The Perfect Duo

Chapter 2

I've never been in love before but the feeling I had when I walked into my private tour bus was pretty damn close. Everything about it was luxurious, from the rich wooden floors and stone marble counter tops to the flat screen 4k TV and queen size bed. There was a full kitchen with all the appliances and a huge desk complete with a brand new laptop. The plush couches that lined both sides were equipped with USB outlets and recliners. I was in heaven.

"Damn girl, this thing is bigger than my apartment."

Mari my new cosmetician voiced her approval as she entered the bus pulling a large luggage of supplies behind her. We had met only a few hours ago at the airport. It was the day before the opening show, I arrived in Seattle that morning and was greeted by this fast talking Latina who landed from her hometown of San Jose minutes before my flight from L.A. She walked right up to me and introduced herself while I waited with some of my back up dancers at baggage claim. Raquel, my usual cosmetician came down with a bad case of strep throat and couldn't make the tour, so Mari was sent as a replacement.

I didn't mind the slight change, she was feisty and passionate. Her tiny figure wasn't something to take for granted I noted when a rambunctious fan tried to charge at me, Mari pushed him away with one arm all the while yelling at him in Spanish. I was impressed and amused by her. We shared a car on the way to the lot where the busses were being kept and connected instantly. I wasted no time in asking her to live on my bus with me. Doing my hair and make-up sometimes took hours so her being by my side would be convenient and I could really use the company. I swear the look on her face was as if she won the lottery.

"I hope you'll be ok with sleeping on the pull out futon." I felt bad but since this bus was designed for me there was only one bed.

"Ok with it? If I had to sleep on the toilet, I would." She joked. "Beats sharing with 6 other females in the other bus."

We got to work unpacking and organizing everything to our liking. After making a quick stop at the closest grocery store the fridge and pantry were fully stocked as well. It was still pretty early by the time we finished so I decided to call my mom to tell her I landed safely.

Her voice was bright and chirpy which made me feel a little better. Dave had bought her an E-reader and they spent the night downloading all of her favorite classics onto it. She asked me how the weather was and scolded me to dress warmly. It wasn't too cold but definitely a lot colder than L.A. I told her to call me the next day and listened as her line disconnected first. I missed her already.

"So, she begin chemo yet?"

I looked up to see Mari playing with the many buttons on the universal remote. She sat in a recliner seat with her shoes kicked off completely nonchalant at the line she crossed.

When she met my stare she offered an apologetic shrug. "Sorry, I stalked you on google during my flight. There was an article about her."

Of course there was. That was my life, everything out in the open.

I didn't answer her. I wasn't in the mood to talk about my mother especially to someone I just met.

Sensing my discomfort she got up from her seat. "Look I didn't mean to be so blunt. I guess I'm used to talking about it, I forgot that you just found out she was sick."

"What do you mean you're used to talking about it?"

She gave me a sad smile. "My mom battled breast cancer for years."

I turned all my attention to her feeling like an idiot for the way I reacted before. "Oh my God Mari, I'm so sorry, I had no idea."

"Don't worry about it. When I first found out about my mom I didn't want to talk about it either."