53(2): Redoing my Life, Castings and Concerts

I looked out the car window watching as the excited crowd gathered outside the small theater where the concert was taking place. Fans of all ages were milling about, some holding banners with Joanna's name, while others were decked out in merchandise bearing her image.

“Oh wow, you weren’t kidding when you said it was sold out,” Haley said from beside me.

“Well, it’s a small place. There would have been more if Jo had picked the bigger venue we first wanted,” I replied.

“Come on, let’s get inside before they spot us.” I said looking to see if any one was near us.

Haley nodded, and I went to open the door. “Wait,” I heard her say.

“Let me cover up my face,” she said, taking a piece of cloth from her bag.

“What? Why? They already know who you are,” I said, slightly puzzled by her sudden caution. Haley and I were photographed together weeks ago, and now everyone knew I was dating her.

“Yes, I know, but do you see this zit on my face?” she said, pointing to a barely visible one. “I can't let anyone see me like this,” she added before putting on sunglasses and wrapping the cloth around her lower face, effectively concealing her identity—or at least the zit she was so concerned about.

“Only you, Haley,” I said before opening the door. We stepped out, and I scanned the crowd to see if anyone was looking in our direction.

“Let’s go, quick,” I said, walking forward. When I looked back, I saw Haley looking at herself in the mirror.

“Oh my god, babe, I look so good in this.”

“Yes, yes, I know. Now come on before they see us,” I urged.

“Fine. Who knew that covering up half of my face would make me more attractive? I mean, you're only seeing half of me,” she said.

I chuckled. “It’s your eyes. They are your best feature,” I complimented.

“Really?” she asked coyly.

“It’s what attracted me to you in the first place,” I said, meeting her gaze.

“Look, isn’t that Daniel Adler?” someone whispered loudly enough for us to hear. Heads started turning in our direction, and the murmurs grew louder.

“Oh shit, let's get in there,” I said, taking Haley’s hand and walking towards the back entrance.

“DANIEL, OVER HERE! DANIEL…” I heard them say. We moved swiftly, almost running now, to avoid a full-blown fan encounter. We reached the back entrance of the theater, where security recognized us and quickly ushered us inside, away from the excited fans. Before entering, I peeked out and waved at them, which elicited a loud reaction.

“That was fun,” Haley said once inside.

“Come on, let's find Jo,” I said as we traversed the backstage area. I looked for my friends there but couldn't find them. I was a bit late to the event, so I hoped they would be with Joanna in her dressing room. Finding the room, Haley and I found Joanna practicing with her guitar.

“Daniel!” she exclaimed, jumping up to give me a hug.

“Oh, Haley, so glad you could make it,” Joanna said, her voice polite but cool.

Haley returned the greeting with equal restraint. “Congratulations on your concert, Joanna. It's a big night for you.”

“Thank you, Haley. I heard you’re a fan?” Joanna asked with a touch of slyness in her voice.

Caught off guard, Haley’s eyes flicked to me before settling back on Joanna. “I like some of your songs,” she replied with a strained smile.

Glad they are getting along now, I thought as I watched them talk.

“You look so zen right now,” I said, noticing her calm demeanor.

“I’m actually close to breaking down,” she replied, and knowing Joanna, it might not have been a joke.

“Well, I'm sure you’ll do great. Just go out there and sing like you always do,” I said, giving her more encouragement.

“You’re right. I can do this,” she said, more to herself than to me.

“Why don’t we go and look around? I'm sure Joanna needs time to, you know, prepare,” Haley suggested.

“Oh yeah, I’m not going to take much of your time. I’ll see you later,” I said.

“What? No, I thought we could…” Joanna started to say.

“I have to meet Lucy anyway. You do your thing,” I said before leaving the room with Haley.

.

.

.

"Wow, they really did wonders with the place; it looks unrecognizable," Haley said, looking around.

"Yeah, they did," I said as I scanned the backstage for Lucy. I spotted her near the entrance to the stage, talking with a middle-aged woman with striking red hair. She spotted me as well and waved me over.

“Lucy,” I greeted as we neared her. “And who is this beautiful lady?” which earned a slap on the wrist from Haley.

“Daniel, let me introduce you to Isabelle Brooke,” Lucy said, gesturing to the redhead. Isabelle turned to greet me. My gaze ‘accidentally’ lingered on her noticeable bust before meeting her eyes. She was dressed impeccably in a suit that accentuated her figure, her red hair cascading over her shoulders in elegant waves.

“Nice to meet you, Ms. Brooke,” I said, extending my hand.

“The pleasure is mine, Daniel. I’ve heard a lot about you,” Isabelle responded with a smile. “I’m here to see Joanna perform. I’ve been following her work online, and I must say, I’m quite impressed.”

“That’s great to hear,” I replied. “She’s incredibly talented.”

Isabelle nodded in agreement. “Indeed, she is. Well, I should find my seat. Looking forward to the show.” With a polite nod, she excused herself and walked toward the audience that was pouring into the hall.

“Joanna’s getting noticed by the right people,” I said, watching Isabelle disappear into the crowd.

“That she is. Now it's up to Joanna on how to proceed from here,” Lucy replied.

“So, getting ready for your big vacation?” I asked, remembering Lucy was going on a very expensive vacation after this.

“Yes, I am,” she replied. “Oh, and your friends are over there,” she said, pointing to a group gathered in the corner of the room. I followed her gaze and saw Matt, John, and Lucia.

“Oh, my friends are here; I'm gonna go and say hi,” Haley said.

“Ok, I’ll be here,” I replied, watching Haley go in the same direction as Isabelle.

I could hear the audience starting to chant Joanna's name as I walked toward my friends. “Hey, guys,” I greeted. “Ready for the show?”

“Absolutely,” Matt replied.

"Jo's going to set the stage on fire. Metaphorically speaking, of course," John chimed in.

“She’s worked so hard for this. I’m so proud of her,” Lucia said with a watery smile.

The lights dimmed, and the crowd’s chants intensified. "Joanna! Joanna! Joanna!" they yelled in unison.

“I guess it’s showtime,” I said before leading them to the entrance of the stage. We saw Jo walking towards us with a guitar in hand, looking nervous.

"Wow, listen to that crowd," I remarked, impressed by the overwhelming support.

“What’s wrong?” I heard John ask Joanna.

“I don’t think I can do this. There are too many people,” she said, panicking. Before I could say anything, Lucia stepped forward and placed her hands on Joanna’s shoulders, locking eyes with her. "Jo, you've got this," she said firmly. “This is your moment. Now go and give them a show they won’t forget.”

Joanna took a deep breath, her eyes moving from Lucia to me, then to John and Matt. "You're right," she finally said, her voice steadying. "I can do this." We all gave her a thumbs up.

"Go knock 'em dead, Jo!" John said as a final word of encouragement.

With a renewed sense of confidence, Joanna nodded, squared her shoulders, and walked onto the stage to loud cheers.

.

.

.

The concert was great, with each song drawing louder applause than the last. I could see Joanna’s confidence increasing as it went on. As she was about to perform her last song, she paused, looking over the crowd. "This is my last song for tonight," she announced. "This is a song written by one of my best friends and the man who made this all happen, Daniel Adler."

The audience erupted in cheers, and a chant for my name began to fill the theater.

“The snow glows white on the mountain tonight,

Not a footprint to be seen.

A kingdom of isolation,

And it looks like I'm the queen.”

“Oh, this one's my favorite,” I heard Haley say from behind me.

“So, you do like her songs?”

“I like this one because it was written by you,” she responded.

I chuckled and here I thought Joanna and Haley were getting along. “My mom’s invited you to come tomorrow,” I said.

“Really? She invited me? I thought you said she didn't like me,” Haley said, surprised as the song continued in the background.

“Well, the pregnancy has mellowed her out on the subject of me dating, so tomorrow you can finally meet Alice as well.”

“Wow, this is a lot of pressure,” Haley replied.

“Relax, it's going to be fine,” I said, holding her close to me with a one-armed hug.

Joanna concluded her performance with a powerful final note, and the theater erupted in deafening applause and cheers. She finally got off the stage and walked backstage.

"Jo, that was incredible," I said, beaming with pride.

"Thank you, Daniel," she responded, her eyes glistening with tears of joy.

Backstage was soon filled with Joanna's family and other well-wishers. I could also see Lucy talking with what I think are the industry folks that she had invited.

I love it when a plan comes together.