Chapter Three
Another week went by, and she was packing her bag for the airport. She had to go to the Minneapolis show now, even if it meant losing her job. Singing along to 'I Don't Know', her butt started to vibrate. She pulled her cell phone out of her back pocket. It was the default ringer, and an unavailable number. She drew her eyebrows together as she paused her music.
"Hello?"
"You could say I had a back stage pass, in a way." A strangely familiar voice said.
"Taylor?!" She whispered.
"Hey Madilynn." He was greeted by silence. "Madilynn?"
"I'm here."
"Are you?" She could hear his smile in his voice. She turned away from the framed picture on her bedroom wall with tears in her eyes. She took a deep breath, then exhailed.
"I guess I would remember you," she said with a laugh. Taylor laughed too. "So ah, you found my number."
"Well, it was easy since you had it in your billing info."
"That works out well, doesn't it?"
"It did. So, you said you had some good questions to ask."
"Is that why you called?"
"Part of it. Are you busy?"
"Not really. Just packing."
"For a concert maybe?"
"Of course. After I got your emails, I had to go."
"You knew it was me?"
"At first I didn't, but then I was able to look at a couple of things. So when I wrote you back, I was pretty sure it was you. Then you didn't write back so I started thinking that either I'd said something too forward, or you'd gotten enough feedback for the show that you didn't need to write back."
"Alright, so shoot me a question."
"Well, I didn't get a chance during the walk, and not enought time for the meet and greet, so I was wondering, what are your five year goals, first as a band, and then as a label?"
"That is a good question. Wow. Ah, I guess as a band, we want to put out a live album from the Walk tour, and stat a Christmas album, plus there's always the prospect of songs for then next studio album, whenever that will be. I don't know if that'll be in the next five years or not. And as a label, we definitely want to start looking onto other ways of promotion for Hanson, and maybe start signing new artists."
"That sounds like a lot of work."
"But we love it."
"And I'm thankful for that. Your work is my therapy."
Taylor laughed. "Well, thank you. How about one more question."
"Okay. When you finally get around to start looking for artists to sign, is the first place you're going to look the Fools Banquet, and will you sign different genres of music?"
"Another good question. We'll for sure look there, and some music festivals, and then all the usual ways. Demos, myspace. And we are open to anything. Whether it's rock, pop, gospel, opera even. Whatever makes us say wow, you know?"
"That's awesome. I look forward to the new stuff."
"It should be a lot of fun. We're anxious to get that new project under way."
"Who are you talking to, Tay? I didn't know we had a phone interview tonight." Madilynn recognized Isaac's voice in the background.
"It's just a reporter for the local paper for tomorrow nights show. We're almost done."
"Sounds like you've got an intelligent one."
"Got lucky." He turned back into the phone. "Sorry."
"No big deal. Tell him I said hi."
"Kay. So, you said you were going to make it to the Minneapolis show?"
"Yeah. I'll be flying in on Saturday, and leaving Monday. I'm not even going to tell my family I'll be in town, since I won't be around long enough."
"You have family there?"
"That's where I'm from. All my family's there."
"That'll be too bad."
"But I'm going for the concert anyway. I'm so excited, seeing a whole show."
"Yeah, I'm sorry about that. We didn't have any clue. I agree that the curfew in Vegas is crazy. At least it won't be that way in Minneapolis because it's 18 plus."
"And I'm glad for that, but not so much about the cold, waiting outside."
"About that- how about I put a couple backstage passes at the will-call?"
"Really?!"
"Sure. And I want to see you next to me at least for a little while during the walk, even if you have to push somebody out of the way. Did you know that my brothers agreed with me after the meet and greet that you were hot?"
"Oh," she said, touched.
"And Zac told me he was glad you were front, and he enjoyed watching you jam." Madilynn laughed, blushing.
"I'm flattered. He really said that?"
"Yeah. He also said he wished you'd had more room to move so he could see you dance. I told him I should have traded him at least one song."
"Aw, you guys are so sweet."
Taylor laughed. "Something like that."
It was Madilynn's turn to laugh. "Crazy. Well, I-"
"Tay!" Zac called from the background.
"Just a second." Taylor told Madilynn. "What?" He called, holding the phone lightly to his chest.
"Come help me with these lyrics."
"Hey Madilynn," he said, bringing the phone back up to his ear.
"Yeah. I have to finish packing anyway."
"Cool. Like I said, I'll leave those passes for you, and I'll see you Sunday?"
"Definitely. See you Sunday."
"Awesome. Bye."
"Bye." Madilynn hung up, then screamed. She threw herself onto her bed, then looked at her phone. Almost a forty minute conversation with Taylor Hanson with no lulls or boring, awkward moments. What an amazing experience. And another soon to come. "I have to pack sometihng nice." Madilynn told her picture, then got up and went to her closet.
Chapter Four