I woke up to find a dreary day awaiting me. I quickly did the morning routine and went downstairs for breakfast.
“Hey honey,” said my mother making breakfast in the kitchen.
“Hey mom,” I said tiredly.
“How was the concert, sweetie?”
“Concert?” I thought. “Oh yeah, the concert was nice.” I said realizing what had happened last night. I went in search of the cordless so I could call Liz. I had a few hours till I had to be at the airport.
“Hello?”
“Hi, is Liz there?” I asked.
“Yeah, this is she. Hey Denia. What’s up?” she asked in a very groggy voice.
“Not much. Just decided to call and ask you about your wonderful night with the BSB. How’d it go?” I asked as I grabbed a platter of eggs and bacon off the counter and headed for the kitchen table.
“Well, one word. Magical.”
“Are you sure, Liz?” I asked. “You didn’t do anything stupid, did you?”
“Nah, you know me. It was just so much fun and it was magical swaying in AJ’s arms. That’s all I can say.”
“You spend a night with the hottest guys on earth, and that’s all you can say?”
“Denia, it’s like seven in the frickin’ morning. I can’t think yet. Wait a few minutes, until I’m all awake.”
“All right. Sheesh,” I remarked. “What time did you get home?”
“I’d say about 3 or 4 hours ago.”
“Oh, no wonder your head’s not on straight.”
“Shut up,” replied Liz. “Okay, I’m awake. Just fell down the stairs and had a swig of Java.”
“Okay,” I said slowly.
“Well, we just spent the night dancing away. AJ was really cool and everything. Basically, everything I had imagined he would be.”
“A flirt and pervert?” I suggested.
“Ha ha. No!” said Liz. “He’s really sweet and he’s a flirt, but he wasn’t like ignoring me or anything last night.”
“That’s nice. How was Nick and Brian?” I asked curiously.
“Oh, I was waiting for you to ask me that,” said Liz.
“Well?” I asked as I ate my breakfast quickly. It’s rude to eat on the phone, but we do it all the time.
“Brian thought you were really nice and was having a nice time. Nick, however, started out miserable, but ended up dancing with the blonde hoochie.”
“Oh, that’s nice,” I said sarcastically. “Well, it’s okay.”
“What?” asked Liz dumbfounded. “It’s okay? What is up with you? You guys were like all goo goo eyed yesterday, and now it’s okay for him to be with blondie? Are you crazy?”
“No. I’m quite sane. Thank you very much.”
“Denia, what’s going on?”
“Well, we had a talk and I explained what’s going on with my life. We decided just to stay friends and not work on a relationship till I felt my career was at a secure place.”
“Denia, you turned down Nick Carter of the Backstreet Boys?”
“No, Liz. I had a mutual decision with Nick Carter.”
“Oh, Denia. What am I going to do with you? You know, AJ asked me out for a date. They’ve got like two more days in this area, so we’re going to catch a movie tonight.”
“I’m so happy for you! Call me with the details!” I said excitedly for my best friend.
“Of course I will! I tell you everything.”
“True dat!” I replied as I glanced at my watch. It was getting close to seven thirty. I quickly placed my dish in the dishwasher and rushed up the stairs.
“When are you coming back, Denia?” asked Liz.
“I have no clue. I’ll be sure to call you when I find out. Anyway, I’ve got to go Liz. I’m still in my bathrobe and need to change and pack. I’ll call you later, chica!”
“Okay. Adios muchacha!”
I quickly clicked off the phone and threw it on the dresser. I quickly pulled out my all too familiar suitcases and started packing. It took me about an hour and half as I kept realizing things that I needed. I packed extra clothes and organized backpack, with my mini-disc player, portfolio, sketchpad, and laptop. I then checked my purse for all the essentials including my cell and pager. I would be so dead if I forgot them.
“Oh shoot!” I said realizing I had forgotten to change. It was now around nine o’ clock. I had packed almost all of my clothing in my two extra large suitcases. I quickly went threw what was left with my closet and found some sweats. “I can’t wear this.” I said realizing how laid back it was. I threw open one of the suitcases and found a pair of black flares and three-quarter shirt with “Diva” printed across it. I threw my hair up in a high pony and checked the time. It was now quarter to ten. “Not bad,” I remarked to myself.
“Hmm…who can I tour with if I can get this album wrapped up in time?” I thought to myself. “Well, there’s the BSB, but they would only have about three weeks left in the tour, by the time I get done. Hmm…let’s see. There’s Christina Aguilera and 98 Degrees. I’ll have to ask Donna,” I concluded.
I spent the remaining free time talking to Liz again, having lunch, and putting on makeup. Time came and my parents drove me to the airport, where I boarded for another journey.
“Hey Denia! How are you?” asked Donna rushing to me.
“A bit tired, but always ready to work,” I replied smiling.
“Wonderful!” she exclaimed. “The luggage is being automatically transferred onto this flight from the New Jersey one. We’ve got like fifteen minutes till we board for Sweden, so if you want you can pick up some magazines or something.”
“Nah, it’s okay. I came prepared.” I replied. “Donna, do you know who I’ll be going on tour with?” I asked.
“Well, it’s really kind of up to how fast we can get this done. If we can get it done in three weeks, you’ll tour with Mariah Carey for like two weeks. However, I managed to talk to the people at our record company, Jive, and asked if it was at all possible to get you on tour with the Backstreet Boys, since you love them so much. They said, it was all right, as long as you got in for the remaining month they have in the tour. However, that would mean you would only have two weeks to wrap up the album,” explained Donna.
“I think it’s possible to wrap it up in two weeks,” I replied confidently.
“I know you can do it, but you have to keep in mind that as you work on the album, you have to prepare for the tour too.”
“What?” I asked.
“Well, if you really want to try for the Millennium tour, you’ll have to record from six in the morning to five in the afternoon, with an half and hour lunch break in between. Then at five-thirty after you have dinner, you’ll work on choreography and other preparations for the tour until like midnight. Do you think you’ll be able to manage with like five hours of sleep?” asked Donna a bit concerned. “I mean, we can always take more time and do the Rainbow tour.”
“Nah. I’m going to try it. It’s just work, a lot of it, but still. I want to do this,” I said seriously.
“Okay, Denia. We’ll see,” she replied as we started to board the plane.
“I’m going to rest up now,” I said as I got comfortable in my seat.
“I’ll wake you when dinner comes around.”
“All right. Thanks Donna.”
“You’re welcome. Get some rest.”
“Uh huh,” I said as I passed out. I slept for a good three hours or so, before Donna woke me up for dinner.
“What do you want, Denia? There’s a choice of steak, fish, or chicken.”
“Umm…I guess the chicken,” I said groggily as I blinked my eyes a bit to get my vision in focus. A few moments later, the cart came around and Donna handed me my tray.
“Do you want anything to drink?” asked the flight attendant.
“Just a Sprite, please,” I replied.
“Sure,” he replied handing me a cup of ice and a can of Sprite.
“Thanks,” I replied as I started to unwrap my fork and eat.
“How you feeling, Denia?” asked Donna as she did the same.
“Slightly refreshed. I just need a few more hours of sleep and I’ll be fresh as a daisy,” I replied.
“That’s good. It’ll be late evening when we land in Sweden, so you’ll sleep right after we get off the plane and start early around five the next morning.”
“Sounds good.” We finished eating and I went back to sleep. When we arrived in Sweden, I was very alert and we quickly grabbed our luggage and headed for the hotel, we were staying at. I took a quick shower and jumped into bed, knowing I had to pack in as much sleep to last me the next two weeks.
