Chapter one

CHAPTER ONE


The venue, Madison square gardens, 2005, a sold out show to 20,000 screaming fans...... who are we? We are Bon Jovi.... and me, I am the leader and boss of the band. if you still don't know, I'm Jon Bon Jovi.
 I did not set out to be the main man, but given it was my family name, the responsibility somehow fell to me and my band mates settled comfortably into me holding that role.
We had all been together for so long now, it was like being involved in a sexless marriage. each knowing when to stay quiet and when to hand out support, that is what we worked hard to achieve, a relaxed equilibrium for us all, and as long as they did as I said it was all good... no, I'm joking , well in part, I give them a democracy to express their voices, and somehow between us it just comes round to being my idea's that we all run with, no, I don't know why, but that is the way of it.
Many people that know me will tell you I am a very private man, I do not like washing my dirty laundry in public and try very hard to protect my band and my family when ever possible.
I may be the leader of a rock and roll band, but I have never lived the glitz and glamour lifestyle, it was just never me, but the press just have a way of finding crap and enjoying inflicting hurt on people, like it is their right to sit in judgement and twist interviews to suit their reading audience.
They care not if it is true, as long as they hit their market target they are happy.
Well this year, I was not able to stop the press train and it caused serious damage, to me and my wife and my family.
I was painted as being an adulterer, accused of having had sex with a fan. it was not true, but the fan that got carried away on  the fantasy and  made the allegations, well, she received more than her fifteen minutes of fame; and this time I could not just stay quiet, as this was a sign apparently of guilt.
Obie, my long time friend tried to limit the damage and give the truth but, even the truth was twisted, it seemed I had been the good guy of rock for so long, everyone wanted me to be the bad guy, they wanted me to fall from grace so they could all say I told you so, and every news story that aired the dirtier the lies became.
I instructed a lawyer to deal with the liable but still it continued. nothing could stop it, the damage was huge, and which after six continuous months of non stop accusations, my wife, could take no more. Dot was a strong women but each lie she heard I saw the light in her eye's fade more and more,  result, fed up and sick of living with the lies and hell finally she left me taking my four precious children with her, nothing I said would convince her I had not committed what I was accused of.  I was helpless and could do nothing to stop my world falling apart.
Like everyone else, the lies became the truth to her and she was swept away with the moment and did the only thing she felt she could do, she took off and headed west to see her family, her own words,
"I need time for this to die down Jon, for me to be on my own and to talk with family and sort out the chaos in my mind that right now is killing the love I have for you, please, just let me go..."
That night I watched as my beautiful wife, got into the family SUV with our  four children and drove out of my life, killing my heart with pain as she faded into the distance.
Ok,  so I guess you  now know, this is gonna be real painful for me, but you need to know the truth; So, let me take you back to the night in question, and relive the events, that was twisted into lies that changed my world forever.
We begin at the end of the show we had done, and the fourth encore on the first night at MSG.
The adrenaline pumping through my veins and with the screams and whistle pounding in my ears, together with the sweat dripping from my body, I high fived Richie and beckoned for the other guys to join me at front of stage for us to make our final stage call of the show.
For three hours we had performed old songs and new songs and given everything we had to give, with nothing left in us but exhilaration and exhaustion, with a final wave to the screaming crowd we left the stage.
No one spoke as we exited under the stage platform and headed out into the corridor, all taking towels from our dresser's on route back to our dressing rooms.
I reached my door first and reaching for the door lever I spoke to Richie, " Another great night for the Guy's eh Rich?"
Richie turned round, and with his towel in his hand he wiped his brow of sweat that was trickling down from under his Stetson, with a raspy voice he replied,
"It was fucking A man, fucking A, we may be getting old, but fuck we have still got it...."
I held on to my towel resting round my neck,  "  fucker, you're getting old, not me... I'm just older"
Laughing Richie, carried on his way but gave me the finger before disappearing around the corner to his dressing room.
Inside my dressing room, Diane had left my fresh clothes pressed and ready for me to change into after my shower,  together with cards and gifts that had been delivered to the stage door, and thrown on stage during the show, I picked up a few of the cards and looked through them, before dropping them loosely back on the counter top with my towel before walking out back to the shower.
Out back, and stripping off my wet stage clothes that were stuck to my body, now naked I grabbed my douche bag and fresh towel and stepped into the shower.
My mind was thinking over the show, what could we improve on, when I heard a voice,
"Hello?, are you in here....... Hello....."
My heart was racing and the voice was getting nearer, I hurried to rinse off the body wash and shampoo and turning of the shower I managed to grab my towel and fix it round my waist just as the door to the wet area opened and I stepped out of the shower to be met by someone I did not know.
The female smiled at me, "hi, sorry to barge in, but my names Toni,... Antonia, I just wanted to call back here and say thanks for a great show."
I was nervous to the pit of my stomach, and irked that security had failed and she had somehow managed to slip past them and into my personal domain. for the first time I felt compromised and stunned into not knowing what to do.