Hey there people! So, didyah think I was never comin back? Well . . . GUESS AGAIN! Sorry for makin yah wait so long though, but hey . . . as long as it's here, right? So, ON WITH THE SHOW!!
Last time . . .
"Our left engine was hit by lightning, I gotta land the plane! Hold on! It's gonna be a rough one!" The captain yelled into the loudspeaker.
My heart was beating a thousand times per second, and I was holding onto the chair I was in for dear life. We were all scared and we all saw it in each other's eyes.
"It's all good . . . we're gonna be fine! He just has to land this thing and we'll be on our merry little way!" I said trying to reassure everyone, including myself.
We started to feel our decent, and suddenly, it started to get faster and faster.
"I'm losing her!" The captain yelled. "If I can't get control, we're gonna have to brace for impact!"
This time . . .
It was at that moment, as the plane started to rapidly plummet towards the earth that I realized something, and as I came to my sudden realization, I heard the pilot say,
"It's ok! It's ok! She's steady!" And as he said that, the plane began to pull up, and we made a safe, but bumpy landing.
"Is everybody okay?!" I asked once we were landed.
"Yeah." they all said collectively.
"JUST GET ME THE HELL OUTTA HERE!" Dave yelled.
"I don't think I'm ever gonna get on a plane again!" Julie said.
"I'll second that!" Lauren agreed.
"Whatever, let's just get out of this deathtrap!" Tommy said as we unbuckled our seatbelts and made out way towards the exit, where Don, the captain was waiting for us.
"That was a close one!" Don said.
"Yeah, TOO close!" I commented as we stepped off the plane.
"Where are we?" Dana asked.
"We're in Sun City, not too far from Phoenix." The captain said.
"What time is it?" I asked.
"Ten after six."
"Do you think you can find us a van or something so we can drive the rest of the way to Phoenix?" Dana asked.
"I can try, shouldn't be a problem . . . a buddy of mine owns this here airport, he's in the skydiving business. He should have a van or somethin y'all could borrow!"
"Could you find out please? I gotta call Nate and tell him what happened."
"Tell him not to tell the guys! I don't wanna worry them anymore than I have already today!" I said.
"Then what should I tell him to say?"
"That the video went a little over schedule, and that we're on our way."
"Okay, whatever you say!"
Back in Phoenix.
"Lance, I'm sure he's alright!" Josh said, trying to console Lance.
"Yeah, he's a strong guy, and besides, this happened before." Melissa, who was joining them for the weekend said, also trying to console Lance.
"What?! When!? He never told me!" Lance said looking up at them.
"That's cause it was like a REALLY long time ago! Like when we were in 9th grade or something!"
"What happened?"
"We were at the beach and it was really hot, and he was playing around, and the dumb ass that he was didn't have anything to eat or drink all day! So, after running around and playing volleyball all day, he passed out just as he was about to go in the water. The lifeguard said that it was heat exhaustion, and since he didn't have anything in his system that's what caused it. But, we just got him in the shade, gave him some water and told him to take it easy for the rest of the day, and he was fine!"
"I dunno . . . I mean, I believe you guys, and I know he'll be alright, but it's just like . . . I dunno, it feels like there's something else wrong! I mean, he didn't even call me himself to tell me he was alright."
"Well, knowing him, he probably wanted to get the video over and done with, so he could get out of there and see you sooner!" Josh said, as Melissa looked at him with a sort of 'good one' look.
"Yeah, Josh is right! Look Lance, just don't worry about it! He'll be here before you know it!" Melissa reassured.
Back in Sun City.
"Ok, y'all are all set! Van's ready!" Don said tossing the keys to Dana.
"Thanks . . . just one problem though . . ." She said.
"What's that?"
"Um . . . we don't know how to get there!" I said.
"Yeah . . ."
"Oh, well Greg and I will drive yah! I mean, it's the least we can do!" Don said.
"Who's Greg?"
"The guy who owns the airport, and this van!"
"Oh . . . Well, if it's not too much trouble, we'd greatly appreciate it! And I'll see to it that you're paid extra for your time and troubles."
"No need, it's the least I can do!"
"Well, you guys can argue over pay later, we gotta concert to get to!" I said.
We threw our stuff into the back of the van and loaded up. Within five minutes, we were on the road, on our way to the venue. As we drove along the highway, I noticed Kim staring out the window aimlessly.
"Hey . . ." I said in her ear (I was sitting next to her).
"Yeah?"
"You okay? You've been quiet ever since the whole plane thing . . ."
"Yeah . . . just a little shook up, that's all!"
"You sure?"
"Yeah, I'm fine."
"Why are you lying? You know you can't fool me!"
"I'm not lying!"
"Yeah you are!"
"Shut up . . ."
"Come on, tell me! What's botherin yah?"
"I told you, I'm just a little shook up from the plane!"
"There's more, come on, I know there is!"
"Well I really don't feel like going into it right now!" She said turning back to the window.
"Fine, don't tell me! I was just tryin to help! Damn! You don't gotta bite my fucking head off!"
"Fine . . ." She sighed, "I'll tell you!"
"No, now I don't wanna know!"
"Would you stop bein an ass and just listen?"
"Shoot . . ."
"Well . . . it took me sometime to get over it, but I finally did, and now, with what happened, it just reminded me of it all over again."
"What?"
"Ok, remember that guy that I was goin out with Senior year?"
"Um . . . Yeah! David right?"
"Yeah . . . David."
"What about him?"
"Well, I never told you the real reason we're not together anymore."
"So you didn't break up with him after he went to the army?"
"Nope . . . Not exactly."
"Whatta yah mean, not exactly?"
"Well, he DID go to the army and we tried to make it work. Things weren't going so well though cause you know . . . he was doing his thing, and I was doing mine . . . it used to be before that that it was the same thing. We both wanted to do the same things, sing and/or be a producer/engineer. But, in order to pay for college, he had to go into the army. So, we both noticed that things were getting rough, so one weekend, he wanted to surprise me. So, he flew down to Orlando to see me. We had a great time too! But when he went back, he had to take this flight back to Georgia, and then take a charter plane to his base. Well, he never made it back to the base, cause the plane crashed and there weren't any survivors." As she finished her sentence, tears started to fall from her eyes. I put my arm around her, kissed her on top of her head and said,
"I'm so sorry!"
"It's ok . . . I mean, I had some help to get over it, and I did. But, what just happened just really shook me up! But I realize something now."
"What?"
"Well, although you closed your window visor thing, I had mine open. And as we started to go down, just before Don said that he got control, I looked out the window, and I swear to you, that I saw him out there. I saw his face in the window. It was like a sort of reflection, but not one . . . You know what I mean?"
"He was watching over you, and protecting you."
"Yeah, exactly!"
"He's your spirit guide."
"Exactly!"
"I understand. My grandmother's mine!"
"I'm just really shook up now!"
"Are you gonna be able to go on stage?"
"I dunno."
"Ok, hold on for a sec . . ." I said then sitting up. "Hey, everybody, listen up!"
"What are you doing?" She whispered.
"Ok, I realize that with the near death experience, all of you might not be in the best mind state to go on and perform tonight. So, if any of you don't want to, it's ok! Just let me know now, so Dana can inform Nate."
"Look," Kim said, "Although I'm shook up now, once I get out there and hear the crowd, I'll be fine!"
"Yeah, same here!" Mike agreed.
The rest of the crew did the same, so it was settled, we were goin on! We got the venue just as the opening act was going on. We almost had a problem getting in around back, cause the van we were in didn't look like any of the other authorized vehicles that were in the backstage parking lot. Once they saw that we were in the van though, they let us in no problem. Once we got settled in the parking lot, Nate met us at the backstage entrance to the venue. He ran over to the van to check out damage control, once he saw we were all okay, he let out a sigh of relief. That's one of the things I loved about Nate and Dana, they were like family, and they worried about all of us like we were their kids or something. After we got out of the van, Nate gave the guys $400, $200 for Don and $200 for Greg. He offered them some tickets to that night's concert, but they had to get back, Don had to fix his plane, and Greg had to prepare for some client that was coming in the next day. So after we thanked them and proceeded into the arena, Nate stopped us and gave us a huge bear hug, it was cute actually. As we made our way further down the halls, I saw a familiar flash of bright red hair.
"Joey!" I said realizing it was him.
He must have heard me, cause he turned around, and as soon as he saw me, he yelled something into the dressing room he was standing next to and out popped the guys, and Melissa. They all ran down the hall towards us, and I looked at Nate, giving him a "Did you tell them what happened, after I specifically told you not to?" look. He just shook his head no, and I looked back at the stampede that was headed our way. Lance fought his way through the entire crowd and was the first one to reach me. He pulled me into a long embrace, and I just melted. To think, I almost lost that touch in the plane. I started to tear up, and after Lance let me go, he asked,
"What's wrong? Why are you crying?"
"Nothing, nothing. I'm just so happy to see you! All of you!"
"You act like you were never gonna see us again!" Chris said.
"Sorry, I guess I'm just a little over emotional today. It's all good though, I'm alright!"
"Good, cause you have to go on stage in less than 30 minutes!" Nate said, obviously not wanted to ruin the moment, but knowing he had to.
"We gotta talk later on." I said.
"Ok." Lance replied.
"All of us!"
As I made my way to my dressing room, I knew then that I had to tell them what happened. It just wouldn't be right of me not to. And besides, I figure that if I didn't tell them soon, they'd read it all over the tabloids the next day, right next to the part about me collapsing. So, to avoid WWIII, I decided to bite the bullet and tell em. It was just easier to tell them afterwards, so it wouldn't totally throw them off course. I got ready in record time, a little under 20 minutes. That included hair, make-up AND wardrobe!
As the house lights went up and back down, I was now in my spot ready to go out. The dancers took their mark on stage while the house lights were down, and I went under the stage to the platform, which I rose up in. The music started, and the lights around the platform were shining down on me.
"Get down, get down . . . get down, get down . . . Get down, get down, gonna get down with me!" I sang as the platform rose and the lights went up to reveal my dancers. The minute I felt the energy of the crowd, and saw all the fans that actually wanted to see me, I knew that my dancers felt it too, and we would get through the show with no problem. I greeted the audience as soon as the platform was all the way up. "Woooo! What a crowd tonight! How y'all doin out there?" They cheered and I amped it up a little more. "No, no, no . . . I SAID, HOW Y'ALL DOIN OUT THERE?!" They cheered even louder and I continued. "Well, let me be the first of many to welcome you tonight! We got a wonderful show cooked up for you, lots of fun and lots of surprises! Right now, I'd like to do a song for you that I just finished shooting a video to. I just got in like a half-hour ago from doin it! As you can guess, it's a song that I KNOW you love, and that are help makin go to number one! You know what it is, and I know what it is, so let's just do it and have a good time! Whatta yah say? Y'all wanna have a good time?" they cheered and again, I amped it up. "I said . . . DO Y'ALL WANNA HAVE A GOOD TIME?!" They cheered even more and I gave the band their cue to start the song.
As my set neared it's close, I was having a great time! All the stress that was goin on in the passed few days seemed to disappear through the energy of the crowd. It was now time for me to end my set, so naturally, it was time to sing my first single.
"This next and last song is a song that YOU helped make go to number one! Before I get into it, I'd like to thank all of you for coming out tonight and thanks for all of your support! I love you all! HIT IT!" The band started the music for 'The one I want' and it got a loud cheer from the audience as they recognized what song it was. As I got to the chorus I put the mic out to the crowd so they could sing, "You could be the one I want" I continued and they just loved it. After I finished the song, I took my bow, thanked them again and made my way off stage. As soon as I got backstage, it was like a wave of reality came flooding back over me. I was tired. My body was about to kick the shit out of me. I needed to lay down and FAST! I managed to make my way back to my dressing room without incident. Lance was waiting in there when I walked in all sweat drenched and obviously tired.
"YOU need to rest!" I heard him say.
I looked up from the nice spot on the floor I was planning on hitting if I didn't make it to the couch, and saw him sitting in my chair in front of the mirror.
"That I do! And YOU need to get your sexy ass out on stage!" I said managing to get to the couch.
"I've got a few minutes. Don't you worry! Right now, I'm worried about you! You haven't slowed down for the passed, almost week already! I don't want you to end up in the hospital like I did!"
"Don't worry babe, I'm not. I promise I'll get some rest tonight! We're here for a couple of days right?"
"Yeah."
"So then I'll spend all my free time in the hotel resting!"
"Good!"
"Tell Dana to come and get me when it's time for me to go out there with you."
"No."
"What?"
"I said no. We pulled that from tonight's show."
"What?!" I said sitting up, "WHY!?"
"Cause of your condition!"
"What condition?! I'm fine! I can go out there! I just proved that!"
"Yeah, but look at you! You can barely sit up without almost falling back down!"
"Lance, you had NO right to do that!"
"I had every right! You would've done the same!"
He had a point, but I didn't wanna admit defeat.
"I'm goin out there!"
"No you're not!"
"Lance, please? It's one of the things I've been looking forward to all day! I'm gonna be even more depressed if you take it away!"
"Why are you depressed?"
"LANCE! Come on, it's time to take our places!" Josh yelled through the door.
"I'll tell you about it later. But please . . . don't take that away from me!"
"I'll tell Dana to come and get you when it's time." He said giving in as he got up from his chair and made his way towards the door.
"THANK YOU!" I said pulling him onto the couch and kissing him.
We actually sat there for a few making out, I was so glad to be kissing him! He had NO idea how much I had missed it! We were interrupted by, Melissa walking in and telling him that he had to get to his spot. He got up, gave me one last kiss and went to his spot.
"Hey you!" I said as Mel came further inside. "What are you doin here?"
"Well, a couple of things actually." She said as she moved my legs, sat on the couch and placed them on top of her lap
"Those being?"
"Well, for one, I wanted to see you, and two, I couldn't wait two weeks to see Josh."
"Ah . . . so how long you here with us till?"
"Just the weekend. I gotta get back to New York. I've got some things to take care of."
"Like?"
"Just some stuff, nothing big, but it gotta be done."
"Oh, I get yah!"
"So, you look like shit . . ."
"Thanks!"
"You do . . ."
"I feel like it too! I've got like maybe 10 hours of sleep within the passed . . . 4 or 5 days?"
"Wow! That's not good!"
"Nope!"
"So is that why you passed out on the shoot?"
"Partly . . . the other part being cause it was so hot, I hadn't had anything to eat or drink, and cause I was dancing."
"Oh . . . Lance was really worried, they all were, but Lance especially."
"What about you?"
"No, cause it's happened before . . . remember?"
"Um . . ."
"Beach, volleyball . . ."
"Oh yeah!"
"So, it didn't worry me that much, I mean, I was concerned, but . . ."
"Yeah, I got you!"
"What's wrong?"
"Whatta yah mean?"
"I dunno . . . you have this look in your eyes. Are you okay? I mean, besides feelin like shit and all?"
"Yeah . . . why?"
"I dunno . . . you just look like there's something wrong. Did something happen?"
"No . . ."
"Something did, didn't it?!"
"No!"
"Tell me!"
"Nothing happened!"
"You're lying!"
"No I'm not!"
"Yeah you are!"
"Please, don't make me argue, I have like NO energy for it!"
"Then tell me!"
"Later . . ."
"No, I wanna know now!"
"Please?"
"Nope!"
"You're not gonna give up are you?!"
"Nope!"
"Ugh . . . fine! I'll tell you! I was gonna wait till tonight after the concert, but since you won't leave me alone until I do, then I might as well tell you now!"
"Yup!"
"Ok, but don't breathe a word of this to anyone! They can't find out until tonight, when I tell them!"
"Ok!"
"Well, I almost didn't make it here tonight."
"What . . . did you almost miss the flight?"
"No, I got the flight alright . . . and the flight almost got me!"
"Huh?"
"We flew into a storm when we got into Arizona, and lightning struck one of the engines. Don, the pilot, lost control of the plane and we were starting to descend. We almost crashed, but thank the gods he got control over it and was able to land us safely."
"Oh my god!" She said leaning down and hugging me. "Are you okay? Did any of you get hurt? Who else knows about this? Are you gonna tell your parents?"
"Hey, hey, hey! Calm down . . . It's ok! I'm fine! I'm just a little tired . . . well, a LOT tired, but you know what I mean! Nobody was hurt! We were all just a little bit shaken up. And I'll tell everybody eventually. Well, before the tabloids get a hold of it, but yeah, I'm gonna call them up tomorrow. The LAST thing they need is to hear about all that's been goin on from the media!"
"Yeah, well you better call them first thing tomorrow morning! I don't wanna hear it!"
"I will."
"Hey Rob . . . It's Nate!" I heard Nate say from outside.
"Come in!" I yelled through the door.
"You're on in 15 minutes. You need anything before you go out there? Some water, make-up refreshed, did you change yet?"
"I got water here, yeah, better tell Vicky to get in here, the sweat from before got rid of all my make-up. I'll get changed right now. Oh, and tell Julie to get in here too! My hair needs to get fixed up too."
"Ok, will do!" He said walking back out.
"Ok, well I'll leave you to your slaves." Melissa said about to get up.
"No! Don't go! Please, it ain't like you're in the way, and they're NOT my slaves!"
"I know, I was just playin."
"I know. Look, don't let what happened get you all emotional. The main thing is that I'm ok and not hurt!"
"I'll try."
"I love you girl, remember that!"
"I love you too!"
"Good, now come here and give me a hug!" I said sitting up and pulling her in.
After our embrace, I attempted to get up, and fell right back down.
"Are you ok?!" Melissa said putting her hand on my shoulder.
"Yeah, yeah . . . I'm fine! I just got up too fast, lost my balance, that's all!"
"You sure?"
"Yeah."
"I don't think you should go out there. Lance was right . . ."
"No, I'm fine! Really, if I wasn't able to do it, I wouldn't! Trust me! I'll be fine!"
"Fine, but if you pass out on stage, I'm gonna kick your ass when you come to!"
"Deal!"
There was a knock at the door again, and my hair and make-up people, Vicky and Julie, entered ready to fix me up for show time. Just before they sat me down in the chair, I quickly stripped down and got into my wardrobe for the number I was doin with the guys. Once that was done, I sat in my chair and got ready. I was done in a matter of 10 minutes, cause it wasn't that much to do. Melissa walked me to my spot under stage where I was supposed to pop out of. Just before my cue, I gave her a hug and kiss on the cheek, and she went off to see the show from the wings.
TBC . . .
There you go! Hope you enjoyed! Lemme know what you think! Email me at Papito6187@aol.com.