by Grey, Priya
Charlie ends his call. His face breaks out in a smile. “Deal,” he replies.
“You don’t have to do this, Melody.”
Kade looks at me with concern.
“Yes, I do,” I reply. I look into his eyes. I see a love so powerful. “For you, it’s the least I can do,” I admit.
He softly smiles.
I turn, face Charlie and say, “Okay, you sleazy son-of-a-bitch. Get your shot.”
Charlie snatches his camera from the floor and points it at me. “No need for the name calling,” he replies as he turns on the camera. “Alright, I’m ready. This is Charlie Winger with an exclusive. America’s sweetheart, Melody Swanson, is about to reveal to the world the face she’s been hiding for so long.”
Staring into the camera lens, I take a deep breath. I slowly reach behind my head and begin loosening the straps of my mask. My heart races and my body trembles, as I slowly slip it off. Then I look up and stare into the bright light of the camera… exposed.
I breathe a sigh of relief.
I’m finally free.
EPILOGUE
Three Months Later…
The last time I was in this dressing room, I was falling apart. I was gripped by a deadly fear that rocked me to my core. The thought of stepping on stage had become so terrifying; I believed I’d never be able to do it again.
A lot has changed since then.
I've performed eleven sold-out concerts throughout the country. My new album and tour are a qualified success. The reviews have been amazing and the support from the fans has been incredible. Sure, there have been some trolls on social media who make disgusting comments about my face. But now I see them for what they are: inconsequential. It was only by truly accepting my face and body for what it was – and not what I wished it to be – that I finally found the courage to just be me. In a strange way, I have that paparazzi motherfucker, Charlie, to thank for all this. When he threatened to press charges against Kade, I stopped thinking about myself. I wanted to do whatever I could to help Kade at that moment.
My love for him overpowered my fear.
Now, I'm back in the dressing room of the LA Forum. It's the last show of my tour – a make-up appearance for the one I canceled. I finish putting on my makeup and check my appearance in the mirror. The foundation helps hide the scarring. But it's still noticeable, especially when they flash an image of me on the huge monitors during the show. I’m not going to lie to you; the first time I saw my face plastered on that screen, I freaked out a bit. But the audience got me through it. They were cheering me on and singing my songs. They just cared about the music and not what I looked like.
I put on some mascara, then glance at Mingus. He’s playing with a ball in the corner of the room.
“What do you think, Mingus?”
Mingus looks at me and barks.
“I think you're just being nice,” I say with a smile. Mingus has been with me the entire tour. And these last three months, he’s gotten a lot bigger.
There's a knock at the door.
“Come in.”
“Babe, the crowd out there is going crazy.”
“Really?”
Kade nods. “They're really pumped.”
The second he’s in the room, Mingus darts toward Kade, wanting to play. “Hey buddy,” Kade says as he rubs his coat. “I bet you're excited to finally be home, huh? Aren’t you, boy?”
Mingus licks his dad’s face and then hurries to fetch his ball. Kade walks over to me. He places his hands on my shoulders and stares at my reflection in the mirror.
“How about you, beautiful? You happy to be home?”
I turn in my chair and face him, grab hold of his hands. “You have no idea,” I answer as I stand up.
I give him a long lingering kiss. “All I want,” I tell him, “is to stay in bed with you for a week.”
“Sounds like a plan,” he says as he kisses me and squeezes my ass.
Mingus growls. We both look down and notice the tennis ball in his mouth. Kade grabs it and tosses it across the room. Mingus chases after it.
“I have a surprise for you,” I tell Kade as I rest my hand against his chest.
“You back home with me is all I want,” he whispers. He kisses me and tugs on my bottom lip.
I look into his eyes and can't believe how much I love this man. I'm so grateful to have him in my life. And he's made it irrefutable: how much he loves and cares for me.
“Just promise me, honey, you'll be near the stage during the show.”
“Of course I will, babe. I'll be standing offstage just like you asked.” He looks at me curiously. “Why? What's the surprise?”
“It won't be a surprise, if I tell you. Now, will it?”
Mingus growls again. He wants another round of catch. Kade snatches the ball from his jaw and tosses it once more.
There's a knock at the door.
“Who is it?”
“It's Randy and Suzie. We need to talk.”
The door swings open. Randy and Suzie enter, both beaming.
I notice Randy is walking a little gingerly.
“What's wrong with you?” I ask her.
Randy points her finger at Kade. “I started going to your boyfriend’s gym. That’s what’s wrong with me. Luke, my trainer, might be gorgeous but he’s a drill sergeant.”
“No pain, no gain,” says Kade with a smile.
Randy places a hand on Kade’s shoulder. “Kade, sweetie,” she says, shaking her head, “You need to talk to him.” Randy then shoots me a look. “You realize he doesn't even let me answer my phone during our workouts? He says I can’t learn how to kick box while having a conference call. Can you believe that?”
I look at Kade and grin. Kade just stands there, shaking his head at Randy.
“Kade, I saw your last fight in Chicago,” says Suzie. “Is that poor guy alright?”
Kade nods. “Just a few bruised ribs. He wants a rematch.”
“Melody, I don’t know how you do it,” says Suzie. “I was a nervous wreck watching him fight. I kept covering my eyes whenever he got punched or kicked.”
“Well, just wait until Vegas next month,” I reply. “There’s nothing like watching him fight live.”
Kade grins at me. He’s fighting professionally again. And he is up for a championship fight next month in Vegas.
Shane is his manager.
Months ago, when Shane showed up to Kade’s gym – looking to kill him – Kade talked him out of it. Kade told Shane that he wanted to see how far he could go in the cage. He wanted to fight professionally again. With Shane as his manager, they could make a lot of money. Apparently, there’s nothing Shane likes more than money. And now that Kade is the hottest fighter on the circuit, Shane is raking it in.
Kade’s even scheduled to do a commercial next week. He’s dreading it. I’m giving him some pointers on how to act in front of the camera.
“I’ll let you three talk business,” Kade says. He looks at me and grins. He gives me another quick kiss. “Knock them dead, babe.” He turns to Randy and Suzie. “I’ll see you two at our place for dinner this week.”
“See you, Kade.” They both smile as he’s about to leave.
“Remember what I told you,” I shout at him before he closes the door.
Kade nods. “I’ll be there the whole show, honey.”
When he closes the door, I turn to Randy and Suzie. They're both still beaming.
“What is it?” I ask.
“I just got off the phone. The label wants to go worldwide,” shouts Randy.
Suzie excitedly claps her hands. “You're back, Melody. You’re better than ever.”
I can’t believe it. “Really? A worldwide tour?”
Randy nods. She’s so excited she can hardly contain herself. “Your album is number one. And this tour is the hottest ticket of the summer. My phone hasn’t stopped ringing. I'm getting calls for endorsements. Universal Studios just called. They want to know if you'd be interested i
n co-starring with Bradley Cooper in a new movie. Also, Taylor Swift wants to do a song with you, and so does Jay-Z.”
I hold up my hand, trying to calm her down. “Randy, I need to take a break.”
“What about the worldwide tour?” she asks.
I shake my head. “It will have to wait. I've fulfilled my obligation to the label. Now I need some time for myself.”
She looks at me and slowly nods. “Alright,” she replies, a little disappointed. “But can we at least squeeze in a commercial, and a Swift/Jay-Z collaboration?”
“Fine,” I say, “But no world tour. Not yet.”
Randy gives me a hug and a kiss on the cheek. “Okay, sweetie. Knock them dead tonight.” She looks at me and says, “I’m so proud of you.”
“Thanks.”
Randy leaves.
Suzie, whose been playing in the corner with Mingus this whole time, looks at me.
“I’m so happy to be home.”
“Me too,” I agree with a sigh. The last three months Suzie has been with me every step of the way.
“Are you sure you don't want to go to the after party?” she asks.
I nod. “I’m exhausted. I just want to go home and spend some time with my man.”
Suzie shrugs and says, “I can’t blame you.”
“Five minutes!” the production manager shouts as he knocks on the door.
I take a deep breath and smile. “Okay, I got to go.”
I walk over to Suzie and give her a hug. “Love you.”
“Love you too,” she says squeezing me back.
Mingus barks.
I rub his head. “I love you too, buddy.”
The crowd erupts with thunderous applause as I step on stage. I walk toward the piano and take a seat. I soak in the moment as I scan the thousands of faces cheering me on. I never thought, in a million years, I would be back here. I glance stage right. Kade is smiling at me from the stage wing. The audience can’t see him, but I can. I move the mic toward me and begin playing my first song.
The audience is with me the entire night. They know the words to all my new songs. The amount of love I feel in the arena is overwhelming. And when I get to the last song of the night, I can hardly contain the emotions running through me.
“This is the last song for now,” I speak into the mic. The crowd expresses their disapproval. “I know. I know. But it’s time, unfortunately. Before I sing, though, I want to let you all know how much you mean to me. The last time I was here, I couldn’t step out on stage. I was so scared. I was afraid of how I looked, what you all might think of me. I was paralyzed with fear. But sitting here now, I realize I had nothing to be frightened of. You have been wonderful. You’ve all stuck by me during a really difficult time and I want to thank you.” The crowd cheers.
“There’s one person in particular I want to single out. This person is the reason I even have songs to sing. He’s the one who’s inspired every song on my new album.” I glance offstage and see Kade looking at me. “He’s the love of my life.” I swear I see Kade blushing as he glances at the ground. Then he looks back up at me. “But unfortunately, he’s also the reason I won’t be able to go on a world wide tour.” The crowd begins booing. “Hey, that’s not very nice,” I say playfully to the audience. They let out a collective laugh. Then I turn and look at Kade, stare deep into his eyes. He’s not sure what I’m talking about. I take a deep breath and continue. My eyes are fixated on his beautiful face the whole time. “You see, ladies and gentlemen, Kade and I are going to have a baby. I’m going to have a child with the love of my life.”
The crowd erupts with joy. Kade’s face breaks out in a grin. I get up from my piano and run toward him. He takes me in his arms.
“Really?” he asks.
I nod, looking at him. I see tears in his eyes.
“Are you happy?” I ask him.
“Happy?” he repeats. He shakes his head and takes my face in his hands. He kisses me. “I’m grateful, Melody. Grateful.”
I hug him and we stare at each other. We both cry tears of joy.
Together, our future is bright.
- The End -
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About the Authors
Ozlo and Priya Grey are a husband and wife writing team. Their time is consumed with writing, re-writing, editing, and tinkering with Photoshop and Wordpress. When they step away from their desks, they enjoy long walks on the beaches of Southern California.
Stay in touch with Ozlo and Priya:
http://www.ozloandpriya.com
ozloandpriya{at}gmail.com
@OzloandPriya
https://www.facebook.com/OzloandPriya
Healing Melody By Ozlo & Priya Grey
Copyright © 2015 by Ozlo and Priya Grey. All Rights Reserved.
Edition: December 26, 2015
Cover design by Ozlo Grey. Stock image licensed from Shutterstock.
This book is a work of fiction. The names, characters, places, and incidents are products of the author’s imagination and have been used fictitiously and are not to be construed as real. Any resemblance to persons, living or dead, actual events, locale, or organization is entirely coincidental.
The authors acknowledge the trademark status and trademark owners of various products referenced in this work of fiction, which have been used without permission. The publication and use of these trademarks is not authorized, associated with, or sponsored by the trademark owners
All rights reserved. This book is published by BOA Press LLC. No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without the express permission of the authors or publisher. If you would like to do any of the above, please contact BOA Press LLC at boapress[at] gmail.com.
Published in the United States by BOA Press LLC.
ISBN: 978-1-940338-11-8
