The other shoe drops.
Three weeks or so ago, John the band leader says that it's time to start working up that third set. Emails go around, songs are picked, we decide on a next practice date: this Sunday at 5:00. We've all been working on the new songs. Karen actually participates in the email discussions, even makes some good suggestions.
Today she sends an email to everyone in the band, saying that she's really sorry, she's been trying to come to terms with this, but she's decided that she just can't continue with the band. She says she knows she's let us down, she's tried to keep the band balanced with all of her other commitments, but it's just not working, etc. In a way, it's a relief. Things were looking better for a while, but I was kinda wondering how long it would last. Scorpion and frog.
Mike, her husband, sends an email. He's blown away! "Respectfully, Karen, WTF?!" He's pissed. He's been working on the songs, a couple hours each, and she should've said something sooner. Not only that, but he's her husband and this is how he finds out she's quitting the band they're both in?
Yeah, we kinda knew that these two didn't always communicate on things, but whoa. Blindsided by his own wife. And pissed about it, and blasting her on a Reply All to the whole band.
I wonder if this means he'll rethink his position on staying in the band. He said he wouldn't stay if we fired her. That would be understandably awkward, as it means that even if he voted to keep her, he stayed in a band that voted to can his own wife. But this is different; she quit, obviously he had no idea that it was coming, and he's pissed. Also, on a selfish level, I'd rather we didn't have to find a new bassist and a new singer at the same time. We were just going to come off a two-month break; this could kill the band.