Chapter 13

The kids were doing their best to try to be patient while standing on the sidelines, watching their dads rock the house with “It’s My Life”. They were waiting for the signal to come out and join them on stage.

Melissa was watching out of the corner of her eye as little by little the kids were slowly edging out onto the stage. Funny thing was, she wasn’t sure if it was because they were eager for their dads to fulfill their earlier promise of coming out for a few songs, or if they were trying to distance themselves from their mothers. Melissa patted Lani on the arm to get her attention.

Lani turned to see Melissa standing next to her. “What?” she yelled above the music. Leaning closer to Lani so she could hear her a little better, Melissa pointed over her shoulder to the kids. “The kids are getting impatient.” Looking towards the direction the kids were standing, Lani shook her head in agreement as she continued to dance.

David couldn’t control the grin on his face, it was getting bigger and bigger as he watched Tracy dancing and having fun. The last few months he had seen her smile less and less, he had tried talking to her, but everytime he did, she would clam up. It was good to see her enjoying herself again. David’s eyes were following his wife’s hips as she swayed with the beat of “Keep The Faith”. Shaking his head at the silliness of Isabel and Joanne, David continued to watch as Joanne and Isabel, with their hands clasped together, danced around Tracy in a circle, singing at the top of their lungs. Tracy had her head thrown back, and he could see tears running down her cheeks from laughing so hard as she continued to swing her hips back and forth like a belly dancer.

Melissa and Lani were doing their fair share of bumping and grinding too. Hugh took a few steps back towards where Tico was and he noticed the drummer watching his wife. “Looks like they are having fun.” Hugh nodded to the women he was referring to. Never missing a beat, Tico shook his head in agreement. Tico and Hugh were watching their wives having a blast, laughing when one of them would bump into the other causing them to miss a step. Raising his eyebrows in surprise, Hugh looked on as his wife handed Lani a glass of what looked like wine. Well, that explains the little side show, he thought and chuckled to himself.

After finishing “Keep The Faith”, Jon was wiping the sweat from his face when he lowered the towel just enough so only his eyes were visible. Seeing his wife watching him, Jon gave her a wink. Feeling a slap on his shoulder, Jon turned to see Richie standing behind him. “What?” came his muffled reply as he finished wiping his face.

“When you are done making googly eyes at your woman, I think we better bring the kids out. Otherwise, I think they are going to charge the stage in mutiny.” He jerked his head in the direction where the kids were standing.

Jon followed Richie’s nod, laughing as his eyes settled on the kids . From the looks on their faces, he would say Richie was right in the assumption of a possible mutiny. Having no desire for a stampede of angry kids, Jon waved them over with his hand as he informed the guys he was changing up the setlist.

While the kids were getting themselves situated, Jon took one of those rare moments and drank in the sight before him. The audience was really into the show, responding to every song, singing along, their hands were constantly in the air clapping to the beat .The band was on fire tonight, smokin’ hot, if he did say so himself. The guys were laughing and smiling, joking around like they used to do back during the Slippery years. What had him in a great mood was simple: the seventeen balls of energy running around the stage known as their kids and the five crazy women they were blessed to call their wives. He still couldn’t believe they were here. Life was good, damn good!

Seeing everyone was ready, Tico took the cue from Jon and launched into “I’ll Sleep When I’m Dead”. The kids were all over the stage, dancing and laughing, they were having a ball. The band easily segued into “Dancing In The Streets/ Bad Medicine”, finishing with an incredible rendition of “Shout”.

Richie was having a blast watching Tia and Joseph shaking their butts like Uncle Jon, Joseph had it down pat. The crowd was thoroughly enjoying this rare treat.

Jon noticed a few of the “older women” in the front row blowing kisses and waving at Bobby. Feeling a little devilish, Jon waved Bobby over to his side. Tugging on the front of Bobby’s t-shirt, Jon led his son over to stand next to him as he stepped up to his white microphone stand. “Are you ladies checking out my boy?” Jon asked, laughing into the mic while pointing to the women in question.

Bobby got a kick out of one of the women when her cheeks turned a bright red at his dad’s question. As father and son stood there with their arms around each others shoulders laughing, one of the women threw her bra up on the stage, landing directly on top of Bobby’s boot. Jon threw his head back, laughing hysterically at the horrified look on his son’s face.

Joanne stood off to the side, her arms folded across her chest, watching her son, her baby, waiting to see how he would react to the whole bra incident. It was a little unnerving for her, seeing her son experiencing the same thing she had witnessed countless times with his father.

Feeling eyes on him, Bobby slowly turned to see his mom watching him. He was not surprised. There wasn’t much his mom missed when it came to her family. Giving his mom a mischievous grin, he bent down and picked the lingerie off his shoe. “Pretty color, sweetheart.” He flashed the woman the famous Bongiovi smirk as he held the garment in his hands.

Taking a chance, Jon glanced in the direction his wife was standing, hoping and praying she had missed the bra that her son was holding in his hands. Seeing Joanne standing there with her arms folded across her chest, Jon wondered for the briefest moment if he was in trouble. Looking a little closer he could see she wasn’t mad, no, she looked amused. Thank God! The last thing he wanted to do tonight was argue, unless they were arguing over where and when he was going to slip inside his wife. He already knew the answer to that one.

Turning to Richie, Jon was going to say something, but something grabbed his attention. Jon had a grin on his lips as he witnessed Isabel sling her arm around Joanne’s shoulder. In her other hand, she held a shot glass filled to the rim with a gold liquid. Being as he was a betting man, Jon was willing to bet his entire net worth on the glass containing either whiskey or tequila.

Taking the glass from Isabel, Joanne raised the shot in a salute to her husband then brought it to her lips. In one swallow, she drained the glass. She could feel the whiskey burning its way down her throat, coating it while continuing to travel through her body. Joanne could feel the alcohol flowing through her veins, setting them on fire before settling in the pit of her stomach, setting off a warm glow throughout her body. Seeing Jon standing there with a look of surprise sent Joanne into a fit of giggles. Blowing a kiss to her husband, she watched in amazement as his cheeks turned a slight pink. Oh my word, he is blushing. She giggled.

Feeling like having a little fun with the wives, his in particular, Jon turned to Richie. “I think it’s time we brought the ladies out for a little dance. Don’t you?” He tilted his head to where Isabel and Joanne were downing another shot.