Coming home in January wasn't easy. I avoided my wife at all cost. Locking myself in our basement studio every single day. Some days I didn't even work I just watched Netflix , Amazon Prime, or Hulu on the computer. But Stevie also really try to approach me either. It was awkward. But I told myself that when Emmiline was born I wasn't going to leave. My wife and I weren't going to live separately. It fucked our older three up even though they won't admit it and I didn't want to do that to our fourth. She left though, in March. Didn't tell anyone where she was going, but literally, the morning after Noah's birthday party she was gone. I figured she went down to Hawaii to rehearse. They hired Mike Campbell and Neil Finn to replace me. Today would be Stevie's 70th birthday. However, she isn't answering her phone and she missed Emmeline's Birthday. In the whole twenty-two years of Emmeline's life, she has not missed one birthday and when Emmeline woke up and didn't get her Chocolate Chip and Banana Pancakes she started to sob. Sara shrugged it off and told her to suck it up. She's still bitter about HER birthday party forty years ago. 

Christine and John are getting in today. Emmeline and Carson are living with us. Carson is Fleetwood Mac's new Road manager. He's going back to Hawaii with John and Chris. Stevie is supposed to be coming as well but we'll see what happens.

Carson, Emmeline, and I were sitting on the couch when John and Christine walk into the house.

"Hello," Christine says hugging all of us.

It's been tense since I was fired but we're slowly working through it. Christine and John both made contact fairly quickly after the news broke and apologized profusely. Claiming that they had no part in it and Christine didn't even know until the article about my firing had been released. She called my cell phone almost immediately and asked me what the hell happened. 

"Momma was supposed to come." Emmeline sighs sadly, looking down at her hands. My baby girl is upset and I hate it. But I'm just as upset and I don't blame her one bit. 

"Baby girl, your mom says that she's in rehearsal mode and she doesn't' want to break it. It's just your album release party anyway." Christine says wrapping her arms around Emmeline.

Emmeline made it big in the music industry. She joined a band in college called Mickinley Dreams and they've done absolutely well. They released their first album second semester of freshman year and their second sophomore year. They released their third album at the end of her junior year and a fourth followed. They're on hiatus now as one of the members fell down the drug hole and checked herself into Rehab. Emmeline, however, is pulling a Stevie Nicks. She is putting out her first solo album. I knew it was coming. The moment that she joined a band that mimicked Fleetwood Mac. She's a Gemini, like her mother she can't sit still for long she has to be doing something and I knew that only three or four songs per album, like for her mother wouldn't be enough. 

"Oh...well, we should probably get going." Emmeline sighs.

"Let's drive separately. I'm not going to stay the whole time." I kiss her forehead.

"Are you sure?" She questions.

"I am. Just in case your mom changed her mind and took a late flight, I might even try to call her again later." I nod, my lips forming a straight line. 

Her parties great, but what I really want to do is leave. She makes it halfway through her set and I sneak out. When I get home, the first thing I do is go grab the alcohol in our kitchen. Jack Daniels. Stevie and I aren't heavy drinkers nowadays, she still likes her wine but our days of hard liquor are over. But, I've started depending on it more and more since she left in March. By the time I make it to our bedroom, I am seeing black dots. 

Walking into the house, I kick off my six-inch gold sparkly high heels. I'm five-five, I'm not horribly short but I still like to add a bit of oomph to my wardrobe. I scope the kitchen and the living room and I don't see my dad anywhere.

"Em, there's two empty bottles of Whiskey in here," John says from the kitchen. 

I look to Christine and we run up the stairs. My dad is passed out on his master bathroom floor. We sober him up and get him to sleep when I look to Christine.

"I don't think my mom answered any of his calls." I sigh wiping the tears from my eyes. 

"Oh, honey," Christine says wrapping her arms around me.

***

The next afternoon, my whole family joined us for dinner and we had a cake to celebrate. It was red velvet with a simple happy birthday written on it. It's mine and my mom's favorite and they were all expecting mom to be here. Dad's hungover, there's no question and he really didn't eat much of the dinner that Christine cooked. 

"Alright, Em...I am so not happy about this but it's the only thing that you wanted for your birthday." Dad says handing me an envelope. 

I expertly swipe my finger across the top and open it to a letter. 

You begged for a good two months and though I'm not happy, I obliged. You made a fair point. Your mother is seventy years old, Christine is Seventy-two, and John is Seventy-five. They aren't going to last forever and just like Prince, Tom Petty, and Glen Frey you never know when someone is going to pass away. I don't have them yet but we will soon be getting tickets for everyone. Then to make myself happy, we will be going to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame the following day. Make sure the 25th, 26th, 27th, and 28th of October are clear. I love you EmmyBelle, Happy Birthday. Love Daddy.

"We're going?" I ask.

"We are. However, you aren't getting backstage passes and you aren't sitting close at all." Dad glares.

"At least we're going." I smile.