Chapter 5: Another Page off the Calendar (January 31- February 1, 1983)

Joe and Pam were slowly starting to get ready for bed after a big family meal. The kids were fast asleep, and Joe was really in the mood to think. By now, Pam had become well-aware of these moods: Joe would climb into bed and just start talking about life, and she learned to love these chats. “You know Pam, when I was a kid I never wanted to be a rock star or anything like that” sighed Joe. Pam just stared into his eyes, waiting for him to continue. “I really just wanted to be alone on a stage with my guitar and tell people stories, because that is what music is to me.” This chat ended up lasting over an hour and a half. The two lovers discussed their childhoods, families, love, and Joe always ended these chats with talking about just how beautiful he knew Pam was. She always wanted to open up his mind and go explore its fascinating landscapes, and maybe eventually reach the main frame and finally understand exactly how the gears worked inside of his mind. The truth is Joe did not even know how his mind worked, it often wandered and sometimes got lost, but he was always being guided by his dreams.

The next morning was Sunday, and everyone woke up feeling rejuvenated. This was quite odd, because mornings were usually hectic in Joe and Pam’s nest.  At breakfast, as Joe was eating cereal and talking to his kids, Pam received a call on the home phone, and regrettably told Joe it was his boss. He was called into work on a Sunday morning. “Well, it’s only a for a couple of hours,” muttered Joe, and he kissed his wife and slowly marched towards his car.

Once he was there, Joe quickly glanced at the clock. It was only 12:19 PM. Staring into the security monitor, he began to think about his chat with Pam the night before. Joe knew that he simply did not want to be at work. He thought his life always had a plan for him, but he never quite found it. All he knew was that who he was now, a Security Monitor at Rykes Securities, Inc, just was not right. Where was the passion in this job? Could he really sink his teeth into something so concrete and mundane? One thing that gave him comfort was knowing that he had a family. Maybe his work life was supposed to be boring just so he could provide for his family and find a spark there. This theory was okay for Joe and helped him get through the day, but he just knew something had to give with him finding his way in life through the sound of music. Just as he started to think, he noticed a single kid walk into the elevator with an acoustic guitar strapped onto his shoulder, and he was staring at the camera.

February 1, 1983, 12:20:00 PM

Joe didn’t think much of it. It was kind of a snap back to reality for Joe. Back to watching random souls walk through and elevator and stare at the doors. He thought the kid’s guitar was nice, but that the kid himself was just plain weird. He was holding up some words that all began with the letter "G," and Joe simply did not care. He drove home and decided to make dinner for Pam. There was a new tradition brewing in Joe’s house,  as every night  for the past few weeks Joe played for Pam after they ate dinner. Joe would sit down in the basement, Pam would bring down hot chocolate, and he would simply play. Staring into the neck of his guitar as he sang, he knew he was staring at one of the loves of his life.  After each song he would look up at Pam’s brown eyes of approval and he’d realize he is now looking at the other love of his life, and he simply could not get enough of these moments.

The night was coming to a close as Pam and Joe laid their heads on their pillows. Joe liked to think of their pillows as nets for their thoughts, and as the night would go on their pillows would catch their subconscious thoughts and ambitions and give them back a select few in the morning.