Chapter 11

Up until this point, Gennie hadn’t even looked at the tickets in the envelope that the will call lady had given her.  She pulled the envelope from the pocket of her shorts and removed the tickets.  She and Stacey were in for a surprise when they found that their seats were in the first row, just right of center.  After the opening act departed and the band took the stage, they were further surprised to find that, from their seats, they had perfect views of Robby, John and even misunderstood Mike. 

 The show was amazing.  The guys were into it; Robby was his jovial self and John was talkative. He told a variety of jokes and stories and the fans went wild! A fight broke out further to their left and John gave them a few choice words of his own. In the middle of one of their new songs he injected, “Hey, wiseass, if you’re lookin’ to start a fight, why the fuck did you come here?  These people don’t need to deal with your shit.”  Seconds later, the offending individuals were thrown out and peace was restored. 

 As much as they hated to leave before it was all over with, they got up at the start of the first encore to make their way through the sea of bodies and get to the backstage entrance gate.  As they got to the main walkway, they were stopped by two young girls.

 “Omigod! You’re the girls that we saw backstage tonight!”

 Gennie smiled, embarrassed. “Yeah. Were you at the meet ‘n’ greet?” she asked. 

 “Yes!  I still can’t believe we won!” one girl replied, clearly still thrilled. 

 “Was it everything you’d hoped it would be?” Gennie wanted an honest answer.

 The two girls looked to each other as if in quick consultation on how the other really felt about their brush with fame. “It was cool,” she paused, before her friend chimed in. “But we wish we could have gotten their autographs,” she admitted sadly. “And,” the first girl added, “we brought gifts for them but they wouldn’t let us give ‘em to them. I know they would have liked what we got them.” They each held up gift bags to illustrate.

 Stacey spoke up. “Maybe you can catch them afterwards.  Is that where you’re going?”

 The girls practically had tears in their eyes, as they admitted, “No, our ride is waiting for us.   My mom said to meet her at 10:00 and not to be late.  I really didn’t think the show would last this long.  We’re already running late as it is.”  The girl whose mom wasn’t waiting took a last wistful glimpse at the stage. “We just didn’t want to leave. We love them.”

 “Oh,” was all that Stacey could come up with.  She didn’t know what to say and didn’t want to make them feel any worse.

 The first girl spoke again.  “Do you know them?”

 Gennie and Stacey stole a quick glance at each other.  Without wanting to say too much, “Kind of,” Gennie admitted.  She suddenly got a brilliant idea.  “Hey!  I know!  Why don’t you guys give us your stuff and we’ll see that they get it.”

 “Really?” the girls cried in unison. “You’d do that for us?  You’re going to see them tonight?” They could barely believe their luck.

 “Uh huh” Gennie nodded as she collected the bags from the girls’ nervous hands. 

 “Thanks.  Thank you SO much!” The girls shrieked. 

 Gennie accepted their gratitude and felt their appreciation, but urged, “You’d better get going.  You don’t want your mom to get mad.”

 The girls ran off.  Gennie stood there, arms filled with their gifts. She looked to Stacey, dazed. “What have I done?” she asked as they started once again to make their way around back. 

 Stacey laughed, “Don’t you know to beware of freaks bearing gifts?” 

 Gennie elbowed her mischievous pal.  “That was rude.  They were nice kids,” she teased. 

 “Whatever will Johnny think?” Stacey swooned sarcastically.  “Genevieve Redlin, savior to his teenage fans.”  A little smirk formed on her face. Gennie just rolled her eyes, shook her head and kept walking. She decided Stacey had gotten a little too much sleep, or maybe she needed more.

 They got to the side entrance and amazingly this time, were not hassled about whether they should be there or not.  By the time they made their way back to the backstage room, everyone was already there.  They approached the guys, Gennie with bags in hand.  As soon as they saw her, curious looks traveled across each of their faces.  “Awesome show!”  She exclaimed, as she looked them over.  Robby was sprawled on a couch with a foot propped up on the back; a bottle of water in his hand just grazing the floor.  John leaned back in a chair, legs stretched out, his feet crossed and resting on a chair in front of him; a sweaty towel draped over his head.  Mike was…

 “Hey, where did Mike go?” she asked. 

 “He’s in the shower. He’ll be out in a minute,” came a voice from under the towel.  It sounded as though he didn’t want to be disturbed.

   “Ok, just go do what you have to do, don’t mind us.  We’re gonna go over here and check out the scene.” she said noticing that they probably wanted a moment of quiet- not the time to bestow them with gifts. She led Stacey through the room, which was bustling with activity.  They found a seat near an open door; Gennie set her load of gifts down on the floor and watched as excited fans clamored for a chance to meet the band when they made their way to the bus.

 Mesmerized by the near-riot outside, Stacey spoke. “It’s unreal, isn’t it?  Really creepy, y’know.”

 “I’m fascinated with this.  Being on this side is…bizarre.” Gennie added, equally enthralled.

 A fresh, clean Mike appeared in a matter of minutes. “So you’re coming with us tonight, right?” he asked.

 “That’s the plan.  What are we doing anyway?” Gennie wondered.

 Mike shrugged casually, “I don’t know.  We’ll probably head back to the hotel.  Then we’ll see if we can find a ride.  It’s a bitch getting around to the clubs in that behemoth.” He laughed and gestured toward the bus. He looked back at Gennie. “I’m joking, y’know.”

 “I figured as much.”

 “Actually, I’ve got some friends who are meeting me at the hotel.   Maybe we’ll go to Deep Ellum- that’s where the nightlife is.  Find out what they’re doing,” he pointed to John and Robby who were now walking in their direction.

 “Are you ready to roll?” Robby asked, pointing to the open door.  He and John liked a few minutes to gather their thoughts after a show, but had now collected themselves and were once again ready to face the pandemonium. 

 “Let’s go,” declared Mike.  And he and Robby took off out the door to meet their fans.

 John wasn’t so quick to make his exit. He took a seat beside Gennie. “Whaddaya think?” he asked, fixing his gaze on the frenzied girls outside who fortunately had not seen him watching them yet.  “Is it weird enough for ya?”

 “I was just telling Stace that I’m fascinated.  How do you deal with this?” She looked at him through squinted eyes in awe of what they face everyday.

 He shook his head. “It’s just another job, y’know.”

 She rolled her eyes and gave him a sideways glance. “Yeah, right.”

 He just smiled back and shrugged. His toe nudged the bags still sitting at her feet.  “What’s this?” he asked.

 “It’s stuff some girls gave me to give to you.  I don’t know which one’s yours though.”

 “I bet I can figure it out.”

 “I bet you can.  You don’t want it now, do you?  Aren’t you supposed to go out there? You should you know.  They’re undoubtedly dying to see you.”  She felt she needed to speak up for the fans on behalf of the two rather let down girls she met earlier. “Go on,” she urged.

 “I will.  Tell ya what, why don’t you give it a few minutes and then you guys can get on the bus and we’ll head to the hotel.” 

 The comment snapped Stacey out of her silence.  She laughed. They had to admit it was a curious statement, even though it didn’t mean all that it could have implied.  “We can’t,” Stacey admitted with some regret. “Our car is out front.  That’s where our stuff is, we can’t just leave it here.”

 “Oh, yeah. Ok, just meet us there then,” he said as he got up to go. As soon as he stood in the open doorway, the throng outside finally noticed him and the screaming ensued. “JOHNNY, I HAVE TO MEET YOU!”, “JOHNNY, COME SIGN MY CD!”, “JOHNNY, I LOVE YOU!” “JOHNNY!”  “I gotta go now,” he smiled “See you in a little while.” And he dashed out the door to greet his adoring fans.

 Gennie and Stacey were once again dazzled by the spectacle before them.  It was beyond anything they’d seen in their life. For a few more minutes they continued to watch as fans strived to get closer to their idols.  “We’d better get going,” Gennie spoke, finally breaking their trance.  “I have a feeling it will take us a while to get out of here.  We’ll be lucky if we make it back before they do!”   By the time they made it back to their car, they saw the familiar blue green bus pulling away from the theatre.

 An hour later, they walked in to the hotel lobby with all their bags in tow.  When they got there, Mike was sitting in an over stuffed floral chair chatting with an old friend.  It was already evident to Gennie that, for some reason, Mike was granted the anonymity that John and Robby didn’t have.  She could see he was grateful for that.  She was going to let him have his privacy and planned to walk by without saying anything, when he spoke. “They’ve already checked you in.  All you need is your key.” He motioned to the reception desk. “Traffic must’ve been pretty bad, huh?” he acknowledged.

 “Yep.” Gennie confirmed, frustrated.

 “Always is in Dallas.”

 “Did everyone leave already?” she asked, hoping she hadn’t missed her night on the town. She could tell Stacey was already getting tired and she didn’t think that, at this point, they would end up catching up to them if that’s what the plan called for.

 “No, John and Rob went up to their rooms to shower and change.  I think they’re just gonna hang in the bar here tonight though.  Sorry to disappoint you,” he shook his head apologetically.

 Gennie and Stacey were relieved to hear that.  As much as they both looked forward to going out, it had been a long day and it was already close to midnight.  This would actually work very well for them.  “That’s Ok with us! What about you?  What are you gonna do?” She was curious, seeing as he’d never really included himself in any of their plans.

“We’re waiting for another friend who’s meeting us here,” making a small gesture toward the man sitting next to him. “We’ll go out for a little while, but I may end up meeting you back here later,” he said with a shrug.

“Cool,” Gennie replied. “I hope I see you then!” With a little wave, she and Stacey were off to check out their room. 

 They had a beautiful room on the eighteenth floor with a gorgeous view of the Dallas skyline.  Stacey turned out the lights in the room and Gennie drew the curtains all the way before they took a seat on the comfy couch in front of the window in order to get a better look.  That was one thing about Dallas; it had one of the most beautiful skylines in the world. They watched for a few minutes as Reunion Tower, the building that was lit up like a ball on top, went through a full cycle of its light display.  They were both silent for a short while just watching.  “Isn’t it amazing? This has been the most perfect day,” Gennie said as she turned to look at Stacey.  A smile crept across her face.  Her dear friend and now fellow Goo lover had drifted off to sleep watching the city lights.  She debated whether to wake her.  ‘Nah,’ she thought.  ‘She’d much rather sleep.  Anyway, she’s probably dreaming of her family, not rock stars.’ 

 Gennie snuck silently to the bathroom to clean up and change into something fresh.  The heat and humidity of Dallas in July were doing nothing for her appearance.  She chose a short khaki skirt, a white cotton camisole and threw a gauzy red shirt over it.  As she was touching up her make up, she heard a soft tap on the door.  “Gen,” the sleepy voice sighed. “I don’t think I’m gonna make it.  I’m so tired; I can barely keep my eyes open.  I am just beat! Do you mind going without me?” She looked so sad.  “Cause if you do, I’ll go, you know.  I don’t want you to feel uncomfortable.”

 “I’ll be fine.  You go to sleep.  I noticed you’d drifted off, so I kind of planned on it.” Gen said with a smile.

 “I’m really sorry.” Her eyes filled with regret, more because she felt she’d let her friend down than because she was missing the fun.

 “It’s Ok, Stace, really.  Let me get outta here so you can get ready for bed.” She tossed her lipstick back in the makeup bag, tousled her hair and stepped aside so Stacey could get in.  “See ya later, Stace!”  She grabbed the gift bags she’d been toting around all night, wiggled her brows at Stacey and was out the door.

 A pang of nervousness passed over her as she walked into the hotel bar.  What if they didn’t really want to hang out with her?  What if they had just thought she was an annoying fan? And how stupid did she look carrying around these now beat up old bags?  Why didn’t she just give them to the guys right away?  A million similarly annoying questions passed through her mind.  As she stood in the doorway feeling stupid, a hand came up and slapped her gently on the back.  “Where’ve you been?  I just called up to your room looking for you!”  It was Robby and he was being as friendly as he’d been every time she’d talked to him.

 “I’m sorry it took me so long.” 

 “So your friend isn’t coming?” he asked.

 “No,” she responded, “she fell asleep.” Gen shook her head, “Kids.”  They both laughed at that.

 “C’mon, our table’s over here,” he said, leading the way. “It’s just John and I now. A few other people were here before, but they left.  The heat really takes it out of you.  People are droppin’ like flies!” 

 They headed over to the small table in the corner that was already covered in bottles and glasses, presumably from the reported early dropouts.  John was smoking, but stubbed out his cigarette when Gennie approached. “Where’s Stacey?” he asked. 

 Robby answered for her, “She’s like everyone else around here.  She’s wiped out from the heat and went to bed.” 

 “Well, I’m glad to see that you could make it, at least.” He eyed the bags in her hand. “Do we get those now?”

 She scooted aside some bottles, placed the three bags in the middle of the table and sat down.  “You’ll have to figure out whose is whose.”  He and Robby looked at each other with a little chuckle. “No problem,” they replied in unison.  Robby grabbed a bag, a puzzled look crossing his face. “These aren’t from you, are they?” 

 Gennie’s eyes widened as she shook her head in denial. “No, I got them as we were headed backstage after the show.  A couple of girls from the meet ‘n’ greet recognized us and gave them to me to give to you.  They wanted me to be sure you got them, since they couldn’t give them to you themselves.”  She looked to John, “Apparently, they feel the same way you do about those things. It wasn’t everything they’d hoped.” 

 He nodded his head as he pulled a UNT shirt from one bag. “Mike’s,” he said as he stuffed it back in. He grabbed for the next bag, which obviously would be his, since Robby had already snagged the bag with the Pez and other goodies.  He pulled out a silver beaded bracelet and necklace with Japanese writing. He made an approving face. “Hmm. Not bad.” And he slipped them on. 

 “Does everyone give you stuff like this?  What do you do with it all?” Gennie asked. 

 “Most of it we keep, actually- for a little while, anyway.  Stuff like this,” John fingered the bracelet, “I’ll probably give it to someone tomorrow night,” then he laughed, “And we eat a lot of Pez.” 

 Robby cut in, “You can never get too much Pez, y’know.”

 John scooted his chair out. “What do you want?” He was headed to the bar. Gennie briefly considered her choices, “Beer’s fine.” He held out his hands and gave her a questioning look. She would have to be more specific.  She glanced up to the bar and noticed they served Leinenkugel’s “I’ll have a Leinie’s Red.” 

 “Good choice.”

 “So what’s the deal with the gifts?” Robby wanted to know. 

 “Just a favor I said I’d do for some girls who really wanted to give these to you themselves.  They were really sweet.  They were so appreciative when I took them. I wish I had some way to let them know that you got ‘em.”

 Robby rummaged through the bag.  “There’s usually a note of some kind in here.  If they left their address or a number, maybe we can let them know.”  He didn’t find a message in his bag, but grabbed Mikes gift bag, which was sitting near by; nothing of interest in there either.  He went for the bag that had held John’s gift, “Let me guess…” he said with a knowing grin.  Sure enough, there was a note in the bag from one of the girls.  On it was not only a name but also an address and a phone number. “Bingo!” he called out, holding up the card.  “I suppose it’s too late to call, but I’ll be sure we send them a note to thank them.  That was really nice of you to do this for them. I know it can be shitty for these kids who have such high expectations for meeting us and then it’s nothing like they expected. But who knows,” he said shrugging, “ya gotta do what ya gotta do, y’know.”  He paused and took a drink from the glass in front of him. “So tell me about you.  All I know is that you work for a radio station in Tulsa.”

 “That’s about all there is.  I’m an assistant to the program director at KTOW- it’s Tulsa’s alternative station. I’m 32, not married; no kids and you met my best friend.” She laughed, “I’ve gotta be honest with you. I have no idea how I got picked for this job.”

 Robby took another drink and chuckled, “I do. Basically, John and I picked you,” he confessed.

 “Ok, I’ve heard that you had something to do with it, somehow.  But, I’m dying to know- why?”  The curiosity had been eating at her ever since she’d heard that. What could she possibly have to offer that the other more qualified candidates didn’t?  Even the MTV person said she wasn’t the person they would have liked initially.

 John walked up and placed a glass in front of her.  He evidently had heard the last of the conversation.  “You weren’t a reporter.  We felt like we could trust you.  And,” he grinned, laughing,  “you’re our age so you won’t make us look too old and stupid.” 

 Robby added, “You seemed like a good choice.  So many of the people we saw were like 21, 22 years old...college kids.  Not that there’s anything wrong with that. But I got the impression that this is something you really wanted to do. It wasn’t a career move for you.  We figured you’d be a bit more mature…uh…that’s not it…responsible?”  He struggled to find the right words.

 “You’re not a ‘professional’, y’know?  You’re not a media type.  That’s a good thing,” John finally admitted.

 “You do realize that I still have an assignment to do, right?  I’m gonna have to be in your face sometimes.”

 They both nodded in agreement. John was too well aware of this fact. “Sure, I know.  That’s the whole reason you’re there, but I hope…I really think you won’t be obnoxious about it.”

 “But,” she was still wondering, “why did you think you could trust me more than the others?”

 Robby looked her in the eye.  “We can, can’t we?” There was a certain tension in the air surrounding this question.  Both he and John waited for her answer.

 “Of course.” 

 With the major issue out of the way, the three of them sat laughing and joking into the evening. Over a few more beers, they discussed the week they would spend together, the things she liked to do, and they told her horror stories from the road.  She hoped she would encounter none of the same things.  As the evening drew to a close, she was more excited than ever for her trip to get underway. She only had a few days left.

 At two a.m., the hotel bar closed and they headed for the elevators.   Robby apologized for Mike not showing up, “You’ll have plenty of time to get to know him later, I guess. He has a lot of old friends around here, so we don’t see much of him ourselves till we leave.”

 “It’s Ok,” Gennie replied as the bell rang, signaling the arrival of their lift.  They got in and pushed the buttons for their respective floors.  “I’m really glad I had the chance to meet you guys before the big event.  I’ll be a lot less nervous now.  Thank you so much for doing this,” she held out her hands, her eyes wandering over her opulent surroundings albeit an elevator, “for me.”  She blushed and pushed a strand of hair behind her ear,  “I’m also pretty relieved.  I think we’ll get along really well.” 

 John and Robby chuckled.  “I think so too,” John confirmed assuring her with eyes that seemed to pierce through any residual nervousness. 

 A beep indicated she’d reached her destination. “Thanks again,” she held out her hand to shake theirs. 

 Robby rolled his eyes, “C’mere,” he grinned as he pulled her toward himself and gave her a big hug. 

 “Lookin’ forward to seeing ya in a few days,” John smiled, leaning in for his hug. 

 As she stepped out the door, “Hey,” she hollered as quietly as she could, “Don’t forget to say thank you to those girls!” 

 “Sure thing!” she heard as the doors slid shut.

 As Gennie walked down the corridor to her room, she felt as if she were floating.  It wasn’t that she was tired, although she was quite confident that she would sleep like a baby, it was more because she had just met two people that she had only dreamed about ever even speaking to. And what was even better, they liked her!  She wasn’t just looking forward to her visit with them, so were they!

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