How Not To Be A Groupie

Chapter Forty Three: Now Where's Bon?

"Are there robots in the future?" 

"Mm....probably not like what you're thinking," I said. Stelle walked beside Cliff and I as we made our way backstage. Soundcheck went off okay and the concert was due to start in a couple hours. "Not like Rosie from the Jetsons or anything."

"2020 sounds like such a cool year," she gushed. "Tell me all about it!"

I blanched. Now just what in the fuck was I supposed to tell her? The world turned to shit? "Uh..." I looked to Cliff who grabbed his bass from one of the roadies. He hadn't been paying too much attention to our ramble. "AC/DC release a new album," I said, keeping my voice down. Stelle's eyes glistened. 

"Are you serious?" she said. "That's great! They're still going, they're still alive!" I faked a smile. In reality I was crushed. Stelle had something to look forward to if you squinted hard enough. Among all the misfortune 2020 brought there was one flickering flame of hope. And even then....I couldn't break the news. She'd have to find out by herself.

A chilling thought ran through me. What if Stelle isn't even alive by then?

She knocked on Cliff's arm like a door and he turned to us. "Hm?"

"Cliff, how can you stand there and not ask a million questions?" Stelle asked. "Aren't you the least bit curious to know what the future will be like?"

Cliff smiled gently and shrugged as he tuned his bass. "To be honest, ladies, I'm still processin' as best I can," he said. "Not that I don't believe you." He looked straight at me. "But it's a lot to take in, ya' know, an' I need to make sense of it."

"Understandable, Cliff," Stelle said before looking at me. "Two left, Hannah?"

"Y-yeah," I said, hugging myself. "Two left."

Cliff patted me on the shoulder. "Don't worry, love, you'll get your chance. An' Phil an' I will come around eventually." He shook his head. "The future....how do ya' like that?"

I almost knocked him down in a hug. Could you blame me?

**********

"Have you seen Bon anywhere?" I asked a few spare roadies who were cleaning up the arena. Bottles and trash covered the floor to the point where I had to hopscotch over to them. 

"A fan, huh?" one asked, apparently not recognizing me. "Hate to tell you this but he just left."

I sighed. The show had only just ended and Bon disappeared like that. I wanted to ask if I could speak to him in private and now I lost my chance. "Wait a minute." I looked up to see the other roadie pointing at me. "Haven't I seen you before?"

"I'm-" I wasn't really a journalist anymore, was I? But I was still a groupie and that was nothing to be ashamed of. "I'm one of the groupies around here." That caught their attention. 

"I see, thinkin' of havin' a little luck with the lead singer tonight?" he asked with a sly smile. I managed to bare my teeth in return. I could feel sweat running down my neck. "Sorry to disappoint you, love."

"I'm sure the rest of the band is still around," the other roadie said. "They won't mind."

My cheeks felt hot. I started backing away from them, knocking my fist against my leg. "I'd better get going," I said. "If you guys haven't seen him then..." I turned to leave before I heard them call out to me.

"Hey, save some for us, yeah?" one of them called. "Roadies are just as good!"

I gave a thumbs up over my shoulder and scampered off.

Stelle found me as I ran backstage. "Find him?" 

"He left," I said dejectedly. "I lost him." Stelle rolled her eyes.

"Ronald," she muttered. "Well, you'll get another chance soon. Shall we go back to the hotel then?" I looked around at the mess of people all cleaning or talking or smoking and decided what I wanted most of all was a bed. 

"Yeah," I muttered. "Let's just go."

**********

Stelle hadn't asked enough questions before the show and decided she needed to ask a few more. Her interpretations of the future made me giggle some but most of them were not far fetched. "So cars are electric too? That wasn't just a fad?"

"Some, yes," I said sitting on her chaise lounge in my pajamas. The ceiling fan above us spun and Stelle found another small fan in the closet just in case it wasn't enough. She paced back and forth in her nightie, her hair up in curlers. 

"Some are still petrol?" she asked and I nodded. "I ought to get me an electric....that is if they weren't wicked expensive."

"We're trying to help the environment," I explained. Now how to do this without putting Stelle in a blind panic? "It's about time, I guess."

"Don't tell me the Earth looks like Mars now," Stelle groaned. 

"No," I assured. "But.....it's not great...."

Stelle flopped down on her couch and sighed, running a hand over her face. "That does it. I'm photographing the landscapes before they all burn down. Give those photos to every magazine on Earth and tell them this is what we're losing..."

I let Stelle ramble to herself while I lost myself in my own thoughts. Talking about the future brought my mood down to hell and I sort of wished I could dismiss myself to bed. But Stelle seemed genuinely curious and I wanted to tell her what I could. You know, prepare her a little. I'm sure there were some people out there who would rather know what they were getting into to quell any anxiety. But looking at Stelle go on about the state of things, maybe I only made things worse. 

If I don't look at her, she won't ask me any more and I can sneak away....

Wait....

I saw my clothes in a pile on the floor. There in my jacket pocket should have been the key to Bon's hotel room. The one he gave me the other week. Bon did say any time I felt too overwhelmed I could go stay with him and things were pretty overwhelming right now....and perhaps I could get a word with him? Only if he didn't mind....

I reached down to the floor and grabbed my jacket, taking the key out of the pocket. I stood from the chaise lounge and turned to Stelle. "And don't get me started on the English government...." She finally saw me standing in front of her with a guilty look on my face. "What?"

"I think I'm going to go see Bon," I said, holding out the key. "I don't know if he's even at his hotel but I can try."

"His hotel room?" Stelle asked raising her eyebrows. "You sure about this?"

"Bon said any time I wanted I could visit him," I said. "And since he wasn't there after the show he leaves me no choice." 

"If you're sure," Stelle said, eyeing the key. "I can't believe he gave that to you."

I shrugged. "Maybe he has several copies and hands them out to everyone." The idea of a turnstile in front of Bon's room made me laugh, women lined up for a date. Stelle crossed her arms and huffed. 

"I didn't get one." A mischievous smile crossed her face along with a gleam in her eyes. "Of course that wouldn't stop me..." She waved me off. "Go on, get out of here. I need to start my facial anyway."