Rivalries and Lawyers

Chapter 53

Tropical Surprise

Carol and Karen welcome Brent and family for Christmas – Lee comes over

One pill makes you larger,

and one pill makes you small

And the ones that mother gives you,

don't do anything at all

Go ask Alice, when she's ten feet tall -

Grace Slick – White Rabbit Jefferson Airplane – Surrealistic Pillow


Rivalries and Lawyers

“Is Lee coming over? “

“Yes, he was thrilled to learn we were having Christmas dinner on Sunday. His folks had one yesterday. I think Lee has worms no one could eat as much as he does and be so thin.”

“Lee is a mere youth maybe he is still growing. You are thin.”

“I eat one quarter of the calories Lee consumes.”

“When is Madison coming?”

“A friend is taking her to Chicago, and she is taking the train. Lee will pick her up on Tuesday.”

“Are they here for the week then?”

“No, the Buffoons are playing concerts on Friday and Saturday night Madison is going with him. She and Lee will back on Monday.”

“Madison has become a groupie then.”

“They have an amazing intense relationship. While we were recording Lee and Madison seemed to be in constant sync, even though she was at school. When is Brent getting here?”

“Soon, they left this morning and unless they have a problem should be driving in about now.”

“Shiloh and his family are in sunny SoCal?”

“It is where his wife’s parents live. It is hard to get everyone together as people get older and families grow. We are doing a special New Year’s weekend. Shiloh and family will join us. Everyone will join us then”

“Tonight, it is just Brent’s family plus you and Lee. Brent has agreed to discuss some contracts with Lee.”

“I hear a car. I’ll go help them.”

“Hello, you must be Karen. It is good to meet you; Mom tells me you’ve become the daughter she never had. You certainly look like a daughter. Do people tell you look like Mom?”

“It has been mentioned, I have loved being here, and we have become very close. What can I carry?”

“Hello Karen, yes nice to meet you. If you would help Brent with the luggage, I’ll take the kids inside.”

“Should I collect these books and toys in the back seat?”

“May as well. Is that Lee in the truck?”

“Yes, the chow hound has a nice pickup now. Good timing Lee, grab a suitcase.”

“Nice to meet you Mr. Parker. Thank you for agreeing to look over my contract.”

“Mom said you are doing well as a musician and had a couple of questions. I am glad to help; you can call me Brent. Everyone moves Mr. Parker up a generation. “

“The Orange Buffoons have another tour in progress our newest music released in November has had good sales. Is Karen your niece? “

“My mother says I should call her my little sister, but formally she is my first cousin once removed.”

“We’ll carry this stuff upstairs.”

“Mom so good to be here,”-as they hugged the kids came racing out of the kitchen.

“It looks like my kids are already making themselves at home. “

“They remembered the back stairs to the kitchen, and I allowed them one cookie. Dinner won’t be ready for an hour.”

“I’ll talk to Lee then. I read his contract and prepared a summary of guidelines for other ventures. Always good to be home. Karen does look like your daughter. “

“My sons look like me, too.”

“We do, but Karen must be the same height, build and I bet hard to tell from you at her age. Appropriate, if she is my new little sister.”

“One more hug. I miss my little boys, all so big now.”

“OK Lee let’s go into the living room. I will give you my summary.”

“Do you need me? Carol”

“Not for an hour.”

“I will go listen in, about the contract.”

“I made a two-page outline of not allowed and allowed.”

“As part of the group the Orange Buffoons you are required to be prepared, be on time, add to the unity of the group. A rather vague phrase. You can do any performance or recording as yourself. You cannot identify as a member outside of their performances and recordings. Lee the guitar player from Walnut Ridge can put out an album or perform. Are you really from Walnut Ridge?”

“Yes I am.”

“It must be an exclusive club. You can play on other albums as yourself. You could not start a competing group. The vague unity of the group phrase might apply if you were sued. Musicians sue each other often. I decided the guidelines in outline form would be most useful to you. Why are you questioning the contract do you want to leave the group?”

“No, I am not leaving. Ray and Sheryl are the main part of the group. They have written most of our songs, especially the hits like the first one “Orange Buffoonery.’ Karen came to our recording session as a back up singer. They had seen the video of the first time we played on the porch and the outing at the pavilion at the end of summer. We even put our cover of ‘White Rabbit’ on the new album. Sheryl and Karen traded leads on that, otherwise Karen blended and really helped their new songs. I want to do more summer events with the Chill Pills. I don’t want them to think it is a rival.”

“The Chill Pills?”

“Lizzie and Elly sang with Karen, I played guitar, my friend Russ was our drummer, and Madison was on keyboard. Madison is my girlfriend and Karen’s friend from college. We called ourselves Parker’s Chill Pills, I am not sure your mother loved the name. I want to do more events this summer. We were quite popular around here.”

“Parker’s Chill Pills reminds me of Carter’s Little Liver Pills, clever I guess.”

“Do you do any Orange Buffoon songs? Do you imitate their style?”

“None of the Buffoons music. We do rock and roll covers, country, traditional, and bluegrass. It is a wide range, but we are not imitative of the Orange Buffoon band.”

“Are the Chill Pills going to record?”

“No, Karen is going to record, and I want to play."

"A woman who worked for the recording studio asked me to listen to songs she had written. “

“Karen is going to record them. They are a little quirky.”

“We would also like to record a traditional bluegrass album of Lizzie and Elly while we are paying for the studio time. We think it would be great to have in the store here. Karen would back them up and I would play on it. Honestly Karen is underwriting the venture with next semester’s tuition I believe.”

“Is that a good investment Karen?”

“Maybe not, but I liked the woman’s songs, she liked my voice. I think they might catch the attention of a name artist. If that happened it might be a good investment. "

“Your contract as a backup singer was simple. You will get small royalties if the album sells, you cannot claim to be a member of the band. Lee can collaborate and play on any album as long he doesn’t try to use the Buffoons name, style, or logos. As long the Chill Pills are not recording as a group then I see no issues. Karen Parker vocal artist, hmm?”

“Actually, not Karen. Karen is a meme now. We’ve settled on Gracious Notes by Grace. Grace is my middle name. My parents found the name looking back through family names. I’ll be Grace because it made the writer and her producer friend more comfortable, now that Karen is synonymous with racist. Never become a meme if you can help it.”

“There must be some concern Lee, or you wouldn’t have asked about contracts?”

“I am afraid Sheryl and Ray would get jealous if the Gracious Notes album sold. Sheryl was somewhat jealous of Karen’s voice. I think they feel I am their discovery and shouldn’t branch out. Karen never upstaged anyone, but there is a real complexity and quality to her voice. It just comes through.”

“Time to get to the table and get the food on. I assume none of these music whimsies will affect my company.”

“Not at all Mom, unless Lizzie and Elly sell many albums, then it will add profit. I haven’t heard Elly sing since she was a little girl, Lizzie always had a great voice.”

“They are spectacular together a special blend. Let’s gather round the table. We should pause for grace at Christmas. My new daughter now Grace would you say a prayer. We are using Grace’s dishes again. It seems appropriate.”

“Oh wow, this is usually Ruth or Lizzie’s role. I would thank God and all of you. I haven’t had this loving connection of a family Christmas maybe ever. I am thankful for the land, the family, the food, the cooking, and the joy I have being here. Thank you.”

“Not bad Karen Grace. Eldon and Grace would have approved.”

“Who are Eldon and Grace? Eldon’s an odd name.”

“We will eat, now, Jonathan. After dinner I will tell you about them. They were my grandparents and this house I feel is still theirs. Thank you for coming over Lee”

“This is great the applesauce, these potatoes, the turkey, this is all great.”

“Mom put my applesauce in a bowl.”

“It won’t get in your potatoes that way”

“Well Jonathan here’s a little secret; a bit of mashed potatoes mixed with this exquisite applesauce is a very good combination. Put just a little dab of potatoes in your bowl and try it.”

“Lee first came because Madison invited him for Sunday dinner. It turned out to be a fantastic day, but you should have seen these two young women trying to duplicate a Sunday dinner with biscuits and white gravy. Ruth and Lizzie came over and we had a great time. What did Lizzie call Madison’s first attempt at biscuits, Karen Grace? I think I like calling you that.”

“Madison’s biscuits were awful hard little things, Lizzie said they were flat as flitters. Lizzie took her back into the summer kitchen and taught her how to make her fluffy delicious biscuits. Has Madison tried to make you biscuits Lee?”

“She has and they were very good. She’s still trying to capture Lizzie’s magic, maybe you have to grow up in Tennessee.”

“Is there a recording of Parker’s Chill Pills we can hear?”

“There is Brent, after dinner and after presents, Karen can play it. They are very fun to hear, but maybe the Walnut Ridge Wailers would have been a better name.”

“Potatoes in applesauce is really good. Mommy.”

“Brent how many bumpkin habits are they going to allow your children to pick up on this visit?”

“A few Honey, I thought they could ride a horse tomorrow. I have heard you have a couple of very gentle saddle horses here now.”

“You have been talking with Ruth.”

“She had some questions about a title a couple of weeks ago. I handled JB’s estate. I will miss JB. Is Jimmy still living in the old house?”

“Everyone misses JB. Jimmy is running a busy mechanic’s business in the shop, JB and Ruth built. He is still working at the implement dealer keeps himself very busy. I would have invited them over tonight, but they are at his wife’s parents and Ruth went along with them.”

“Have I told you about the time Jimmy decided we could put a ladder out the haymow door with planks on it to make a ramp. We took our bikes up into the hay mow. Shiloh helped us get them up there. He thought we going to ride in the empty section of the mow floor. We hadn’t told him about the ladder ramp. We came flying down our ramp Jimmy went right into wooden corral fence and broke his arm. I didn’t hit the fence but tumbled over with the bike and got scraped up. I remember JB telling us it was one of the gall darned dumbest ideers he had ever heared of. JB fell back into full hillbilly when he was mad. Ruth told us we weren’t getting new bikes; we would have to fix them ourselves. JB took the bikes in his truck to his shop. He showed me how to fix them. Jimmy wasn’t much help with his arm in a cast. I learned a great deal from JB about fixing stuff. Jimmy’s arm healed, it was a benefit to learn some consequences, on the plus side a few shop skills. It was a thrilling ride while it lasted.”

“What’s a hay mow Dad?”

“I’ll show you tomorrow when we saddle the horses.”

“You seemed so sensible when I first met you in the court hearing. I didn’t know you were a daredevil”

“It is why I am so good at liability cases; I am well aware of the stupid things people will attempt.”





Barn converted from Ellison Church