Chapter 16 - On The Road Again

"That was a crazy day," said Sara thinking back. "Mum and dad were shocked at the original contract, but they would 'ave been flabbergasted if they knew of the bonus and second contract amounts."

Samantha laughed, "Yeah, fer sure. We signed fer more than a million dollars in one day. We couldn't believe that we'd ever been worth that much."

"Well, you are worth every penny," smiled Bob. "We have all made a lot of money on your talents."

"So did the sales of the combined album and the solo "Brennan Sisters" record go well?" asked Renee

"Better'n we could've ever dreamed," said Sara. "Sammi an' me recorded enough music in those first two months ta make three more records."

"Billy decided to dribble 'em out so that the sales didn't overlap," Sam said, "It was a brilliant strategy."

"Your oldies did move over, didn't they?" asked Tim.

"Oh yeah. It took 'em about six months ta get all of their affairs sorted, but they moved over," said Sam. "We 'ad already rented a house fer 'em, and when they finally got 'ere an' moved in, we were out on tour, so we didn't even see 'em fer another five weeks."

"By the time we got back, they were all settled in, and dad was already workin' on what kind of business ta do," said Sara with a chuckle, "Neither of 'em needed to work anymore, but dad's not the kind of person that c'n just sit."

"So did you send the amount of money you had decided?" asked Rebecca.

The band's kids were very interested in the two Australians' experiences because their lives had become so intertwined with their oldies.

"We sent more," said Sara, "an' we 'eard about it. Dad wasn't pleased that we 'ad depleted our funds, as he called it, but we still 'ad sent a lot less than the bonus we were given. We kept the whole bonus fer 'em but didn't tell 'em about it. Dad would have a fit if he knew."

"It made their move all that much easier," said Samantha. "Dad would 'ave stressed about the money they needed to spend. Just the packin' up an' shippin' of all of their 'ousehold goods was about twenty thousand Australian, so our money was well spent."

"Did he sell the restaurant in Perth?" asked Renee.

Nodding, Sara said, "Yeah. It was a real emotional trip fer 'im because 'e'd been doing it fer so many years. Even though it was a struggle most of the time, it represented 'is independence. It was 'ard for 'im to give it up."

"Did you start going on all of the tours?" asked Maria.

"No, we did go on yer oldies next tour," said Sam, "but we were busy for their next two doing our own tours. After our first release and the combo record with yer oldies, our demand was 'igh. We were bloody well shocked."

"We told you it would happen," said Bill smiling.

"Yeah ya did, but remember, we were fifteen and still very wet behind the ears," said Sam. "We were too young ta think about many of the things you just took care of fer us, an' our trust was always rewarded."

Heather smiled and said, "There was no way we were ever going to violate that trust, Sam. All of our dealings with you two have always been based on trust. We could have exploited you badly, and many would have, but that wasn't even a consideration."

"Quite honestly," noted Janell, "you were our first kids. You were instantly part of our family ... even if you did talk a bit funny."

Everyone laughed at the comment from Jan, but they all knew it was true, even the "Girls" real children. Sam and Sara had always been a big part of their own growing up. Kenny and Stephanie were the same age, so they were always hanging around. They were also included in all the schooling and other shenanigans the kids were involved in.

That was especially true when Sara and Samantha split with their spouses. The "Girls" immediately offered space at the Ranch, but it was a long while before the two Australians moved back in.

"Bill's strategy fer releasing our material was brilliant," said Sara. "Our first CD went out and got some mild interest. Three weeks later, 'e released the combo and suddenly everyone wanted ta know about the two young kids from Oz that 'ad played with 'These Girls C'n Play'."

"Yeah, that worked pretty well," smiled Bill. "It was exactly what we wanted, and it was exactly what Bob and I thought would happen. It's always nice when your ideas work the first time."

"When sales started to slow, we'd release a new one which would pique interest again," said Bob. "These two always had music in the can. They're very prolific writers, and I know everyone else has learned a lot about poetry and music from them."

The four women nodded their heads, "Getting your head into life is the most valuable lesson they taught us," said Maryanne. "If you listen to their original music, it's all about a hard life, but done with a ton of love and never a downer.

"Their home life was very austere, but they always wrote about their appreciation for what they had, not whining about what they didn't."

"We didn' know any better," said Sara. "It was the way it 'ad always been. We could see 'ow much we were loved and 'ow 'ard mum and dad worked fer all of us."

Bob nodded and said, "They didn't go crazy when they suddenly did have money. Their first thoughts were to give back, and that ranked very high on our list."

"Well, never 'avin' any, it was difficult to contemplate 'avin' a lot," said Sara. "There was never anything in my mind ta buy because there was never any money ta buy it. We always made the best of what we did 'ave and found joy in our life as it was, without worryin' about wha' we didn' 'ave."

"For us, there's always been money around," said Kylie, "but it wasn't flashed around. We weren't spoiled by it."

"And that was done purposely," said her mother. "We wanted all of you kids to have a sense of value. If we'd just given you everything, you would take everything for granted."

Kylie nodded along with the rest of the kids, "We know, momma, and we appreciate it because, like Sara and Sam, we appreciate what we have, knowing that not everyone has the advantages we've had."

Things were settling in the room, so it seemed like a good time to continue with the story since it wasn't quite over.

-----

It was an interesting Sunday morning when they all migrated down to the dining area for coffee and food. Sam and Sara were still shell-shocked from the happenings the day before but didn't seem to have come to grips with suddenly having enough money to live their fondest dreams.

"What's on the agenda for today?" asked Bob, sipping his coffee. "Yesterday was kind of a flyer. We didn't get out for anything other than Maccas."

There were laughs around the room, and everyone seemed to be thinking about what to do for the day. It was a day off, though Bill left for the Playground as soon as he finished eating. It was common for him to do that, and Maryanne just gave a smile.

"If we don't go anywhere today," said Maryanne, "you might want to go up to the Playground with Bill, Chelly. He's going to work on mixing the final master for the new album."

Chelly looked at her and smiled. "I should probably do that anyway, whether we decide to go somewhere or not. It's always fun working with Bill. He can be so gullible."

Maryanne laughed, "You can intimidate him, Chell. Your ear hears things he doesn't. You could make shit up and drive him crazy."

"I couldn't do that, Annie," said Michelle seriously. "Billy works hard to make our stuff sound good, and we have a trust between us. I would never want to violate that trust by playing mindfuck with him."

"You two work really well together," said Annie. "Jan too. You two have learned the craft well. Don't ever tell him I told you, but he's proud of you two. He loves it when he shows someone how to engineer and mix, and they get it.

"It's an art, and not everyone can do it," Annie continued. "Shit, I'm a perfect example. It's not something I'll ever be really good at. I'll play any instrument you can put in front of me, but don't ask me to mix the music. I just don't hear it the way all you guys do."

Michelle picked up her coffee cup and, with a smile, headed for the door on her way to the Playground. What Bill played last night was a pretty good mix, so it was just the fine-tuning, and Chelly was great at that.

"What say we stick around the house today," said Bob. "If Chelly comes up with a need for a fill, we can just do it. It's a day off, but hey, I love my work."

Everyone nodded in agreement.

Sara asked, "C'n we use the fill room to do some writin'?"

"Absolutely," said Bob and Heather at the same time. "You two are very talented writers."

"Can Jan and me come with you?" asked Annie, "or would it be too distracting."

"I don' think it would be too distractin'," said Sam, "'ow about we tell ya if it is?"

"Perfect," said Jan. "If you toss us out, we won't take it personally. I think we just want to see your process. Even though Annie doesn't usually put music to our stuff, it may be easier to write if you can sing along with the words."

"Yeah, we just write the words, then we let Hey and Chelly worry about figuring out the music."

In a few minutes, Bob and Heather were left alone in the dining room. "So much for a day off," laughed Heather. "I'm really curious what Ralph and Ruth are thinking."

Bob smiled and said, "They're going to crap their pants when they see their bank balance after tomorrow.

"Their daughters are an amazing pair," he said. "It's so refreshing to see them grow musically in just the days they've been here. They're totally into the process, and both of them learn very quickly."

"And the money didn't go to their heads," said Heather. "What time is Jerrad supposed to be here?"

"Oh shit, I'd forgotten all about Jerrad coming today. I figured it's Sunday, so nothing would be happening. He'll be here about three, so everyone has about six hours to work and play in the Playground."

"You and Bill or Terri need to be with them when Jerrad explains things," said Heather. "He's good at explaining so that people can understand, but they've never had money before, so what he's talking about might be as overwhelming to them as all day yesterday."

"We'll make sure they have a proper advisory committee," chuckled Bob, "and you should probably be there too because you had experience trying to manage things before we all got together."

"Yeah, but I didn't have to think about it all that much because dad had things set up for me before they died. It's a good thing too because I was a basket case for a long time after the accident."

Bob nodded. He was well aware of the pain that Heather had gone through losing her parents. It had been a long road helping her adjust and deal with her grief.

It was silent for a moment while Heather reflected. She came back to the room and smiled, saying softly, "I still miss them."

Bob took her hand and, squeezing it softly, said, "I know you do, honey, but you don't dwell on it anymore, and that's a good thing."

Heather got a sad smile on her face and nodded. "It took us a long time to get there, and I'll be forever grateful for you and Chelly's patience with me."

Bob smiled. He remembered all the times he'd had to tell her that grief was not a bad thing but allowing it to consume you was. She had been very close to her mother and father, and their loss had nearly killed her.

Chelly popped into the house for a second. "We need you for a quick fill, Hey. Jan too, where is she?"

"They're all up in the fill room. Sam and Sara wanted some time to write, so Annie and Jan went up with them. They wanted to observe how the twins do it."

"Oh. Okay, so they're already there. Cool, I won't disturb them. The fills are short; she missed a stroke in one, and we want to try something in another.

"For you, we want one slight correction and a couple of ideas on a switch up. Sam and Sara will have to review it with us because it's their music, and even though they gave us license, it's still theirs. It's the courteous thing to do."

Heather nodded, "It shouldn't be a problem, Chelly. We can do it after dinner. Jerrad will be here at three, so I figured you, Jan and Annie can roust up some dinner while we're working with the girls on what to do with their money."

"I think they'll go with Jerrad," said Chelly. "He's actually perfect for them because they don't have to think about anything, and at this point in their lives, those kinds of things need to remain fairly simple.

"It gets complicated enough as time goes on," laughed Chelly, "there's no need to rush it."

Chelly went back to the Playground to let Bill know the schedule. When he found out they were already in the fill room, the two of them snuck down and went into the booth, hoping nobody would see them.

Bill turned the recorder on to record the writing session, and then the two of them sat back in the shadows to observe.

It was an interesting process to watch. One of the twins would just play, and while she was playing, they'd put some kind of words to the music. Once they had put down the words and had the melody in their heads, they worked on refining the music.

They weren't kidding; it took about thirty minutes to write a complete song and get the music on a score sheet. The girl that wasn't playing the music would write everything down, including the basic chord sequence, and from that, they'd work on the scoring.

Annie went down to playroom number three and picked up one of the acoustic guitars sitting there and brought it to the fill room, and quietly sat back into the chair she had been occupying.

In short order, the twins had five new songs written and scored. Annie hadn't planned on it, but when they got done with the five, they asked her to play along with them. Before they started, Sara went down to room three and grabbed her acoustic bass.

The three of them played the music while all four sang the words. By the time Heather made the lunch call, four of the five had been knocked out to where they were satisfied with the overall sound.

Chelly and Bill would work on them later. It wasn't going to be a releasable work, but it would give them an idea of what it sounded like while first developing the music.

It was a light late lunch, but that had been done on purpose. When it was over and cleaned up, there were only about thirty minutes until Jarred got there, and as Bob noted, he was always early.

True to form, Jerrad knocked at the door about two forty-five. Bob greeted him with a smile and thanked him for coming out on a Sunday.

"It's not a big thing, Bob," said Jerrad. "The only thing I'd be doing otherwise is watching sports, and for the most part, that's pretty bloody boring."

"Come on in," said Bob, "I've got some people here I'd like you to meet."

Since the dining area was the impromptu office, they migrated in that direction and found Heather, Terri, Sam, and Sara, sitting around, chinwaggin'.

Introductions made Jerrad set about doing what he does. The twins listened intently and asked some pretty intelligent questions, considering. It was apparent they had very little financial knowledge, but they'd never needed it before.

One of the questions Sara asked was about moving expenses. She wanted to know if the cost of moving their parents would have any positive effects at tax time. She added the caveat that their things would be moved along with all the other household goods.

So, they talked about the ramifications of all those options, but the bottom line was probably not.

Heather was there to ask questions as well. She knew the girls well enough that she knew some of the things that would concern them, but they wouldn't know how to articulate. It all worked to everyone's advantage because, in the end, the girls decided to have Jerrad manage their accounts.

Jerrad advised that at some point, they might want to incorporate the way the girls had done. It would protect their assets and be advantageous for taxes, but at the moment, they just needed to get things set up.

"Ya mean if we form a business, we'll be employees jus' like all of the band?" asked Sara.

Jerrad nodded and said, "Yes. You would both be on the board of directors, perhaps co-chairs, and you would contract with yourselves for tours, shows, or any other related business. The income would go into the business, and you would draw a paycheck from the business. I would recommend that you take a couple of business courses down at the college, so you better understand all the options."

"We 'aven't even finished 'igh school yet," laughed Samantha. "We 'aven't thought far enough ahead ta think about finishin' school 'ere in the US."

"We'll talk about that," said Bob. "Right now, we need to worry about getting your finances in order."

Both nodded, and the paperwork to set up each of the girls' accounts was done, signed, and ready to accept monies.

"Now," Jerrad said. "I have to tell you I am not an expert in Australian tax law, so what I am saying here is after a bit of study and a very long phone call to one of my friends in Oz. She happens to be a tax accountant, and she's presently in Perth, so it should be germane to you."

"Germane means that it applies to you," said Heather quickly.

Nodding, Jerrad continued, "To the best of our understanding, you are here on permanent visas. In other words, they won't expire, forcing you to return to Australia. Because they are permanent, you do not have any tax liability there in Oz, but you now have tax responsibilities in the US.

"I can tell you, from talking to Jane in Perth, you are much better off here. Because of the dollar amounts, your age, and the fact you have nothing to offset any Australian taxation, your rate would most likely be close to 50%."

Both Sara and Sam's eyes bulged in shock. They'd have to pay half of their money to the government if they went back.

"After all of your deductible expenses, I would estimate that your rate here in the US will hover somewhere near 20%, which is a bit higher than most Americans pay, but you are in a high income bracket for this year. We'll figure out some ways to save you money, like deferred deposits."

Sara looked at him, asking, "Wha's deferred deposits?"

"Deferred deposits would spread your money acquisition over several years rather than getting it all at once. For instance, you have contracted for around $575,000 each, not including the bonus, but if you take $100,000 this year and depending on what we can work out, perhaps $250,000 next year, your overall tax liability would be much less because your actual "earned income" would be less. There are ways that we can manipulate your money so you won't have to give so much of it to the government," Jerrad said with a smile.

"I hope that we can lower your rate to less than 15%, but that may take a couple of years. You're young, so there are tons of options open that we'll talk about over the next six or eight months."

Both of the girls nodded and whispered, "Thank you, Jerrad."

Jerrad smiled at them and said, "It's my job."

Bob gave Jerrad instructions on moving the contracted money into the girls' accounts from the Corporation's funds. Just split it in half and put half in each account depending on your deferral schedule, if that's what you're going to do. You know how to set up all of that, so just do what's best for the girls."

When they wired the money to Ralph and Ruth, it would come from the corporation's accounts and be deducted from the girls' bonus. Another piece of the shell game being played.

They set up a separate account for the bonus to keep track and make sure it went to Ralph and Ruth over time. Because of how it was set up, there would be little or no tax liability for the twins.

Jerrad gave both of the girls their account numbers and let them know that they'd be getting a bankcard in the mail here at the house in a few days. Then they would have a way to make withdrawals from the liquid funds.

"Withdrawals?" asked Sara, "fer what?"

Bob looked at them and laughed. "So you have money in your pocket, sweetie," he said, chuckling. "You already owe me for the Maccas."

Sara blushed, "Yeah, damn straight."

To Jerrad's questioning look, Bob said, "Maccas is Strine for McDonald's. They conned us into going down to Mickey D's last night for dinner by offering to buy.

"We told their oldies they wouldn't need cash because we'd take care of money while they were here. We haven't gone out anywhere yet, so we haven't needed to give them any money, which means they have no cash money.

"When we went out last night, I gave them a short-term, no-interest loan," Bob said with a grin.

Bob gave Jerrad the money transfer details, copies of the contracts, and Ralph's bank information for the wire transfer. Bob told him that he might want to verify with the bank in Perth that the numbers are correct.

Sometimes the banks get processes mixed up depending on how the questions were asked and it had been a help desk answering. Bob didn't think Ralph had ever done any kind of wire transfer before, so it might be prudent to verify things.

Jerrad nodded and said it would be reasonably easy to check. They probably wouldn't give him account number information, but they'd confirm the routing number.

"I'll ask to see if they'll verify since I have a tax ID number," said Jerrad. "We'll get it all done, and I'll call you when it's complete."

Bob thanked him and made sure he knew he was welcome to stay for dinner. The girls had nearly finished the preparations. When the business was completed, the occupants were shooed away from the table.

"Go play the girl's record for Jerrad, and we'll call you when it's ready," said Jan. "Shouldn't be more than fifteen or twenty minutes."

Jerrad was duly impressed with the girl's music and, after dinner, left to arrange all of the transfers he'd need to do in the morning.

Everyone went up to the Playground after dinner to play the fills that Chelly wanted to hear. While Chelly was working on that, Bill worked on the writing session, getting the final versions they recorded and then burned to a CD.

He'd surprise them later.

It took Chelly about two hours to get her quick changes finished and mixed in. The master for their next album was finished. Bill would be sending out the twin's solo master in the morning. Then they'd hold back on the combined for about three weeks before they put it out to manufacturing.

It was hoped that people would hear and wonder about the solo record, then rush out and get it once they listened to the twins play with "These Girls Can Play". It would be publicized loudly that the "Brennan Sisters" had written all of the music the "Girls" had recorded for this latest album.

Once everyone was back in the house, Bill put on the new disc he'd made and played the writing session to everyone's surprise.

"I didn't know you guys were recording that," said Maryanne.

"We weren't," said Chelly, "but since we were in the Playground and you were writing in the fill room, we decided to put the recorder on to see what came out."

Bob looked at the twins and said, "This is new stuff you just came up with?"

Sara nodded and said, "Yeah, we were just brainstormin'."

Maryanne laughed, "Brainstorming isn't a word I'd use, but you have to know, in the three or so hours we were in the fill room, these guys wrote five new songs and got them scored with the lyrics. What you hear on the disc is when they asked Jan and me to sing along with them. I got an acoustic, and Sara went to get her bass.

"What you are listening to is the first play through so we could hear what it sounded like with all of us together."

"Sounds pretty damned good if you ask me," said Heather. "I can't believe you guys can just bat them out like that."

Maryanne nodded and said, "It was interesting to watch their method. I think Jan and me should consider doing something similar, but if we do, when we bring it to you, it will already have some level of a musical idea to it."

"I don't think Hey or me would worry too much about that, Annie," said Chelly. "It would give us an idea of where you wanted it to go when you wrote it, instead of us just trying to make the music fit with your words."

Then she added, "Maybe me and Hey should take a look and see if we can all do it that way."

Samantha told them, "That's pretty much 'ow we do it. When either of us 'as something in mind, we sing it along with the music. It almost writes itself. Usually, we work together, but sometimes we need ta be alone because we're both coming up with different things at the same time."

"We each 'ave a small tape recorder, so we c'n get the words and the music down right when we think of 'em. Then we work together on refining what we've started," said Sara. "It 'as always worked well."

"Yeah, I'd say so," laughed Bob, "you have a lot of things already done. We'll try to get them in the can little by little, so we can keep to a regular release schedule, which will keep your name constantly in front of the public for as long as possible."

"You'll have to do some promotional tours at some point, but we'll worry about that in a few months," said Bill.

Both Sara and Samantha looked at him and shook their heads.

Looking at each other, Sam whispered, "Do ya believe this is 'appening ta us?"

-----

"So, as they say, the rest is history," said Bob. "Everything we did was to maximize their exposure and sell their records."

"An' sell they did," said Sam, "we 'ad a release schedule fer the first three years of at least one album every eight or nine months. There was always somethin' in the can, so Billy would just compile it for a master, we'd sign the contract, and out it would go."

"Did you start touring with the band," asked Renee

"Yeah, we did when we weren't busy," said Sam. "We were a part of the first tour after signing. Then fer the next two, Bill 'ad us scheduled out on our own tours, pushin' our records.

"Jilly came along with us after a couple outings. Bill set 'er up ta do our engineerin', producin', an' managin'," added Sara, "an' as it turned out, she was even more 'ard nosed than Billy on the management side. We loved it. Jilly's rippah!"

"Did touring with them help your sales?" asked Samantha.

"Oh yeah," replied Sam. "We got instant recognition. The combination CD was flying off the shelves, and after about two weeks, our first one was doing the same. I can' believe 'ow much we made on that first album."

"We've never looked back," added Sara.

"So after you did your sixth record, did you think about looking at other labels?" asked Kylie.

"Why the 'ell would we do that?" laughed Sam. "When you're on a good gravy train, make sure ya don' fall off."

"TGP is the only label we'll ever record for," noted Sara.

"Dad said you guys are still touring sometimes," said Rebecca. "Don't you get tired of it?"

"We just do small stuff these days," said Sara. "Nothing ta burn ourselves over. With the mates and ankle-biters at 'ome, we needed to be around more. It's not like we needed any more money."

Sam looked at her sister and said, "And now that the blokes are gone and the ankle biters grown, we just do it for fun. We still enjoy entertainin'."

"Oh, then you, Kenny, and Steph would consider coming on a west coast tour with us?" asked Timmy.

Both Sara and Samantha looked at him with a grin. He didn't quite know how to read the looks, but they didn't jump right out and immediately say no. They both knew that Timmy and Maria had a thing for their two young ones.

"When is it, Timmy?" asked Sara.

"I think we have a tour in the north, and then one that kind of hits the Midwest, and then one on the west coast, so it's probably a good six months."

"When the time comes closer, give us a call," said Sara. "It might be fun. We 'aven't gone on a 'real tour' in a few years, and we really enjoyed 'em, so we might just do that with ya."

The youngsters were shocked. They'd expected an immediate no, but the Brennan Sisters left the door wide open.

"Shocked ya, didn' it?" laughed Samantha. "Tha's not the answer ya expected."

"Honestly, no," said Tim, seriously. "It's not the answer we expected. We'd be honored if you would tour with us. All the oldies are with us on all the tours so far, so maybe you can all do a set like the old days."

Sara looked at Heather, then at Bob, seeing raised eyebrows. That's not something they'd considered either.

Bill smiled and said, "If you do it right, you can each come out with a live album ... just some food for thought."

"Well, mates, as 'ard as it is ta leave ya, it's time for us to 'ead back down the 'ill," said Sara. "No tellin' what trouble the ankle biters will get into if we don' get 'em outta 'ere."

"They're not ankle biters anymore, Sara," said Heather, "Shit, Kenny's almost nineteen already."

"Don' remind me," said Samantha. "Nothin' will make ya feel older than yer young'uns."

"No shit?" said Janell. "Mine's twenty-two. How do you think that makes me feel?"

"Real old," said Sara, with an evil grin.

"Get out of here," laughed Janell, popping up to hug the twins.

"You know you are still welcome to move back in here with us?" said Michelle.

Both of the girls smiled and nodded. "Yeah, and at some point, we'll probably do that, but fer now Kenny and Stephie keep things 'oppin'. We suspect they'll be walkin' soon," said a grinning Sara, looking at their two with Maria and Tim.

"Well, the offer is always on the table," said Bob.

With all the hugs and see-ya-laters done, Sara and Samantha took their two old ankle biters, made it out to their car, and down the road. It wasn't all that far because they both shared a very large custom made duplex they'd had built a lot of years ago.

After they were gone, Bob looked around at the oldies in the room and said, "Do you believe those two are almost forty now?

"It seems like yesterday they were fifteen and so innocent. I'll never forget the looks on their faces when we told them we were going to pay them for their music."

"Ralph's still running the Deli in town with Ruthie," said Maryanne, "Neither has to work anymore, but they're not even talking about retiring yet."

"The girls have always taken good care of them," said Heather. "They're as devoted to their oldies as their oldies are devoted to them."

Then with a chuckle, "I can't believe we've all picked up that term."

"Oldies," said Maryanne with a laugh, "it's so descriptive."

"They've never gone crazy with the money, which isn't to say they haven't spent it when they wanted," said Bob.

"They grew up with next to nothing, watching their oldies working their asses off without being able to get very far ahead, so when they were presented with the opportunity, there was no real hesitation."

"No, and their first thoughts were Ralph and Ruth," noted Bill softly.

"The next tour included the White House," said Tim, "and they performed with you?"

"Yeah, it was kind of a shocker for them because it was the first show of the tour," chuckled Heather. "It was their first show doing their music alone."

"How did that all go?" asked Tim.

"It went great. The president was very gracious with us. Despite his politics, he was a very nice man.

"We did two and a half sets and the standard encore," said Heather. "Sam and Sara joined us for the entire encore because we played one of their tunes before jumping into our usual three."

"I'll tell you what, though," said Michelle, "the White House appearance was a royal pain in the ass."

"Huh?" blurted Renee, "How come?"

"Fucking security checks, Secret Service bullshit, slipping in the back door ... It was just a really big hassle.

"AND having two non-Americans touring with us made it even worse because they had to be triply checked," continued Chelly. "It didn't matter that they were sixteen-year-old girls, barely sixteen at that. They were potential assassins or spies.

"I am in total agreement with providing security, but they take it to a level that is stupid."

"Sweetie, they just don't take any chances, and their procedures are consistent. We were treated like any other Joe would be treated in that proximity to the president and his family," said Bob. "I didn't expect any special treatment just because we were entertainers."

"It was stupid, Bobby. I'll just leave it at that."

"So they did all the background checks and the like?" asked Renee.

"Yup. They went through our instruments as if they expected to find some kind of explosives. The works," said Janell. "They even wanted me to take the second skins off of my drums to make sure there wasn't anything inside.

"We were sitting around chinwaggin' with the president when they came in with that one. The president looked at the Secret Service dude and told him to forget it. They weren't going to be dismantling our instruments."

"I thought the guy was going to have a conniption," said Maryanne, "his face turned all red, and he was going to say something but refrained. I could tell he wasn't happy. Fucking president was the only one in the whole bunch that had any common sense whatsoever."

"The rest of 'em were just a bunch of robotic dickheads," said Heather.

"So how many people were there? What kind of stage did they set up for you?" asked Kylie.

"There were a few hundred of his closest friends," Bill laughed. "They have a small amphitheater in the White House, so that's where we played. Acoustically it wasn't all that bad, but we had to keep the volume under control because it was so small."

"Did you record it?" asked Maria.

"Maria, what are you thinking?" asked her mother. "Of course, we recorded it. We released a "The Girls and the Brennan Sisters, Live at the White House" album about six weeks after we got back from that tour."

"Oh, that's right," said Maria. "You guys have done so many albums, momma. It's hard to keep track of them all."

"How did Sam and Sara do on that first tour?" asked Billy.

"They did great," said Heather, "couldn't have been better."

"When we came to the end of the first set, we introduced the two of them and gave people a brief, 'We found these two in Perth, Australia and couldn't help taking them in'," said Janell. "The crowd was as enthusiastic for them as they were for us. We got longer breaks than normal because we told them to go ahead and play twenty to thirty minutes."

"They took to touring like a duck to water," said Chelly, "which is probably why they still tour."

"Not as much as they used to, but they do go out," said Bill. "They seem to enjoy small clubs these days. You know a few hundred people and a small stage."

"It's a more intimate setting," said Maryanne, "and they enjoy that closeness. It also suits their music and style. They both still play acoustically unless they're on a big stage, then they plug 'em in."

"I can't believe they said they might play with us," said Kylie. "That is so totally cool."

Looking at Tim and Maria, Heather said, "And they'll probably bring Kenny and Stephanie with them, so we'll have to keep a close eye on Timmy and Maria."

Both blushed but didn't say anything. Like Kylie and Billy, they didn't hide their relationships.

Since Bill had taken them on the first couple of tours before Jilly took over, he decided to fill in some tour tidbits.

"When we all took off for their first 'Brennan Sisters' tour, it was similar to your first one," Bill said. "We started in San Francisco for two, then two each in Seattle, San Diego, LA and finished in Las Vegas.

"The crowds fell in love with them in Vegas," he continued. "If they had wanted to, they could have signed to play Vegas exclusively for a couple of years."

"So why didn't they?" asked Tim.

"They didn't want to be stuck in one place that long. They lived here in Willits and had no hankering to move to Vegas, which is what they would have had to do with that kind of contract.

"They also wanted to tour the country," added Bill. "Being from Australia, it was a foreign country to them, so they played tourist at every stop just like you guys did on the "Around the World" tour. I was able to go with them and show them things they wouldn't have seen otherwise."

"Once Ralph and Ruth got here and settled, they began to come on some of the tours and played tourist with everyone.

"When their oldies arrived, both of the girls moved back in with them."

"It made us all kind of sad," said Janell, "We'd gotten used to them being around all the time. We all knew that it was going to happen sooner or later, and we knew it was the absolute right thing to do."

"So when did Jilly take them on?" asked Rebecca.

"Jilly signed with them for the third tour. The "Girls" had a tour to do, and Maryanne wasn't all that happy that I was gone for five or six weeks at a stretch. I don't blame her because I missed her too."

"Couldn't Momma just come along with you?" asked Kylie.

"She had rehearsals and planning for their tours, sweetie. She'd find us and fly in for a few days," he said with a smile, "but she had to go back to practice.

"You know Uncle Bob ... he's a fucking slave driver."

Everyone laughed loudly because they knew Bob was serious about the music and kept their noses to the grindstone, but it was usually the ladies who were busting his ass.

"Yeah, you know me. Captain Bligh cracking the whip," laughed Bob. "If they were late to rehearsal, I'd make 'em walk the plank. Arghh matey, shiver me timbers ..."

Everyone was laughing heartily while Bob went through his pirate routine.

Bill continued, "It turned out that the twins really got along well with Jilly, so I just told her to sign with the ladies and be done with it.

"I love the girls, and I love Jilly. I'm certainly not going to get in the way of synergy like that. The three of them just clicked ... Same way all of you and I clicked."

"They came along with us when they weren't touring. It happened quite a bit, so we were happy. We were even happier that they were growing with their music."

"They came to the Playground right after each tour and laid down some new tracks, so Billy and Jilly had things to work with. They are such prolific writers they were doing songs for themselves and us," said Maryanne.

"Yeah, it kind of took the pressure off of us in our writing, so we matured as well," she continued. "We were putting so much pressure on ourselves to come up with new stuff that it was blocking the creative juices.

"They would come in, and a couple of hours later, we'd all have some songs hammered out. We learned a lot from those two."

With a heavy sigh, Michelle said, "By the time they were twenty they had both found a guy and married them. Both of them got pregnant about the same time, so for a couple of years, they didn't tour, but they'd spend a lot of time up here in the Playground."

"Like everything else in their lives, the two guys they hooked were gems for a long time. They did the same to them as I did with Terri," said Janell.

"What did you do to Terri?" asked Renee.

"They dated anonymously," said Samantha. "Terri didn't know who mom was until she had to go on a tour. She had to explain why she'd be gone for six weeks."

Terri laughed, "I about shit when she told me. I couldn't believe it, but then when Bob and I met, and he hired me to take care of the accounting and licensing, it was perfect."

"The girls dated these two guys who never knew who they were until their second tour," chuckled Jan. "They explained off the first one without creating any suspicion, so the guys were waiting for them with flowers when they came back.

"By the second tour, both had proposed, and Sara and Sam had accepted, so they took their men on the next tour. I guess they had the same kind of reaction that Terri had."

"Unfortunately," Chelly lamented, "like a lot of things in life, there were pressures that caused them to drift apart, and they split up, but at least they were amicable splits.

"Their mutual interests had changed over time and weren't harmonious any longer. They all recognized it, talked about it, and decided that going their own ways was the best way to deal with it."

"They ended up paying the guys a bunch of money, but they kept the kids," said Bill. "The money wasn't that much, all things considered, but it was enough to make the two guys happy."

"How come you guys dated like that?" asked Maria.

Jan answered, "I've talked to the two of them, and we all had essentially the same reasons for not letting our dates know who we were.

"We wanted love to happen because of us, not what we did. Too many gold diggers out there will play you just for money. Harold fell in love with Sara, and Dennis fell in love with Samantha for who they were as people, not as entertainers."

"They were just a couple of chicks that talked weird," laughed Heather.

"It was the same with Terri and me," Jan said, looking at her SO. "Not knowing made things more special, more meaningful, and the relationship just blossomed. It's the best way."

"I found a gold-digger," said Chelly ruefully. "He was a really nice guy, said all the right things, made all the right moves, but when he found out the checkbook was closed, he headed out for greener pastures.

"My red flags had already been rising. The little voice was screaming at me, so I was already on my guard. I don't know what it was, but even with all the right stuff, there was just something that didn't sit right."

"That's a lesson for all you kids," said Heather. "When you find a man or a woman in your lives, be sure it's not a love of what you do or your money. Make sure it's because of who you are."

They didn't have many worries about the guys. It was apparent that Kylie and Billy were going to be a couple. They'd hung out all of their lives, and the devotion each showed to the other was pure.

Tim and Maria were a little different story. There was an obvious strong attraction there, but they were so much alike that there were some intense clashes.

Chelly and Maryanne worked with them on accepting differences without having to come out on top every time. Agree to disagree and move on. Life's too short to spend it arguing over petty bullshit.

In the end, it was up to the two kids to sort things out, and the parents left well enough alone. Then it turned out both were sweet on the twin's kids.

Once those pairings were mostly settled, Tim and Maria became the best of friends and extremely close.

The other three were a mystery, but it was none of their business, so the oldies didn't pry. It would be what it would be.

"I like them," said Renee of their Australian friends. "They've always been like cousins or aunts."

"As long as you don't start talking like them," said Heather with a laugh.

"Don't get them started," laughed Bob, "they all speak the Strine yabber nearly as well as Sara and Sam."

"It's been long enough now that I can understand most of it," said Janell.

Nods all around said that the two Aussies had worn off on all of them. It was hard not to be caught up in their energy.

Life to them was a big adventure, and they took it by the tail, shook it vigorously, and lived it fully.

-----

Switching gears, the conversation migrated to another of the multitudes of road trips.

The second visit to Chicago was a completely different experience than the first. When Bill booked it, he went right to the promoter who offered them Wrigley Field the first time. It had been such a positive experience after what had happened downtown, Bill didn't consider any other options.

They were only going to do one show on this trip, but the stadium was a complete sellout. In the end, there weren't even any standing room tickets left.

The royal treatment started the minute Sarah and Frank put the jet on the runway at O'Hare. This time, they had the Brennan Sisters along, so it would be a little different kind of show, but it was still "These Girls Can Play".

When they got to the hotel and checked in, they already had a message from the promoter. He was just checking in to make sure everything was as it needed to be.

Bill talked to him for about twenty minutes, making sure they had all their ducks in a row. Bill said they would be there the next afternoon to set up.

He asked if the electricians would be there for this setup and was assured they'd be there to assist. What a refreshing change from the intransigent criminal element downtown that would be losing a few million dollars in revenue because of their attitudes.

-----

"Have you ever had Chicago style pizza," Heather asked the twins.

"No. What's the difference from any other pizza," asked Sara.

"Most Chicago style pizza is like a deep dish. It's great, so we'll go to Giordano's, and get stuffed pizza," said Hey.

"Stuffed? What's it stuffed with?" asked Sara.

"Cheese, meats, whatever you order. We can even get it at home because they'll ship them to the house," laughed Heather.

"Really? 'oly shit, that's amazing. Sounds ripper ta me," said Samantha.

Since Heather decided they were going for pizza, she decided to announce it to the rest. Bill was just finishing his conversation with the Wrigley promoter, so everyone was freed up to go.

"Dinner tonight at Giordano's, be there or be square," said Heather loudly.

"Ooo, Giordano's. Great idea, Hey, I love their veggie stuffed," replied Maryanne.

"I like the meat stuffed," chuckled Bill. "We're going to have to check out the shipping so we can get their pizza at the house. We already do take and bake, so ..."

"The menu is too limited," noted Heather. "It's better to fly into Chicago and get it at the source."

In short order, they were all heading down to the street after calling the limo to pick them up. They already told the limo people where they were going, so the driver stopped for them in front. They all piled in, and less than ten minutes later, they were in Giordano's, trying to stay anonymous and waiting for a huge table to sit.

The pizzas took some time to make and bake, so they ordered their three pizzas straight away. By the time they were seated, they only had to wait for a few minutes before the cooked pies made it to the table.

It was a party atmosphere while they pigged out on great Chicago pizza and soaked up a couple pitchers of soda. The twins were amazed at the pizza. They ate four slices each, which was twice what anyone else could even think of eating. It was obvious they were enjoying their American experience.

Bill talked to them about the politics in Chicago, letting them know that either he or Jilly would book them into Wrigley if possible because the people downtown are so corrupt.

When he explained what had happened, they looked at him as if he'd grown that third eye again.

"They wanted bloody money, for plugin' in a power cord?" asked Sara, completely shocked.

Bill nodded, "Yeah if you plug it in yourself, you're depriving some slug of his job."

"Slug," said Sam, "no shit. That's the stupidest thing I ever 'eard of, and believe me, I may be young, but I've 'eard some pretty stupid stuff."

Everyone laughed, nodding their heads vigorously. The only city they ever had any kind of problem with was Chicago. Every city used union labor in their event houses, but there was always an agreement that the electricians would assist in doing cabling if requested and would provide power. The roadies, along with Bill, would usually run all of their wiring and cabling. Most of the time, the union guys would assist in running the wires everywhere. They were being paid whether they were sitting in the stands or helping with the cabling. A few were true stereotypical slugs that sat in the stands laughing about making money for nothing. Still, the majority were having a blast helping the roadies, and they were learning another avenue of the trade to boot.

They all hung around the pizzeria for a couple of hours, chinwaggin' but watching to make sure they weren't causing anyone to have to wait in line for a table. They had arrived when the rush was in process, so they had to wait, but there were some empty tables right now, so they didn't feel rushed.

They finally wound things up and headed back to the hotel to get some shuteye before setting things up and doing a soundcheck tomorrow and show day. The roadies were already in the house sleeping. They had a long day ahead of them.

The band and the twins arrived on Friday afternoon at about three, and by that time, almost everything was already in place and set to go. They sat in the stands watching things happening, but they couldn't hide from Bill.

When he noticed they were sitting there, he asked if they wanted to do a quick preliminary check. Well, of course, the girls wouldn't say no, so they all made it down to the stage. Each took up their instruments and made sure it made noise. Then Bill started with the instructions.

It took about an hour and a half for everyone to get somewhat balanced, and it would be re-checked tomorrow before the show. They decided to play for a little while, and with the "Brennan Sisters" participating, they did about fifteen songs before calling it a wrap. They set the instruments in their stands and headed out for some eats.

When they got up the following day, the adrenalin was already flowing for the two young Australians. They were already seasoned veterans of the stage and were pumped for every show.

Showtime was in a few hours, but before that, a final sound balance was needed, so they all headed out to Wrigley Field after lunch to do the last bit, then hit the dressing room to wait.

Bill was sitting in his seat while the bunch got their instruments ready for the soundcheck. Heather started to play something to check tune, and Bob and Janell began to play it with her. Before anyone knew what was happening, Chelly and Maryanne were jamming with them on the keyboards.

Since it was a blues number, Maryanne stopped on the keyboards, picked up one of the saxophones, and began to wail away. The twins had their instruments, and while Sam began to play along, Sara grabbed her acoustic bass and began to pick up the bass line. Between she and Bob, it was quite a bass exhibition. Later it would be Sara and Maryanne.

They probably played the number for about fifteen minutes; you know how the blues can go. Each of the girls, including the twins, sang improvised lyrics. They all broke into a chorus piece, and the two youngsters picked right up and sang the chorus line all by themselves.

When they were done with it, they looked around and blushed, realizing they were the only ones that had picked up the chorus. However, it didn't slow them down, and everyone just kept right on going until Jan did her extra beat signal telling them they needed to finish up.

As if they had been playing and practicing this number for years, it all came to a coordinated end, with everyone breaking out into laughter because they'd had a lot of fun just whipping it out.

Bill called down on the monitors and said, "Okay. You've had your fun now. Can we get down to the mic check? I balanced the instruments while you were gallivanting."

Maryanne, Jan, Chelly, Heather, and Bob all together looked up at him and flew him a bird, shocking Sam and Sara but making them laugh at the action.

Heather looked at them and said, "Next time, you'll know what to do."

Then before anything else was communicated down from Bill, Jan just said, "Stairway."

She gave everyone a few seconds to step to their microphones and then clicked the time. On the fourth beat, the entire group, including the twins, started doing the a cappella version of Stairway to Heaven. Bill just shook his head and worked the board to balance the microphones using the song.

When they finished to rousing applause from all of those assembled, Bill told them, "If the sound is fucked up for the show, it's you guys fault. I did the best I could, given the circumstances."

"After all that, if the sound is fucked up for the show, we'll be looking for a new sound man," laughed Bob.

This time it was Bill's finger that flew into the air, causing everyone to laugh.

The band began to play and sing a set or two, which Bill used to ensure his sets were right. With this bunch, it wasn't difficult to balance things if there were decent acoustics. They'd learned from their last stop at Wrigley how to set up the speakers for the best sound patterns inside the stadium.

After a couple hours of entertaining the people who had wandered into the stadium, mostly concession workers, they wrapped things up and made their way to the dressing room to relax a little before the show. By this time, the twins had learned to sit quietly and meditate along with everyone else.

Bob looked around the room at the six women he had surrounding him. He just shook his head and thought to himself, "How the hell did all of this happen?"

"What?" asked Heather softly.

Bob just shook his head and, looking her into her eyes, said, "Nothing really, sweetie. Just thinking about how lucky I am."