Something Rather Sweet

Adapted from http://coldplay.com/newsdetail.php?id=654&page=0

Chris was on the first tea run of the day – not the Chris, of course, the fabulous Mr. Christopher Martin, the first and sometimes only Chris people think of when it comes to the band, but rather the assitant Chris Green (after all, Chris is hardly a rare name). The rest of us (save for the other Chris, and Jonny, which is another story) were all scattered about the Beehive, groaning in fatigue and eagerly awaiting his return. To be truthful, it was far more of a coffee-and-snacks run than tea, but the point is we were all just sitting there, waiting. Having unintentional staring contests across the room as we struggled to keep our lids from closing. It was, as they say, the norm.

In a studio filled with instruments and people, especially exhausted near-zombies, the occasional abrupt noise in the background is not so uncommon, as those near-zombies walk around with a balance that would get you about an inch on the tightrope before the free-fall into the giant net below. Combined with the fact that every single one of us was a near-zombie, this allowed for assistant Chris to reenter the building without anyone even noticing, despite all of our aches for his nourishment-clad arms.

He told us he was there for ten minutes before we realized. I think he was pulling our collective leg, so-to-speak, when he said that, mostly because when I got my coffee from him it was still hot enough to burn my tongue on the first sip.

The drinks were dispersed and the snacks, pastries, and fruit, as well as tubs of yoghurt and granola, placed on a nearby table for anyone who pleased to take them. I myself was about to snatch a particularly delicious-looking Danish when for some reason I stopped, noticing Will beside me grab a generous portion of yoghurt. He walked away and straight over to the desk where Rik Simpson, the sound engineer, presently sat. He obviously had not expected Will's presence, judging by the confused look on his face when he glanced up at the drummer.

“And I want to see this eaten now,” Will told Rik, not in a sarcastic or nasty tone, but sounding more like a caring father, “not still on your desk at 4pm.”

I always thought Will seemed more like a family man than the others – no offense to them, of course, as the whole lot of them are amazingly caring people – and this simple act did nothing but confirm it in my eyes. As if his command (while not intentionally harsh, Will can still be intimidating when he wants to) wasn't already enough to make Rik obey, Will stood behind him as he continued to work and feed himself large spoonfuls of yoghurt every minute or so.

Indeed, by 4pm that afternoon there was not even a hint of the yoghurt left at Rik's station, not even the container. Under Will's supervision, Rik had scarfed it down within ten minutes while simultaneously clicking away on his computer. I've no idea how long it will be before Rik's eating habits return to nearly nonexistent, but in the meantime, it's always nice to see people caring for one another.

R#42