Chapter 5
Even as I was getting ready for bed, I was thinking about Brian. Where in the world did I see him before? Images of him kept
flashing into my head, but would quickly leave before I could place them. I decided to drop it and try to get some sleep.
Laying in bed, I was thinking about Brandon and Jessica and the big day they had ahead of them tomorrow. Jessica Marie
Littrell�that sounded so nice. Jessica Littrell�Brandon Littrell�Brian Littrell.
I jumped up so fast that I almost fell out of my bed. �Oh my God!� I ran down the hall and grabbed a chair so I could crawl up into
the attic. This is not happening. There�s no way! After rummaging through a few boxes, I found the one I was looking for, grabbed it,
and ran into my bedroom plopping onto the bed and throwing the lid off the box.
I pulled out a scrapbook that I had made up of my favorite band almost 25 years ago. It didn�t take long for me to find what I was
looking for�a picture of my favorite Backstreet Boy, Brian Littrell.
I stared at the picture in disbelief. That was him, the very same guy that I met this evening�the father of my soon to be son-in-law
and the soon to be father-in-law of Jessica. He, of course, was older than he was in the picture, but still had the beautiful eyes and
gorgeous smile that I remembered.
I jumped up, grabbed the phone, and dialed Jessica�s number. Of course, since she was still out, I got her answering machine.
�Jessica? It�s mom. Please give me a call the second you get this message. I don�t care what time it is, I won�t be sleeping anyway.
Call me, please.�
I hung the phone up and went back to the box on my bed. I pulled out magazine after magazine devoted to the Backstreet Boys,
pictures galore, several old CDs, old Burger King action figures, and much more. I looked through everything and my mind took me back
25 years.
I was completely obsessed with the Backstreet Boys, especially Brian. For over five years, all I could do was think about, talk about,
and listen to the Backstreet Boys. Being that Kent and I were separated for a period of time before I moved to eastern Ohio to be
with him, there was really nothing else for me to do but add fire to my obsession. Every night after work and all weekend long I would
sit at the computer searching through site after site for any new information on the Boys. The band broke up and they went their
separate ways when Jessica was only a baby. After that, all I could do was concentrate on my family, which is exactly what I did.
Before long, the Backstreet Boys and Brian Littrell were only distant memories.
The phone rang just before 1:00 a.m. I jumped off the bed and picked up the phone. �Jessica?�
�Mom, what is it? Is something wrong?�
�Uh, no. Nothing�s wrong. Jessica, why didn�t you tell me that Brandon�s father was Brian Littrell?�
�What?� I could hear the confusion in her voice.
I took a deep breath and repeated myself. �Why didn�t you tell me that Brandon�s father was Brian Littrell?�
�Mom, I don�t understand what you are talking about. I�m sure I told you his name was Brian at some point in time and, well, he would
have the same last name as Brandon. Do you know him or something?�
�Did Brandon ever tell you anything about Brian when he was in his 20�s?�
�Well, he said he was in a band or something like that. I�m confused here, mom. You need to tell me what is going on here.�
�Jessica, the band that Brian was in is the Backstreet Boys!�
�Okay fine, the Backstreet Boys. Still confused here mom.� I could tell that she was getting irritated and probably wanted nothing
more to do right now than go to bed.
�I guess I never told you. When your father got his job away from home, I was more or less completely obsessed with the Backstreet
Boys�especially Brian!� Before I knew it, I was screaming Brian�s name into the phone.
She started laughing. �Oh my God! You have got to be kidding me! You were obsessed with Brandon�s dad? Mom, that�s just pathetic!�
I held the phone out and looked at it wanting to reach through and shake some sense into her. �Jessica, you don�t seem to understand.
The only reason I was myself tonight is because I didn�t realize it was him. I knew I recognized his face, but didn�t place it until I
started thinking about how your new name is going to be Littrell. That�s when I put the Brian and the Littrell together. I�m going to
have absolutely no control over my actions tomorrow when I see him.�
�Mom, you are welcome to freak out about Brandon�s dad as much as you want, but you have to do it on your own time. You can�t be
acting like a star-gazed 15 year old teeny on my wedding day!�
�I know. I will be okay for your wedding, I promise. I don�t know how, but I intend to do it. I just wish I would have figured this out
months ago.�
�I�m sure you do so that you could have attacked him back then. Just remember that tomorrow is off limits for that, okay?�
�Okay. I understand. Well, sleep good and I�ll see you at the church tomorrow at noon.�
�I�ll see you then. Oh, and mom?�
�Yes?�
�Brian isn�t seeing anybody right now.�
�Oh God! Shut up! I love you.�
�Love you too.�
I went back to bed and turned out the light. Just knowing that I was going to see Brian again kept me up most of the night.
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