The Look Of Hope

Chapter 75: Tickets

Usually, when Lydia Brown arrives home from school, she complains about Luke. Jimmy runs afternoon carpool for his own son plus Jed and Lydia. Usually, it's "Luke purposely made a joke about me" or "Luke farted in the car" or "Luke changed the radio station to that awful hard rock music" and it goes on and on about Luke. However, on this particular breezy October afternoon, Lydia arrived home with enthusiasm. 

"Mother! Mother! You just have to let me go. You just have to," she pleaded to her mom. 

Mary had been going over a list of new ideas for the farm store. She was busy weighing the pros and cons of each one. Rhodes had awakened from his nap too. He is snuggled onto her chest, peering over his mother's shoulder at his sister. Not liking loud noise, unless he's the one doing it, his mother instantly stopped what she was doing to attend to his sister. She knew he'd become fussy if she didn't.

Looking at her daughter, Mary asked "Alright Lydia, tell me what it is you must go to?"

Dropping her bag on the floor, and taking three cookies from the platter, Lydia explained. "Vicki told Josephine, who told Tammy, who told Candy, who told Mary Beth, who told me that *NSYNC is having a concert in LA. They're coming here in two weeks. It's a last-minute type of concert. Terry says the tickets go on sale tomorrow morning. Mom! I just have to go!"

Oh my. So that's what the fuss is all about. "Lydia that sounds like a nice idea but I have a few questions. First, who would you be going with? Second, where would we buy these tickets? And third I can't say yes or no without discussing it with your father."

Lydia huffed out a breath. Her father will say no for sure. He's always the level-headed one of them. Plus he probably thinks *NSYNC is the devil since he's a minister. Drat! "Well, I would be going with you of course. And so would Mary Beth, Candy, Tammy, JoJo, and Vickie. I may have said you would drive. Tickets can be purchased at the box office, not by phone."

Oh, my stars! Her daughter offered her up as a chaperone without her permission. Letting her frustration try to cool off, she inquired about the box office tickets. "When you say at the box office, what does that mean?"

"It means people are probably camping out there overnight to get tickets first thing. Oh please! Oh please let me go! I'll clean the upstairs bathroom and vacuum the floor for a whole month without asking me to. I'll even change Rhodes's yucky diapers too. I just have to see Justin Timberlake and JC or I'll die." Lydia begged.

How well Mary remembers pleading like this to Aunt Kitty, about going to her first sample sale. "Oh please, Aunt Kitty. I just have to go to Barney's Warehouse sample sale. Pucci boots and Prada handbags will be drastically cut in half. Not to mention all of the shirts and skirts and dresses less than half off too. I just have to go or I'll die. I'll die!" In the end, Aunt Kitty acquiesced and allowed her to go.

It would be a terrible thing to not even ask Bobby about it. She restated to her child, "I'll discuss it with your father." Lydia walked off in a huff muttering about how he will say no. Bobby doesn't always say no. Yes he's thrifty and yes he wants his family safe, but he also has fun. 

Her mind began thinking of the tickets. Camping out overnight does not sound fun. It sounds like a logistical nightmare. What does one do if they have to potty? Or heaven forbid an upset stomach. Plus you'll have to stay awake to ensure no one pickpockets you. Not to mention what would she do about Rhodes? He wakes up early to be fed. There are ways around that though. But the other things...