Pink?

About a week later Jon was in the record company freaking out because they had sent over the workup of the cover version of the new album Slippery When Wet cover.

“ARE YOU FUCKING KIDDING ME!!!!!!” Jon screamed when he saw the album cover.

“Jon you need to calm down. They can fix it right?” Richie asked him just as upset as he was. The others were sitting there in shock when the record executive was making calls to see if he could get in touch with headquarters as the lead singer was freaking out due to the album cover wasn’t what he had approved earlier.

“Rich they already sent out about over I don’t know several thousand copies to Japan already with the God Damn Pink Border! We can’t let this out anywhere else this will kill us! Who was the moron who did this? I never approved this!” Jon was still very upset and couldn’t calm down.

Some idiot in the art department thought that matching the pink lip stick and nail polish on the model would be a great idea and put the border around the album also in hot pink and apparently the back of the album. Jon knew if this got out it would ruin everything that he had worked for. Finally the President of PolyGram told them that they could do up a new cover for the album but only had a deadline of six hours to come up with something new and told Jon to get going on something fast as he had to destroy about half a million covers before they shipped them out to the US or they were going to use what they had. The guys were shooting ideas back and forth between each other even to the point of suggesting shooting a white cover to even a black cover. Jon got so frustrated that he needed to take a break.

“Alright guys we have been going at this for what three and a half hours now? Why don’t we take a break and be back here say in twenty minutes ok?” he suggested to them. They all agreed and went to stretch their legs. Taking a bathroom break and then walking back into the room Jon picked up the phone and dialed home.

“Hello?” as she sounded winded.

“Ellie are you ok?” Jon asked concerned.

“Oh Hi Sweetie. Yeah I’m fine I just ran in here that’s all. I was chasing Buddy that’s all. He’s in his chewing stage right now.” She told him. “JIMMY! Come And Get Buddy Right Now!” she yelled for him.

“I see your having the same kind of day that I’m having.” He told her smiling.

“Why is someone chewing your stuff too?” she giggled at him.

“Sort of hey wait a minute Buddy didn’t chew anything of mine did he?” he just realized.

“No of course not. All of your stuff is put away. Not like mine. He already has put a hole in one of my favorite sweaters and my jeans. Oh and he was working on my jacket just now that’s why I was chasing him. I had put it on the chair as he pulled it to the floor as I was getting Jimmy so we could take him out to do his business. Which by the way it looks as we’re too late now.” She told him as Jimmy ran into the room.

“I’m here Mommy. Oops is Buddy in trouble?” Jimmy asked his Mom.

Turning to face her son, “What do you think young man?” Jon could hear the exchange going on and really was glad he wasn’t there. He could hear Jimmy trying to make every excuse in the book for Buddy and was laughing as Ellie could hear him thru the phone. “Ok just take Buddy to the kitchen and get him some food and his water ok? And bring me some paper towels so I can get started to clean this up ok?” she told her son as he grab Buddy and they went quickly.

“Ok trouble maker I can hear you laughing.” She told him in her Mom voice.

“I’m sorry Baby I really am but I so needed that you don’t know. Look I don’t have much longer to talk the guys will be back shortly but go easy on them ok it was my fault that Buddy did what he did because I distracted you from taking him out.” He told her.

“Oh I know but I still have to give them both something to think about. Don't worry I won’t punish them have you seen either of them look at you when they’re in trouble? Yeah you try it. I do it but it’s real hard. If I was a real meany that dog would be dead by now. But those damn brown eyes of his God I thought between yours and Jimmy’s blue ones were bad but he looks like he’s about to cry if you yell at him.” She told him.

“Yeah well I would love to find out but right now I have my own problems.” He said as he inhaled.

“Jon are you smoking?” she asked him curiously.

“Um who me?” he said to her knowing that he was going to get a lecture.

“Oh Honey, ok you really must be stressed out if you lit up. What’s going on?” she asked him concerned now.

“You’re not going to yell at me? Wow ok well let’s just say they fucking screwed up the cover to the new album we wanted so now we have less than four hours left to come up with something else for it. I mean they had a pink border with a pink back to it Babe. That would destroy us as a Rock Group! I mean PINK!” he told her freaking out.

“Jon you need to calm down.” She told him concerned.

“I’m so fucking tired of people telling me to calm the hell down!” he exclaimed into the phone.

Ellie knew that wasn’t really meant for her. She knew he was upset at what was going on. “Ok I’m going to let that go because you’re upset. Sweetie but you do need to calm down so take a deep breath and let it out and if you can’t use this cover I want you to try a visualize what the new cover of the album could look like. I know you can do it. You just need to sit with the guys and talk it out and figure out what you guys want it to say that’s all. If you can’t use the first one then what can the second one say that the first one couldn’t. Maybe something simple and you just can’t see it yet because you are so upset. So have your smoke and try and shake it off. And if you want to yell at me some more go ahead if you think it will help.” She told him.

He couldn’t believe what he just heard. “Ellie no I don’t want to yell at you anymore but thank you for offering. You know nobody has ever offer to let me yell at them but I am sorry that I did.” He told her.

“It’s ok I know it wasn’t directed at me Jon.” she told him happily.

“No it wasn’t it’s just that I’m so damn frustrated but hearing your voice and encouraging words well…I never got that before with you know who so thank you again.” He told her as the guys started to pile back into the room. “Hey Babe the guys are coming back in now so I have to go I love you so much I’ll be seeing soon so…I gotta go give Jimmy a kiss for me, Bye.” As he hung up.

Richie walked over to him, “Do I have to guess who you were talking to?”

“No.” he said as he dragged out his cigarette and put it out in the ash tray.

“So have you calmed down any since we left or are you more wound up than ever since you’ve talked to her?” Richie asked him as he winked at him.

“Oh shut the hell up shit head. I’m fine just fine. She actually helped me out, so come on let’s sit down and see what we can put together.” He told him encouragingly.

The guys sat there trying to come up with different things to put on the cover before the deadline so Mark could photograph it within the two hours that were left. Jon was getting wound up all over again when he remembered what Ellie told him so he sat down and closed his eyes and pictured the cover as the guys were still arguing over the colors of the album. David wanted it White as Richie kept saying that’s what the Beatles did so they couldn’t do a white album. So he suggested a black album and Alec asked them with the black album what would they put on it? Should they still use the girl? And again they started to argue when Richie noticed that Jon was sitting in the chair with his eyes closed. But just before Richie had a chance to go over to him and ask what the hell he was doing, Jon jumped and yelled.

“I got it!” he screamed.

“Again! Do you want me to get Bozzett and the Rid X because last time you were covered man.” Alec yelled back at him thinking the worst.  

“Nooo! Fuck You Such! I got the album cover. Tico get Mark in here now!” he asked as he was about jumping up and down.

“Ok then I’m out of here!” Alec said and left.

“Jon let him go and what the hell man you want to fill us in or what?” Richie asked him.

“In a minute but right now...(he said as in was looking around the room for something that he could use)hey Dave could you see if you could find me a spray bottle of some kind I need it so I can fill it with water.” he asked him.

“Yeah sure no problem, I’ll be right back.” Dave told him as he went to find one.

“Jon what are you thinking of?” Richie asked him.

“It’s all for the cover but right now I need something black and that will hold water.” He told Richie.

“Ok like a plate? Or something plastic?” he suggested.

“Yeah but it needs to be black.” He told him. They both were looking around the room as Dave came back in with what was a Windex bottle.

“Hey Jon will this do because this is all I could find on short notice.” He told him.

“Yeah that will do. Could you clean it out and make sure there are no bubbles or soap suds in it I need just plain water in it ok?” he asked him.

“No problem.” Dave told him and off he went.

Just then Richie yelled over to him, “Hey Jon would a garage bag do?”

“What do you mean?” he wanted to know.

“You know a Hefty garage bag. They come in white and black.” Richie told him.

Jon walked over to him and the janitors must have left extra bags lying around in case anyone needed to refill the waste paper baskets.

“Yeah the black will do just fine. Now all we need is Mark. Where the hell is he?” Jon wanted to know.

“He’ll be here in a minute.” Tico said as he walked in.

“Where the hell is he?” Jon asked him.

“He stopped off in the office to make a phone call, so what are you guys doing?” Tico asked them.

“Jon is putting some stuff together for…what are you doing again Jon?” David asked him.

“I have an idea for the cover of the album but it won’t ever get done if Mark doesn’t get in here.” Jon said as he was bouncing now so Tico walked up to him to try and calm him down.

“Jon sit down please or you’re going to put a hole in the ceiling.” He told him.

“Sorry Tic but I can’t stay still we have less than a couple of hours and we need to get going on this.” he said as Mark finally walked in with his camera in his hand.

“So what’s up guys? Have we finally figured out what we’re going to do?” he asked them.

“Yes we have so get your camera ready because this is going to be the shot.” Jon told him. As Jon spread the black hefty bag on the table and sprayed it with the water bottle he wetted it down really good. Then he had Richie and Dave hold the bag as tight as they could and with his fingers wrote Slippery When Wet on it.

“Ok Mark take the picture before it distorts because this is going to be the cover.” They all looked at him like he had two heads. “Just take the damn picture will you!” Jon said loudly. So Mark got on a chair and took the picture to what was become the bestselling album of nineteen eighty-six and beyond. No one knew that this album would sell twelve times Platinum in the years to come.

Mark took the film so he could get it developed as soon as possible so he headed over to Mercury to get this done. He wanted to be able to hand them the negative’s so they could work on it. Jon and the guy’s headed back to Number Five Orange to have a drink and to try and relax after the day they had and they really needed it. While they were watching the girls strip and soap themselves up Jon saw this one watching him and was getting a really bad feeling about it. Right about the third round he saw her talking with a few others and she was now pointing to him and they were smiling and giggling.

“Richie, Richie! I need to ask you a question can you take your damn eyes off of her for a second and answer a question for me please?” Jon asked him annoyed.

Turning around against his will, “What Kidd can’t you see I’m busy man?” He said back just as annoyed with him.

“Too bad, why is that girl looking and pointing at me like that?” he asked him concerned.

Richie looked over to see what the hell he was talking about when he nearly spit out his drink. ‘Oh crap’ he said to himself.

“Which one are you talking about Jon?” he asked him nervously.

“The one over there in the red outfit. He told him.

“Oh that one. Yeah well you remember her don’t you? She was the one you well you know one of the ones you were fooling around with.” Richie told him carefully.

“What? Oh crap really? I was pretty drunk then you know? I don’t really remember much then oh shit. But why is she looking at me like that and laughing?” he wanted to know. “Did I do something stupid?”

“I doubt it it’s probably what Tico told her.” He told him ready to run from him.

“Huh? What do you mean what Tico told her.  What the hell did he say to her Rich?” Jon wanted to know now.

“No you really don’t want to know what he told her believe me you’ll just get really pissed.” He told him getting off his stool.

“Richie what did he say!” he demanded now.

As he gulped and mapped out his escape route, “He told her that we were a couple and that Ellie was just a ruse for the Paps so they would stay off of our trail. Ok gotta go.” As he tried to get past him but Jon got in his way.

“He what?” Jon demanded.

“You know for a little guy you really know how to get in the way don’t you? Look go ask Tico he’s the one who told her. She was going to tell Ellie everything about you two and he put a stopped to it. And to be truthful I’m surprised she didn’t go to the press with it.” He told him smiling a little now.

Jon stood there and couldn’t believe they told her that he was gay. “Wh…what, why? I mean just why didn’t you guys threaten her or something to keep her quiet? Why did you have to tell her we were gay? And I’m not little!” he shot back.

“Ok homophobic much?” he asked him.

“RICHIE!” Jon shouted.

“Sorry but chill ok? Look we’re not going to be here that much longer and things will pass ok? Besides I don’t see that other one here that you were fooling around with and if she comes back she’ll straighten everything out, right?” he asked Jon.

“Look she won’t be back I sent her somewhere else where she can’t talk but the pay is a lot better and she doesn’t have to strip down like this. So no she won’t talk. But all that one wanted was a raise and I got that for her so she shouldn’t have been threatening me at all. I should have a talk with her.” Jon said pissed.

“Jon no like I said Tico took care of it and she probably knows the deal anyways. So just leave it ok.” Richie told him.

“Fine but if she starts anything so help me Rich.” He told him finishing his drink.

The guys just tried to finish their drinks despite what Jon had learned but he just couldn’t relax now. Finally he excused himself and told them he was going back to the hotel to try and relax there where he wouldn’t be gawked at. Once Jon returned to the hotel he was too tired to call Ellie so he just went to bed. He would call her sometime tomorrow when he got the chance. Plus he had to see the mockup of the album cover. He just hoped it came out the way he wanted it too.