*After a short break, the story is back! Thanks for your patience... Yes, Billy is FINALLY on tour. *A BIG thank you to Andrew, Molly, Flip, Ad., CrazyStar, and... anyone else I sent this DARN thing to for proofing. This chapter has gone through the mill a few times, and I think I wound up with what I started with... hehe, funny. Anyway, thanks everybody. LOVE YA! *Hey Chris (YOU know who you are...) I got your email. I really want to write you, but... you know why I haven't. Perhaps I'll drop ya a line soon.
You've still got a friend, though. *MERI! I love your page! Everyone else, take a look at Meri's page at: http://www.crosswinds.net/~meri/main.html
*As always, this is a romantic story involving two guys. If you are offended by such material or it is illegal for you to read it, then GO AWAY.
Everyone else? Peruse on...
*Any comments can be sent to... ME! Kaiser_goof@hotmail.com ~Jeff
Previously on Twist of Fate...
"Billy, I am so much going to be looking forward to seeing you tomorrow. I miss you so much, and love you so much, it's going to be so awesome to see you and hug you... The day is ours. It will be OUR day."
"Oh Lance, that sounds great. I can't wait to see you!"
"Sleep well, and I'll be praying for you tomorrow. Nite nite, sleep tight, don't let the boyfriends bite..."
"Awww... please?" We both laughed. "G'nite, Goof. I'll see you tomorrow!"
"Goodnight Billy."
CLICK.
****************** Chapter 13
"Good afternoon everyone, this is Captain Ormsbee from the flight deck. We've begun our descent, so I've illuminated the fasten seatbelt sign. Estimated arrival time into Minneapolis is 1:03pm local time."
I love the window seat. Whenever my family would travel, I'd always beg, fight, claw for the window. I loved looking out and seeing the ground zoom by below us, and try to peek as far ahead of the airplane to see where we were going. Today, however, I wanted nothing more than to get off the plane-and see Lance. We had not seen each other for almost two months, and I was really missing him. I mean, SURE we'd chat on the phone, and we sent a BUNCH of emails back and forth, but it's obviously not the same. It's not the same to see that smile, or the unspoken change in his eyes when he gets an inside joke between only us. I had hugged Scotty, and mom and dad at the airport. My friends Sara and Ryan even came down, and they both got big bear hugs. However, they were nothing like the hug I was looking forward to giving my boyfriend. No, I was planning on running off that plane, grabbing that boy, and squeezing his guts out. Okay, so maybe that's a bit dramatic.
Point is, I was really looking forward to seeing him today!
BUMP BUMP. My head jerked around, only to find that we had actually touched down. Wow! So much for wanting the window seat! I guess I had totally spaced out through the whole descent. Oh well. I was now closer to seeing my guy!
I love how all the passengers on an airplane react once the plane hits the gate. As soon as the plane stops, everybody hops up, opens the overhead bins, grabs their stuff and... WAITS. Dum de dum. Me, being the smart person I was, just hung out in my seat. I could wait a few more minutes. Yup, that's me, just being patient. I'll just sit right here in the seat...... and wait even longer to start my job.. with Lance. AW CRAP. I wanted to see Lance! I hopped up and grabbed my stuff, and joined the herd, pushing my way to exit the plane. I finally got off the airplane and raced down the entryway, frantically and excitedly searching for a familiar face. No one. Well, maybe they're around the corner. Nope. Well, how 'bout over there? Nope.
I had been waiting and wandering around the gate area for about five minutes with no luck. 'Could they have forgotten about me? Nah. Could they be at the wrong gate? Maybe...' In an effort to find my welcoming committee, I turned to my right to walk down to the next gate when... OOOOOF!
I ran full-tilt into... some poor girl walking the opposite direction as myself. I nearly flattened her to the ground! "Sorry! I'm sorry!" I said as I regained my balance, and helped her regain hers. She shook her head and replied,
"No no, it's my fault. I was the one rushing. I'm sorry!" She was carrying a clipboard and dragging a luggage cart, and I thought how much I could have hurt her if I had pushed her over the cart! Knowing she was okay, I nodded and departed, heading down the terminal. I searched out three more gates, with no luck of finding anyone I knew. I didn't even know what I should do! I didn't know the airport, I didn't know how to get ahold of anyone on the tour, and I was supposed to go to the show tonight! Defeated, I walked back my original arrival gate to see if I had strangely missed something. I did a scan of all the faces in the seats, and saw no one familiar... except... HA! Except that girl I had nearly toppled 10 minutes earlier. She was sitting on the end of the row, her cart to the side, holding up the clipboard, looking as if she was desperately trying to find somebody. Poor girl. I hope she finds who she's looking for. Just for fun, I decided to take a peek at the name on the clipboard:
BILLY WILSON.
"Arrugh?" NO WAY. I grunted, and I quickly realized what was going on. I quickly walked over to her. "You're not going to believe this... I'm Billy Wilson!" She looked up, paused with a confused look on her face, and said,
"You... you're Billy Wilson? You? With the tour? No way... Oh, I'm so glad you're here. I thought I had totally missed you!" She extended a hand and introduced herself. "My name is Jessica, and I'm a production assistant with 'NSync. I'm here to take you on tour. It's nice to meet you!" I accepted the greeting and introduced myself.
"Billy Wilson. I'm the medical technician for the tour. Nice to meet you, Jessica. I'm glad we... bumped into each other." This broke the ice as we enjoyed a giggle over that one. King of cheese, YES I AM. However, another thought occurred to me, and I inquired to Jessica. "So, um, are you alone to pick me up? Did Peter come, or......any of the guys?" I was hopeful. Maybe I'd see Lance! Jessica looked at me funny and replied,
"Oh no... they're totally busy getting ready for the show tonight. That's what PA's like me are for... airport shuttles and stuff!" I frowned on the inside, but realized that my dreams of seeing Lance in the terminal were absolutely unreasonable. Yeah right, like he'd just waltz through a busy airport to meet me! I'd see him soon enough, though. Just a little bit longer, Billy!
Jessica and I bantered back and forth all the way from the gate to the luggage carousel, and I discovered that she was 24 years old, and had just recently joined the tour. She had begun as a production intern with a record label somewhere or other, and was given the opportunity to work with 'NSync. Peter was her boss a few rungs up on the ladder--Peter had sent her to come pick me up because he couldn't get away, considering he had a show that night! Considering she WAS doing the grunt work for the tour, she had a great attitude and seemed totally nice, and I was hoping she and I could become friends!
"Here we are..." I said, as I scanned the carousels for my flight number. Hmmmm.... "There it is!" She and I rolled over to the correct carousel and looked for my luggage. Garment bag. CHECK. Big bulky leather thing filled with crap. CHECK. Duffel bag. CHECK. Suitcase... suitcase... suitcase... Hmmmmmm... "THERE IT IS!" I said as I saw my black, hard case Samsonite rolling down the conveyor belt. Picking it up off the track, all the memories of how integral this luggage was in getting Lance and I together flashed through my mind, and I smiled.
I don't know why, but I leaned down and kissed that suitcase, thanking it for all it had done. Jessica didn't know why I had kissed it, either. She was looking at me like I was straight from the loony bin. "Uehrm, uh, you're probably wondering why I just did that," I said, and she curiously nodded. "Uh, it's a LONG story, and it's one of those 'you had to be there' explanations." I bit my lower lip, and she shrugged her shoulders, seemingly content with that answer. Phew.
"Lance! Are you with us this afternoon?" The soundman's voice came booming over the monitor system, and the music for "Everything I Own" came to a screeching halt. The guys all swiveled over on their stools to look at Lance, who had this total 'Oops! I just chewed up your favorite pair of shoes' puppy dog look on his face.
"Dude, what's up Scoop? You missed your part," JC inquired.
"I dunno, man. I... I thought we were at a different part in the song." Lance talked a good talk, but the look in his eyes told the others that he was somewhere else besides that sound check. JC and Chris where clueless about what was going on in Lance's head, but a look between Justin and Joey confirmed that they knew precisely where he was. Lance just shook his head and spoke into his wireless microphone to the soundman.
"I'm sorry Reuben. I'm just kinda tired. I'll be okay if we run it again." At that point, Peter made an appearance on stage, talking into his radio as he walked towards the guys.
"Hold up, Reuben. I think the guys are fine. We've got about 30 minutes of slop in a few hours, and we'll run it again." Turning to the guys, he said, "Hey guys, why don't you all take a break. You've earned it." A collective sigh of relief came up from the guys, followed by a barrage of praises of Peter as if he were Mahatma Ghandi incarnate. The band dispersed quickly though, in fear that Ghandi might change his benevolent mind and pull them all into slavery again.
"Wait up, Lance!" Joey called. Joey caught up and put an arm around his friend's shoulder as they walked. "What's your rush, huh?" Joey was teasing, and Lance had a hard time averting the blush reflex.
"Aw, nothin' dude. I'm just want to lie down for a minute in the dressing room."
"Ah, now that's interesting, because the dressing room is THAT way," Joey said as he pointed the opposite direction, grinning the whole time. "Why are you coming WAY over to the access door? It's completely out of your way!" Lance, getting a bit tired of the teasing, decided to give Joey some of his own medicine and play some reverse psychology.
"Hey Joey, come here," Lance said as he stopped and waved his hand at him. Joey came close and Lance whispered, in a deliberately slow, explanatory, jokingly patronizing tone, "I'm rushing because I'm waiting for my boyfriend... Billy. When he gets here, we are going to hug...... and kiss... FRENCH kiss. Two guys KISSING. With OUR TONGUES. TONGUE TONGUE TONGUE." As open-minded as Joey was, he still wasn't used to the mental image of his buddy Lance swappin' spit with a guy. Joey got the point, contorted his face around, smiled, and said,
"Okay okay OKAY OKAY!!... Gotcha gotcha. Point made. Haha. TMI, Scoop. TMI. WHOA. I'll leave you two lovebirds alone. Don't do anything I wouldn't do!" Lance got a quick punch in the arm before his buddy took off towards the dressing room.
"Hey, has Jessica returned with Bil... the new EMT yet?" Lance asked one of the security guards.
"Nope, not yet Lance. She signed out with a production van about 45 minutes ago, but there's no projected return time listed here," the guard said, pointing to a clipboard.
"Okay, well, could you have Jessica bring him to the dressing room when they get back?"
"Will do." A bit bummed, Lance walked slowly back to the dressing room. He had been waiting for this day for so long. He had hardly slept the night before, nervous and excited about the next day. It was only after a good heart-to-heart with Justin at around 4am that he finally found the relaxation to get to sleep. Here it was, his chance to finally spend time with his guy... with his boyfriend... with his BEST friend... with Billy. A smile came to his face as he thought about seeing Billy soon, and it was that smile that his fellow bandmates saw as he walked into the dressing room.
"'Sup Scoop?" JC was the first to notice Lance coming in, and he also noticed the mood change. "You get some caffeine or something? You look a little perkier."
"Nah, just went on a walk to get some fresh air." Lance hopped on a couch, trying hard not to make eye contact with the guys, especially Justin and Joey. Man, they could really have gotten him in trouble! Of course, Justin being the troublemaker that he was...
"It'll be really cool to see Billy today..." Justin just left it at that, but it was enough to get the other band members jumping, and get a wide-eyed rousing look from Lance.
"That's right, he should be here soon, shouldn't he?" Chris spoke up with a slow grin on his face.
"What time does he get here, Scoop?" Justin verbally prodded, as if Lance was Billy's personal secretary or something. Justin got daggers from Lance's eyes.
"Oh, I dunno. This afternoon sometime. I heard something about him being here for the show tonight." If Lance had never done any stage or film work before, this was proof that he could act! "I'm not sure, you could probably ask Peter. I think he's in charge of getting him from the airport." By this point, Justin and Joey were close to death by repressed laughter. Lance? He just pretended to brush it off by brewing an instant cup of tea and sitting down on the couch to play a game of Solitaire. Boy oh boy, would Joey and Justin get it later!
"Wow, I was really scared at the gate. I thought I had missed you! I could just imagine you wandering around the airport aimlessly, and me trying to find you!" Jessica said as we exited the parking structure. "It's not usually a good idea to be late picking up VIPs or touring staff from the airport, especially if it's your first month and you're still trying to impress the boss."
"Am I a VIP or touring staff?" I asked jokingly. Jessica laughed at my question.
"Well, depends on who you ask. According to Peter and Roger, you're touring staff. But the band all talks about you like you're a VIP!" I blushed a little bit, but I was still curious what they meant.
"What do you mean? The band?"
"Oh I don't know, they just seem like they're really looking forward to having you on tour. Do you know them or something?" I thought for a second, and responded.
"Yeah, we're all friends. I've got some pretty special friendships with the guys."
"That's neat. I wish I could say the same. They all seem like great guys offstage, but I'm either too scared or there aren't any opportunities to socialize and get to know each other. Besides, I wouldn't want to jeopardize my position!"
"Oh, I think you'd find them all to be great guys... and great friends." I smiled, thinking about the great friendships I had formed-with one of them, especially. The van was silent for a moment, until Jessica spoke up.
"Okay, well, back to business. I'm supposed to take you to Peter as soon as we get to the arena. He said he's got a stack of paperwork for ya. Then I'll make an ID badge for you so you won't get stopped at every security checkpoint. You'd be in trouble if you don't have one, especially if nobody knows you yet. Then, I guess, Peter will take it from there."
"So we're going to the arena right now?" To this, Jessica nodded. "Will we go to the hotel before or after the show then?" I asked, assuming I'd need to drop my bags off. Although she was driving, Jessica turned to me, looked, and raised one eyebrow before she said,
"Honey, we won't get to a hotel until about 5am tomorrow morning. After the show we all hop on the busses, get a shower if we need it, then either play cards, watch TV, or try to get some sleep while we're on the road. We have another show in Wisconsin tomorrow night." I was a bit shocked at the reality of what Jessica was saying, but I didn't let on. Lance wasn't kidding about touring being stressful! Wow!
"Oh, so wherever you stayed last night is already cleared out?"
"Well, where we stayed THIS MORNING. Yeah, we usually get the hotel from about 3 or 4am until about 10am or so. Production staff is at the venue from the moment the semis roll up, though. I usually work from about noon until we get on the bus at strike. Roger is always on the phone at the crack of dawn, and Peter usually shows up at the venue just before I do. The guys don't usually have sound check until 2 or 3pm, so they can sleep or do whatever they do."
"What... will my schedule be like?" I asked, scared about what the answer might be. Things like this had never really been discussed with me!
"I don't know, you'd have to ask Peter. As a matter of fact, you'll be able to do that in just a minute... there's the arena," Jessica said as she pointed to a large circular building with a dome roof coming into view down the road. I was beginning to wonder--and worry--about what kind of time I'd be able to spend with Lance if we wound up working opposite shifts!
KNOCK KNOCK. "'NSync sound check in 5," the stage manager yelled through the dressing room door as he walked through the hall. All but Justin were awake, but none were quick to their feet.
"Didn't we just have one?" JC asked.
"Remember, we took a break. I think they ran our openers, then came back to us. Pete told us about this," Chris said, and JC nodded in rememberance. Lance left his half-completed game of Solitaire and his tea on the table and got up, glancing over at Justin, slumbering like a baby. Evil grin in place, naughty thoughts a'brewin in his head, Lance crept over to his napping buddy to seek some revenge. He leaned over his head and started to poke and prod and Justin's head, tugging on some curls now and then.
"It is NOT a bald spot!" Lance said loudly; loudly enough for his fellow bandmates AND Justin to hear. "See, I told you guys, it's just thinning right there on JUSTIN'S head. There's nothing wrong a receding hair line! Justin probably just has early male-pattern baldness. But it's NOT A BALD SPOT ON JUSTIN'S HEAD!" The other guys started laughing, especially as Justin woke up to see his friend Lance, upside down, prodding his head and hair, saying something about 'BALD SPOTS'.
"Wha no wha you huh talkin' about?" Justin garbled as he swatted Lance's hands away and made a frenzied dash to the mirror on the door. There he sat, his eye 2 inches from the mirror, searching out the slightest sign of a bald spot on his head. This earned him a chorus of hoots and hollers from his bandmates, and earned Lance some high-fives. Knowing he'd been had, Justin slumped his head on the mirror, leaving a small greasy spot where his forehead made contact.
"Not cool, Scoop." Justin said to Lance, smiling. Lance walked up to Justin on the way out the door and said,
"On the contrary, my dear balding friend. It's called revenge, and I think you know for what." Lance proceeded out the door, but doubled back to add one more comment to Justin. "Oh by the way, I've got one word for ya... Rogaine!" Lance slapped Justin lightly on the cheek and then hightailed it out to the stage, with Justin closely behind him.
"Hello Jessica," the security guard said as we walked up. "Is this a new intern?"
"No, actually this is Billy, the new EMT." Jessica turned to me and said, "Billy, this is Steve, assistant head of security." We shook hands, and Jessica continued. "He's here to see Peter."
"Ah, yes. The EMT. Hey, doc, it hurts when I do this," Steve said to me as he moved his elbow around. I could tell this was a sense of humor, so I played along.
"It hurts when you do that? Hmmm... well then, don't do that." Steve laughed.
"Okay, he's funny. He's hired." Steve stuck out a hand and I received the most powerful handshake I had ever experienced. I thought I'd need to do first aid on MYSELF for broken fingers! "It's nice to meet you, Billy. Welcome to the tour."
"Thanks, Steve. It's nice to meet you, too!"
"Hey Steve, could we get Billy's bags to the production staff bus?" He nodded, and we were on our way to see Peter.
"Oh hey, Jessica..." Steve called to us. "Lance wanted to see you two when you got in. He said go to the dressing room." Jessica nodded. I melted. For the past 30 minutes, I had been completely distracted from my OTHER reason for being here. That little comment brought it all back. My heart beat shot up, my hands became sweaty, and I'm sure my face looked excited. Jessica didn't seem to notice, though. She simply changed directions and dragged me though the maze of the backstage towards the guy's dressing room.
I'm almost there, Lance! I'm almost there!!
KNOCK KNOCK. Nothing. KNOCK KNOCK. Nothing.
"That's odd. HELLO?" Jessica tried to get somebody's attention, but no one responded. Jessica opened the door to find... an empty room, a bunch of clothes tossed everywhere, cards scattered on the table, and a half-consumed cup of tea, still steaming. My heart sunk, and my head started to spin. SIGH "They must be at a sound check or something. But that would be odd, because they're usually done by now," Jessica said as he checked her watch. "Oh well. We'll catch 'em later. We need to find Peter." She reached into her bag to retrieve a radio. Turning it on, she spoke, "126 to 103..." The radio crackled for a second, then came to life.
"103 by the sound booth." I could tell it was Peter.
"Hi Pete, I've got Billy here. Where do you want him?"
"Billy? Great. Bring him to the production trailer in five. Meet ya there. 103 clear."
"10-4 126 clear." Jessica whisked me away through the maze again, bumping into people left and right, until we popped out in some big concourse area with offices and rooms. I was seriously starting to get a bit light-headed, from not only the plane trip and the whirlwind tour, but also from neither seeing nor knowing where Lance was. We walked into one room, and Jessica indicated that this was the production 'trailer'. Moments later, Peter walked in with a big smile on his face.
"Billy! It's so good to see you!" I got up to give him a handshake, but Peter would have nothing less than a hug. I think Jessica was rather surprised, but I was flattered and appreciative that I had been so well received. Talk about a self esteem booster! "Welcome to the tour. I hope you've been treated well so far." I nodded. "Good. Well, the next 30 minutes will be the most painful of your entire existence with us. It's called PAPERWORK. We've all had to do it, but I've tried to make it as painless as possible." Peter then went on to explain each of the 10 forms I needed to fill out to be sure I was legally employed, covered in case of decapitation from falling lighting rigs, blah blah blah. If you could think up a form, it was in this stack for sure.
Peter and Jessica left me alone in the room to work on the paperwork, but I was totally numb. All I could think about was Lance. I KNEW I needed to fill these things out, but the top page of paperwork forms had spontaneously translated itself into Greek, and I suddenly forgot if I was right or left handed. If only I could see Lance, I'd be able to do the rest of my work! I closed my eyes and held my breath, dreaming that somehow, someway, he would magically appear in the room. My heart stopped when I heard the door open. I opened my eyes, whipped my head to the doorway, only to find...
Jessica standing there.
"Hey Billy, how are you doing? Do you have any questions about the forms?" Bummer.
"No, thanks though. I'm doing alright."
"Well if you need anything, just yell."
"Thanks." At that point, I decided my telekinesis wasn't working, because I couldn't WILL Lance into my presence, so I decided to do it the old-fashion way and actually get the paperwork done! I glanced and found the paperwork all in English again, and I quickly remembered that I was left-handed. I was in business. Fly pen, fly! Go go go! Like lightning, my hand raced through the forms. I knew that the prize awaited me at the bottom of this stack. The prize was named Lance.
"Jessica? I'm done!" I hollered down the hall to my new friend. Jessica came up and said,
"GREAT! Well, Peter took back off to the sound booth, so I'm going to get your ID card all set, then I'll take you up to meet him. I have a gazillion things to do after that, but we'll definitely see each other again today.. and tomorrow... and for the rest of our pathetic existences here on tour..."
Jessica was so funny. She had a sense of humor and personality very similar to mine, and she made me feel good. She was even pretty! (Okay, come on... put your teeth back in! Just because I like guys doesn't mean I don't know when a girl is pretty or not.) But, alas, I was already attached, so too bad. Hehehe. SNAP! The flash was blinding, and I'm sure my hair looked mutilated, as it always does in pictures.
"Hey, that's a good shot!" Jessica said as the Polaroid began to develop in her hand. She sliced and diced the picture, had me sign a card, filled in some more information on the card, and ran it all through a laminator. Snip, pop, slice, hole-punch, neck strap, BOOM! I had my very own 'NSync all access ID badge. How many people would kill for this thing?!
"Okay guys, let's roll this again," The soundman said. All the guys stood where their stools would be, but they decided not to set them up since it was only a sound check... the second one for this song, for that matter. "Everything I Own" started rolling in the monitors and house, and the arena came alive with wonderful harmonies. Although sleep-deprived and love-struck, Lance focused on his part and nailed his mini-solo spots and speaking section. When the song was over, the guys gave Lance a mock round of applause, to which Lance simply blushed. Reuben, the soundman, proceeded to roll a few more tracks just to get the guys warmed up for the show that night. The guys sounded so great, it was hard to believe they could sound better when pumped up by thousands of screaming fans!
"And here's where you need to show your..." Jessica held up her badge to a guard, and I mimicked her move. "...sorry, show your ID badge. They usually don't make a big fuss if it's just around your neck, though." I nodded and we moved on. We had taken a left, then a right, and another right, then we ducked and jumped under and over cables and stuff on our journey to who-knows-where. I didn't think I'd ever make it back to anything that seemed familiar. All my senses were on total overload.
But then, something familiar and constant caught my attention. It was a sound. Music, specifically. Music that I knew. 'I've heard that before,' I thought. Could it be? Could it... Yes! IT IS! It MUST be the guys doing their sound check! It must be... LANCE!
"Okay guys, that's a wrap. You're off until your normal call. Go get some eats," Peter said over the talkback mic from the booth, and the guys scattered. A quick nap, a shower, a change of clothes, and some munchies were all that was on their minds. Well, except for one of them. That one guy? He didn't care about eating. Showering sounded pretty good, and a nap would be welcomed and refreshing--but only after seeing his boyfriend. Lance paused for a few extra seconds, scanning over the backstage area to his right, then scanning the empty arena for the remote possibility that Billy might be standing there ready to greet him. No such luck. Lance's shoulders and spirits dropped, and he headed off the stage to the left, following the others towards the dressing rooms.
"This is 'stage right', meaning as the performers face out from the 'stage', this is on their right," Jessica explained. I didn't hear a word of what she said though, because we had just walked on stage and the music has stopped about 15 seconds previously, much to my dismay. Where were the guys?!?? I frantically scanned the stage for Lance, or Justin, or ANYBODY, but...... nothing. I thought I had seen someone walk off the other side as I walked into view, but I missed them, if in fact it was somebody. I was really starting to get depressed! I thought to myself, 'I know I can't be around him ALL the time, but... GEEZ! I wish I could just see him for a second... alone... TOGETHER!' My inner monologue was shattered as Jessica continued.
"...however, everything gets reversed when you're in the audience, or the 'house'. Then, it's the audience's right, or 'house right', or audience's left or 'house left'. Does that make sense?" I stared at her blankly, trying to decipher what she had just told me. I slowly nodded, indicating that I sorta got it, and sorta wanted to end the tour for now. "We can walk right down around here, then jet up the aisle to the sound booth," Jessica said as we took some restricted stairs that popped out at the side of the stage, audience level. After a quick walk, we were standing beside Peter once again.
"Yeah, that'd be fine Reuben, go with the split on track 8 and 12, I'm not sure how well the guy's voices are holding up. They might need some help." We walked up overhearing Peter's conversation, and Peter turned to us and smiled. "So how's the tour going? Figuring everything out, are we?"
"Yep, his paperwork is all set, he's got an ID badge, and I've played tour guide," Jessica spoke up, although I wasn't too sure how effective she was as a tour guide!
"Great, well thanks Jess. You've got a lot to do, so I'll take Billy from here." Jessica nodded and stuck out a hand for me to shake.
"Pleasure meeting you Billy. I'll see ya around." After the handshake, she was gone, and it was now Peter and I.
"Well here's the deal, I've got a grip of stuff to do, doors open in 3 hours, so maybe we'll get a chance to go over some stuff tonight on the bus, or perhaps tomorrow. I want you to meet our temp EMT and hang with him for the evening. Victor usually has his setup on stage right, so you'll probably be with him there." Peter was just flying through his little speech at about the speed of light, and I wanted to raise my hand and put him on hold for a moment. 'Give me a break here, people! I'm going to fall over if I have to absorb any more information!' I thought. "103 to 175..." Peter talked into his radio. There was no answer, so Peter repeated his call after a minute. "103 to 175..." Still nothing. "Billy, I SWEAR, when you come on and you are on duty, you had better respond to radio calls immediately. This is ridiculous!" Peter was noticeably upset at the fact that Victor wasn't responding, and I just nodded, showing Peter that I wouldn't let him down. I didn't really want to meet Victor, anyway. I wanted to see LANCE!
"175 here."
"Victor, please give your location when you respond. That's radio guidelines!"
"K, sorry. I'm by the vans."
"Okay, I'm bringing out Billy, our new EMT. I need you to show him around for a bit."
"Alright, whatever. He can help me get ready tonight."
"Meet you in 5. 103 clear." Peter rolled his eyes, and began walking towards the backstage area, waving me to his side with his hand. "Hey Billy, I don't know if I've said this, but I'm really glad you're here. Victor is a great med technician, but... well, he's been a bit difficult to work with. He's been the third technician we've had on this tour because we're usually only able to get EMTs that are on vacation that want to pick up a little extra money by moonlighting. They're not too happy about having to work on vacation, and it shows in their attitude." I figured I needed to boost myself up in Peter's eyes, so...
"Don't worry, Peter. I'm totally looking forward to this job, and I'll give you nothing but a great attitude and hard work." Peter turned to me and smiled.
"That's what I like to hear. Oh and by the way, feel free to call me Pete. It's a little more friendly and personal." A bit surprised by his gesture, I nodded and agreed.
"Okay. Pete it is."
"Have you guys seen Peter around anywhere?" Lance asked hopefully as he walked into the dressing room. He was answered with a collection of shoulder shrugs, shaking heads, and mumbled 'idunnos'. Lance sighed under his breath. This tour had been difficult on him, and the one thing that he was hoping could rejuvenate him--Billy--was nowhere to be found.
"You guys got any asprin?" Lance asked. Again, shrugs, shaking heads, and 'idunnos' were his answers. In defeat, Lance flopped down on the couch, closing his eyes, trying to will away the pain of his onsetting headache. Moments later, he realized that he had a bottle of pain killers in the bus. His eyes popped open and he said, "I'll be right back. I'm gunna run and get something from the bus, then run and try to find Peter!" With that, Lance was gone, hoping to find a cure for his ailment.
"Victor, this is Billy, Billy, Victor," Peter said as we shook hands.
"It's nice to meet you," I said with a big smile. Victor was less than enthusiastic.
"So you're my replacement? Good luck. Have fun. It can be a jungle out there." And a hip hip hooray for you too, buddy. Peter spoke up, saying,
"Victor, I'm going to leave Billy with you. I've got to meet with the management of the opening acts. Call me if you need anything."
"All right Peter." With that, Peter had passed off his human baton, and I was now the charge of Victor, the happy little EMT of frumpiness. "Well, you can help me carry in my backboard and med pak. We're headed to stage right. You... DO know where that is, right?" Victor's last sentence was spoken pretty sarcastically, and I knew right then that our relationship was going to be strained at best.
"Yes, thank you. I know my way around a stage." I gave him my patented 'I'm grinning, but I don't like you' smile, and proceeded to assist in carrying the stuff to the stage. Once the med station was set up, Victor gave me an extremely half-hearted tour and explanation of how this-and-that goes on during the concert, and blah blah blah. He was SO not fun to talk to! The amount of people traffic around us was increasing as stage hands, lighting techs, members from other bands, and security personnel began their nightly preparations for the show.
"Hey listen, you're not going to want to wear that for the show, so you probably want to get changed." I looked down at what I was wearing, and saw a pair of brown suede shoes, jeans, and a sweater mom had gotten me for my birthday.
"What's wrong with this?" I asked, now concerned about what the dress code was.
"Well for starters, your shoes are going to get scuffed, your jeans are too light to be backstage, and your sweater is going to get snagged on something. Find some black shoes, dark cargos, and a dark T-shirt. Then you'll be in business."
"Okay, I just need to get to the bus. That's where my stuff is. How do I get there?" Victor used every form of body language short of rolling his eyes to show me that I was bugging him by DARING to ask him where the bus was. TOUGH COOKIES, BUSTER. He gave in and dragged me out to the receiving door, only to stop there and give me verbal directions.
"Walk around the corner, hang a left, then go around the access booth. Security is out there, and the busses are parked facing in, right in front of the building." I had only started to nod when he found the opportunity to wash his hands of me and walk away. WOW. Although I had nodded, I was clueless as to what he had said. I guess I'd just have to do a little bit of trailblazing! Now let's see... walk around the corner and turn... right or left?......
"Where ARE those things?" Lance muttered to himself as he dug through his luggage, searching for his pain medication. "Man, if only Billy were here, I don't think I'd even have a headache." Lance dug some more in the bag, without success, and he could feel the adrenaline start to grow and his heart begin to beat faster. The frustration of having a headache and not finding his medicine, coupled with his inability to find Billy AND the exhaustion setting in from the tour began to culminate in his head. SMACK! "DAMMIT!" SMACK! SMACK! Lance yelled as he punched the table with a clenched fist. He was furious with the whole situation, but the pain in his hand and the realization that hitting things was not going to fix anything set in. He sunk down to the ground, leaning on the wall of the bus in defeat. He pulled his head up to rest on the wall, glancing around to make sure no one was around to witness his little breakdown. As he looked up, however, he did notice something--there was a bottle of pills sitting in a crevice under the table. This piqued his curiosity, and he reached over to grab the bottle, looking at the label. It said,
JAMES BASS. This was his medicine. Lance shook his head and actually smiled at the comedy of the situation. He slowly stood up, and proceeded to the bathroom of the bus where he could rinse his face, get a glass of water, and try to put himself back together before anyone saw him.
"Over there? On the right?"
"You got it," the security guard answered. At least the guard was more helpful than Victor! I finally found my way to the secure parking, which had all the semis, vans, busses, and blah blah blah from the tour. I could see into the arena parking lot, and it was evident that there was a 'boy band' concert here tonight, based on the high concentration of teenage girls already beginning to arrive. I walked up to the busses, and realized I was in big trouble... there were four of them! They all looked the same, there were no distinguishing marks, they were just busses. Well, CRAP. The guard said 'on the right.' Might as well start there!
It felt like I was walking into a stranger's house while they weren't home. I almost expected someone to pop out with a shotgun and scare the snot out of me! I remember Jessica had said that the luggage would be delivered to the bus, so I figured it would be in a pile somewhere. However, a thorough search of the floor and visible areas revealed nothing. 'Oh well, there ARE three more to go!'
The second bus was a bit messier than the first, so it was harder to see if my stuff was around. The door was at the front, and there was a good deal of luggage all around. Hmmm... although there's a lot of luggage, none of it was mine. I kept walking back towards the back of the bus, past the bathroom, past the bunks, until I came across another pile of bags. Nope... nope... nothing ye... WAIT. YES! There's my suitcase! I picked up my black Samsonite from the pile and propped it up on one of the empty bunks, kneeling in front of it. I reached up to release the latch...
A noise from my left surprised me. "WHA?!?!" Glancing towards the front of the bus, I discovered I wasn't alone. The bathroom door handle turned, the door opened, and somebody walked out. The door opened out towards me, however, so I couldn't tell who it was. 'OH PLEASE PLEASE just walk out of the bus so you don't notice me here'. I held my breath as I waited to see what this person would do. The door shut, and I got my first silhouetted view of this person in the dark bus. I assumed it was a he, and he walked towards the door. 'YESSSSS!!' However, he walked over and picked up a bag from the table, and turned back around to walk towards me. 'NOOOO!!!!! CRAP CRAP CRAP!!!!' I heard a click as he flipped on the light switch, and was instantly blinded by the lights. I rubbed my eyes, and started to reopen them, to see how much trouble I was in by being here.
"OHMYGOSH!" was all I heard before I was forcefully knocked to the floor off my knees. 'This guy knocked me over! Why the heck would he..'...... my thought processes froze when I found myself in a suffocating embrace with this person. WAIT......... That voice. That touch. That hug. That.. scent! Tears filled my eyes as I immediately grabbed tightly to the man on top of me. I didn't even need to see him to know who he was.
We just sat there in a tight, silent embrace. We didn't move, we didn't speak. The contact and closeness were enough for us. I had been knocked on my back, and Lance was laying on top of me. My eyes were closed, which made all my other senses much more acute. Lance's back felt so good. His arms around me felt so comforting. His smell... OH his smell. Lance had a scent that was completely unique. There's no way to describe it. I'd have to actually bring Lance to you and stick your nose into his neck for you to understand. I can only say that it was intoxicating, and I was drunk!
Lance sniffled, and I was made aware that he was crying a little bit. He finally lifted his head up, and a few tears had rolled down his face. One even rolled off his cheek and splashed on my face, on my left cheek. Out of instinct, he tried to pull a hand free to wipe it off, but I wouldn't hear of it.
"Oh no you don't," I said as I pulled him back into a hug. We sat there for another minute until I heard Lance whisper,
"Oh Billy... I've missed you so much."
"I've missed you too, Lance. I've missed you, too," I whispered back. Lance pulled up from the embrace again, and immediately leaned in for a kiss. Our lips came together, and completely froze at the initial contact. Oh, the feeling of those lips--it had been two months! I proceeded by breaking the contact and reestablishing the smooch, this time prodding his mouth gently with my tongue. He welcomed me in with a silent cheer, and we sat for a few minutes in a soft, gentle, deep French kiss. We would have probably keep the lip lock going for eternity had our teeth not clunked together, causing us to break apart and start laughing.
"Hahaha owww, those were ooowwww, my teeth!" Lance said, releasing a hand to rub his pearly whites.
"Your teeth? What about mine?" I said as I ran my tongue over my front teeth, checking for any damage. Lance just smiled and leaned in for another quick kiss. Okay, so it wasn't quick, but it was reasonable. Finally breaking the second kiss, Lance spoke up.
"I can't believe you're here! How did you get on this bus? When did you get here? Have you started work? Did you see Peter? Where's Jessica? Why did..." Lance rattled off about 10 questions all at once, and I had to physically reach up and restrain his lips from moving so I would have a fighting chance.
"Okay, STOP. I got here about 2pm, I've been with Jessica, Peter, and Victor the whole time. I needed to get changed, so I went searching for my luggage. Here it is! I found it in that pile over there, and that's when you came out of the bathroom."
"That's so funny. Talk about coincidence!"
"I'm thinking more like fate."
"Yeah..." Lance nodded and thought. "Wait a minute, YOUR luggage?" Lance had a suspicious look as he eyed the suitcase.
"Yeah, this is my Samsonite. THE Samsonite." Lance smiled and reached over to turn over the luggage tag. 'LANSTEN' was written on the tag.
"Um, this is MY bus, and this is MY Samsonite." I shook my head, amazed at the similarity between his and my luggage. I laughed.
"Well, let's go find your luggage and get you ready for your first night!" We both walked towards the front of the bus holding hands. I felt a sudden energy grow inside me, and I was so excited to finally be here with Lance. All the months of waiting, all the classes and ambulance ride-alongs, all the effort and pain and happiness and laughter and tears... it all culminated that day, right there in the bus. I knew it was going to be a challenge for us both, but I was ready to take it on!
A thought came to my mind, and I decided to start this tour off on the 'right foot' with Lance. As we got towards the door, I yanked Lance back to the back to tell him something important.
"Hey Lance, there's one thing I need to tell you... and you have to keep it a secret. It's important!" Lance's eyes grew full of concern, and he was ready to take on any challenge for me. Boy, was he going to be mad when he found out what it was! I gently grabbed his face, looked into his crystalline eyes, and quickly leaned in for a quick smacker on the lips. "YOU'RE IT!"
*Yeah, I KNOW, Lance and Billy were barely together this chapter... Well, that's reality for most busy couples! *I'm still trying to keep up regular chapters, so be patient as I try to balance writing and a heavy school load and a social life and a little sleep now and then, and... SHEESH... *See you all next chapter!
kaiser_goof@hotmail.com ~Jeff