Following Tracks – Wayne 42

[For back story go here: Story so far at 30 Nov 2020 and this one.]

[Other back story through in-links.]

Wayne was playing a game of chase the tune. The chase was heading out over several of his devices and the trick was always to keep track (so to speak) of which track was the latest track he could keep track of it. The reason behind this was to keep one step ahead of Dave. If he stayed on his laptop for too long it would run against his habit and the general running of their household. But while the track would run on both tablet and mobile app there were limits to what he could do on each of these.

And so he'd fiddle with the track at times when he'd usually be corresponding on social media or catching up with Cath. That dedicated work time between breakfast and the sacred coffee and snack experience when he and Dave would review the day so far, take in Dave's latest culinary effort and generally reflect on the day and world so far. Unfortunately Wayne had to swivel his laptop away from Dave a couple of times and was once so preoccupied he didn't even notice if Dave had offered him something new or a retro slice of Battenburg. Maybe Dave was testing him, thought Wayne, in which case he'd just failed.

However, he had his eye on a greater prize and Jezzy was on his side. Throwing the track around his own devices was all well and good but since neither of them went out much there was no way he could start singing over the top of the track without raising suspicions. And Sunday was getting closer so there was work to be done off site. It was also a mark of how far both Wayne and Jezzy had come that they could shared the workload on what was, at its very heart, a personal – close-up and personal – project for Wayne.

And just as Wayne sent across a piece close to his heart, so too did Jezzy send him a piece he was saving for someone special. However this piece was more confessional. In it Jezzy wanted to apologise to, well pretty much everybody. Through the course of the song it appeared he'd done something wrong to most people who had walked into and quickly out of his life. Sure there were lovers he'd not been faithful to, but there were also friends who he'd taken for granted, family members he'd taken advantage of and shopkeepers he'd lifted from. 

By the time the second chorus had come in, it seemed quite a surprise Jezzy was still able to walk around unmolested. Surely having done so much wrong it would be impossible for him to walk down the street without someone starting to trail him in a worrying sort of a way. But then Jezzy had a certain charm about him. Maybe not quite loveable rogue but a dash of that together with the sense that you probably don't want to ask him to say sorry for fear of what he might do next.

So the two musicians swapped tracks, added to each other's pieces and kept the collaboration going while hiding the results in plain sight. And for Wayne alongside the track was the knowledge that he was also now back in touch with Cassie. And so it all would have been fine.

Until the point when it all went wrong. 

Wayne was certain Dave had gone out to the restaurant to check on an alarm that had gone off and was intermittently plaguing his cookery zen. Unfortunately Wayne had merely ducked out the door, realised he had no mask for his face and ducked back in again. Wayne, being super quick off the mark had already loaded up the track and without any more ado launched into the lyric.

Dave stood rooted to the spot, partly because he'd never heard it before, partly because he didn't want Wayne to realise he was standing there. Wayne clearly didn't realise because the track went on right through to its completion.

Having waited a suitable time, Dave made his presence known by putting his head round the door. In doing so he gave Wayne the shock of his life.

“It's er, that's not my track," said Wayne, immediately trying to cover his tracks.

"You did all that?" Asked Dave.

"No, really, Jezzy did."

"Jezzy did all that?"

"Er, apparently."

"And you're hanging out with him?" Dave said, eyebrows raised.

"Er, apparently," said Wayne again.

"You're either brave or stupid," said Dave. "And I'm not sure which one."

Wayne smiled as he followed Dave out of his room and watched him leave properly this time. There had been three things he wanted to keep from Dave, and he'd discovered the lesser of the three. The other track would have spoiled the surprise and the other secret... Well, he hoped there'd be a time for it, but who knew? Given that, Wayne was pretty sure he could breathe easily for now. But only for now.