Distracting me from my thoughts, my phone buzzes.
Dalton:How’s it going up there? Surviving this very long excruciating drive?
Raleigh:You mean the three hours to Memphis? If this is beating you, I don’t know how you’ll survive those 10 hour days.
Dalton:Easy for you to say, you’re not crowded into an SUV with 8 tough guys who all want to be in command of the wheel.
I glance out the window and try to catch his vehicle in the side view mirror. Sure enough, two men I don’t recognize sit in the front, both with dark shades.
Raleigh:I’m sure you could ride with us for a couple legs.
Dalton:I caught some of the livestream. Mae doing alright being so far from the love of her life?
I try not to laugh at that. Some people would see Mae’s attachment to Trenton as dangerous or pathetic, but I know the root of it is simply wanting to be loved. I know Dalton was just making a joke, but I’d rather not focus on it.
Raleigh:Hey, I gotta take a few photos for socials before we arrive. Talk to you tonight?
Dalton:Looking forward to it.
I ignore the smile the text evokes and get to work taking a few candids of Mae and Theresa. The two girls have begun a game of cards, though the game really isn’t being played as they’re mostly just chatting.
When Mae notices me taking pictures, she scoots back against the wall and pats the bed. I kick off my shoes and hop up next to the girls. The card game is abandoned and the three of us converse about our favorite Emmy Tenny albums and which songs the girls should perform for their acoustic set. It’s almost like old times.
Mae’s phone rings, and she doesn’t even excuse herself before answering. Theresa and I look at each other, wanting to actually go back to the true old days in the back of a van on the way to nowhere.
“Ladies, we’re pulling through the side gate now.” The driver reminds us that we have a final destination and a show to put on. Together, Theresa and I slip back into our shoes and start gathering up outfits and makeup for the night.
One glance out the large bus window, and I know that this crowd is going to be wild. Fans line up, pumping signs and chanting Mae’s name. It’s hours before the show, and Mae’s just the guest act.
***
“I want to thank you all for coming to this stop on theAll the Miles In Between Tour!” Trenton calls into his mic, flashing his white teeth and draping an arm around Mae’s shoulders.
“If it’s alright with y’all,” Mae flicks her eyes up to her man and doesn’t break the contact as she continues, “we’d like to invite both of our bands out here for one last song.”
The crowd boos when they realize the show is nearly over, but only until Theresa steps from the shadows and begins playing a few long somber notes with Trenton’s guitarist. The crowd recognizes the Trenton Travers hit immediately. Just as planned, the rest of Mae’s band joins the ensemble and they begin.
“The Long Goodbye” was Trenton’s first monstrous hit, and since then, it’s become an anthem for his fans and a killer closing track for his shows. Even from backstage, I can see the ebb and flow of the crowd as they bounce up and down in excitement.
A clap on my back startles me. “Sorry, didn’t mean to scare you.” Dalton comes up next to me and has struck his signature pose. Chin tucked, arms crossed, stance wide. I look him up and down and realize he’s standing in the same position that I am. He hasn’t done it on purpose, we’re just similar like that.
“Didn’t scare me,” I say, looking back out onto the stage as the long guitar break takes over and the two stars head out onto the extended stage to sign things and shake hands. “Just ready for this to be over.”
“You can’t be talking about the fourth night of the 50 show tour?” I know he’s mocking me in the same way I texted him earlier.
“Ha, ha,” I say sarcastically. “Just happy that everything is going so well. Ready to celebrate.”
“Are you?”
I raise my eyebrows in question.
“Are you going to celebrate?”
“Maybe I will.”
“Can I join you?” he asks, teeth playing with his bottom lip.
I look back out at the stage before patting the man on the shoulder once. “Oh, contrare. You get to party with the big kids. They’ll be out ‘til the bars close.”
