Unplugged (A Portrait of a Rock Star) Read Online Free PDF

know about that.”  Of course I couldn’t just let the mood stay weightless.  I had to bring the heaviness back.  Quick, Tagg, think of something more casual to say before I make her feel uncomfortable.  “I don’t think I can be a woman.” Dumb, but at least it was light.
    “Well, technically, if you really wanted to, they do have surgeries for that kind of thing.”  There was that smile, again.  “Tagg, can I ask you a question?”
    Her tone was serious.  “You can ask; I’m not sure you’ll get an answer.”
     
    “That’s fair...  What happened at your house before,…that happens often?”
    I watched for Mara to look down, avert her eyes in some way, but as we walked, her eyes never left me.  I looked down, however.  “I do tend to fade out from time to time, yes.”
    Mara continued to look up at me, while I continued to look down as we strolled.  “You can’t get over her, can you?”
    I promptly turned to face Mara.  She was still looking at me, her eyes wide. We stopped walking for a moment.  She must have been surprised by my reaction.  I was caught off guard by her question.  It really has never been about getting over Crystal.  “Why do you ask that?” I said, sounding more annoyed than I had wanted to.
    “I just thought that your depression was due to missing your wife.  I’m sorry.”
    “What makes you think I’m depressed?”  I really wanted to know.  The tabloids had begun leaving me alone a year after the accident.  No one except my family knew I was depressed.
    “I just assumed.”
    “Why?”
    “I see it in your eyes.  You’re sad.  The eyes don’t lie.”
    I closed my eyes briefly, and then started walking.  Mara followed.  “Yeah, I’m sad, but it’s not really because I miss my wife.”
    “Oh.”
    “What does that mean?  Oh.”  Leave it to me to get defensive.  Mara was not being offensive, yet I had to put up my guard.
    “It means nothing, Tagg.  I just thought maybe I was prying too much and I would just end this part of the conversation.”
    “It’s okay.  I’m sorry.  I haven’t held a conversation with anyone besides my mother in a long time and even then, she’s the one doing the talking.  I don’t mind the questions, if you don’t mind my reactions.”
    “I don’t mind.”
    We continued to the end of the boardwalk and turned to head back towards the car.  Mara seemed more careful now in her questioning.  “What were you like when you were younger, Tagg?”
    I let out a guttural laugh.  “Trouble.”
    “I expected that.”
    “You did?  What gave me away?”
    “Someone who was able to make it as a huge rock star before the age of twenty had to be some what of a thrill seeker.”
    “True, I wasn’t afraid of much.  I guess I have my parents to thank for that.  Besides raising me to be a chronic smart-ass, they also gave me lots of freedom, because of their schedules.  Dad always brought me on tour, so I grew up before I should have.  While he was rehearsing for a show, I’d meander through whatever city we were in.  It wasn’t the conventional childhood, but it was my childhood and it was quite fascinating.  But, yeah, I sought many a thrill as kid.” I turned to look at Mara, who was looking straight ahead as she walked and listened.  It made me smile to see her petite profile.  Her little nose tipped up at the end.  It was one of those noses that was fortunate enough to not have grown a sloping bone at the top.  It was very cute and fit her very well.  “What were you like, Mara?”
    “When I was a child?  I was fairly shy.”  I noticed she looked down as she continued her response.  “I didn’t have a dad around, like most of my friends, so I always felt like an outcast.  Mom was great, but she worked so much that I would have to stay at my Uncle Frank’s house more than my own.”
    “Where was your Dad?”  I was curious.
    “I don’t know.” She shrugged.  “I never knew him.  My mom