[ - ]
Table of Contents [Report This]
Printer Chapter or Story Microsoft Word Chapter or Story
- Text Size +
“He wants you to teach him how to play the guitar?” asked Martha Jane.

“Yes,” said Melody.  “Apparently, he thinks he could learn something from me.”

“But how?  When?  Where?”

These were all questions that had gone through Melody’s head as well, but she hadn’t voiced any of them to Nick.  She had merely looked into those earnest blue eyes and nodded.

“I don’t know.  I guess we’ll work it out.  When we get back to the States.  On the buses or something.”

“Or in hotel rooms?”

Melody missed Martha Jane’s skeptical tone.  “Sure, whatever.  I don’t think he’d want it to be a public thing.  Not with everything that’s happened.  Most people are afraid to say the word ‘guitar’ around him.”

Martha Jane said no more, but she was thinking that ‘guitar lessons’ might shortly become a euphemism for a much steamier pursuit.  Mart didn’t think Mel realized it, but her voice changed whenever she talked about Nick.  It got softer.  And she mentioned his hands at least once in every conversation.  Her voice changed when she talked about Toby too, but in a much different way.

“So how’s the Toby Monster?” asked Martha Jane.

“Grrrr,” growled Melody.  “Talk about a control freak.  I’m breaking seven kinds of rules right now, just by talking to you.  I mean, hell, we’re at the airport, we’re safely in the departure lounge, the flight doesn’t start boarding for half an hour, and he’s glaring at me like I’m plotting to overthrow the government.”  She paused, then added, “Okay, Mart, this is for his benefit only.  Ready?”  Melody threw back her head and gave a dramatic laugh.  “NO!  You don’t say?  Really?  On the Internet?” 

“You’re an evil woman, Melody Jones,” laughed her friend.  “Is he scurrying for the computer?”

“No, but I bet he’d like to!  Poor Gus is going to be searching away, as soon as he gets plugged in at the hotel.  Okay, one more time...”  She shook her head and said loudly, “A picture of what??!!  You’re kidding!!”

Mel laughed along with her friend and then told her she’d call her when she got home from Rome.  She rang off and slipped her phone into her bag.

“You’re a bad girl,” said Tofu, dropping into the seat beside her.

“Why is that?” asked Mel innocently.

“Oh, don’t go all innocent with me,” he laughed.  “I know you were just pulling Toby’s chain.  Henceforth, I shall call you the Queen of Mean.”

“Well, good thing I can play the guitar then, if my acting is so bad.”

“Yep,” he responded.  “Trust me, there is no Oscar in your future!”

“Well, he deserves it, sort of,” she pouted.  “He’s always treating me like…I don’t know…like I’m doing something wrong.”

Tofu laughed.  “He’s just jealous.”

Jealous?  Huh?  Melody raised her eyebrows.

Tofu leaned closer and whispered in her ear, “Because you have a better chance of getting into Nick’s pants than he does.”

Nick stood on the far side of the lounge and watched them.  He didn’t know what Chris whispered into her ear, but Melody went beet red.  She slapped her hand at him and said, “Don’t be silly.” 

Then she reached into her bag and pulled out her crossword puzzles, turning in her chair slightly so that her back was to Tofu, who stood up and whispered something else to her and then moved away after kissing her forehead.  Nick watched Mel staring at her puzzle book.  She wasn’t filling in any of the squares.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Melody wasn’t the only one with a cell phone.  Tom was huddled in the corner with his, one finger in his ear to block out all sound.  When he talked to Rafe, he didn’t want to miss one word, one nuance.

“Okay, Tom, it sounds like everything is finishing up great.  I’ll see you in a couple of days.”

“Yeah, Rafe, that’s great.  We’re all looking forward to getting home.  Nick has worked really hard.”

“Yeah, well Nick’s got a couple of days to put in yet,” said Rafe, enigmatically.

“And…again…I’m sorry about the ‘hair’ thing.  I had no idea she was going to do something like that.”

“Don’t worry about it, Tom.  It’s just a couple of streaks.  It’s not like she shaved her head.”

Tom said goodbye and disconnected.  He sat for a long moment, looking very thoughtful.  Now that was an interesting conversation!  When he first told Rafe about Melody’s new look, Rafe expressed surprise, but he took it in stride.  Almost too well, knowing Rafe. 

Now Tom knew why.  Because Rafe wasn’t surprised at all.  He already knew.  Because Tom  never mentioned streaks.  He only said that she had changed her hair color.  Tom drummed his fingers on his leg and looked around the airport lounge.  Someone else was reporting to Rafe.  He wondered who it was.  Yes, indeed, there was a spy among them.  And Tom wondered what he…or she…was saying to Rafe about him.

He didn’t have any more time to think about it just then, as the flight was called.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“Aw crap!  Look at that!”  Gus pointed out the window of the mini-bus.

They had just turned into the Piazza Barberini.  Melody looked out the window. Clustered in front of a building that looked like an old palace – she guessed it was the hotel – was a crowd of girls – maybe fifty or so.  They were being watched over by two amused carabinieri.  A couple of the girls held signs – Ti amo, Nick! and Bacilo, Nick! Mel got Ti amo – I love you.  Gus helped her with Bacilo – Kiss me!

“You can’t blame me for this one,” said Melody, throwing up her hands.  “I didn’t even know what hotel we’d be at.”

Jeff talked to the driver, asking him if there was a way around to the back of the hotel.  They were in a square with a fountain in the middle of it.  The driver drove halfway around the fountain and then turned into a street, so narrow that the passengers wondered if the bus would fit down it.  They all mentally drew in their elbows as the driver negotiated the cobble-stone road. 

Suddenly, he turned into a lane, even smaller than the street.  He stopped the car and pointed at a stone archway.  “Benvenuto all'hotel Bernini Bristol,” he said.  “Welcome!”

“Stay here,” ordered Jeff to the passengers.  “Toby, make it fast!”  Jeff ushered Toby off the bus and then stood in the doorway, his eyes sweeping up and down the lane.

“So what happens now?” asked Melody in a low voice.  “Do we switch hotels?”

Tofu shrugged from the seat beside her.

“This is nothing,” said Nick.  “You should see some of the crowds I’ve had to work my way through.  The fellas and me, we had some interesting times.  Howie once got his shirt ripped right off his back.”

”Yes, I know,” laughed Tofu.  “Remember, I’ve seen the video.  I know about Rio.” 

He began to describe the scene to the others.  Mel’s eyes got wider and wider.  She stared at Nick, who grinned at her and shrugged.

Toby stepped back onto the bus.  He held up a handful of room keys.  “Okay, people.  Grab your stuff and be ready.  When we get in the elevator, don’t go directly to your floor – go one up or one down and then take the stairs.  And check the hall first.  If there are girls hanging around, don’t go to your room.”

Tofu snorted, but the rest of them sat politely.  They had discovered that it was easier just to let Toby have his little speech than to interrupt it or ask questions.  He’d toned it down somewhat since Mel had come within a hair of killing him in Lyon, but still he spelled out the instructions every time.

They clambered off the bus and scooted through the kitchen.  It smelled heavenly, thought Mel. 

At the elevator, Jeff took charge.  “Okay, me, Nick, Mel and Toby in the first one.  You guys get the second one, okay?  I’ll be around to check on you all as soon as I have Nick safely behind a locked door.”

The elevator door slid open, and the four boarded it.  Melody waggled her fingers at the guys as the doors rattled shut.  There was a disconcerting bump, and then the car creaked upward.  Toby held his finger on the ‘6’ button, as if by doing so, he could turn it into an express elevator.  He couldn’t.  The doors opened on the main floor.

Jeff had positioned Nick in the front corner of the elevator, but it did no good.  The mirrored walls reflected his blond image, and the scream, “Nick!!” echoed through the lobby.  A teenage girl tried to get on the elevator. 

Jeff put his arms across the doorway and said, “No.”

The doors began to slowly close.  The girl put her hand in the gap, and when the edge of the door hit it, the fail-safe mechanism kicked in, and with a clang, the door clattered back open.  This time, four girls scrambed to get aboard.  Jeff formed his body into an ‘X’, trying to cover as much of the doorway as he could.  Three more times, the doors started to close, and three more times, the girls succeeded in stopping them.

“Okay, help me, Toby,” said Jeff.  “We have to push them back.  We’ll get off.”  He looked over his shoulder.  “Both of you go to Mel’s room,” he said.  “I’ll meet you there in a minute.”

“Right,” said Nick. 

Toby and Jeff linked arms and stepped off the elevator.  They pushed the perimeter back far enough that the girls could no longer reach the gap, and slowly the doors rattled shut.  Nothing happened for a moment, and then with a lurch, the elevator started upward.  Melody was halfway through a sigh of relief when, with another thud, the car ground to a halt.

Nick and Melody looked at each other.  What the hell…?  They glanced up at the lighted numbers above the door.  The ‘2’ was lit up.  Then with a wheeze, the fan motor stopped running.

“Are we stuck?” whispered Melody.

“I think so,” said Nick.  “We don’t seem to be moving.”

They edged closer together.  They peered at the control panel.  Along with the floor numbers, there were some buttons with letters on them and one with a pictograph of a bell.  They looked at each other.  Nick reached his finger out, but hesitated.

“Should I?” he asked.

Mel shrugged.  “Jeez, I don’t know, Nick.  I guess so.”

Nick reached to the button again.  They looked at each other, grimacing, preparing for the worst.  Nick pushed the button.  A ringing sound filled the elevator.  They laughed nervously.  Nick removed his finger, and the ringing stopped.

“What now?” he said.

“Got me!” answered Melody.  “I’ve never been stuck in an elevator before.”

Nick pushed the button again.  When he stopped, they both listened.  Nothing!

Then the lights went out.

Poof!  They were standing in darkness.  It was pitch black.  Involuntarily, they stepped toward each other.  Nick slipped his arm round Melody. 

“You okay?” he whispered.

Melody nodded and then realized that was a silly thing to do.  “Yes, I’m fine,” she whispered back, and then, “Why are we whispering?”

Nick laughed.  But still he whispered.  “I don’t know.” 

They stood together, silent, straining their ears to hear any sound, any indication that the outside world knew of their predicament.

Suddenly, they faintly heard Jeff’s voice calling, “Nick!  Mel!”

“Jeff!” shouted Nick, startling Melody.  She jumped. 

“Sorry,” said Nick quietly, tightening his arm around her.  Then he let her go and said, “Cover your ears.”

Melody huddled in the corner with her hands over her ears while Nick and Jeff shouted back and forth.  The elevator was old and in need of repair, they discovered.  Workmen were on their way.  Just sit tight! 

Yeah, right! thought Melody.  Like we have a choice!

Nick sighed in the darkness.  “Mel?”

“Yeah?”

“Uncover your ears.  I’m done shouting.”

“Okay, but warn me if you’re going to start up again.”  Melody tried to put humor into her voice since Nick couldn’t see her face.

“I guess we just wait,” said Nick.  “We’re not in any danger.  We’re only just above the first floor.  Even if the whole thing fell, we wouldn’t be killed or anything.”

“And this comforting thought was brought to you by Nicholas Gene Carter, rising young rock star and elevator maintenance man.”

The two of them laughed together, but it was nervous and forced.

“Well, let’s look on the bright side,” she continued, “although that’s a little hard to do here in the pitch dark.  At least, Jeff got what he wanted.”

“What’s that?” asked Nick.

“He got you on the other side of a locked door.”

They laughed again, and this time it was a little less forced.  It’s just another adventure, said Mel to herself.  All part of the great touring experience.