Carmela + Amos

Chapter 11 - Carmela

Dear Diary,

Rodrigo's band was riding a performance high after the concert that night in New Mexico, and I was proud of how well he sang. It had been a wild show; the arena sold out, and because Rodrigo was sober, his voice sounded tremendous. Every time the stage lights flashed over the sea of swaying bodies, I could see their waving arms, chanting right along with him. It was intoxicating. Despite his flaws, Rodrigo always knew how to command a crowd, and the concert energy carried over to the hotel.

Everyone was having a good time as musicians, groupies, and roadies weaved in and out of our room. The entire floor had become one giant celebration, with doors wide open, music playing, beer cans scattered, and half-naked women running wild down the hallway as band members chased them. Rodrigo draped his arm around me while people played drinking games, and things continued to feel normal between us.

"Having a good time, baby?" he whispered, kissing my temple.

"Yes." I smiled and laced my arms around him, hugging him tightly.

We remained that way, holding each other and exchanging kisses between cheering for the beer-pong players. Rodrigo had been so good that week, only drinking a couple of beers a night, and I didn't see him doing any drugs. We stood there nursing our beers, and any time someone passed a joint our way, Rodrigo waved it off. My heart swelled each time, and I'd squeeze him tighter. At that moment, I thought things were changing. I thought perhaps he'd had enough of the hard partying.

"Come on, Carmela, let's play this next round," Rodrigo said, clapping his hands and rubbing them together.

"Let's do it!"

As we set up the table for the next round, I glanced around the room, my hands arranging the cups. Ben was in the corner surrounded by groupies, including Melody, as she draped herself on Leo's arm. Except Ben's green eyes were on me. I looked away, shifting my attention back to the game at hand, and began tossing ping-pong balls into our opponent's cups.

We were down to the last round, and I landed the target, beating the other team. Rodrigo pulled me into an embrace, hollering how we won, and lifted me off the ground. When he set me back down, he planted a big sloppy kiss.

"This is my wife," he shouted, pointing so everyone could see.

"We know, man." David, the drummer, rolled his eyes.

"Want to go again?"

"Absolutely!" I grinned.

"Who wants to go against the champs?" Rodrigo asked, doing a semi-circular, the veins and tattoos curling up his skinny, outstretched arms.

"We will." Melody stepped forward, pulling Leo with her, his shaggy blonde locks sweeping behind his ears.

"Alright! We're going to whoop your asses. Right, baby?" Rodrigo wrapped an arm around my waist and pressed a kiss to my nose. "Love you."

"Aw, such cute little love birds," Melody purred and then frowned. "It's too bad you're gonna lose to Leo and me."

"We'll see about that!" Rodrigo drummed the table and began arranging the cups.

People gathered around to watch us face-off, and I rubbed his shoulders, getting him hyped for the round to begin. It all felt so normal-like that first month together, playing pool in smoke-filled bars. But when Rodrigo reached for the ping-pong ball, his hand trembled, and I remembered what Ben said by the pool, how he was trying so hard not to drink like a fish-to look good for me.

My stomach sank. Our terrible moments kept devouring the good ones.

"Want in on some of this?" Leo asked, and I swung my attention towards him, where he pinched a tiny bag of white powder between his fingers.