Chapter 4
"Yeah, can we try?" Said A.J.
"I don't mind. I've gotten the worst bit over with." I
responded. Brian grabbed an A4 pad from the table and started going
down through the song until he had everyone's parts mapped out. He
showed it to me and I nodded my approval. Brian distributed the
sheets and they started singing. It was amazing enough to hear
someone else sing my work, but this was the Backstreet Boys! After a
couple of grating tries, they got the harmony together and were
singing perfectly. Brain sang the last note and then they finished.
"That was incredible! You guys really work well together."
"Why do you think that we are one of the biggest groups
around?!"
"Howie, when are you going to learn that self praise is no
praise?" Said Kevin, after sighing in mock disappointment.
"But it's true!" Kevin just shook his head, again, pretending
to be disappointed with Howie."
"You really have a talent Fiachra." I blushed, I didn't know
how to handle compliments.
"Thanks." Just then my phone vibrated in my pocket. One
glance at the screen told me that it was my mother.
"Hello?" I didn't know what this call was about.
"Ca bhfuil tu?" She said. (For translation of this conversation
go to the bottom.)
"Taim ar mbus." I waited for her reaction, and got puzzled
looks from the rest of the guys.
"Cen fath?! Cheap me go raibh tu ag dul o J.F.K." She was
puzzled, not angry. Good.
"Bhi me, ach nior thainigh an glaoch mhuscailt sa maidin.
Bhi me deanach, ach thug an ostan airgead don eitilt dom." I didn't
want to explain to her what sort of a bus I was on, she would not have
understood, so I guided the conversation in another direction.
"Án bhfuil fios ag Ryan?"
"Ta, nil aon fadhb aige leis." I assured her.
"Cheart go leor mar sin, chuir glaoch orm nuair a shroicheann
tu a theach."
"Deanfidh me e sin. Slan."
"Slan duit." And with those parting words she hung up and I
put my phone back in my pocket.
"What?" I questioned the group. They were staring at me like
I had 2 heads, and it was disconcerting. (We've gone over my
shyness)
"What were you speaking?" Asked Nick
"Irish, It is my national language you know."
"Oh right! I was wondering what these one's were." I
guessed that Brian was looking at the songs that I had written in Irish.
When I glanced over to see what page he was looking at I saw that I
was right.
"Yeah, they're in Irish alright." I confirmed.
"What are they like? I love listening to foreign language
music." I laughed at Brian's comment, and responded to him.
"You're just trying to get me to sing again, aren't you?
Admit it!" He grinned sheepishly.
"Well ok, but I really want to hear what it sounds like!" I
agreed to 'perform' for them again and took the notebook from Brian,
I had written the one that he wanted me to do a while back and I didn't
quite know it off by heart anymore. First I hummed it to make sure
that I still remembered the melody and then started to sing it. This
time I didn't need to close my eyes, and I looked around at the others
while singing and they seemed to be really sombre and depressed. I
smiled inside because that was I was aiming for with this song. You
didn't even need to know what the words meant, but that was what I
loved about music, it crossed all borders and barriers - physical,
political, linguistical. That was its power. I finished singing and
waiting to get their reactions.
"That was beautiful."
"Amazing."
"What was it about?"
"It's about this girl who is madly in love with someone, but
he disappeared, and she spends the rest of her life looking for him."
"Does she ever find him?" Asked Kevin.
"No." I replied.
"That's really sad."
"Thanks, that's the way it's meant to be."
"What does the name of the song translate as?" Asked Nick,
who had taken the pad from Brian.
"Lost love."
"Good name." It thought that it was time to become sarcastic.
"Gee thanks, I really needed to have *your* approval. I can
go on living!" Nick had a shocked look on his face, I don't think that
he was used to sarcasm. He struggled to come up with a response and
after a paltry "sure." gave up. Brian and Howie laughed, but the
others were watching a program on TV. It was some MTV special on
them. 'Greatest Moments' or something. But they were just flicking
through and turned it off quickly enough. I guess it must get boring
watching yourself on TV when you're on it so often. After going
through a dozen or more channels he gave up looking for something
good and turned the TV off and was back focusing on the work that he
had on the table in front of him. AJ and Howie had somehow fallen
asleep and while AJ was leaning on Nick's knee and Howie was
slumped across one of the beanbags (They had both been sitting on the
floor) Nick looked down sympathetically.
"Poor guys, but I guess that's what you get for partying all
night." He said. "Say, Fiachra do you want tickets for tonight? I know
somebody who might be able to get you a backstage pass!"
I laughed.
"I'd love to but I can't." Nick's face fell.
"Why not? I mean, I know that you like our music."
"It's not that, it's just that Ryan isn't *exactly* into pop
music and I'm sure that he's already made plans for this evening, I
couldn't do that to him. Otherwise I'd already be there!" I assured
him. "I'm really sorry."
"No, it's ok." But his eyes told another story, he seemed to be
really disappointed about it.
"You said that you are doing a European Tour? What about
then? Dublin's included isn't it?" I hated groups that did European
Tours and didn't have at least one date in Dublin. It was just rude.
"Yeah, but I think that Dublin is one of the last dates that we
are doing." He paused, and then called over to Kevin. "Kev, Kev!" He
almost had to shout to get his attention, he was so engrossed in what
he was doing. "Throw over the European Schedule will you?" Kevin
shuffled though a stack and then threw it across the now sleeping
Brian so that it drifted into Nick's hand perfectly. "Yeah, see. It's not
until the 16th of August. Ages away."
With everybody else either asleep or busy, Nick and I fell
into quiet conversation about everything imaginable until I saw that
we were creeping through the suburbs of Washington. (Signposts are
helpful.) According to Jim we only had 20 minutes until reaching the
MCI centre so Nick started waking up the others and left me to get
Kevin away from the table. Apparently they all had to be able to wave
by the time that they got close to the fans.
"Are we in Washington already?! Man, well, that's a couple
of hours less work that I'm going to have to get through over Easter
anyway. Thanks." He looked around. "Everybody up? Good! Get
ready for the fans!"
"Kev, we've been doing this long enough to know what to
do, I think!" Apparently AJ did not appreciate being woken up. Kevin
just ignored him and instead started to talk to me.
"Fiachra, I hope you don't mind, but you're going to have to
stay out of view. The windows are heavily tinted so if you just sit on
the sofa you'll be fine, ok? As for getting off the bus, security is going
to be much heavier here so there should be no problems. You're going
to have to come in with us though, and leave by yourself. Otherwise,
well you remember what happened at the hotel? Worse." It made
sense, so I agreed with him, and stayed on the sofa while the guys
were leaning out the windows, soaking up the screams and dodging
the roses. Do people ever think about the thorns before they throw
them?
When we got to the car park (parking lot, whatever) I noticed
that it was completely sealed off so I didn't think that there would be
any problems. I glanced at my watch and saw that it was only 5 past 5,
I had about an hour until Ryan and his parents were to meet me here.
But where was I going to meet them? How would I ever see them in
the crowds that were here already? There were still 2 and a half-hours
until the concert was due to start. It was going to be near impossible. I
raised the question with Nick.
"No problem, just get the license plate number of the car that
they'll be in and tell them to come in to this car park, we'll arrange the
rest." While he still seemed disappointed that I was going to be
leaving so soon, he hid it well. I suppose that you don't make many
new friends when you are on the road. So I pulled out my phone while
holding my pad in my other hand, ready to scribble down the numbers
that would get him into the appropriate car park.
"Hey Ryan, listen. I'm at the MCI centre and there is a huge
crowd. When you get here you are going to have to come into the
private car park around back, otherwise I'd never see you."
"You're there already? Do you want us to come down now?"
Ryan said excitedly. Well, he had been expecting to see me over 4
hours ago.
"No! I mean, no, there's no need. I'm having fun down here."
I didn't want to waste what little time that I had with Nick and the rest
of the group so I quickly gave Ryan the directions. (Jim had given
them to me.) And got his Dad's licence plate number from him. I
handed it over to Kevin who went to deal with security. Since Ryan
was going to meet me by the bus, I left my bags on the bus and the
guys only took a couple of small ones between them. We went in the
backstage entrance and there we were met by BSB's personal
bodyguards. I received nods from 4 of them but when Billy saw me he
smiled and said hi.
I admired the set-up of the stage when I was shown it and
then went back to the dressing rooms with them. But all too soon it
was time for me to leave to meet Ryan. I exchanged good-bye with all
of them except Nick, who insisted on accompanying me back to the
bus. (With Billy, his bodyguard.) Besides, as he pointed out, someone
had to open it so that I could get my luggage. It was a good point. We
walked outside in silence, neither knowing what to say. Ryan and his
parents were already waiting by the bus so when they saw me
emerging into the late afternoon sun Ryan rushed over and grabbed
me in a hug that crushed the air out of me. Nick and Billy looked on
with amusement. When he finally let go I was gasping for air.
"It's great to see you Fiachra! How do you like the U.S. so
far?" I didn't notice Nick asking Billy to get my stuff from the bus.
"Fine, except for the people who go around trying to hug me
to death, I'm going to have to do something about them!" I joked.
Nick then grabbed me, lifted me up and squeezed me until I was again
gasping for air.
"What are you going to do about me?" He whispered in my
ear. It was almost sensual, that is, until I kicked him in the shin (Well,
there were two responsible, republican parents and one protective
bodyguard looking on so I had to avoid some areas.) He dropped me
and was hopping around on one foot.
"Over-Actor." I laughed.
I said a more proper goodbye to Nick and Billy and put the
bags that Billy had handed me into the boot of the car. I got into it,
and as Ryan's parents greeted me and we started to drive off I waved
back at the two people who were watching us leave. They both waved,
and then turned to head back indoors. Kevin had said that rehersals
were going to start in a couple of minutes. I sighed and turned to
face forwards.
Conversation between Fiachra and his Mother -
"Where are you?" She said.
"I'm on a bus." I waited for her reaction, and got puzzled
looks from the rest of the guys.
"Why?! I thought that you were going from J.F.K." She was
puzzled, not angry. Good.
"I was, but my wake-up call didn't come in the morning. I
was late, but the hotel gave me money for the flight." I didn't want to
explain to her what sort of a bus I was on, she would not have
understood, so I guided the conversation in another direction.
"Does Ryan know?"
"Yes, he has no problem." I assured her.
"Ok then, make sure to give me a call when you get to his
house."
"I'll do that, bye."
"Bye." And with those parting words she hung up and I put
my phone back in my pocket.
Chapter 5
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