Becoming

Rime Of The Ancient Mariner

Ade managed to get himself up and moving, making it downstairs with his fishing tackle by 11:00, giving himself enough time to get more coffee and a couple of Danish pastries from the hospitality table, as he was too late for the breakfast buffet. Two cups and two pastries later, he felt much more alert and sat in the lobby with one more cup of coffee, chatting with Bruce as he waited for Nathalie to come downstairs.

"So, where you off to today?" Bruce asked.

"Wherever Nathalie takes us," Ade said with a chuckle. "It's her da's boat we'll be taking out. That, and she's fished 'round here before, so she knows what to go after and where to find it."

Bruce nodded. "Right, well, that makes sense. I know Nicko's got plans to go golfing again, and Harry's spending the day with his family, and I signed up for a surfing lesson."

Ade laughed. "Not something I'd try, I'm not the most graceful bloke about. Dave and Clive took the piss out of me about it at Reading, just before you auditioned for us, cos we'd been watching Gillan's set and saw your mate Janick Gers dancing about as he performed. I'd made some comment about not being able to move like that without falling, and Dave laughed that I'm clumsy enough that I'm lucky to walk five or six steps without tripping on someone's cord."

Bruce cracked up, having witnessed Ade doing just that a few times over the last couple of tours. "Well, I think most of us have been there a time or two. At least you've never bashed yourself in the face with your guitar!"

"Yeah, cos I know better than to try to imitate Janick's stage moves," Ade retorted with another laugh. "Blimey, if I tried tossing my guitar about the way he does, I'd like as not fling it into the audience!"

"Ah, but if a bird caught it, I'm sure she'd be willing to take some kind of trade for giving it back," Bruce said, waggling his eyebrows.

"Might not wanna do that with your brows, mate," Ade said. "Makes you look like a bloke who stands 'round schoolyard fences wearing a trench coat. Only way you'd look worse is if you still had that bloody porn-star mustache you wore the first time Dave and I saw you."

Bruce blinked at that. "Bloody hell, you saw me that long ago? Where? When?"

Ade shrugged a bit. "Was at a pub in Upper Clapton, although I don't remember which one. Had to have been late October or early November of 1980. Maiden was just back from opening for Kiss, Urchin had just broken up, and I was to start rehearsals with Maiden on the Monday. Mum had Davey over for supper, of course, since he'd been gone for several weeks on the tour, and we hit the pub after." He sipped the last of his coffee and grinned. "We told Harry about you, figuring he'd want to keep tabs on the competition. I didn't know it at the time, but he was already looking to replace Paul, y'know, cos of the drugs, so I think that's when he started scouting you as a potential new singer for Maiden."

"Huh," Bruce said. "Well, I'm glad I impressed you two, then! I don't know if Harry might've still scouted me as a singer, but you and Dave talking me up to him had to have helped. He respects what you two have to say when it comes to music."

"He respects what you have to say," Ade pointed out. "It's just that you two are both stubborn and convinced you're right most times, so of course you're always getting into it with one another."

"I did warn him and Rod both, I wasn't gonna be his yes-man," Bruce grumbled. "I'd think he have paid attention when I said it."

"Yeah, but it's Harry," Ade pointed out.

"I s'pose," Bruce said with a sigh. "Still, I wish..." he broke off as Nathalie approached.

"Hi, Ade," Nathalie said cheerfully. "And, um, Bruce, right? The singer?"