my parents figured it would be a great way to make some new friends."
"Well, why don't I pick you up? We can go to the game and get pizza afterwards. How does that sound?"
"Okay, that sounds like fun."
"I'll introduce you to some of my friends at the game."
"Awesome, I can't wait until Friday," Jenna smiled taking a seat in the lit class. "Oh, here's my phone number. Call me later tonight and I'll explain how to get over to my house."
"Thanks," Nicky said quickly taking the number as the teacher walked into the room.
He couldn't wait to find Jerry and let him know that he'd finally met Jenna. Friday evening couldn't come soon enough for him. He was anxious to spend more time with her.
Game night had finally arrived. Nicky parked in front of Jenna's house and quickly ran up the steps to ring the doorbell. As the door opened, she looked pretty wearing jeans and a red sweater. She had pulled her hair back into a ponytail.
"Wait just a second, while I grab my purse."
Walking out on the porch, Jenna stopped for a second while Nicky helped her into her jacket. She looked stunning and Nicky couldn't wait to be seen with her at the game.
Arriving at the high school, they held hands as they walked over to the stadium. Sitting at the top of the bleachers, they watched as loyal fans of the Middleton Eagles filled the empty seats.
"Hey over here," Nicky yelled as he saw Jerry walking up the bleachers.
"Hi Jenna," Jerry said taking a seat next to Nicky.
He wasn't exactly surprised to see Jenna with Nicky. He always seemed to attract the best looking girls at the high school.
"Hey Jerry, nice to see you again," she smiled.
It was turning out to be an exciting game, sitting in the stands watching the Eagles play their rival school, the Bull Dogs. As the evening air became cooler, Nicky put his arm around her to keep her warm. During the half time performance, Nicky and Jenna walked down to the refreshment stand with Jerry to get a drink. Nicky felt so lucky to have her by his side at the game and proudly introduced her to some of his friends, who had also grown up in Middleton.
"Nicky, who's the hot blonde?" Bobby asked being obnoxious.
"Jenna Jones, her family just moved down from Quebec."
"Hi Bobby, nice to meet you," Jenna blushed.
Jerry went back to his seat in the bleachers, while Nicky and Jenna walked down to the fifty yard line. Nicky introduced her to Dovey, the captain of the cheer team. She was your typical cheerleader, cute and energetic. Nicky knew everyone at Middleton High. With half time almost over, they made their way back up the steps of the bleachers to their seats next to Jerry. It seemed the second half of the game flew by quickly. Larry scored the winning touchdown of the evening. The Eagles had beat the Bull Dogs and it was time to celebrate with pizza.
"Hey Jerry, Jenna and I are going over to Vinnie's Pizza. Do you want to go with us?"
"No, but thanks for asking. I'm going to play pool with some of the boys later on," Jerry yelled running down the bleachers as he made a fast exit.
"Okay man, see you later."
As they hurried back to the parking lot, snow flurries began drifting downward from the night sky and the temperature seemed to be plummeting. Nicky put his arm around Jenna to keep her warm. Quickly getting inside the car, Nicky turned on the heater for the drive over to Vinnie's.
"So how did you like the game this evening?"
"Well to be honest, I'm not much of a sports fan. But, I'm glad that our team won. Thanks for taking me to the game and introducing me to your friends." Jenna shivered as she put her hands up to the warm heat.
"Okay so you're not a sports fan, but you do like pizza, right?"
"Yeah definitely," she smiled.
"Good answer," Nicky winked.
Parked in front of Vinnie's, Nicky opened her car door and held her hand tightly as they made their way through the snow which was beginning to cover the sidewalk. Once inside they walked up to the counter to order.
"So what's your favorite?" Nicky asked handing her a menu.
"Oh, I'm pretty particular. I like pepperoni and black olives with extra cheese."
"That's not hard to remember, I like all the toppings."
After placing their order they found an empty booth and went over to sit down.
"Boy, I'm starving," Nicky said as the food was brought to their booth. Conversation between the two of them was easy, as they sat enjoying their pizza. Looking down at his watch, Nicky discovered it was almost 11:00 p.m.
(Continues...)
Excerpted from Chronicles of Nicky Spade by Janice Williams, Tracey Rey. Copyright © 2014 Janice Williams & Tracey Rey. Excerpted by permission of AuthorHouse LLC.
All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.
Excerpts are provided by Dial-A-Book Inc. solely for the personal use of visitors to this web site.
Table of Contents
Contents
Prologue, ix,Chapter 1 Middleton .... the Middle of Nowhere, 1,
Chapter 2 The Costs of Wishing on a Star, 17,
Chapter 3 A Whole New World, 51,
Chapter 4 Love Affair ... No Ties Required, 105,
Chapter 5 A Twist of Fate, 157,
Chapter 6 A Star is Born, 169,
Chapter 7 Missing Pieces, 184,
Chapter 8 Rock and Roll, 196,
Chapter 9 Hollywood, 224,
Chapter 10 It's in the Genes, 235,
Chapter 11 The Hard Rock Years, 238,
Chapter 12 Regrets, Reminisces, Rebirth, 259,
Chapter 13 The 'Son' Comes up in Quebec, 282,
Epilogue, 289,