"After that, I made sure to stay in touch with my mother," Henry went on. "I called her regularly and flew in to see her as often as I could. I'm happy to say I was able to be with her in her final days."
The boys smiled a little sadly.
"My life was fairly normal after that," Henry recalled. "I continued to travel and to work as a music producer. But then one day I decided to retire. I was getting on in years, I thought, and surely it was time to stop working."
"But it wasn't?" Felix prompted.
Henry shook his head with a smile. "I soon discovered I could never leave the music business behind. I'd been in the industry since the beginning of rock and roll, and I loved nothing more than helping up-and-coming musicians make their dreams a reality. Besides, it turned out that once I'd retired, I really didn't have enough to do with my time and I found myself getting very bored. I decided what I really needed was a new career in the music industry."
"Like band management," Jimmy guessed. "Enter us."
Henry smiled. "Yes, enter you boys - but not for a little while. You see, once I'd decided that managing a band was what I wanted to do, I did have a little trouble finding the right one. Plenty of bands I found already had managers, or I didn't think they had quite what it took to make it in the music industry. Others wanted a younger manager, or one with more experience."
"But you've been a great manager!" Les protested. "It shouldn't matter if you've never done it before!"
Henry smiled at him. "Yes, but like I said, they weren't the right ones. I had learned the lesson long ago, of course, never to settle for anything less than the right one. And I was patient. I knew that just because I hadn't found the right band yet didn't mean it wasn't coming."
"This is where we come in," Charles whispered to Jimmy, but very loudly so that everyone could hear.
"Yes," Henry agreed with good humour. "This is where you come in."
The boys smiled a little sadly.
"My life was fairly normal after that," Henry recalled. "I continued to travel and to work as a music producer. But then one day I decided to retire. I was getting on in years, I thought, and surely it was time to stop working."
"But it wasn't?" Felix prompted.
Henry shook his head with a smile. "I soon discovered I could never leave the music business behind. I'd been in the industry since the beginning of rock and roll, and I loved nothing more than helping up-and-coming musicians make their dreams a reality. Besides, it turned out that once I'd retired, I really didn't have enough to do with my time and I found myself getting very bored. I decided what I really needed was a new career in the music industry."
"Like band management," Jimmy guessed. "Enter us."
Henry smiled. "Yes, enter you boys - but not for a little while. You see, once I'd decided that managing a band was what I wanted to do, I did have a little trouble finding the right one. Plenty of bands I found already had managers, or I didn't think they had quite what it took to make it in the music industry. Others wanted a younger manager, or one with more experience."
"But you've been a great manager!" Les protested. "It shouldn't matter if you've never done it before!"
Henry smiled at him. "Yes, but like I said, they weren't the right ones. I had learned the lesson long ago, of course, never to settle for anything less than the right one. And I was patient. I knew that just because I hadn't found the right band yet didn't mean it wasn't coming."
"This is where we come in," Charles whispered to Jimmy, but very loudly so that everyone could hear.
"Yes," Henry agreed with good humour. "This is where you come in."
A few hours later, Una and Everett were comfortably snuggled up together on the couch, sharing the last of Una's chocolates which lay in the open box between them, as the credits rolled on the movie.
"That was so good," murmured Una, her head resting on Everett's shoulder. "You know - I was looking forward to your plans, whatever they were going to be, but I was really hoping we'd be able to watch this."
Everett gave a small laugh and shook his head. "I wish I'd known. I could have saved myself all this trouble."
Una grinned. "This year, our Valentine's Day plans were on me," she said. "Next year I expect it to be your turn."
Everett felt a warm rush at the thought of next year, that Una was so certain they would be celebrating Valentine's Day together next year. But then... of course, Everett though. He wouldn't have considered anything different.
"I love you, Una," he said.
"I love you too, Everett," she said.
"That was so good," murmured Una, her head resting on Everett's shoulder. "You know - I was looking forward to your plans, whatever they were going to be, but I was really hoping we'd be able to watch this."
Everett gave a small laugh and shook his head. "I wish I'd known. I could have saved myself all this trouble."
Una grinned. "This year, our Valentine's Day plans were on me," she said. "Next year I expect it to be your turn."
Everett felt a warm rush at the thought of next year, that Una was so certain they would be celebrating Valentine's Day together next year. But then... of course, Everett though. He wouldn't have considered anything different.
"I love you, Una," he said.
"I love you too, Everett," she said.