We had a concert in Canada. The scenery was breathtaking, the country was clean, and the people were polite. We had a party late at night after the concert. We were in a bar with a moderate number of people. A mix of citizens and tourists were in it. We drank, danced, and conversed with strangers. We were having the time of our lives there.
Some fans approached us and asked for photo opportunities. Of course, we accepted their requests. We gladly smiled at the cameras on their phones. Our manager, Jimmy Ritchie, had told us that we should always be friendly with our fans and agree to have our pictures taken in public. Even though we weren’t working and that we were in parties like these. He said that we owed our success to our fans, and we shouldn’t neglect them or act like we didn’t care for them. He also told us that we should always respond to our fans when they talk to us, whether online or in real life. So even on times that we got tired, we replied to our fans in public and online. There were even times when I was overly tired and sleepy, but I still managed to reply to my fans’ messages and follow them back. There came a situation in which I was too exhausted, so I accidentally replied with random numerals and words. Upon waking up, the fan asked me if I were okay. I said that I was okay and I apologized for my message. I told about that accident to my bandmates and tour manager, Antoinette. Antoinette advised me to hire someone to manage my social media. I hired a young and tech-savvy girl named Ruth, who was referred to me by Antoinette herself. Ruth had been doing a great job at managing all my social media accounts so that I wouldn’t have to worry about mistyping anything to avoid misunderstandings with fans. Not only did Ruth communicate and follow my followers, but she also answered back with witty comebacks to my haters or bashers.
Anyway, back to my narration about our time in the bar. Sebastian secretly smoked a Kush and offered it to me. I said, “No, thank you. I prefer to enjoy my drink only.” I was savoring my Cosmopolitan and a tropical mix vape. He was flirting with a beautiful Canadian girl. My other bandmates were also flirting with the bargoers. I sat alone as I drank and vaped, taking in the interior of this red and black bar with numerous colorful and vibrant lights. I admired the couples dancing to slow and romantic songs. The DJ played an upbeat mix of EDM, pop, and R&B songs—the usual staples in bars like these. I swayed and danced to the music alone with a crowd of strangers. I immersed myself in the music as I moved fluidly. I was more than just a rock singer. Since I had an eclectic taste in music, I enjoyed all types of music, such as the ones I was dancing to.
“Ring!" We were roused by the harsh sound of the ringing from someone’s phone. The phone belonged to Sebastian. He put the cellphone on speaker mode for everyone to hear.
“Check your socials, dammit!" Jimmy Ritchie commanded all of us in his angry voice. We did as we were told. We rubbed our eyes since we were all both too sleepy and too wasted from the party. Upon checking our newsfeed, we were bombarded by the nasty headlines and awful photos. One of the headlines said, “Sebastian Brooks, Elusive Chimera’s drummer, caught smoking Kush.” In the post, it showed pictures of our drummer Sebastian lighting up and smoking a Kush cigarette.
I covered my mouth and uttered in disbelief. “This is bad.” Who took that photo? Was someone making us look bad? Was it the paparazzi or a hater of the band? I didn’t know the answer to these questions because the photos were taken, sent, and posted anonymously.
Dianne’s eyes widened. “Oh no, what are you going to do? "She asked Sebastian. Sebastian didn’t answer the rhetorical question. He just frozen silently.
“I told you to lie low on the devil’s lettuce,” Noah reprimanded Sebastian. “You didn’t listen to me. Now our band is going to suffer from your stupid action!”
“I’m sorry, guys,” he uttered penitently.
“Sorry? Is that all you can say?” Dominic chimed in angrily. “You were so irresponsible.”
“You can’t control your vice,” Liam said with disgust. “You might as well quit the band.”
“Cut it out, guys,” Dianne defended Sebastian. “Stop attacking and blaming Sebastian. Remember that as a band we are united. No one is quitting.”
Liam scoffed. “Of course, you’re defending him. You are also an addict. You love liquor so much.”
“Stop fighting!" I called them out. “No one is quitting. Sebastian is the best drummer out there, and he is our friend. We should help each other out instead of blaming the other and bringing up someone’s shortcomings.”
“Ouch, my back hurts,” Sebastian complained as he bent forward and put his hand on his back.
Noah chuckled mirthlessly. “How old are you, forty years old?" He shook his head in disbelief.
Sebastian then proceeded to light up the Kush and smoke it. As he was sitting on the couch, he inhaled the cigarette deeply and slowly breathed out the smoke.
“I’m fine now,” Sebastian stated.
Suddenly, a light bulb moment happened to Sir Jimmy Ritchie. “That’s it! I know what to do with our situation!" He said excitedly. We were all ears as we listened to his plan.
A day later, in the late afternoon, Sebastian created and uploaded an apology video to our fans. In that video, he said, “To all our fans and to casual listeners, I am deeply sorry for such reckless behavior I did in a bar. As you all have seen, yes, I did smoke weed. I am sorry for doing it, especially in public. I know that we have young impressionable fans who might think that doing drugs is cool—it is not. I am telling you right now that if ever you were thinking about it, or if you are pressured by your peers into doing it, please do not do it.”
"In the fear of being accused as a hypocrite, because I smoke cannabis, I have a valid reason for doing it. I have chronic back pain, and my doctor prescribed medical cannabis for me.” He showed the medical marijuana card and the prescription. It was signed by an orthopedist.
“I hope that explains clearly why I am doing it. I don’t want our fans to do drugs just because we do. Please stay away from drugs. To our ever-loyal fans, thank you for your support and understanding.”
He clicked the “stop recording” button on his cellphone. Then he posted the apology video.
Sir Jimmy Ritchie knew a licensed orthopedist in the country. Jimmy was a well-known, well-respected, and well-traveled celebrity and tycoon. By pulling strings, he helped us out in this hiccup.