What Goes on Tour

by Boston, Claire

  “Not yet.” Libby had friends who’d done the climb and loved it. “I’m not great with heights.”

  “Could be a great way to face your fear,” Kent said. “I know all about that.” The smile was wide, reaching into his eyes and making them shine. Libby’s heart galloped.

  “Why don’t you come with us on Sunday?” he said. The invitation seemed genuine, not the kind where someone felt obligated.

  Libby considered it. If there was no climb involved, she would have said yes in an instant, and wasn’t that the problem? He was her employer, and she shouldn’t feel this way about him. She also had a book to finish, and no time for distractions. “I’ll think about it,” she said.

  Kent grinned. His phone beeped and he checked the display. “Gotta go,” he said as he lifted his bag from the table. “Think about the bridge climb. You might enjoy it.” He winked. “I’ll see you later.”

  He left and Libby was able to breathe more easily. She put her bag down next to the table and put the kettle on, then peered in at Kate, who was sleeping soundly. Until she woke, Libby would sit down and read her book. Libby had found a number of activities they could do during the day, but she would leave it up to Kate to decide.

  ***

  Radio interviews were part of the promotional gig and Adrian didn’t mind them. The co-hosts were generally friendly and asked all the same questions about touring and how much he was enjoying Australia. It was easy work as long as he went as Kent. The women always got slightly flustered when Kent winked at them, which amused Adrian. He did things as Kent he’d never dare do as himself.

  He thought about Libby’s reaction this morning. Kent flustered her in a way Adrian never did. It generally didn’t bother him that women reacted to Kent so differently, but with Libby it did. Part of him wished he flustered her as much as Kent. It was ridiculous. Why would she be interested in a shy, introverted man when there was Kent? He shook his head. How sad – he was jealous of himself.

  “We’re in here.” George pointed toward some glass sliding doors to his right.

  Adrian snapped out of his thoughts and followed George inside, smiling at the receptionist, who looked as if she’d paid particular attention to her appearance today. She called someone to lead them to the studio. Over the speakers the hosts were wrapping up their segment and telling listeners that Kent was coming up next. They introduced a song and the On Air sign above the studio door went dark.

  “This way, Kent.”

  Adrian followed the woman into the studio and took the headphones he was handed.

  “This is Natalie and Phil,” his chaperone said.

  “Howdy.” Adrian shook Phil’s hand. Phil smiled and said, “G’day, mate.” Then Adrian turned to Natalie. She stared at him long and hard before shaking his hand.

  Here was someone who was obviously not going to fall for the Kent charm. Adrian squashed down the nerves rippling in his stomach. Kent could handle anything.

  The song reached its end and Adrian put his headphones on and sat down in front of the microphone.

  Natalie welcomed the listeners back and then Phil introduced Kent.

  “Kent, welcome to the show.”

  “It’s a pleasure,” Adrian answered.

  “It’s your first time in Australia – how do you like it so far?” Phil asked.

  “It’s been swell. The folk here are real friendly and I’m having a ball.” Adrian stopped himself from rolling his eyes. He could predict the next question – it would be something about the show.

  “There’s been a lot of hype about your show. Why do you think that is?”

  Adrian grinned. “Because it’s the best damned show there is,” he drawled. The interview continued, with Phil asking all the questions and Natalie looking more and more disgruntled. Adrian had no idea what was wrong with her. Finally he got his answer.

  “Don’t you feel any shame for encouraging children’s bad behavior?” Her voice was venomous.

  Adrian faltered. There were groups out there who protested against his music, mostly mothers wanting to blame their teenagers’ bad behavior on his songs instead of examining what was really wrong, but he hadn’t expected criticism from a radio station that played his music.

  “The influence you have over these children is appalling,” Natalie continued. “They worship the ground you walk on. They would kill themselves for you.”

  Adrian stared at her, caught off guard. Where the heck had that come from? Phil was also staring at his co-host in amazement. “I’m afraid I don’t know what you mean, ma’am,” Adrian said.

  “Your latest song, ‘To Be Hurt’, is a blatant call for children to self-harm. You’re saying they should harm themselves physically so they can feel love.”

  Adrian shook his head although none of the listeners would be able to see. “That’s not what the song means, ma’am.” His song, written during a period of despair, was about seeking to reconnect with the world after a childhood full of abuse. Kate had done a lot to help him in that regard. It was impossible not to love the girl.

  “Are you telling me I’m wrong?” Natalie said. “That my ten-year-old nephew attempted to kill himself because he interpreted the lyrics to your song incorrectly?” Her voice rose. She leaned forward and Adrian was sure if the desk wasn’t between them she would have been up in his face.

  Almost killed himself? Adrian felt as if he’d been slapped. The woman had to be kidding, but her expression showed him she wasn’t. Kate was ten. Kate had seen her parents die in front of her and she was coping. What would cause a child so young to attempt suicide? It couldn’t have been his music, could it? The lyrics ran through his head, but he didn’t see the connection. He had to find out more but this was not the place.

  Phil filled the silence. “I think we’ve run out of time.” Natalie started talking again, but her microphone had obviously been turned off, because she pressed several buttons, looking angry. “Thanks, Kent, for coming in,” Phil said. “Good luck on your tour. For one lucky listener we have a double pass to the show tonight if you call now. Next is the traffic report.” He pressed a button and pulled his headphones off.

  Natalie sat with tears streaming down her face.

  “Mate, I’m sorry,” Phil said. “She’s not usually like this.”

  George came barreling in to the room. “What the heck –”

  Adrian held up a hand to stop George yelling and removed his headphones. The woman had been through a traumatic time. It wasn’t going to help anyone to yell at her.

  A man dressed in a suit came into the studio. “Get out,” he said to Natalie. He pointed toward the door, before turning to Adrian. “I’m so sorry. I don’t know what’s come over her.”

  “Wait.” Adrian stood and turned to the older man, who was obviously in charge. “Natalie is distressed. I’d like to speak with her privately.”

  The man seemed stunned, then nodded and turned to Phil. “You can handle the end of the show on your own.” It was a statement, not a question.

  “Of course.” Phil checked one of the displays. “There are another couple of ads to go.”

  “This way.” The man led them out of the studio to a small office. All of the fight had left Natalie and she followed meekly behind, tears streaming down her face.

  When George went to walk into the room, Adrian stopped him. “Why don’t you talk with this gentleman for a while?” George had his someone-is-going-to-pay face on and Natalie was in no state to face that. She was hurting. She stood, hugging herself as if she wished she could curl up into a ball and disappear.

  George opened his mouth to disagree, then nodded and turned to the man in charge.

  The office was mostly gray. Grey walls, gray corner desk with a gray computer on it, as well as a small, gray meeting table with a couple of gray chairs around it. It was depressing. Adrian indicated one of the chairs. “Why don’t you sit down, ma’am?” He spotted a box of tissues and brought them over to the table.

  Natalie t
ook one and blew her nose.

  Now he had the woman alone, he wasn’t sure how to begin. Eventually he said, “Will you tell me what happened?”

  She wiped the tears from her eyes. “Do you have any children, Kent?”

  He was torn between protecting Kate and telling the truth. Finally he said, “I have a niece who is ten.”

  “Do you see her much?”

  “As much as I can.”

  Natalie seemed satisfied. “Then you know what they’re like at that age. So full of enthusiasm. You are his hero.” She plucked another tissue. “My sister found him unconscious on his bed last week. Her little boy. He’d cut his wrist and was rushed to hospital. Your song was on repeat on his stereo.” She sniffed. “No one knew anything was wrong.”

  He saw why she’d make the connection. But surely there had to be something else to cause the boy to harm himself. Not even when Adrian had been beaten and locked in the cellar had he considered suicide. He couldn’t say that, though. “For me the song is about hurting emotionally, not physically.” He paused. Maybe the boy had bigger issues and no one would listen to him. Adrian knew what that was like. “Could I talk to your nephew?”

  Natalie regarded him with suspicion. “Why would you want to?”

  “To explain what the song means and to find out why he interpreted it that way.” Maybe the boy would tell him things he wouldn’t tell his parents.

  “I won’t let him be part of a media circus.”

  Adrian swallowed his sigh. “I’d prefer to see him without anyone knowing. They’ll sensationalize it.” He paused. “I could see him today after sound check.”

  “Let me check with my sister,” Natalie said.

  Adrian handed her a card. “If she’s happy with it, call my manager and he’ll arrange the time.”

  There was a knock on the door and George stuck his head in. “We’ve got another interview to get to.” He glared at Natalie.

  Adrian stood. He wanted to soothe her but he didn’t know how. There really wasn’t anything else he could say. He could deal with the backlash her comments would create, but she had to live with the fact her nephew had tried to kill himself. “Take care,” he said.

  Natalie nodded and blew her nose.

  He walked out of the room and stopped in front of the man in charge. “She doesn’t deserve to be fired. She’s suffered a near tragedy and isn’t thinking clearly. Don’t punish her on my account.”

  George opened his mouth to protest but Adrian shook his head. Instead George said, “Let’s go. We’re going to be late.”

  They left the building and jumped into the car. George was already talking a mile a minute about the statement Adrian had to make.

  “I know what to say, George.” Adrian saw concern and frustration on George’s face. “Don’t worry. It will be fine.” Adrian was sure it would be. He knew what he had to say, just like he knew the Mothers Against Rock would use this incident for their own gain, to protest against rock singers or to bring child suicide to the public’s awareness. He couldn’t control any of that, but he could make sure his position was known.

  “I’ve given Natalie your card and asked her to call you if the boy’s mother is happy for me to visit him.”

  George considered him. “Why? The media’s going to have a field day. You don’t want to get further involved.”

  “What if the attempt was a cry for help?” Adrian asked. “What if this boy has parents like mine? What if no one else sees what’s going on?”

  George nodded once. “I’ll arrange it.”

  Adrian breathed out a sigh of relief. It was one thing he appreciated about George. He understood where Adrian had come from.

  They pulled up in front of the next radio station to discover reporters and cameras already out in front. Damn, they were quick. He was used to this type of publicity, but he needed to shield Kate from it.

  “Kent will give a statement after we’ve finished our interviews,” George said, holding up a hand to ward them off. “If you’ll excuse us, we’re a little late as it is.”

  They were ushered into the station and into the studio, where the hosts were doing everything but rubbing their hands in glee to have the first interview.

  Adrian rehearsed in his mind what he wanted to say. He needed to stay focused and be honest and hope the honesty and concern came through in his voice. Greeting the hosts, he put on the headphones he was handed and sat down.

  It was going to be a long day.

  ***

  After Kate had eaten and dressed they planned their day. First stop was to a science museum that was close to where Adrian was performing.

  “Let’s surprise Uncle Ade for lunch,” Kate said. “We could take him a picnic. He’ll be doing sound checks and stuff there.”

  Libby considered it. Adrian didn’t want to be associated with Kate when he was in his Kent gear because he was worried she might be a target for his fans. Still, they would be inside the building and all the roadies knew who she was.

  “Come on, it will be fun.” Kate had hope in her eyes.

  “Let me call George and see what he has to say. If things aren’t going smoothly, they won’t be breaking for lunch yet.”

  Kate grinned as Libby plugged George’s number into her phone.

  “What’s wrong with Kate?” George’s voice bordered on aggressive. He must have caller ID on his phone.

  “Nothing’s wrong.” Libby rolled her eyes at Kate, who giggled. “We’re close by and Kate wants to surprise Adrian with lunch. I thought I’d check if it was all right before we came.”

  “We’ve got lunch catered,” George said.

  Libby refused to get riled. “If you’re too busy, you just need to say so, George. Kate and I have plenty to do to keep us occupied.”

  He sighed. “Seeing Kate might help Adrian. One of the interviews didn’t go so well today. Go to the back entrance. I’ll tell someone you’re coming.” He hung up before Libby could ask for more detail.

  Libby smiled at Kate. “He said yes.”

  “Yay!” Kate looked around. “Where do you think we can get a picnic?”

  “George said they had lunch catered, so we don’t need to bring anything.”

  Kate pouted.

  “But perhaps we can buy Adrian a chocolate bar for dessert.” Libby pointed to the little deli nearby.

  “Good idea.”

  They wandered over to the shop and Kate took her time exclaiming over the different kinds of chocolate before choosing one for Adrian and one for George.

  At the back door of the entertainment complex, a staff member and a roadie were waiting for them. The roadie greeted Kate while the staff member checked Libby’s ID. When the staff member said they could enter, the roadie led them to Kent’s dressing-room. “George said to wait in here. We’re almost finished on stage.”

  The dressing-room was of a similar standard to the one in Melbourne: lots of mirrors, a couple of couches and stark white walls. Kate ran over to one of the couches and bounced down on it. “This is going to be fun.”

  Libby smiled at her but she was concerned about George’s comment. What had happened in the radio interview today?

  They waited for ten minutes before Adrian walked in wearing his Kent gear.

  “Surprise!” Kate yelled, bouncing off the couch.

  Adrian jumped back as if startled, but Libby could tell he’d been forewarned they were there.

  “Geez, Kate, you scared the life out of me!”

  Kate giggled. “No, I didn’t. George told you we were here, didn’t he?”

  “Yep.” He held his arms wide and Kate ran into them. He picked her up and swung her around. “It’s good to see you, kiddo.” Adrian closed his eyes for a second, squeezing Kate tightly. Libby could see the comfort he took from Kate’s presence – he’d clearly had a rough morning.

  Adrian opened his eyes and gazed at Libby for a moment, as if he was waiting for something, then put Kate back on the ground.

  “
I’m starved, Uncle Ade. Can we have lunch now?”

  “Starved, eh?” He winked at Libby. “I’ll have to have words to your nanny. We can’t have you starving.” His tone was stern and Kate looked alarmed.

  “I was just kidding.”

  Adrian broke into a smile. “Gotcha.”

  Kate slapped him playfully on the arm. “That wasn’t nice. Come on, let’s go.”

  Libby followed them out of the room.

  The food was set up in the area behind the stage. The roadies had already helped themselves to plates of food and were sitting on any available surface. George was talking to someone, gesticulating to make his point.

  Kate waved at a couple of the men but didn’t leave Adrian’s side. At the buffet she took a plate and piled it full of food. She peeked over her shoulder at Libby. “Make sure Libby gets a plate, Kent.”

  Kent turned and guided Libby in front of him, handing her a plate. “After you, ma’am.”

  She had to learn to speak with her employer without blushing. “Thank you.” She took the plate and perused the offerings, choosing a few things that looked interesting. When she was finished, she looked for a place to sit.

  Kate was chatting to a group of roadies who were finishing their lunch. She spotted Libby and then leaned closer to one of the men and said something. He grinned and elbowed the man next to him. They both stood.

  “Libby, Kent, you can sit over here,” Kate called.

  Libby saw Kent was as bemused as she was, but they both walked over to Kate. One of the roadies who’d stood directed Libby to sit. “Take my seat, ma’am.”

  Kate was still standing, balancing her plate with some difficulty as she tried to eat from it.

  “Kate, why don’t you have a seat?” Libby offered.

  “No, no. I’m fine,” Kate said in a hurry. She made sideways gestures with her head to one of the other men.

  “Have my seat, Kate,” he said and got to his feet.

  Kate sat, leaving the two empty spaces next to each other for Kent and Libby.