On the Road

Day One: Getting the Assignment
“Skylar, you’re late! What possible reason do you have for being late today of
all days?”
“I’m so sorry, Sylvia! My bus was delayed. I will make it up by staying longer.” I
say, wondering why she’s so worked up.
“Forget your stupid excuses. Just get to the conference room NOW! Ben has
called a last minute meeting, so get your ass in there….” Sylvia snaps. I am out of
earshot before she can finish that rant.
I work for Rogue Publishing, which is owned and run by Ben Sallinger. The
company publishes magazines for teenagers, men and women, so we cover fashion,
cars, music, sports and movies. Sylvia Mann is the editor in chief. At my department
we write columns and short articles for the different magazines as well as local
newspapers. I’ve been at this company for 5 years and aspire to write feature stories.
Amongst colleagues you actually only really count when you are a feature writer,
because then you get to go out into the world, meet people and do all kinds of cool
stuff. Unfortunately even after all this time Sylvia still doesn’t think I’m experienced
enough to write a feature. I think she just doesn’t like me and that’s why she won’t
let me write them.
Ben is already sitting at the head of the table as everyone starts entering the
conference room. I am one of the last people to arrive. Ben looks right at me and
smiles politely. I of course smile back and quickly look away feeling uncomfortable.
“Thank you all for coming in at this short notice.” he starts.
Isn’t he just a lovely man? I think to myself. I still can’t understand why he hires
bitches like Sylvia. Maybe he doesn’t want to be the bad guy, so he lets people like
her take up that role.
“…and that’s why we, or rather, I have decided to buy a seat on a tour bus of
the well-known heavy metal band Dreads on Fire to have one of you write a feature
about a touring band from a very unique perspective.” Ben says.
Look at the smile on Don’s face. It must be him going on that tour. It is right up
his alley, since he has been writing about and hanging with a lot of A-list stars and
bands.
“…and I have chosen Skylar van der Meeren to take the seat on the bus.” says
Ben while looking straight at me.
In one unison movement everyone in the room turns to look at me. I start
blushing and shake my head. Surely he can’t mean me, it is just not possible. He must
be mistaken! I’m a column writer! Besides I don’t know enough about bands or music
for that matter to write a feature about it.
“Yes Skylar, I said your name.”
“Sir, no disrespect, but I’m not sure if I can do this. I’m very sorry, but I have
no knowledge of bands and how to deal with them.”
“And that is exactly why I want you to go.” Seeing the terror in my eyes, Ben
then says: “Can everyone excuse us? I can see she needs a little more convincing.”
When the rest of the staff have left the room, Ben asks Sylvia to leave as well. As soon
as she reluctantly closes the door behind her, Ben continues: “Don knows how the
music business works and what to expect. I want it to be…..a fresh, new, exciting,
young, inexperienced view of a music-tour. Tell us about your thoughts and
experiences while on tour with Dreads on Fire.”
“I don’t know about this, sir. I’m not sure I am the right person for this job.” I
respond.
“I’m giving you a chance to proof Sylvia wrong and write an awesome feature.
And I’m confident you can handle yourself on that tour bus.”
“I’ve never written a feature story before and am not sure if I can bring you
back an interesting enough story. Plus, I don’t really like the band.”
“Maybe after three weeks you’ll become their biggest fan. Who knows what will
happen? I can’t wait to read the end result.” he says with a confident smile.
With an overwhelming feeling of incompetence I start leaving the conference
room, not knowing how to convince Ben to choose someone else.
Then I turn and ask: “When will the tour start? And where?”
“In four days. You will be picked up from your home at 6:00 a.m., so be ready
to go then. It takes about half an hour to get to the bus and it’s supposed to leave at
around 7:00 a.m.” says Ben. I nod reluctantly and just as I step out of the conference
room, he says: “I’m sure you’ll have a great time.”
I give him a weak smile and walk to my desk. I barely sit down in my chair,
when I’m ambushed by Don. “How in the hell did you land this job? And why? For
fuck’s sake! You are just a column writer, you don’t know the first thing about writing
features.”
Taken back by his bluntness I say: “I…I don’t know. He said he wants a fresh
take on tour life. It’s...”
“Are you sleeping with the guy or something?” Don interrupts me.
Now I get offended, glare at him and get up from my seat. “Go fuck yourself
Don! I didn’t ask for this job! Maybe Ben just got bored with your old school, dime a
dozen way of writing.”
He is so blown away by my outburst that for the first time ever he doesn’t
retort, stares at me in disbelief and just stalks off to his own desk. I start blushing as I
notice the whole office is staring at me, even Ben. I catch his eye for a moment and
he gives me a little impressed look. Before I blush even more I quickly sit back down.
I can’t seem to focus on my work, because the idea of leaving home to go on a
tour with a bunch of unfamiliar guys is hard to get my head around. When I receive an
e-mail from Ben with the details of the tour I check the schedule and see that part of
it is in Europe. Totally blown away by this I feel the dread coming up and my mind
going into overdrive. Feeling overwhelmed by the whole deal I make my way to the
bathroom. As soon as I close the door from the stall behind me, I fall back against it
and sigh deeply. How did I end up in this? I want to write feature stories, but why
couldn’t I start with something not so far out of my comfort zone. Maybe I can still
change his mind before Friday. This simply can’t be happening. Three weeks??? I can’t
be away from home that long. Wait, maybe I can use dad as a valid reason, because I
need to help him with his groceries and stuff. I’ll call him as soon as I get home and
talk to him about it. Kind of relaxed by the possible out I go back to my desk and focus
on my assignments until my best friend and colleague Beth comes over to pick me up
for our daily lunch date. After my lunch with Beth I manage to get back to work long
enough so by the end of the day I’ve finished all my assignments.
The minute I get home I quickly punch in the numbers to call dad and when he
picks up I sigh deeply. “Oh good dad, you’re home.”
“Of course I’m home. Where else would I be, silly? But why are you so relieved
to find me? What’s up?”
“My boss has given me a feature-writing job.” I tell him.
“That’s great! Fantastic! Finally they see what you are capable off!
Congratulations, Sky!” dad says, completely beside himself with pride.
“Wait, dad. The job is to write a feature-story about being on tour with a heavy
metalband for three weeks.”
“And you are not at all happy about this? Isn’t this what you always wanted to
do?” he asks. He is clearly puzzled by my begrudging sound.
“I did…I mean, I do. It’s just that…I don’t know…I have a bad feeling about this.
I don’t really know anything about this band or what to expect. And I have to go to
Europe with them as well! What if I can’t get along with them?”
“Are you crazy? I’m sure they will love you. You have always been able to
connect with people very easily. Why would this be any different? This is an
opportunity of a lifetime! You will just have to keep an open mind and enjoy the
experiences as much as you can.”
“Will you be able to handle things without me? I mean, I really won’t go if you
need me to stay. Who is going to help you do your weekly groceries? And who will call
you every night to make sure you are OK?”
“Do you remember Darren and Jax? You know, your brothers….. They can help
me with the groceries and only live 15 minutes away from me. Please, don’t worry
about your old man! Have some fun out there! I’ll be fine!” dad says. I sigh heavily and
then say goodbye to dad and hang up the phone.
Shit, he won’t be any help getting taken off this assignment. After trying and
failing to think up other excuses for not being able to go on this tour, I throw in the
towel and accept Ben’s decision. To get my mind off it I make myself dinner and
watch some TV. When nothing is on, I decide to prepare myself for the upcoming
“adventure” as best I can by googling Dreads on Fire and learn as much about them as
possible. If I at least already know the names of the band members, how they got
started and who the most important people on the tour are, I might avoid
embarrassment.
Interesting, these guys have been successful for 5 years, but the band was
started 10 years earlier. Bass player Jason Hannigan and lead guitarist Dom Marino
created Dreads on Fire after having just left their previous bands. The other guys in
these bands wanted to go more mainstream, while they wanted a heavier sound. When
Jason and Dom shared a stage with their bands, they got along so well that they
became friends. Soon they knew they had to start a band together. It didn’t take long
to find the other three guys either, since everyone knew each other already.
Apparently, when you’re in the scene, it is a pretty small world. Especially when you
haven’t made it big yet, you often run into the same bands in your local scene.
Eventually, it was an old re-recorded track that was their ticket to success. The
song “Raw Emotions” was accidentally put on the album by a misunderstanding
between band members and management. Within months they gave up their day jobs
to go on the road for a year nonstop. After a break of about a month they went right
back on the road. A year later they released another album, which was also a big
success. The album after this wasn’t as big as the first two, but it did pretty well.
Most recently they have decided to go on a 3-week-tour through the US and some
European countries. It doesn’t really say why, but I guess I’ll find that out for myself.
So in the band there are Jason, the bass player, Dom, the lead-guitarist,
drummer Stephàn Koschenko, singer Yuri Guran and Reagan Smith the second
guitarist. Besides the band members there are a few people that were with the band
from the start. There is Gino Sarinelli the light technician, Moe Jameson the drum
technician and Connor Derby, who came along with his friend Jason to rehearsals and
eventually became the tour manager. About a year ago they were joined by Jordy
MacIntyre the sound technician and Paul Jones the guitar and bass technician.
“Hopefully they will let me into their tight group; otherwise there won’t be
much to write about.” I wonder aloud.

Day Two: Coming to Terms with the Assignment
At the sound of my alarm clock I jump up from the couch in shock and look out
the window. It is morning already! I run to my bedroom to turn off the alarm and for a
second I consider calling in sick, but that’s just no option right now. There is still so
much to do at work, especially if I have to leave for three weeks. So I take a shower,
get dressed, have breakfast and after putting my plate in the sink, I leave for work
earlier than normal to make sure I have enough time today to get as much work done
as possible. Strangely enough today everything goes so smoothly that I arrive half an
hour earlier than expected. There are only a handful of people at their desks. Silently
I take my seat and turn on my computer. When I head over to the coffee machine for
a nice big cup of strong black coffee, I run into Don who is apparently ignoring me. I
couldn’t care less, since I didn’t like him in the first place and have way more
important things to worry about. In my mind I go through a to-do-list for the day. I will
have to finish the columns for this week and also try to work ahead as much as I can.
The rest will have to be picked up by my colleagues. To make sure of lessening the
burden on them as much as possible I hurry back to my desk and get started. Only
when my friend Beth taps my shoulder to ask me to lunch do I notice that it is already
1:00 p.m.
“Could you please bring me back a sandwich? I still have so much to do before I
have to go on this tour. I’m really sorry!” I plead. Disappointed but understanding
Beth heads for the door and I get straight back to what I was doing.
What feels like minutes later, Beth says: “Here’s your sandwich. I picked your
favorite!” She puts the ham and egg sandwich in front of me and sits down on the
edge of my desk.
“Thanks so much! How much do I owe you? Will $5.00 cover it?”
I grab the bill out of my wallet, give it to Beth and after a quick smile return to
my work. A moment later she probably realizes I don’t even have time for a quick talk
and leaves. I feel guilty for ignoring my friend like that, but I don’t have a choice right
now. There are only 3 days to finish up the work I would normally have a lot more
time to do. The next time I look up from my work most people have left to go home
and I am one of the last in the office. I’m about to call it quits as well when Ben walks
over to my desk. As I sit back down, he asks with a smile on his face, “So, have you
recovered from the shock yet?”
“Yes, sir! Now I’m just trying to finish up things before I have to leave.” I
answer.
“When are you going to stop with the formalities? I know I’m a few years older
than you, but really I’m not old enough to be called sir.” Ben says jokingly.
“Oh, right! Haha, sorry sir…ehm…Ben.” I say.
“So if you need any help preparing for the tour, I’m happy to give you some
pointers. When I was younger, I was in a band too. I could tell you a bit of what’s to
come.”
“Well, I don’t know anything about bands or touring, so I could really use the
help. Thank you!” I accept gratefully.
“You want to grab something to eat and talk things through now or do you have
plans for tonight already?”
“I was going to start packing, but that can wait till later. But don’t you need to
get home to your wife?”
“Err, no I’m not really expected anywhere anymore. Stella decided she had
enough of the long hours, so she left me two weeks ago.” he says lightly.
“Oh, I’m sorry. I didn’t know. Are you OK?” I ask concerned.
“It’s OK. No one here knows about this. I’m fine though. It was actually a relief,
because it got harder and harder to go home at some point. We just grew apart. God,
listen to me telling you my life story. I’m sorry for boring you with this! I’ll stop now!”
I smile and pat Ben on the shoulder.
I get up, grab my bag and coat and say: “Shall we?”
“We’ll go to this great little place I know. It’s only a ten minute drive from
here.” he says.
So we go down to the underground parking lot and leave in Ben’s car to the
restaurant. When we arrive we’re escorted to a table near the back. Ben orders food
and drinks for both of us and while we are waiting for everything we start talking
about Ben’s experiences with touring. He gives me a lot of useful tips; the absolute
dos and don’ts, the hierarchy on the bus and what to pack. “You know so much about
this stuff. Why don’t you go on this tour? It sounds like you really miss being in a band
and on the road.” I ask.
“Yeah, I do miss it, but it’s not for me anymore. When you get to my age…and
I’m not saying I’m old. Let’s just say there is a time for everything and my touring
days are over.” Ben explains.
“Besides I wouldn’t have the fresh look I envision for this feature story.”
We finish our food, end it with some coffee and Ben pays the bill. As we leave
Ben asks if I’d like to be dropped off at home since there aren’t any buses at this time
of night. I gratefully accept, since I was also wondering about how to get home. He
asks for directions, I lead him to my house and get out of the car. He rolls down the
window and I thank him for the pointers and dinner. He asks if I’ll be ok and I nod
while taking my keys out of my bag. I put my key in the lock, open it and turn around
to see Ben drive off. I go inside and close the door behind me. To make sure I don’t
forget any of the tips Ben gave me I take out my Blackberry and write down the dos
and don’ts. I throw my bag on the kitchen table and hang my jacket over one of the
chairs. After turning on a few lights I sit down on the couch and try to remember what
he said. Oh yeah, he said not to piss off the tour manager, because he can really make
your life on tour miserable.
I write that down and then go over what else Ben said: “...It is important to
make friends with at least one of the band members as soon as possible. It will make
things a lot easier if you have one person on your side… The best way to win over a
group of guys is by getting them a few bottles of their favorite drink… Pack enough
deodorant; you will not be able to shower every day... Get yourself a bunch of
earplugs; you don’t want to get hearing damage... Most importantly, never forget that
you are there to do a job.”
After writing all this important stuff down I make myself a shopping list of
things to get for the tour and also a list of things to pack. I sort out my laundry, put a
load in the washing machine and turn it on. Then I put on my pajamas, make myself a
hot chocolate and watch some TV to try and get my mind off things. Nothing on TV
catches my attention, so I turn it off and go to bed. After about an hour and a half I’m
still not asleep, so I get out of bed to hang my laundry out to dry and get back in when
I’m done. Several hours later I’m still wide awake, I just can’t stop worrying about
tomorrow. Will I be able to finish all my work before the tour? What if I can’t? Sylvia
will be all over me, though Ben might keep her away since he told me last night he
doesn’t expect me to do anything but prepare for the tour.

Day Three: Wrapping Things Up
When my alarm clock goes off, I wake up feeling even more tired than I did
when I went to bed. With absolute dread I get up, shower and leave for work without
having had any breakfast. Luckily the travel to work goes smoothly and when I enter
the office hardly anyone is there. Slowly I walk over to my desk and put my stuff
down. I turn on my computer and go to the coffee machine. I look over towards Ben’s
office. Hmm, his door and the blinds are closed, so he probably isn’t in yet. I was
hoping to ask him some more questions, but it will have to wait. I bring a cup of
coffee back to my desk, sit down and start working on the articles I need to finish
today. Shortly afterwards, everyone starts pouring in. When Beth comes to pick me up
for lunch, I realize that I still have to speak Ben and decide to check if he’s in when I
get back from lunch.
“I’m sorry, Beth, for ignoring you yesterday. I was really busy, but I could have
talked to you for a while when you were nice enough to bring me back a sandwich.”
“That’s OK! I understand. So, are you ready for Friday?” Beth asks while we get
on the elevator.
“What? Oh, yeah…well, getting there. I’ve sorted out my stuff at home, but I
still have some laundry to do. And the article for the Boston Globe still has to be
finished, among several others. So I’m afraid I can’t be out for long today, but I’ll
make it up to you when I get back.”
After having had a quick sandwich and conversation about another one of Beth’s
failed short lived relationships, we turn back to the office. I go straight back to work
and after an hour I hand in the article for the Boston Globe to Leon, the editor of the
newspaper. By the end of the day I also manage to finish an article for Blast, a column
for Dig and another article for the Improper Bostonian, which I put on Sylvia’s desk.
Since I am leaving Friday morning Ben gave me the day off tomorrow to get ready, so I
send an e-mail to all three of my colleagues giving the last of my assignments to them
with a huge apology. I check one more time if I’ve covered everything, then turn off
my computer and leave to go home with a detour to the grocery store.
At home I start preparing the food I got on the way and put another wash load
in the machine. Luckily, the clothes I washed yesterday are already dry, so I put them
on my bed. After dinner I turn on my favorite music, sing along and fold the clothes.
When the washing machine is done, I hang up the clothes and start putting stuff in my
suitcase. I turn up the sound of the stereo and loudly sing along to the music when all
of a sudden the doorbell rings. I lower the volume again and walk over to the door to
open it. When I see my neighbor at the other end of the door I am surprised, because I
really didn’t expect to see him.
“Could you please keep it down? My wife and I are trying to have a romantic
dinner and your singing is kind of ruining the mood for us.” he asks politely.
“Oh, of course! I’m sorry! I didn’t mean to bother anyone. I’ll keep it down.”
I shut the door again and continue folding my laundry. After putting all the dry
clothes as well as my toiletries in my suitcase and some books, tapes and batteries for
my voice recorder in my backpack, I go to bed. By now I am so tired of the lack of
sleep the last few nights, I’m gone within minutes.

Day Four: The Day Before
The next morning I am so well rested and happy, I decide to get a move on
early and go outside for some last minute shopping. After doing my own shopping, I
decide to get the band a bottle of Jack Daniels and Jägermeister to try and win them
over. Hopefully Ben is right about bringing a few bottles of liquor to the tour, because
I need to make a good first impression. It starts raining as I leave the liquor store and
it is a good ten minute walk to my house, so I decide to go for a coffee instead. I order
a tall latte and take a seat by the window. This way I can easily see when the rain
stops and I finish my coffee right around the time it does, so I hurry outside and
quickly walk home.
As I open my front door, I hear my phone ring. By the time I reach it, I’ve
missed the call. I wonder who it could have been, because no one really knows I am
home today. Oh well, if it is important they will call again. I take off my coat and
unpack my stuff. I decided on a healthy dinner for tonight; a big green salad and some
fruit. Who knows what kind of food we’ll get on the tour? I put the Jägermeister and
Jack Daniels in the fridge.
I check if the clothes hanging to dry are ready to be folded, which they are.
After putting them in my suitcase, I double-check if I have packed everything and then
close it. For the millionth time today I check if the company credit card I received
from accounting yesterday is still in my bag. I better not lose this, or I’ll be in “a
world of trouble” (as was explained by Mark, the head of accounting). I check my work
e-mail for the last time before turning off my laptop and putting it in my backpack.
With it I also pack the USB cable, so I can synchronize my Blackberry with my laptop
and also the power cord to charge the battery.
I circle around the room and when I don’t know what to do next I lie down on
my couch. As I look around the room, I realize that I am really going to miss everything
here. I grab the remote control to my stereo and turn on some music. It is only 1:30
p.m. at this time, so I kick off my shoes and decide to relax for a while. I pick up my
book from the coffee table and start reading. After having read a few pages without
actually taking in any of the words, I put down the book. I’ve done everything I have
to do, packed my suitcase and am basically ready to go. While picking up the phone I
glance at the clock and see that it’s too early to call anyone to say goodbye, so I put it
back in its station. I am still holding the phone when it starts ringing. I almost drop it
on the floor. Before answering I look to see who it is, but the number is blocked.
“Hello?”, I say.
“Yes, hello. This is Tyler from Less is More. Can I ask you if you are happy with
your phone service? We have a fabulously cheap deal especially for you, only valid
today.”
“Thank you, but no thanks!”
“Really, this is the best deal anyone will ever offer you!”
“I doubt that.” I say, “and I’m really NOT interested. I’m perfectly fine with the
service I have now. So thank you for calling and goodbye.”
I hang up before he can get in another word and put the phone down. This must
have been who tried calling earlier. I walk over to the bedroom, lie down on my bed
and stare at the ceiling for a while.
When my phone rings again I pick up the one next to my bed and say: “Hello?”
“Hi. It’s Ben.”
I sit up at once, as if he’d hear it if I was lying on my bed, and say: “Hi.” “I just
wanted to check if you had any more questions, since we didn’t see each other
yesterday.”
“Oh yes, I do. I was wondering if I should have someone’s phone number in case
of an emergency. Also who should I report to tomorrow morning?”
“I think it’s best if you contact me to keep us in the loop, in case of an
emergency or for any other reason, since you don’t really get along with Sylvia. I’ll
send you an e-mail with my details. The manager of the band, Vaughn Muster, will be
at the bus to meet you tomorrow morning. Anything else?”
“Ok, thank you. No, there’s nothing else I can think of right now.”
“Ok, then we have to go over the ground rules for “in the field”-work. Normally
there’s the no drinking rule, but that is virtually impossible on a tour with a busload of
guys. So I would say drink but don’t get drunk, always remember that you are there to
do a job. Mark’s already told you about the daily limit for the company credit card.
Keep checking in with us regularly, so we know how things are going. And some
personal advice…keep things strictly business, if you know what I mean.”
“Thank you for letting me know all this. I think I’m as prepared as I could be in
this short time, so I’m just going to take some time to relax before I have to leave. I’ll
probably miss this quiet time once I’m on the tour bus, going by what you’ve told me
at dinner the other day.”
“You are welcome! Call me if you have any more questions or need advice.
Have a great time on the tour, see you back at the office in three weeks.”
I hang up the phone after saying goodbye to Ben, lie back down and close my
eyes for a few minutes. I wake up in shock frantically searching for my alarm clock to
see what time it is. Phew, it’s only 5:00 p.m. I get up and go straight to the kitchen to
prepare dinner. When I’m done eating I get the phone to call my dad.
”Hi, dad! I just want to check with you if you are going to be home tonight. I’m
leaving tomorrow morning and want to come say goodbye to you.”
“Hey Sky sweetie, of course you can come over. Should I call your brothers as
well?”
“No, I’m only going away for three weeks. I’ll see them afterwards.” I respond.
“Ok. What time will you be here?” Dad asks.
“I’ll be right over.” I hang up the phone, get my coat and go out the door.
Ten minutes later I arrive at dad’s. I’ve been living on my own for 5 years
already, but only when I come to dad’s house do I feel like I’m really home. The fact
that he always greets me at the door with a huge warm smile and a hug adds to the
feeling.
“Hello sweetheart. I’m glad you decided to stop by tonight. I wanted to give
you something to make you feel better if you have a hard time on the road.” Dad
walks ahead of me into the living room and reaches for a little package on the coffee
table.
He hands it to me and I unwrap it. It’s a picture of me when I just turned 6 and
both my parents are on either side of me giving a kiss on my cheek. I remember seeing
this picture hanging in my dad’s bedroom for years, though it was much bigger than
this one. Tears well up in my eyes and I give dad a big hug.
“Thank you so much! I love this picture! It will definitely make me feel better
when I’m down. Mom looks so good and healthy in this picture. I can’t believe it was
only three months before she got sick.” Seeing dad’s reaction at the mention of
mom’s illness I quickly change the subject. “I’m being picked up tomorrow morning at
7:00 a.m. I am so nervous about this. I know this is a chance of a lifetime to prove to
my boss that I’m able to write the big stories, but what if I fail this assignment
because I can’t get along with the band or their crew. I’m so dependent on others for
this, it makes me anxious.”
Dad puts his hand on my shoulder, smiles reassuringly and says: “What is there
not to like about you? You are a great girl! All you have to do is be your natural self
and I’m sure you will do an excellent job with that story.”
I smile back at him and give him another hug. Then he asks if I’d like some
coffee and I nod. While he walks into the kitchen I take a seat on the couch opposite
the TV. Its muted images catch my eye and I notice that it’s on MTV. I frown at the
sight and ask myself why dad would be watching MTV. Since I can’t think of any reason
for it I ask him, but he doesn’t hear me. When he comes back into the living room
with two mugs of coffee I ask the question again. He starts laughing and says that he
was trying to figure out who that band is that I’m going on tour with. Understanding
why he’d like to find out I tell him what I know about them.
“They sound like a good bunch! See, everything is going to be great!”
I wish I shared his confidence. After another mug of coffee, some wine and
talking about all kinds of stuff it is time for me to go home. I say goodbye to dad, give
him big kisses and hugs and walk out the door. At around 11:00 p.m. I arrive home and
go straight to bed.

For the rest of the book (another 25 chapters), please contact me.