The Past Recedes

Chapter 21

John couldn't shake off the feeling of unease in him when he replayed what Nika to him during their phone conversation. "Her Mom never hugged her, and her mom had a nanny for her until she was three. That's just wrong", he said.

"Wow, that is messed up. Crazy as my old man was, he did hug me and didn't dump me on a nanny as a baby", said Anthony.

"Yeah, but her grandparents are amazing people. The more I hear about her mother, the more I want to smack her", said John grimly.

"Not very Buddhist of you, but I get it. I can't imagine not hugging my kids, when I get home from touring I just want to hug Clara", said Flea in dismay.

"I made a huge mistake that night, I was so drunk", said John sadly.

"Yeah, but that mistake made your daughter. Two of my kids came from one night stands, but I love them anyways and I wouldn't treat them worse than my other kids. It was the mom who had problems, not the grandparents", said Chad.

John nodded as he felt the familiar tingle in the back of his neck and reached into his pocket for his cigarettes. Chad took out his own pack of Winstons as John lit up both of their cigarettes. "I mean it, the mom sounded very fucked up. I didn't know anyone who was homeschooled except for the retarded or spastic kids. How smart is your daughter?", asked Chad.

John took a drag and exhaled. "Off the charts brilliant. Mom and Dad are really concerned ever since we took her to the Getty and she was going on about ancient Greeks being gay, really hardcore college level stuff", he said.

Chad nearly choked on his cigarette. "What? How the hell does a kid know that?", he sputtered.

"Her mom was a Classics professor and so is the grandpa, I guess it runs in the family. The grandpa is cool, I get the feeling he doesn't like how Nika was raised", said John.

"That makes sense. If the moms of my kids raised them like that, I'd sue for custody. That is how you raise a psychopath", said Chad.

"I get my work cut out for me," said John ruefully.

"Excuse me, guys. Uh, can I borrow your lighter?", asked Josh shyly.

"Sure", agreed John.

Josh smiled gratefully. "My lighter ran out of butane", he explained.

"You should get a proper Zippo lighter, those cheap-ass plastic ones from the liquor store don't last long", said Chad.

Josh lit his cigarette and took a drag. "Maybe when I get big royalty check, after I get a new car", he said.

"You're still driving that piece of junk? When you want to buy a car, call me and I'll help. What kind do you want?", asked Chad.

"A Volvo, I'd love a VW Beetle but a Volvo is a more practical choice. Just something nice, Japanese cars are boring and American cars suck", he replied.

"Cool, I don't know anyone who drives a Volvo. But let me know and I'll help you, you pick out the one you like", said Chad.

"Josh, is it normal for parents to not hug their kids?", asked John.

Josh took a drag and exhaled. "Hell no, that's how kids in Romanian orphanages were raised. That's how you create a psychopath", exclaimed the younger man.

"I talked to Nika last night, yesterday she said her mother didn't hug her, she thought it was weird that Loesha hugs Clara a lot", said jOhn.

"Whoa, that's fucked up. Maybe it's a good thing the mom died, she was raising a psychopath", said Josh.

"Josh, you read a lot of books. Can I reverse this?", asked John.

Josh blushed as he took another drag off his cigarette. "Uh, I'm not a therapist. I guess as long as she gets affection from the grandparents and hasn't starved, she could be all right. You might go easy at first, she may not be used to it", he said.

"Josh, you're a genius", said John.

Josh giggled nervously. "Nah, if I were a genius, I would have graduated high school. But seriously, don't frighten her by being too aggressive", said the younger man.

The trio finished smoking cigarettes and went back to doing soundcheck. John played some random arpeggios and mused on Josh's words. It was one thing to see Zoe as a selfish woman, but the idea that she was raising their daughter as a psychopath seriously disturbed him. He now realized that her coolness and seeming indifference towards him were because she hadn't gotten much affection as a child except for her grandparents. "I'm sorry about your mom, Nika. But I'm going to be the best Dad I can be", he vowed.