I’m with the Band
By Melanie Brown
Copyright © 2005
Part 11
Kayla came running up to me from the entrance to the
school as I was getting out of Mom’s car. She slammed up against the side of
the car and tried to catch her breath.
“I heard it!” she exclaimed. “I heard you guys’ song
on the radio this morning!”
“Oh my God! You’re kidding!” I grabbed her by the
shoulders. “For reals?”
She nodded vigorously. “About ten minutes ago.” She
took a deep breath and continued, “It was soooo awesome! I am so not joking.
The song is great!”
From inside the car, Mom called to Kayla, “Hey Kayla!
I’m glad you liked the song. What station played it?”
Kayla peered into the car window and said, “Hey Mrs.
Gray. It was WLZE 103.”
Mom reached over and fiddled with the knobs. “Maybe
they’ll play it again soon.”
With her head still inside the car window, Kayla said,
“Doesn’t Michelle have like the best voice in the whole world?”
Mom glanced at me outside the car and said, “Yes. She
has a very beautiful voice.”
Kayla poked me in the ribs and said, “And it’s so cool
that one of my peeps is a rock star!”
I rubbed my side and said, “Hey cut it out. And knock
it off with that Michelle stuff. Someone might hear.”
Kayla dismissed my comment with a smirk and a wave of
her hand. From inside the car, Mom’s cell phone began to ring.
“Hello?” Mom said as she held the phone to the side of
her head. “Oh, hi Tommy.”
Kayla clutched my arm and her eyes went wide. She
whispered, “Is that him? Is it? Is it?”
I put my finger to my lips and tried to shush her.
Mom continued, “No, sorry. She’s still back in Oklahoma. I’ll be happy to
give her a message though…Un huh. Yeah. Ye she did. Sure, no problem. Nice
talking to you, Tommy. Bye-bye.” Mom clicked off the phone.
Kayla stuck her head back through the window. “Oh my
God! Was that Tommy? Was that really Tommy? Ohmigod!” She tugged viscously
at my jacket sleeve. “I heard his voice! I actually heard it!”
I pushed Kayla gently away and said, “Chill! I think
you had too much sugar this morning! So it was his voice. It’s no big deal!”
Looking indignant, Kayla said, “Well, it may be no big
deal for someone who’s kissed him! But for…”
I pushed past Kayla and poked my head through the
window. “Mom, what did he want now?”
Mom just smiled and said, “He just wanted to let you
know he’s heard our song on the radio and he thought it was great. He said
it’s getting a lot of requests on the local stations.”
Before I could catch myself, I said, “That was very
sweet of him. Did he say anything else?”
Mom hesitated, looked over at Kayla, then back to me.
“He said he wishes you’d return his calls. He said he’s sorry for the way he
acted and he’d like to make it up to you. He also wanted to make sure you’ve
received his flowers.”
Had I…Tommy had sent two bouquets of flowers every
week for the past five weeks. Mom made me keep them in my room.
Kayla squeezed my hand and said, “That is so awesome,
girl! Tommy Kincaid has the hots for you really bad!”
I glanced quickly around and whispered, “Will you
please stop calling me ‘girl’?”
* * *
At lunch, as I expected, the discussion centered
around our song being played on the radio. For the past month, I’d become a
regular fixture at Kayla’s table. Which wasn’t a bad deal considering that
most of Kayla’s friends were among the cutest girls at school.
Holly said after she’d settled into her seat, “Hey
Mike. Tell your brother we all love his band’s song. It’s really awesome!”
Gina chimed in with, “I downloaded it this morning!”
“Gina!” exclaimed Kayla. “Go out and buy it!”
Gina shrugged. “I don’t know if I like it that much
yet.”
Before I could say anything, Pete, Ralph and the usual
gang of idiots swung by the table.
Pete looked at me with disgust as he said, "I
just have two things to say to you, Mike. The first thing is, your brother's
band is kick ass. Serious."
I said, "I'm glad you like my brother's band. Do
you know if any stores have the CD yet?"
Ralph shrugged and said, "Who cares? I
downloaded the whole CD last night."
"The second thing I wanted to tell you is that
you're a fag," Pete said matter-of-factly.
The girls at the table all looked at me, then Pete,
then back to me. I started to say something when Pete continued, "Serious
Mike. Look at you. You're always hanging with the cutest girls, but you're
not going out with any of them. Your hair is longer than all of them except
Kayla. You don't hang with any of us any more. I haven't seen you at a LAN
party in over a month. You walk and talk like a girl. It's just creepy."
I shrugged my shoulders and said, “What? Come on,
Pete. How can you say that? I’m hangin’ with the five most bodacious girls in
school and look at you. You hang with losers like Ralph and other bottom
feeders. I heard that you and Ralph were caught once, naked and playing with
each other.”
The girls at the table started giggling and Pete’s
face turned fire engine red. “That was a long time ago! …I mean, who told you
that? They’re making things up!”
I was burning a bridge I really didn’t want to burn.
Pete’s been a friend and a gaming buddy since the third grade. But he’s been a
real jerk this past year, even before Michelle.
I felt a sudden pang of sadness. Yes, I didn't look
masculine. I never told anyone at school about my accident. I quickly debated
if I should mention it now. I finally thought better of it. If Pete and the
others knew, they'd just make comments about how balless I was.
I stood up and said, "Pete, I know my hair is too
long, but I like it that way. I know I'm not a jock and I don't really give a
shit. But, I can kick your ass in deathmatch any time while blindfolded and
you know it. I've met movie stars and thanks to my brother, we're about to be
rich. And did I mention that I get to have lunch with the cutest girls in
school? Ask me why I should care if you call me names?"
Ralph frowned at me and said, "Jeez, Mike. You
sure have become a little bitch lately. Can't even take a joke!"
Pete said, "Come on, Ralph. Let’s go. Mike's no
fun any more. He only likes to do girl stuff." Casting dirty looks my way,
the group of boys moved away from the table.
"Well, that went well," I mumbled to myself.
Kayla put her arm around me and leaned towards me and
said, "Aw, don't worry about them. They're just dumb boys. Who cares
what they think."
I didn't look over at her as I said, "I'm a boy.
Remember? I'm a boy."
* * *
We were sitting on Kayla's bed and she was sitting
behind me, braiding my hair. I wasn't being much fun as I was still brooding
from the scene at lunch.
"Why do you let what Pete and them say bother
you?" Kayla asked, sensing my thoughts.
"Because, bottom line, they're right." I
said.
Kayla stopped braiding my hair and said,
"Oh?"
I shook my head and said, "No, I'm not gay. I'm
mean, I'm not like them. I'm not masculine."
"So? What's wrong with that? I don't care that
you're not Mr. Macho."
I shook my head and said, "No, you don't
understand." I fought the temptation for a moment, then decided I had to
get it out. "I'll never be like them. I'll never really be a man."
"What on Earth are you talking about?"
I turned around to face Kayla. "There was an
accident when I was eight." I then told Kayla all about John's
misadventures with a bow and arrow.
When I was done, there were tears in her eyes as Kayla
threw her arms around me for a big hug. "Oh, Mike! I'm so sorry! That's
terrible! You'll never be able to have kids or anything. No wonder you never
acted like the other boys." She paused a moment, then added, "But
maybe it was meant to be that way."
"How can you say that?"
"Well, if you'd started becoming a man, then
there couldn't have been a Michelle. If there was no Michelle, then everybody
in school wouldn't be downloading your song right now."
I shook my head and said, "I don't believe in
fate. You make your own fate. If I hadn't been able to be a girl, then John
would have just worked harder to find another girl."
Kayla's eyes were bright. "It wouldn't have
worked with another girl, don't you see? Being Michelle is your destiny!"
"I don't know, Kayla," I said. "I still
have my thing, you know. I was hoping to start HRT after the band's run. That
stuff's expensive, even with insurance. Then I can at least look like a man,
even if I won't be able to have kids."
Kayla shook her head and said, "I don't know why
you'd want to be a man. I look around and I don't see any boys in this room.
I can't imagine not wanting to stay a girl."
"That's just it, Kayla! I'm not a girl. I'm not
supposed to be a girl. You were born a girl, so of course you would
want to stay a girl. Nothing personal, but I don't want to be a
girl!"
Kayla frowned and said, "Being a girl seems to
fit you. Besides, what's wrong with girls?"
Because girls are icky? That only works when you
under twelve years old. I said, "Nothing's wrong with girls. I just
don't want to be one because I'm a guy. That's who and what I am Not to
mention all the stuff that comes with being a girl that's expected of
girls, like wearing make-up and doing stuff with your hair and all the
different clothes! Look, I'm sorry, but nobody takes girls seriously. Nobody
expects great things from girls."
Kayla's eyes lit with a fury as she shouted,
"Oh! That tears it!" She bounded off the bed and continued,
"Why are boys so stupid?"
"Please don't start listing all the great women
in history!" I interrupted. "We're in the same history class,
remember? Like it or not, Kayla, boys expect us...boys expect girls to
just be pretty and laugh at their jokes and do ... well... other things."
"I know some boys are like that. But some
aren't. And I don't believe you're like that either." Kayla folded her
arms. “And you look so good as a girl!”
I was getting frustrated. “I might be good at
pretending to be a girl, Kayla. But that doesn’t mean I want to be one, or
should be one.” I stood up and looked Kayla in the eye and continued, “I’m
surprised at you Kayla. You’re only looking at this from the outside. A woman
can put on a three piece suit, but she’s still a woman. A man can put on a
dress, but he’s still a man.” I choked on the next words, but I forced them
out anyway, “Just because I don’t have any balls, it doesn’t make me a girl.
And, the same for you. You’re not a girl just because you don’t have balls.”
Kayla frowned and said, “It sure helps. You’re right,
there’s more that makes me female. But I do think there’s more to being
a girl than just the physical part. Do you think Tommy would have fallen for
you if you only looked like a girl? Maybe at first, but he wouldn’t
have stayed on if it didn’t seem right.”
I laughed and said, “You’re assuming he was thinking
with the big head."
Kayla shook her head and said, "Look, all I'm
saying is, don't reject the idea of staying a girl just because of some old,
stupid ideas you have of what girls are. It's your life to chose, but you seem
so much more like a girl to me than a boy."
"I admit that at first I hated dressing as a
girl, but now it's kinda fun. But I don't think I'd want to do this every
day. I can't imagine putting on make-up and fixing my hair every day."
Kayla laughed and said, "What have you been doing
almost every day for the past month? You come over here and wear make-up. And
only for an hour or so! At least I wear mine all day! Besides, there’s a lot
more about being a girl than just wearing make-up."
We sat back on the bed in silence for a moment, both
of us lost in thought.
Finally, Kayla poked me in the ribs and said,
"Hey, I got an idea and I bet Holly and Gina would go for it."
"What?"
"A week from Friday, school is over. You'll be
leaving for Hollywood and you might decide to stay and not come back,"
said Kayla.
"I doubt it."
"I bet you will. Anyways, you need one little
experience most girls have. Being a boy, you've been denied."
I folded my arms and asked, "What are you talking
about?"
"I'm talking about a slumber party!" she
exclaimed. "Mom already thinks you're a girl from school. Holly and Gina
have both told me they consider you a girlfriend too, so I bet they’ll be up
for it. Let's do it this Friday night!"
“A slumber party? That’s for girls!” I said.
“Exactly!” grinned Kayla. “Just the four of us. I
think it’ll be fun.”
“I don’t know about this,” I said. “I’ll have to ask
my mom about it.”
* * *
“Absolutely not!” said Mom as she looked up from the
dirty dishes in the sink. “You’re a boy. It’d be inappropriate for you to
spend the night with three girls. Especially since Kayla’s mom won’t know the
truth.”
“Why, Mom? Why is it inappropriate?” I asked. To be
honest, I really wasn’t interested in going to Kayla’s slumber party. From one
perspective, what boy wouldn’t want to spend the night, even platonically, with
three pretty girls? Unfortunately it only served to drive home the fact that
I’m little more than a gelding. And lastly, the fact that I was expected to be
one of them. Slumber parties really are just for girls.
Mom looked at me with a puzzled expression. “I just
said it. You’re a boy. A boy and girls your age shouldn’t be sleeping
together in one room like that.” As she turned back to the dishes, she added,
“Besides, they’re just going to be doing girl stuff.”
“Mom, we’ll be in pajamas, in sleeping bags. Besides,
I think the plan is to stay up all night watching movies,” I said. Looking at
the floor, I continued, “And it’s not like I’m going to be doing anything.”
Mom turned back to me and gave me a weak smile. She
asked, “How many girls are going to be there again?”
“Three. Kayla and her two best friends.”
"Hmmm. I'm kind of thinking...you're going to
have to be Michelle every day for the whole summer, at least. Maybe one night
of total immersion into the world of girls would be good for you."
It was bad enough being a girl for a week. The
thought of spending an entire summer as one made my stomach churn. I'll admit
that I had some fun that I might not have had. And yes, I spend a lot of
evenings playing girl stuff at Kayla's. But that's mostly because that's what
Kayla wants to do and it seems like a good excuse to be near her.
"You're right Mom. It'd be inappropriate for me
to spend the night with three girls," I said, trying to keep Mom focused
on her original objection.
* * *
I felt absolutely ridiculous as I walked from Mom's
car to Kayla's house. I was wearing a new two-piece pajamas that Mom had
bought. It was bad enough that the camisole top and the baggy pants were a
soft pink, but across the top it said in dark pink script, "Daddy's Little
Girl." My hair was in pig tails tied up with bright pink ribbons. I was
also carrying a Barbie sleeping bag, along with a pink overnight bag with a
change of clothes and make-up in it. I looked like a walking billboard for
Pepto-Bismol.
I argued with Mom about the camisole top since it
revealed just how flat on top I was. Mom had argued back that being small was
normal for some girls my age if Kayla's mom took any notice and that the girls
there for the sleep over knew I wasn't a girl. She also made wear a training
bra instead of the normal one that I usually wear and stuffed with something.
Mom drove away before I rang the doorbell so Kayla's
mom wouldn't see her and raise questions. Kayla answered the door wearing a
baby blue night gown. "Michelle! You're so cute! Come on in. The other
girls are already here."
"Don't call me Michelle! You'll give me away.
Call me something else." I protested.
Kayla laughed and said, "Holly and Gina are
already calling you Michelle. We can't call you Mike and since they think you
look like your 'cousin's' twin, they want to call you Michelle too."
As Kayla closed the door behind me, I said, "I'm
surprised they haven't caught on. I mean who's going to believe
cousins...identical cousins all the way."
Kayla shrugged and said, "They might suspect, but
they haven't said anything to me."
Before she could finish what she was going to say,
Gina bounded into the living room and shouted, "Yay! Michelle's here!
Holly, Michelle's here!"
As Holly came hurrying in from some back room,
presumably Kayla's room, Kayla said, "All right, guys! Let's get this
party started!"
Kayla pointed to the floor of the living room as the
place to dump my sleeping bag and stuff. As they hurried off towards the
kitchen, I took a quick status check. Kayla's mom was sitting in the dining
room, adjacent to the living room. She got up when the girls started for the
kitchen. Kayla's dad was no where in sight. He was probably hiding in his
bedroom watching TV.
As I entered the kitchen, Holly was already sticking a
bag of popcorn into the microwave. Kayla's mom was pouring Kool-Aid. Kayla
took me by the hand and said, "You're going to bake cookies!"
"I've never made cookies before!"
Kayla grinned and said, "It's time you learned
how to cook, girl!"
The kitchen was a complete zoo with three girls and me
running around and giggling, trying to get snacks ready. Making cookies was
pretty easy and I wondered why I never had done it before.
Kayla's mom said, "You guys go watch a movie or
something, I'll keep an eye on the cookies."
With a squeal and armed with popcorn and other snacks
we raced back into the living room.
Holly grabbed a DVD and said, "Let's watch 'Girl
Trouble'." It was a Tommy Kincaid movie. It was a teen-angst romantic
comedy chick-flick. I, along with most guys in the world had never seen it.
"Great choice, Holly!" squealed Kayla as she
took the disc and loaded the player.
As Kayla was skipping ahead through the previews, I
looked at the stack of movies they'd set aside to watch. "A Princess
Bride", "The Little Princess", "Steel Magnolias" and a
few others I'd never bothered to watch. I decided I wasn't going to survive
the evening.
We all lay on the floor on our sleeping bags in front
of the television. Kayla was lying next to me with Gina and Holly on the other
side of her.
As soon as Tommy appeared on the screen, Kayla nudged
me and said, "I can't believe your cousin actually got to kiss Tommy!
She's soooo lucky!"
Gina added, "Yeah. In those pictures, that was
some kiss Tommy gave her. I still can't believe it made her mad. Does she not
like guys or something?"
I had a reputation to uphold, for my contracts as well
as the band's, so I said, "No. She likes guys and I think she likes
Tommy. It's like Kayla said, Tommy was just moving to fast for her."
Kayla's eyes twinkled as she asked, "So, Michelle
does like Tommy?"
I felt my face getting hot as I said, "That's
what I heard. I don't have any personal knowledge that she likes him."
Grinning, Kayla said, "Yeah, right!"
* * *
As she checked herself out in the mirror, Holly said,
"Wow, for a guy, you're pretty good with make-up."
Gina who was brushing my hair said, "Yeah, he
is." To me she said, "I'm glad you’re doing this with us. Most guys
would think this is too sissy for them."
Oh, great, I'm a sissy I thought to myself as I played
with my earring. I said, "Do you guys ever dress up your boyfriends like
this?"
Holly looked horrified and said, "Heck no! Are
you kidding?" Gina agreed.
A little taken aback, I asked, "Why not?"
Holly laughed, "Who wants to date a sissy?"
Frowning, I said, "What about me?"
Kayla said, "You're not our boyfriend. Besides,
it's different with you. You're one of us."
Offended, I said, "No I'm not!" Lowering my
voice, I continued, "You seem to forget a lot that I'm a guy."
Holly said, “Sorry. It’s just that you seem so
normal. Not like a boy at all.”
Gina added, “Most guys won’t go near make-up, much
less wear it as good as you do!”
Kayla laughed, “Can you imagine Pete or Ralph wearing
make-up and a dress?” All the girls, including me, laughed at the thought.
That’s wrong…it’s all the girls and me.
Around midnight, Kayla’s mom came into the room to say
good-night. Leaving a light on in the kitchen, she turned off all the other
lights and then entered her room and closed the door.
For a while we just sat there on our sleeping bags
giggling for no apparent reason with the glow of the television set lighting
room. I yawned big and stretched.
Seemingly out of the blue, Kayla turned to me and
asked, “Are you wearing a bra?”
My face turned red, even though I’m sure no one could
see it in the darkness. I answered quietly, “Yes.” Mom had insisted. That’s
when I noticed that beside each girl, on the floor was their bra. They must be
quick, because I don’t remember anyone taking underwear off. “Why do you ask?”
Grinning, Kayla said, “No reason. Go ahead and take
yours off. Girls don’t usually wear their bras to bed.”
I reached up inside my camisole in the back, unsnapped
the bra and managed to remove it without having to also remove the camisole. I
placed it on the floor next to me.
Even though a movie was on, we sat in the flickering
light of the television and told various gossip stories mixed with predictable
ghost or other supposedly scary stories. It must have been because it was so late
but we’d alternate between being wide-eyed scared and not being able to breathe
due to uncontrollable fits of giggling. I’m sure Kayla’s parents were getting
no sleep that night.
It was almost three in the morning and I kept fighting
nodding off when Kayla nudged me in the ribs. Gina started giggling softly as
Kayla pointed to Holly who had collapsed in a heap on her sleeping bag.
To me, Kayla whispered between giggles, “Come with
me!” She then crawled on her hands and knees over to Holly’s sleeping form. She
grabbed Holly’s bra, then stood up, motioning for me to follow.
We quietly entered the kitchen which was lit only by
the light above the stove. Kayla walked over to the sink, turned on the water,
and then stuck Holly’s bra in the stream.
“What are you doing?” I asked.
Kayla giggled, “Just watch.” She took the soaked bra
and tossed it in the freezer.
Puzzled, I again asked, “What are you doing? Why did
you do that?”
Kayla giggled and said, “It’s tradition. Holly was
the first one to fall asleep!”
* * *
It was approaching four o’clock and I was fading
fast. Gina had crashed an hour earlier, secure in the knowledge that her bra
was safe. I looked at Kayla and it was apparent she wasn’t going to hold out
much longer.
I looked over at her and said, “I had a lot of fun
tonight. I just don’t understand why you invited me.”
Yawning, Kayla said, “You’ve never been to a slumber
party before. I thought it’d be a fun thing for us girls to do before you left
for Hollywood again.”
Frowning, I said, “I’ll admit that I had fun, even
though it was all very girlie. But Kayla, I’m not a girl!”
She shook her head and said, “You are to me.” Pointing
at Gina and Holly she continued, “And to them. And to Tommy.”
It was my turn to shake my head as I said, “Knock it
off about Tommy, Kayla. Look, even if I decided that yeah, okay, I’m going to
stay a girl and…and…say I’m going to date guys…like Tommy. You know what
Kayla? I don’t have anything Tommy wants. So, let’s say I decide to stay a
girl, but date girls instead. Now I don’t have anything that a lesbian
wants.” I paused for a moment while Kayla just stared at me with sleepy eyes.
Looking at the floor, I finally said with a sigh, “And
if I choose to stay a boy and date girls…someone like you…I don’t have anything
you’d want either.”
Kayla gave me a wry smile and said, “I think that
still leaves being gay open.”
I just grunted and with a sullen tone said, “Nah, I
don’t think so.”
Taking me completely by surprise, with a gesture of
surrender, Kayla simply said, “Well, I guess you’re screwed.” She then slid
down on her sleeping bag and fell immediately to sleep.
I sat there in the glow of the TV for a little while,
thinking about everything and nothing. Finally, sleep over took me as well.
* * *
“Come on you guys!” snarled Dad as he hefted several
of Mom’s bags. “Your plane leaves in less than two hours!”
I looked down at the three large suitcases and the two
garment bags and shook my head. I remembered when I could just about put every
shred of clothes I owned into one bag. This wasn’t even all of it. Dad was
going to ship the rest of my dresses later. And, I’d be willing to bet dollars
to doughnuts that my first day back in Los Angeles will be spent on Rodeo Drive
with Brooklyn, buying even more new outfits.
I cringed at the thought.
I looked around my room for a final look. I told
myself I’d be back here at least by August sometime. Kayla felt that I was
never going to return -- at least not to live here again. But then, Kayla felt
I was going to marry Tommy Kincaid and somehow have his children.
I looked at myself in the mirror on my dresser. I
grunted at the thought that most boys don’t have a vanity in their room. I was
dressed as myself to make getting through airport security easier. I’d become
Michelle at the hotel. I had my hair pulled back into a tight pony tail. I
frowned because even without trying I still looked girlish.
I dragged my bags into the living room. I looked out
the door and watched Dad try to figure out the logistics of how all our luggage
was going to fit in the trunk of the car. I looked back at my stuff on the
floor and began to wonder if I should leave one or two of them at home and Dad
could ship them later.
It was then I noticed that one bag was missing and I
couldn’t leave it behind! I rushed back to my room, did a quick scan and
noticed it wasn’t there. I rushed into the bathroom and there it was. My pink
make-up bag. No way was I going to L.A without my make-up.
From the hallway outside the bathroom, I heard a voice
call, “Michelle? Where are you?”
I looked out the door and there was Kayla. I stepped
out into the hall, carrying the pink bag.
“Kayla! How’s it going?” I asked.
“I came to say good-bye and wish you good luck,” she
said.
“Thanks.” I gave her a quick smile and said, “I’m
going to miss coming over for hair and make-up lessons.”
Grinning she said, “I’m going to miss that too! But
you’re a real pro at it now.”
I nodded and looked down at my feet. I looked up and
said, “We don’t have much time, but I want to talk to you about something.” I
gestured toward the bed.
We sat down and Kayla looked at me expectantly. After
a moment I said, “Kayla, I’m worried about pulling this off.”
Looking puzzled, she asked, “Worried about what?”
I looked at my hands and said, “Pretending to be a
girl. Doing it for a week was one thing. Now it’s going to be for the next
couple of months…maybe longer. I didn’t have to talk to very many people
before. Now I’m sure we’ll have interviews and concerts and all kinds of
public appearances. I just don’t know if I can keep up an act for that long.”
Kayla grinned and smacked the palm of her hand against
my forehead. “Hello! You weren’t acting when you came over to my house the
past month or so, were you?”
Rubbing my forehead I said, “No. So?”
Shaking her head, but still grinning Kayla said,
“Silly! You don’t have to act. Just be yourself for crying out loud! Just act
like you. Mike and Michelle is the same wonderful person. If you act like
you, you’ll act like Michelle. And don’t worry about Tommy either. Just
relax.”
I nodded and said, “You’re right.” I looked at my
feet again for a moment.
Kayla said, “Don’t forget about me as you become a big
star, okay?”
I picked up her hand and touched together our fingers
that she’d poked with a needle weeks ago. I grinned and said, “I won’t forget
you. We’re sisters, remember?”
Kayla threw her arms around my neck and hugged me. It
was a sisterly hug, one shared by close girlfriends. It was a very warm moment
and I couldn’t stop a tear from running down my cheek.
When Kayla pulled away, she looked at me and said,
“It’s a good thing you’re not wearing mascara!”
Before I could say anything, Dad burst into the room.
“Oh, sorry Mike. Didn’t know you had company. Is that all your luggage out
there?” I nodded and he said, “Great. I’m going to need your help tying some
of that stuff on the roof of the car. Do you have any rope in here by any
chance?”
“Nope Dad. Sorry.” I said
Kayla got up and said, “Well, you guys are busy, so I
best be going.” She gave me another hug and as she turned to go, she suddenly
stopped, turned back to me and reached behind her neck. “I almost forgot! I
was going to give this to you.”
She handed me a golden necklace with a small, dainty
chain and a small cross as the pendant. “Kayla, I can’t take your necklace!”
“Sure ya can! This way, in some small way, we’re
together.”
I put the necklace around my neck and fumbled with the
clasp a moment. I said, “Thanks Kayla, but I don’t have anything for you.”
“That’s okay. Hey, see ya! Good luck!” she said as
she flashed a smile.
“Thanks! Mom’s taking the notebook this time so I’ll
send you some email. Take care!” I said as she turned ran down the hall.
* * *
I turned away from the plane’s window and looked
across the cabin. Mom was next to me and some stranger sat next to her. John
and Fritz were on the opposite aisle. Sammy and Juan were somewhere behind
me. I sighed and looked back out the window.
I couldn’t believe what was happening. We were
finally on our way back to L.A. where we’d either make it big, or be trivia on
some future VH1 ‘One Hit Wonders’ show. The band’s song was slowly climbing up
the charts to number twenty at last count. My song was already in the top
fifteen of the Country chart and thirty-five on the Pop chart. A couple of
cosmetics companies were hoping I’d sign on to endorse their products.
How has my life come to this? I’m more successful
than I ever could have imagined, but how did my little boy dreams of becoming
an astronaut or a member of the Special Forces turn into a girl selling tampons
and mascara?
I was also glad to see John seemed to finally be
happy. He loved walking into Taco Bell and giving his two seconds notice. He
better hope our CDs sell, because he won’t be able to work at Taco Bell again.
He was even being civil to me.
Mom…well, Mom looked tired. I don’t think she really
believed we’d hit the big time when she agreed to be our manager. Still, I
don’t think she’d give it up.
Dad stayed at home to run his insurance business. If
we do well, he’ll sell the house and move in with us. If we don’t, well, we’ll
have a home to come back to.
I jiggled the necklace as I looked out the window. I
shook my head and thought, I must be completely insane.
* * *
End Part 11
since 10/28/05