Chapter 22

 

 

The next morning Melody had off and had even less to worry about. After the kids were gone she went back to bed, nothing like too much sleep and she still had 6 hours before a driver picked her up.

She was just about to fall asleep when her phone on her night stand started singing. She reached over to grab it, missing it the first few times before she answered the call.
“Hello?” She asked sleepily.

“Did I wake you?” Jon asked her.

“Yes you did.” Melody answered grumpy.

“Come on, you should be up and at ‘em.” He teased her.

“It’s 8.15, too early for funniness.”
“Ok, morning mood. Should I let you go back to sleep then?” He asked with a sweet voice.

“No, its fine, I’ll get up.” Melody said as she sat up in bed, resting back against the pillows and waking up decently. “Happy birthday.”

“Thanks Mel, you’re the first one to wish me that.” Jon said happily.

“Great, I love being first. I can’t wait to see you later.”

“I can’t wait either, but you’ll be here soon.” He explained.

“So, how was last night’s concert?” Melody asked.

Jon sighed and started explaining how the sound system gave out. He told her how he was just singing when David motioned the sound was gone. At first he tried to stay calm and sat at the end of the stage waiting for it to come back until he got frustrated and he and the band left the stage. He had started yelling at the technician that promised earlier that everything would be fixed. After he was done yelling the technician promised again that it would work. They all went back to the stage and everything had been fine. He told Melody he apologized to the man after the show but explained to him that it was important that everything was perfect for the fans.

After Jon had let out all his frustrations of the previous day he said goodbye to Melody telling her he had to get on the plane. He told her again he couldn’t wait to see her and hung up. He turned his phone off, grabbed his bag and got on the plane. Jon sat down at the table by the window and a few minutes later everyone else was on board too. Richie sat down across of him and David next to him.

“Happy birthday, old man.” Richie said happily.

Jon kicked him under the table. “Fuck off, you’re older.”

“Just older.” Richie pointed out for him.

“We should open with that tonight.” He looked around the cabin for someone that had a piece of paper. “Let’s start that set list.”

Melody finally got out of bed and went to shower. She washed her hair with shampoo that should make it silky and shiny. She hoped it would work. Putting special attention to shaving her legs too, making sure they were soft as silk.

She turned off the water, stepped out of the shower and dried off. She walked over to the mirror and looked at her reflection for a minute. Hoping that shampoo had worked, she took out the hairdryer and a brush. She brushed out her long brown hair, when wet it reached under her shoulder blades on her back.

She started drying it and while handling it she noticed it did have a soft feel. When it was all dry it actually looked lighter brown than it usually did. She brushed it out again and now her hair reached over her shoulders. Melody decided to wait for brushing her teeth and putting make-up on until she had to leave.

When she walked into the kitchen she couldn’t believe it was almost 10. She quickly texted Lori to tell her she had to be at her house before 2. Melody made a bowl of cereal for breakfast and went on Facebook to update her status to how excited she was for the concert. She ate her cereal while looking around and checked her emails.

Around 1pm, Melody started getting ready. She shut down the computer and went back to her bathroom. She had picked out one of her favourite jeans and a red top. Usually she would wear a Bon Jovi t-shirt to a concert but she hadn’t in New York either so decided for a plain shirt.

After getting dressed she brushed her teeth twice, just to be sure they were clean and she had a nice breath. She put on the mascara, gracefully poking herself in the eye first before getting it right. After she had put on the lipstick she got everything together and put it in her bag that was still standing by her closet.

Jon got off the plane only 2 hours late. They had completed the set list and he had given it along with a crew member to type it out and make copies for everyone. They were at the venue by noon and had lunch backstage. He got birthday wishes from all around. He made small talk with everyone that came up to him and finally had made his way through to get his lunch. By the time he was in his dressing room he was happy with a few minutes of quiet and nobody reminding him he was turning 49 until he thought it and made him remember again.

30 minutes before the car would arrive for Melody and Lori, Lori knocked on the door. They were both excited to go to the concert and hoped the car would be early. It was 10 minutes early, which was good enough. Just like last time it wasn’t a limo or another fancy car bug just a big black car.

The driver knocked on the door and introduced himself as Jimmy, their driver for the day. He took their bags before they could ask him to, he walked back to the car and opened the door for them before dropping the bags in the trunk.

Jimmy got in the car and asked if they wanted to radio on or not. Melody asked him for Bon Jovi music and Jimmy reached for the glove compartment to take out the ultimate collection. He started the first cd and backed out of the drive way, through the town and onto the highway.

Jon was still in his dressing room when his phone rang. It was Dorothea to wish him a happy birthday and then let all the kids have a little chat with him. He each one of them he’d be home the next week and they could stay over the weekend like they always did when he was home. The two teenagers didn’t think too much of it, being more used to their dad being gone, not that they weren’t happy to see him but it was probably uncool to say it out loud. He got the reaction he wanted when he told Jake and Romeo. When he ended the call his phone beeped again as it received a message from Melody saying they were almost there.

Jimmy drove to Philly without stopping and they made some nice time during the drive. They had estimated to be there around 4, counting the possible traffic but were lucky to be 30 minutes earlier than they had hoped. They hoped the band would let them watch the sound check now that they were in time for it.

Melody texted Jon to tell him they would be there soon, they were going to the hotel to drop their bags off first. Melody and Lori hadn’t picked out the cheapest hotel, making sure they would have some nice amenities. Jimmy opened the door for them and got their bags from the trunk. Melody and Lori went to check in and dropped their bags in their room.

“I should keep my bag.” Melody said. “I’m going to Jon’s hotel after the concert anyway.”

Lori agreed it was probably easier to do.

They got back to the car where Jimmy was waiting for them.

“You’re keeping your bag?” He asked Melody confused.
“Yes,” Melody paused; she couldn’t exactly say she was spending the night in Jon’s room. She didn’t finish her sentence and got in the car.
“You know you’re in the same hotel as the band?” Jimmy asked looking back at them in the rear-view mirror.

Chapter 23