Well, I got this one out quickly (I think. I'm a bit confused at the moment) Once again, thank you for all the encouragement. I love it! When I started I didn't even think about getting any, but then those first few e-mails arrived and I have not looked back since (Sore neck) I know that Sher liked the good things that I said last time. I meant them! People! Read her story - Body Switch With Nick Carter - (or as she is fond of doing - BSWNC) Sher, I hope you enjoy reading more about your bloody 'lil Fia' in 'SS 4'! (JK)
I love e-mail, to feed my craving use this address - shiningstar@oceanfree.net
THIS IS NOT REAL! IF YOU ARE NOT ALLOWED READ IT THEN DON'T!!!
"Yeah, can we try?" Said A.J.
"I don't mind. I've gotten the worst bit over with." I responded. Brian grabbed an A4 pad from the table and started going down through the song until he had everyone's parts mapped out. He showed it to me and I nodded my approval. Brian distributed the sheets and they started singing. It was amazing enough to hear someone else sing my work, but this was the Backstreet Boys! After a couple of grating tries, they got the harmony together and were singing perfectly. Brain sang the last note and then they finished.
"That was incredible! You guys really work well together."
"Why do you think that we are one of the biggest groups around?!"
"Howie, when are you going to learn that self praise is no praise?" Said Kevin, after sighing in mock disappointment.
"But it's true!" Kevin just shook his head, again, pretending to be disappointed with Howie."
"You really have a talent Fiachra." I blushed, I didn't know how to handle compliments.
"Thanks." Just then my phone vibrated in my pocket. One glance at the screen told me that it was my mother.
"Hello?" I didn't know what this call was about.
"Ca bhfuil tu?" She said. (For translation of this conversation go to the bottom.)
"Taim ar mbus." I waited for her reaction, and got puzzled looks from the rest of the guys.
"Cen fath?! Cheap me go raibh tu ag dul o J.F.K." She was puzzled, not angry. Good.
"Bhi me, ach nior thainigh an glaoch mhuscailt sa maidin. Bhi me deanach, ach thug an ostan airgead don eitilt dom." I didn't want to explain to her what sort of a bus I was on, she would not have understood, so I guided the conversation in another direction.
"Án bhfuil fios ag Ryan?"
"Ta, nil aon fadhb aige leis." I assured her.
"Cheart go leor mar sin, chuir glaoch orm nuair a shroicheann tu a theach."
"Deanfidh me e sin. Slan."
"Slan duit." And with those parting words she hung up and I put my phone back in my pocket.
"What?" I questioned the group. They were staring at me like I had 2 heads, and it was disconcerting. (We've gone over my shyness)
"What were you speaking?" Asked Nick
"Irish, It is my national language you know."
"Oh right! I was wondering what these one's were." I guessed that Brian was looking at the songs that I had written in Irish. When I glanced over to see what page he was looking at I saw that I was right.
"Yeah, they're in Irish alright." I confirmed.
"What are they like? I love listening to foreign language music." I laughed at Brian's comment, and responded to him.
"You're just trying to get me to sing again, aren't you? Admit it!" He grinned sheepishly.
"Well ok, but I really want to hear what it sounds like!" I agreed to 'perform' for them again and took the notebook from Brian, I had written the one that he wanted me to do a while back and I didn't quite know it off by heart anymore. First I hummed it to make sure that I still remembered the melody and then started to sing it. This time I didn't need to close my eyes, and I looked around at the others while singing and they seemed to be really sombre and depressed. I smiled inside because that was I was aiming for with this song. You didn't even need to know what the words meant, but that was what I loved about music, it crossed all borders and barriers - physical, political, linguistical. That was its power. I finished singing and waiting to get their reactions.
"That was beautiful."
"Amazing."
"What was it about?"
"It's about this girl who is madly in love with someone, but he disappeared, and she spends the rest of her life looking for him."
"Does she ever find him?" Asked Kevin.
"No." I replied.
"That's really sad."
"Thanks, that's the way it's meant to be."
"What does the name of the song translate as?" Asked Nick, who had taken the pad from Brian.
"Lost love."
"Good name." It thought that it was time to become sarcastic.
"Gee thanks, I really needed to have your approval. I can go on living!" Nick had a shocked look on his face, I don't think that he was used to sarcasm. He struggled to come up with a response and after a paltry "sure." gave up. Brian and Howie laughed, but the others were watching a program on TV. It was some MTV special on them. 'Greatest Moments' or something. But they were just flicking through and turned it off quickly enough. I guess it must get boring watching yourself on TV when you're on it so often. After going through a dozen or more channels he gave up looking for something good and turned the TV off and was back focusing on the work that he had on the table in front of him. AJ and Howie had somehow fallen asleep and while AJ was leaning on Nick's knee and Howie was slumped across one of the beanbags (They had both been sitting on the floor) Nick looked down sympathetically.
"Poor guys, but I guess that's what you get for partying all night." He said. "Say, Fiachra do you want tickets for tonight? I know somebody who might be able to get you a backstage pass!" I laughed.
"I'd love to but I can't." Nick's face fell.
"Why not? I mean, I know that you like our music."
"It's not that, it's just that Ryan isn't exactly into pop music and I'm sure that he's already made plans for this evening, I couldn't do that to him. Otherwise I'd already be there!" I assured him. "I'm really sorry."
"No, it's ok." But his eyes told another story, he seemed to be really disappointed about it.
"You said that you are doing a European Tour? What about then? Dublin's included isn't it?" I hated groups that did European Tours and didn't have at least one date in Dublin. It was just rude.
"Yeah, but I think that Dublin is one of the last dates that we are doing." He paused, and then called over to Kevin. "Kev, Kev!" He almost had to shout to get his attention, he was so engrossed in what he was doing. "Throw over the European Schedule will you?" Kevin shuffled though a stack and then threw it across the now sleeping Brian so that it drifted into Nick's hand perfectly. "Yeah, see. It's not until the 16th of August. Ages away."
With everybody else either asleep or busy, Nick and I fell into quiet conversation about everything imaginable until I saw that we were creeping through the suburbs of Washington. (Signposts are helpful.) According to Jim we only had 20 minutes until reaching the MCI centre so Nick started waking up the others and left me to get Kevin away from the table. Apparently they all had to be able to wave by the time that they got close to the fans.
"Are we in Washington already?! Man, well, that's a couple of hours less work that I'm going to have to get through over Easter anyway. Thanks." He looked around. "Everybody up? Good! Get ready for the fans!"
"Kev, we've been doing this long enough to know what to do, I think!" Apparently AJ did not appreciate being woken up. Kevin just ignored him and instead started to talk to me.
"Fiachra, I hope you don't mind, but you're going to have to stay out of view. The windows are heavily tinted so if you just sit on the sofa you'll be fine, ok? As for getting off the bus, security is going to be much heavier here so there should be no problems. You're going to have to come in with us though, and leave by yourself. Otherwise, well you remember what happened at the hotel? Worse." It made sense, so I agreed with him, and stayed on the sofa while the guys were leaning out the windows, soaking up the screams and dodging the roses. Do people ever think about the thorns before they throw them?
When we got to the car park (parking lot, whatever) I noticed that it was completely sealed off so I didn't think that there would be any problems. I glanced at my watch and saw that it was only 5 past 5, I had about an hour until Ryan and his parents were to meet me here. But where was I going to meet them? How would I ever see them in the crowds that were here already? There were still 2 and a half-hours until the concert was due to start. It was going to be near impossible. I raised the question with Nick.
"No problem, just get the license plate number of the car that they'll be in and tell them to come in to this car park, we'll arrange the rest." While he still seemed disappointed that I was going to be leaving so soon, he hid it well. I suppose that you don't make many new friends when you are on the road. So I pulled out my phone while holding my pad in my other hand, ready to scribble down the numbers that would get him into the appropriate car park.
"Hey Ryan, listen. I'm at the MCI centre and there is a huge crowd. When you get here you are going to have to come into the private car park around back, otherwise I'd never see you."
"You're there already? Do you want us to come down now?" Ryan said excitedly. Well, he had been expecting to see me over 4 hours ago.
"No! I mean, no, there's no need. I'm having fun down here." I didn't want to waste what little time that I had with Nick and the rest of the group so I quickly gave Ryan the directions. (Jim had given them to me.) And got his Dad's licence plate number from him. I handed it over to Kevin who went to deal with security. Since Ryan was going to meet me by the bus, I left my bags on the bus and the guys only took a couple of small ones between them. We went in the backstage entrance and there we were met by BSB's personal bodyguards. I received nods from 4 of them but when Billy saw me he smiled and said hi.
I admired the set-up of the stage when I was shown it and then went back to the dressing rooms with them. But all too soon it was time for me to leave to meet Ryan. I exchanged good-bye with all of them except Nick, who insisted on accompanying me back to the bus. (With Billy, his bodyguard.) Besides, as he pointed out, someone had to open it so that I could get my luggage. It was a good point. We walked outside in silence, neither knowing what to say. Ryan and his parents were already waiting by the bus so when they saw me emerging into the late afternoon sun Ryan rushed over and grabbed me in a hug that crushed the air out of me. Nick and Billy looked on with amusement. When he finally let go I was gasping for air.
"It's great to see you Fiachra! How do you like the U.S. so far?" I didn't notice Nick asking Billy to get my stuff from the bus.
"Fine, except for the people who go around trying to hug me to death, I'm going to have to do something about them!" I joked. Nick then grabbed me, lifted me up and squeezed me until I was again gasping for air.
"What are you going to do about me?" He whispered in my ear. It was almost sensual, that is, until I kicked him in the shin (Well, there were two responsible, republican parents and one protective bodyguard looking on so I had to avoid some areas.) He dropped me and was hopping around on one foot.
"Over-Actor." I laughed.
I said a more proper goodbye to Nick and Billy and put the bags that Billy had handed me into the boot of the car. I got into it, and as Ryan's parents greeted me and we started to drive off I waved back at the two people who were watching us leave. They both waved, and then turned to head back indoors. Kevin had said that rehersals were going to start in a couple of minutes. I sighed and turned to face forwards.
Conversation between Fiachra and his Mother -
"Where are you?" She said.
"I'm on a bus." I waited for her reaction, and got puzzled looks from the rest of the guys.
"Why?! I thought that you were going from J.F.K." She was puzzled, not angry. Good.
"I was, but my wake-up call didn't come in the morning. I was late, but the hotel gave me money for the flight." I didn't want to explain to her what sort of a bus I was on, she would not have understood, so I guided the conversation in another direction.
"Does Ryan know?"
"Yes, he has no problem." I assured her.
"Ok then, make sure to give me a call when you get to his house."
"I'll do that, bye."
"Bye." And with those parting words she hung up and I put my phone back in my pocket.
In case you think it is, this story is not finished.
Craving feeders, e-mail me at - shiningstar@oceanfree.net
Slan go fol,
Tim