Concert day. There was always a buzz on concert day. It was in the air. Each concert night was like Super Bowl day. Everything leading up to the night was in preparation for that performance. The week of interviews, promotional gigs and of course rehearsals. He was excited about performing tonight. He wanted to make up for his poor show at the last concert. He wanted to prove to the guys he was still a great performer and that everyone had their bad nights. Hell, if it weren�t for his family he would have been on point that night like he always was. It was always his family; they always affected him and it was never for the good.
Ever since he found out about his father hitting his mother he hadn�t been able to get in contact with either of him. Every time he tried to call his mother�s cell phone all he got was her recorded voice telling him to leave a message. And his father�s cell phone wasn�t even on anymore. It was always so hot and cold. Sometimes things were good and sometimes things were bad. When they were bad, they were really bad and they were public. The last two years had been great. The only personal drama he had was of his own making, his breakup with Shayna.
His parents went through counseling and seemed to be really different. In fact, their mended relationship led to a reconciliation for Nick and his mom. After he broke up with Mandy, things were a little better but the strain was still lying beneath. But nine months later (a month after it happened) things went bad again when his mom found out Shayna was living with him. If he took himself out of the situation he totally understood why she was so upset. He had just come out of a very stressful relationship that had drained him many times throughout their three years together. Once he was finally out of it (for good) to move another girl into his home just didn�t seem smart.
His mom found out through the industry grapevine. When she called Nick she was irate. The thing that upset Nick the most was her attitude. She acted as if she had control over his decisions. There is nothing more irritating than a parent telling an adult child what to do. And it�s the quickest way to lead to an adult child who wants nothing to do with their parents.
It took time but eventually everyone in the family fell in love with Shayna. It goes without saying his mother was the last hold out. She finally began to look at Shayna in a different way when an article was done on celebrities with �regular� girlfriends. US Weekly talked about her being a scholarship college student, that she didn�t drop out after she started dating Nick and that she wasn�t using the relationship to become a star. It made Nick look good too. He was a nice guy they thanked for giving real girls hope that they didn�t have to be a size two model to date a handsome star.
There was a knock on the door and he stepped aside as room service pushed the cart inside. He thought about McDonalds for breakfast but changed his mind. He wanted a big breakfast.
�Shayna, breakfast time.� He couldn�t believe she was still in bed. She had been awake for at least an hour but she hadn�t made a move to get up.
�What did you order?� The question was what hadn�t he ordered.
�Scrambled eggs, sausage, bacon, hash browns, French toast with strawberries and pancakes.� She smiled,
�All that and you forgot the grits, biscuits and gravy?� He may have been from Florida but she was from the South. He had been to Pensacola once. They drove up and spent some time with her mom and sister. It wasn�t all that bad. It was nice being in the small town, slow paced lifestyle. It really was relaxing after being on the road, in New York and LA all the time. He didn�t understand how people could live that life and still want to live in LA and New York. The accents up in northern Florida really tripped him out. And her mother cooked them a huge breakfast every morning, never fail. No cereal like his mother used to give them when they were growing up. They rented a convertible and it was nice driving along the Gulf Coast with the top down.
�You're right. I�m sorry. You can never eat enough grits.� She rolled her eyes at him playfully and went into the bathroom.
When she came back out he was already stuffing his face. She sat across from him at the table by the door that led to the balcony after grabbing a bottle of water from the refrigerator.
�So, what exactly do you guys have to do today?� He shrugged as he chewed on the pancakes he had just stuffed into his mouth,
�Same old shit. Meet and greet, run through, sign some stuff for a couple of the radio stations, do an interview at the venue with one of the radio stations.� Most definitely the same old thing. It was like being Bill Murray in Groundhog�s Day sometimes. He watched as she bypassed the meat and settled for eggs and pancakes (without syrup).
�What are you on a diet or something?� All this great food and she was eating like a little rabbit or something.
�Yeah. I have to make sure I�m right for the premiere.� He had to give her credit and even a small thank you for thinking that way. He couldn�t say it enough: he might fuck just anybody but he wouldn�t take just anybody out in public.
�You�ll look great.� She smiled and he patted himself on the back for making her feel good. They talked about Kristin�s idea to invite her family out while they ate breakfast.
They were sitting around at the venue with a small break from fan club duties before they were scheduled for taped radio interviews, lunch and then meet and greet. He was on his phone once again trying to get in contact with one of his parents when Kevin sat down beside him,
�What's up with you? You�ve been on this phone every free moment we�ve had this morning.� He didn�t want to admit to Kevin that there was yet another problem with his family. He especially didn�t want to admit what that problem was. He was sure Kevin�s father never once hit his mother. Kevin wouldn�t understand. None of them would understand. The only one who came close to any dysfunction in the group was AJ. And frankly, he didn�t think AJ�s drama was really all that. So his father left. At least he didn�t have to deal with the going through the emotional ringer of two parents who, at times, didn�t seem to like each other let alone love each other. There couldn�t be anything wrong with growing up with a loving mother and two loving grandparents. Ok, so his father wasn�t around. It couldn�t have been that bad to miss what you never had.
�Just trying to catch up with everyone, return some phone calls.� Kevin nodded absentmindedly. There was a time when he would get really defensive about being questioned by the guys. But now, he took it all in stride. He didn�t automatically assume they were trying to pump him for information to see if his life was in order.
�Did you and Shayna like the Georgetown caf�?� It was Kevin who suggested where he and Shayna ate there the day before.
�Yeah, it was nice.�
�I figured you�d like it.� Now, he could take that a few ways. He could take it as an insult because the place wasn�t fancy like the places Kevin was usually fond of or he�d could just assume Kevin suggested a place he would like. It was very plain and the prices were cheap. The menu was full of the usual American classic meals.
Chapter 26 cont'd