A Witness to the Music

Part Five

        Sitting in the terminal, bags at my feet, I still couldn’t completely comprehend just what it was that I was doing.  I caught myself smiling, staring blankly out the windows at the planes taking off and landing, wondering if there was anyone else in this place quite as happy as myself.                 

The sky was beginning to take on a nasty color, and all I wanted to do was get on the flight.  A flight which would, amazingly enough, make me even happier.  That’s when I heard it.  A loud boom of the thunder clapped, almost immediately followed by the announcement over the loud speaker.  “Ladies and Gentlemen, may I have your attention.  All out-bound flights are now delayed until this weather passes over.  Just be patient, folks, and everything will be just fine.”

 Delayed??  You have got to be kidding me!  Here I am, doing the most spontaneous thing ever in my life, and I now have to wait even longer?!  Maybe this is a sign.  Maybe I am being ‘too’ spontaneous.  How do I even know what I am doing is the right thing to do?  I mean, I have just dropped everything to run off and be free spirited, and for what?  How do I know that what I dream of is really what will be waiting for me?  I have heard of so many stories where somebody just picks up and leaves one day to follow their dream, only to realize that all they had fawned over wasn’t a happy reality.  Instead, it was just a silly fantasy that they had created in their mind to be what they thought would be perfection.  In the end, they end up losing so much of their life and all they have to show for it is disappointment.  Who’s to say that couldn’t just as easily happen to me?

 I reached over and took the letter out of my purse.  My heart skipped a beat just smelling it.  “This is how I know,” I thought.  “This letter says it all.  This is why it’s real.  This is what make everything worth it.”  Unfolding the envelope and retrieving the note, my face began to feel flush with excitement.  This was really happening to me, and it was all because of these simple words ~

“Alexandra ~

          Our time together, although short, has felt like an eternity spent in heaven.  Before last night, all I could ever think about was what was coming next.  Next week.  Next month.  Next year.  But then you came along.  Your beauty embraced my soul, and I don’t ever want to let go.  It no longer matters to me what happens in the future, as long as you are there to share it with me.  The roses even reflect my newfound devotion to you.  One red, one with only a hint of color.  They represent the two of us.  I was just the simple, plain flower, with no color or love in my life.  You came and shared that love, that color, with me, and I am taking it all in.  Without you, I simply feel…. plain and empty.

          I don’t really want to go, but I have no choice in this particular matter.  One more show, and then the tour is over and we all get a much-needed break.  Even though I did have to leave, I did not say goodbye.  That’s because I plan on saying hello again very soon.  In this envelope I have placed a ticket for you for the show, a backstage all-access pass, and information on your hotel and flight reservations.  Everything is taken care of for you.  I know that flying seems almost absurd with the short distance between here and there…you could probably drive it all in one day.  But that would take too long.  I just pray that I see that gorgeous smile, your beautiful face, in front of me soon.

          A tune has been in my head for some time now, but until I met you I didn’t have any words that satisfied me.  You have changed that.  My thoughts of you are now more perfect than anything before.

“Love at first sight

I know that this can’t be happening

No, not to someone like me

Love at first sight

So rare, and so exciting

I only hope this love we found can last.” *

Those are the words of my love, my heart, and my soul.  And now they are yours.

Until I see you again...

                                    All my love,

                                                ~Kyle"

        People passing by while I was reading this had to have thought I was insane.  I was smiling and laughing and being generally giddy at the thought of seeing Kyle again in only a few short hours.  The lyrics that he wrote were exactly the same as my own thoughts.  This is so rare, but I also know it to be true.  I wouldn’t feel this wholeheartedly passionate about it if it wasn’t.  As I held his note tightly against my chest, I knew that this was most definitely right.  Within a few hours, I would be with this great man once again, and it was quite the wonderful feeling!

        I am not quite sure how much time passed, but I do know that the thunder stopped, the sky looked as if it were clearing, and everything looked promising.  They made an announcement saying all flights were resuming, and I found out that I had a small amount of time to kill before I could board the plane.  So, I wandered over to a small coffee bar to grab something small to drink, and I sat down to watch the news.  Apparently, not even two hours away the storm had been much worse and did a lot of damage, especially to a major highway in that area.  They showed pictures of all the destruction.  Being in a rural area, the majority of problems were accidents and one particular one was simply terrible.  It seemed that a car had lost control and began sliding in the wind and rain, when a semi-truck, hauling who-knows-what, unavoidably crashed into it, causing a multi-vehicle accident.  A complete mess that made me very happy that I was flying and not driving.

        They went to commercial, and when they came back from the break they had even more coverage of the scene.  What I saw made my heart stop as I jumped to my feet.  The cameras were now getting closer and clearer angles, and you could see so much more.  The debris that had been tossed along the side of the roadway was more obvious now.  There were instruments, sound boards, stage equipment, and a few large storage boxes with large red lettering that I recognized before it even came into focus:  Ignition.  

        I didn’t know what to say or do.  I was just frozen, unable to hear or see anything but the news and that dreaded scene being played out in front of me.  The reporter wouldn’t say one way or the other about the people involved, only that some were injured and being treated at local hospitals.  I couldn’t see faces, and didn’t even see the band’s bus anywhere, but my stomach just dropped further with each shot of the truck and all the mess.  I guess I began to shake, because the waitress came over with some water and made me sit down.  She was talking to me, but I couldn’t hear her.  Total fear had encapsulated me, and all I wanted to do more so now than ever was get on that plane and get to Kyle as fast as I could.

        Luckily, the café was right in front of my terminal, so when they began boarding I didn’t have far to go.  I had calmed down enough to realize I wasn’t doing anyone any good by becoming hysterical and made my way to my seat.  It was a relatively empty flight, so we were up and flying in no time at all.

        I settled into the rather comfortable seats and just couldn’t feel at-ease sitting there.  Waiting.  Longing to see if Kyle and the guys were okay.  One of the flight attendants had also been at the café and saw my reaction to the newscast.  Since there weren’t very many people to tend to, she mainly sat with me and got me talking and thinking positively.  Turns out she was also a fan of the band, and was utterly amazed at my good fortune.  For the hour-long flight, we talked about different songs and albums, about how long it had been since she had seen them on tour, and general trivia about all the guys.  My mind would still stray, and she understood, but she also told me that thinking the worst won’t make things any better.  She was right.

        All in all, the flight itself turned out to be fairly uneventful and decent.  Considering the weather that had just passed through, along with everything that was on my mind, I thought that was a pretty good statement.  I thanked the flight crew for their hospitality and left.  There was a small part of me expecting to see Ignition’s manager standing down at the end of the ramp with a sullen look on his face.  Thankfully, that thought was wrong.

        My agenda quickly turned to finding out how to get from the airport to the hotel where my reservations had been made.  Even though I was only a few hours from my hometown, I never came had a need to take this route, so I didn’t know my way around very well.  Wouldn’t you know it, Kyle had even thought of that! 

        When I got to the car rental desk, I told them my name.  The lady very politely smiled and asked me to hold on a moment.  Then she walked to the back office.  She quickly returned with a small bouquet made up of lots of greenery and two roses – one red, one red and white.  I felt overcome with joy!  Whether this had been arranged last night or not, this just made me feel as if everything was fine.

         “Your husband certainly does love you!” she said to me.  “When he called to arrange a car, he asked if he could have some flowers sent here to wait for your arrival.”

        “Oh, he isn’t my husband.  Just a very, very dear friend,” I replied, blushing excitedly.

        “Well, in any case, you sure are lucky to have him in your life.  Do your best to hang on to this one, he seems like a real gem!!  And what a voice he has!”  She then went on to tell me how she was the one on the phone with him, taking the reservation, and she just couldn’t get over how sultry and romantic he sounded when talking about me.

        Kyle hadn’t missed one single thing, either!  Not only did he have flowers waiting for me, but also on the passenger seat of the rental were directions to the hotel.  They seemed simple enough.  Almost a direct straight shot from the airport that should only take about fifteen minutes or so.  And it was all highway, which made me very happy!

        I loaded what bags I had into the trunk, then plopped myself into the driver’s seat and got myself ready.  My priority?  My ‘Ignition’ Greatest Hits Live CD, a definite must!!  As I was making my way out of the airport parking lot, I had the stereo cranked and was in total heaven listening to the band.  Listening to Kyle’s voice crank out one beautiful note after another, I felt once again like I was back at last night’s concert.

        Not long after being on the road, I realized that I was on the same road where the accident had been.  A lot of the chaos had already dissipated, and there wasn’t much traffic, so I slowed down to see if I recognized anyone or anything.  I did, amazingly enough, manage to recognize a guitar tech for one of the guys.  So, I stopped and asked what was going on.

        He explained what had happened, just like they did on the news, saying that with the wind and the rain and that car spinning in front of them, they lost control.  The back end of the trailer caught the shoulder of the road, and just pulled the whole thing over.  Some of the gear could be saved and repaired, but the majority was completely trashed.  That included most of the equipment for the last concert of the tour. 

        Thankfully, there were no injuries.  Even more to my surprise was the fact that the crew and band busses, along with a small gear truck, were about twenty minutes ahead of all this.  A phone call had already been made, and with the exception of the three guys in this truck, everyone was safe and sound at the hotel.  What a relief!

        I talked to the guys for a few more minutes, and then was on my way to the hotel.  I just couldn’t wait one second longer to see Kyle and prove to myself that he really was alright and unharmed.  The words of his letter tossed all throughout my mind, making me feel secure and welcome and entirely loved.  Here was someone who was longing for my affection, and for the first time ever I was able to reflect the same emotions back to him.  It was a comfort like I had never before experienced.

        This time when I pulled into the hotel parking lot, I DID notice the tour busses - and what a welcome sight they were!  Without a second thought, I grabbed my bags and the flowers, and made my way into the lobby.

        I checked in with the front desk and made my way to the elevators, heading to my room.  I felt as if I were floating on air, because I honestly couldn’t feel the floor beneath my feet.  Cloud nine had nothing on me!  At my floor, the doors opened and I saw on the sign in front of me that I had to go left.  Hands and arms full, trying not to crush my roses, I rounded the corner.  And there he was.  In front of me was the absolute greatest sight of my life, Kyle!  He was safe and sound and standing in front of my door waiting for me.

        I immediately dropped everything and just ran.  No longer could I hold back the tears.  Seeing him brought it all to the surface, and I was overcome by life at that point in time.  Was it real?  Was it worth it?  Was it the right thing to have done?  I think the smiles in our heart and the love in our eyes said it all.  We were together.  It was heaven.  It was perfect.  And nothing had ever felt so right before in my life.

        I leapt into his arms for the most amazing hug ever.  I felt like I held on forever, because I just didn’t want to let him go ever again.  There were still too many things that we wanted to explore.  He then kissed my cheek and, with a chuckle, whispered into my ear, “On your drive, did you happen to see my guitar anywhere?!”     

* - lyrics from ‘Love At First Sight’ written by Glen Burtnik/James Young/Dennis DeYoung;  “Edge of the Century”, Styx, 1990

©C.M.Bolyard, 2002

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