- Nooo, no... I meant you and my best friend here … - He looked at the bodyguard by his side, a huge black guy, strong as humanly possible. The bodyguard looked at Eric and smiled in a very cynic way.
- Yeah, totally fair I guess
- ... It could be worse, my friend....
Anyways, what could have been said about the festival? Hundreds of details, probably.
It was another insane moment, tiring, fast...and magical. Some sort of magical moment on their memories.
Mike was encouraging the young people while they were waiting to perform, and during the whole festival, there were some amazing songs being played. To watch all of that happening from the back stages or from the private booths, knowing that you helped to organize it, it was simply incredible.
Without bigger problems, the festival happened, and they've met dozens and dozens of people.
It was actually unexplainable what truly happened during those days.
Eric's family, Marie's, Mike's and from everyone from the band, Jan's friends from all over Europe, Alice's family from France... They were all there, watching their work, watching the performances, being witnesses of their story.
Vows were made. As were recordings and pictures,
Sweat, and anxiousness. Relief.
It was a week of growing anxiety because of the last day of the festival, the day with Eric's band and the other main four bands that were going to play.
There were musicians that went crazy on stage and some others that were playing as classy as possible: They saw performances for every kind of taste.
It was daily on the newspapers as it was happening: T-shirts getting sold, pin-ups and other souvenirs sold, parties and after-parties completely packed. Total success was happening.
On the last day, Eric was so full of energy to play that he was the one that went the craziest on stage. He was looking for Mike by his side and was truly happy: after all, it has been more than a year since the last show they had played together and they also knew that that was kind of a farewell that they never had the chance of making.
When Marie got on stage, the crowd went crazy screaming her name.
It was by far, one of the best concerts Eric's band had ever played.
A guy in the crowd who was on top of his friend's shoulders had a Brazilian flag and was swinging it and pointing to Eric, smiling and singing.
They knew. They were waiting for him.
Even there, Marie smiled at him and he smiled back.
By the end, with the most popular songs and with the crowd singing along, almost fifty students went on stage to start singing too, which was completely unexpected.
Eric knew that that moment was a unique moment on his life, and what he felt during that time, he probably will never be able to express. He had tears wanting to fall down. There were pictures being shown behind them, the story of the people from the band, very old pictures, very silly pictures, pictures that touched them way more than they could've ever imagined – Isadora’s idea, as they would later find out.
When they were finally done, they were completely sweated out, feeling light as feathers. Marie was shining and hugged Eric. Eric hugged Mike, then everyone hugged the three of them, at the same time. Even who were not supposed to be on stage at that point, like Isadora, Gustavo and Alice. Jan and Tom were also there, because they had played a couple of songs with them. They all hugged each other and kissed each other and screamed at each other.
The crowd was screaming their names during minutes and even from the backstage, the noise was unbelievable. They even decided to play a bit more out of that.
They were laughing, from the bottom of their hearts, in peace.
Eric gave the most honest hug on Mike and they called each other by the hardest and silliest swears in the world, laughing. It was almost the end.
When they finally left the stage, Taylor's band went to talk to them before their turn to say how good their concert had been. Taylor made a quick comment on the microphone when she finally had a chance, about how they were going to try to keep the level of the festival after that presentation.
Everybody felt completely proud of that moment.
Taylor's band was also flawless. Every single presentation that night was unbelievably good.
But after that night, they all knew that Eric's band would never be the same.
They were immortals now.
As a journalist would write, in the days that followed:
“...After all that, I can only define it as an unforgettable festival, with very talented artists and the presence of celebrities that offered concerts rarely seen. Completely packed, one of the best parts of the evening was the uprisal of the producers's band, Mike O'Connor, Eric Meirelles and Marie Montini, who offered an exceptional concert, showing their pure talent and incredible energy on stage. Other artists were also very good surprises, such as the young... (...)”
- Perfect!
On the days that followed, the only thing people were doing was sleeping. Mike and Marie had to hire a bit more of help to keep the school going in their absence, and they ordered that all the finances should be processed as soon as possible.
Instead of working thirteen hours a day, they were now just giving a bit of support for less than two: after all, there was still a lot to be organized.
They had a couple of really big dinners , first with their friend's bands – Taylor's and Chad's-for which they had to once again make a reservation for the whole place, and even like that they still had a bit of problem to fit everyone on the same restaurant. A day later, they had another one, on a bigger place, with their families and friends, and everyone that could've possibly had a reason to be there.
It was some good days that followed: To end that phase, they did a party at the school
The festival was now over, with mostly excellent critics, and they were trying to rest and be ready to go back to work once that week was over.
Tom decided to use that time to travel a bit.
In all that momentum and with all that optimism that everyone was feeling, the world seemed perfect: It was just a matter of checking how much money they had made exactly, luckily it would be a small fortune and the world would be theirs.
But then they finally found out in a meeting:
They felt like the world was going to crash over their heads.
- No! No! NO!
- That's not possible!
- What the fuck?
- Mike?
- What now Mike?
- God...
- Fuck...
- I can't believe it.
No one was understanding exactly what was going on and everyone had started to feel a huge despair on their guts, because whatever it was, it was just too bad to process.
Fact is, when they sat down to settle everything on the financial department, the company that helped to process the accountability actually had to send an employee to explain what happened.
The profit was basically... not much. Not much at all. They barely had a profit to be honest.
Jacques, the “financial director”, had disappeared from the face of the earth with a big amo
unt of their money. They barely had a profit, and they would still have to share it among everyone that invested on it.
Mike seemed to be just in shock: He had made an unspeakable debt to make it all happen, and he was depending heavily on this profit to get back on his feet.
- We're were stupid, Isabella.
- Yeah.... - She agreed, without moving her eyes from the dozens of papers in front of her that she was analyzing.
She was now in Paris, and even Lucas went there too. Tom actually decided to come back sooner than he planned to try and give some... support to that entire crowd that was completely lost.
In reality, all of that had become a secret of State: No one knew anything. Only the closest people and the highest ranks knew what happened and even less people knew exactly and how big the problem was.
- You guys were too naive... Naive and fools...these financial documents are a mess, Eric.
Eric kept looking at her. He had no idea what to say.
- You guys basically gave almost all the financial responsibilities to one single guy to handle the festival and the school... You guys tried to save money on people and, in this area, that's complicated. I guess it would be a bit hard to see, but it was no master plan either man... It's kind of obvious that it was super overpriced here...and here, you see? These prices are absurd, even in Paris, man. And see how the prices jumped when you guys had to change some plans, like here....and here? It was probably supposed to get a bit cheaper, I mean, the unitary cost and all, probably discount here...and here... And it went extremely high; you guys seriously never questioned this kind of thing? Like, nobody ever looked at these papers before? Fuck … I know you guys put a bunch of volunteers to help, but apparently they had no freaking idea of what was going on.... - A moment later, with a very fatalistic voice she finally said: You guys are not gonna get this money back, forget it. I mean, especially if the guy just ran away from the country like it seems he did... Also, see, here? The bastard put a three hundred dollar dinner on the company's credit card... Here, he bought a watch, man.... Seriously, man...
- ...Yeah.... Well, we tried to save some money with personal, and now we lost seventy five percent of our profits. I guess we made mistakes too...but fuck... After all that, to get almost nothing... Mike got fucking drowned in debts to make it happen...
Silence. Lucas finally said something:
-... You guys trusted him, Eric. You did something awesome...but in a very simple, and unexperienced way, trusting people. It was fantastic. Don't blame yourself if a son of a bitch didn't share your dream – He was visibly tired, trying to smile.
- Yeah, but that doesn't change shit...
- Of course it does...
- ?
- You guys didn't lose money, right? Even made a little bit... Get organized, get your head up. Next year you guys will make another one, even bigger, with more experience... I don't know man. Just don't let anyone put your heads down... You'll have to be strong now, that's the only option here. Especially for Mike. He's gonna need you guys now. For real....
-... Fuck man... I’m so tired. Mike is bad, like really really bad. I think he was expecting a lot of money out of it...just look at all the debts he made to make it possible. I honestly think that he got completely screwed.... More than anyone else. I mean, I don't give a shit about not making money out of it... but for him... You know....
Lucas touched his own hair and caressed his wheelchair. He was thinking of something, but then he shook his head and came back to reality.
- I don't know what to say man. You guys are gonna have to be really strong to take some difficult decisions on the next days... And Mike will have to check out how much debt he's still going to be left with after getting his part, and what he's gonna do about it...
A morbid silence was above their heads. No one knew what to say, so Tom took the initiative:
- Alright guys, I know it’s hard, but we need to be objectives if we want to find a solution...
Mike took a deep breath a couple of times, and everyone was expecting him to say something.
He never did.
Tom insisted:
- Mike?
- ...I don't know what to say, Tom...
- Right... Ok, start by telling me what exactly happened. With all the details, please.
- The festival barely made us any money. Basically that's it.
- Ok... but you didn't lose money right? What about the good prices we were able to negotiate with Taylor's and Chad's bands?
- Yeah, anyways.... We paid everything. But with Jacques.... and some of our own mistakes, I’m not gonna lie, the profit didn't show up. Paying Marie and Eric's part, and the Dance Company's part, and cleaning and putting everything back to normal.... it's nothing. Jacques put a bunch of bills to be collected after the show, and he faked some documents, and....Ahh...
- Hmm...
- So what? - Tom
- So what that I’m screwed with all my loans, Tom... all of them that I created in this last year...to create this school, to make this festival as big as it was....my apartment, my car, helping my family in the states... My brother is in the middle of his university... It all added up, you know how interest rates are...
- What about the apartment here?
- What about it…?
- I suppose it's already a collateral right? Do you have a mortgage or something on it?
- Yeah, exactly... that's the biggest problem... the only reason that I got enough capital for all of that was putting the apartment as a collateral...
- What about your parent’s house?
- I’m not gonna sell their house...
- No... Can’t they get a mortgage to help, a better loan?
- I don't think so... I helped them to buy that house, but they still got a big mortgage to complete the left of it... And man, they're about to retire, they are teachers; my brother is in university... I was supposed to help them now... I even borrowed some money from them already.... just no, ok?
Tom went silent
- Have you already got to the exact amount you need?
Mike said the total amount out loud, and what the minimum he would need for the next 6 months would be. No one, with Tom as an exception, was left unsurprised with it.
Tom kept talking:
- Alright, Me, Marie, Eric, Liam, Jack, Eric's father, Marie's family, maybe? Who else could help us with this?
Silence
- Well, dividing it by six or...eight, we can help you with the worse part of it, right?
- I don't think Liam and Jack could help me with anything even remotely close to that, Tom. They are not the saving type of people....they have big houses with their families; they are always spending huge amounts of money... I don't think so, man.
- I don't have anything, Tom. There's my part from what I put in the festival and in the school, I could lend you that for a couple of months, and a couple of thousands of euros left in my savings account. But nothing remotely close to that. – Marie said – Unless I talk to my father or my aunt, maybe one of my siblings....
Mike shook his head, as saying “No fucking way, you won't do that”
- Eric?
Silence
-... I have no ide
a to be honest, Tom. But I think that after the investment we did when you arrived in Paris... I have no idea. To be honest I'm still a bit surprised with this amount of money. As Marie said, I could also just lend you my part from the festival... but...yeah
Pause. Tom finally spoke again.
-...I see. So I'm the only one who has something close to … hmm ...twenty percent of your debt?
They all ended up agreeing.
Eric was feeling really bad at that moment: He was the one that gave the idea for that festival in the first place.
Eric, Jack, Liam, Alice, Gustavo, Isadora, Isabella, Lucas, Jan and Eric's parents were left feeling completely powerless. Tom had a bit of money he could lend Mike for a while, but he wasn't in position to give that kind of money, just like that. In the end, they were left without knowing what to do.
Tom, Eric and Eric's parents were extremely rich...on paper, at the moment. But they were with their hands completely tied up in that situation where they needed money so desperately, so quickly.
As you can imagine, the days that followed weren't the best.
The worse part was that no one else knew what was going on, so everyone had to start pretending everything was okay, and hide how tense and worried they all were.
Eric, Mike and Marie kept working in the school every day. Tom, in the other hand, started to drift to some kind of a limbo: Even giving his best, there was no project on his mind that was exciting him that much. After all, he was almost feeling like his role in that situation was finished.
But with all his past behind him, he still didn't know what to do with his future.
At that moment, he could've invest in the studio and in the contacts he had made during those months. He could've gotten a really high paying job in some prestigious company or even start his own company in Paris and do what he was so good at... He could probably go work with Eric's father on their company. Or even for Marie's father...