Chapter 21
“You guys were amazing tonight!” It was Dave and he was more enthusiastic than anyone had seen him in a while. “You hit your mark every time. Great job. They loved you.”
“Thanks, man. It felt really great. Good show,” Mike acknowledged. “I’m bushed. Callin’ it an evening. See ya man.” He bid farewell to Dave and got on the bus. He hoped they would be leaving shortly.
Outside, John and Robby chatted with fans by the bus with Gennie documenting the affair with her camera. For Johnny and Robby it was more of the same: meet the girls who minutes before had been screaming for them and throwing undergarments their way. They lingered and had fun playing the crowd.
After a while, Gen got tired of just sitting there watching the transactions; she decided to become a more active participant and find out what these fans were like. As Johnny finished speaking to one girl and moved on to the next, Gen would step up to find out more. “So you’re the girl who threw the red bra on stage?” Gen laughed.
The girl blushed slightly, “Um, yeah. That was me.” Her friends laughed. Gen guessed they were about eighteen.
“Well, I’ve gotta know- what in the world possessed you to do that?” Gennie giggled.
“I don’t know. I only wish I’d written my phone number on it. Damn, Johnny’s hot!” she exclaimed.
Gen affected a disbelieving smile. “Uh huh. So have you been a fan for a long time or…”
“I’ve got a couple of their albums. They’re good. They signed my CD!” She excitedly held up the jewel case.
“Um, honestly, what was going through your head when you threw that thing? That baffles me. I mean I’ve never done that or felt the urge to. Tell me what you’re thinking.” This was a behavior that had always made Gen wonder.
“Well, I don’ t know. It just seemed like the thing to do…figured he might like a red one…they were all white,” she grinned. “Who wants to know?”
“I’m doing a thing for MTV.”
This statement caused the girls to giggle nervously. “Oh my God! Really? Will we be on TV?”
“Maybe. So tell me, have you been to other shows or is this your first one?”
“I’ve seen them before, but this is the first time on this tour. Man, they were way better this time. Well…not that they were bad before, but man, Johnny was SO happy tonight. It was funny. He talked so much. You could tell he was having a great time and was…I dunno, happy.”
“Y’know, I’ve noticed that too.”
“So you’ve seen other shows?”
“I’ve been on the road with them since Denver and I also saw them in Dallas, so this is my fourth show.”
“Cool. Do you get to go to more?”
“A couple more. We’re heading to St Louis tomorrow then we go to Chicago then I’m done. I’ve had a blast!” She was starting to get familiar with this girl and the more she talked to her the more fun she was having.
“I’m jealous, but you work for MTV so you probably get to see all kinds of shows.”
“No, I don’t work for MTV actually. I’m just an ordinary person like you who got lucky and got to do this,” she chuckled, “Only I’d never throw my underwear on stage.” She was getting ready to say something else when John came up to her and put his arm around her.
“We’ve gotta get goin’. C’mon.”
Upon seeing that, the expression on the girls’ faces was priceless. Their jaws nearly hit the pavement. He hadn’t necessarily done it in a particularly affectionate way, but as far as they were concerned, Gen had just ceased being an ordinary person! Gennie picked up on this and blushed. “I guess I hafta leave, it was nice talking to you. Thanks for putting up with my questions.” The girl was still speechless. When John turned and walked back to the bus Gennie decided to have a little fun with it and leaned closer to the girls. “He’s a really nice guy and I know,” she grinned eagerly, “he is hot, isn’t he?” She turned her head to watch him walking away from her, “Nice ass, too,” she said with a wink just about sending these kids into coronary arrest. She replayed the scene in her head as she walked away. Was she rubbing it in? Gloating? Nah, she didn’t think so.
Back on the bus she sat down at the table with Johnny and Robby. “Thanks for getting me the day off tomorrow. I already called an old friend to meet her for lunch. I can’t wait!”
“Wait, I thought you were showin’ us around?” Robby teased.
“I, uh, well…I can…if you can wait till after lunch,” she stammered. “I didn’t realize you were serious. But sure….”
“He isn’t. Shut up dude. Don’t mess with her day. I worked hard to get that for her,” Johnny kidded Robby.
“Oh yeah, I’ll bet you did. What’d ya do? Ask? Don’t knock yourself out there Rzeznik!” Robby joked along while Johnny took a mock swing in his direction. “Really, I’ve got some stuff I gotta do then anyway. I got a couple of call in interviews and shit like that. I don’t have too much time. You should have fun! Don’t drag us sorry bastards along with you.”
“I thought you had the day off?”
“I did,” Robby replied “but I got asked to do a few things. There’s no such thing as a day off, y’know.”
She laughed, “I don’t envy you at all. You do realize that don’t you? I did a week ago, but now I see how boring your lives really are. Don’t you ever wish for a day of peace and quiet?”
Robby spoke up, “Sure, but I get peace and quiet, just not when we’re on the road. I still have a little bit of a life. Unlike pretty boy here.” He took a jab at John.
John just rolled his eyes and sighed. He glanced over to see Mike dozing off in the chair.
“Can you go anywhere without the crowd and the flying underwear?” Gen asked John.
“Sure, but why the hell would I want to?” John grinned. “No, I can go out some, it’s just a pain in the ass usually. But I can’t complain, y’know, my life doesn’t suck. I’ve had a good ride, so I’d hafta say it’s been worth it.”
“What are you doing tomorrow?”
“Hmmm. Sleep late, oh wait, we’re leavin’ tomorrow. I dunno maybe elevator races in the hotel? What’re your plans?”
She gave it a good few seconds before she had the courage to answer. “You wanna come with me? I’ll take you places where no one will know you. You won’t be mobbed. But,” she warned, “I’m leavin’ the city. I’m crossing the river and going to the dirty side,” she giggled. “That’s what the truckers call it, anyway.”
“Kinda like the sound of that,” John chuckled slyly. “Whaddaya think Rob? Take a walk on the dirty side with our friend here? Or hang out with your sorry ass all day like I been doin’ for the last fifteen fuckin’ years?”
“Sounds easy to me, I ain’t bad but I’m not the kind of company she is. But lemme tell ya, your lazy ass has done pretty damn well in the last fifteen years, so something must be right.”
“Cool,” John nodded. “So we’re set then. I get to spend the day with you.” There was that beautiful smile again.
She was glad he’d said yes. She wanted the time to just talk to him without cameras and interruptions. She could take him to the places where she’d grown up and let him be just like regular people. He’d hoped she’d ask him. He wanted to know more about her and the whole part about not being noticed was just a bonus. They both considered themselves lucky.