All There Is

Going Back

    Emma had  stayed the night which wasn't unusual whenever she came for a visit. Tom didn't mind really, it actually reminded him of when they were children. Sometimes in the craziness of their adult lives it was nice to go back to a simplier time every once in awhile. I really need more days off, he thought. He rolled over in bed onto his belly and buried his face in the pillow trying to hide from the morning light. I have to get up. I have to get moving or else I'll never move again. He forced himself to sit up and stretched his arms above his head, making a very unhuman noise to go with it. He rubbed his eyes with his hands and stared at the clock. It was 9:47, which meant he got three more hours of sleep than he usually did. He managed to get out of bed and make it to the kitchen. The place was silent. If he strained his ears he could faintly hear Emma in the guest room breathing, but that was it. He decided to make some breakfast and then shower before going through everything he had to do for the day. Just as about he was looking for some cereal his mobile rang. He hastily grabbed it off the counter and answered it before it woke Emma. 

"Hello." he said in a loud whisper. 

"Hey Tom, it's Luke. I just wanted to ask if you'd be avaliable at noon. There are some things we need to discuss and I know you have a booked schedule the rest of the day."

I do? Damn.

"Yeah! Yeah. I can meet you at 12 at the office. No problem."

"Tom, why are you whispering?"

"Oh, my sister's here. She's still asleep."

Luke laughed, "Alright, I'll see at noon then. Don't be late." 

"Yeah, see you then."

Tom wondered what Luke wanted. It didn't really matter because he would do it no matter what it was. Loads of times he had done things he had not wanted to do all for the sake of Luke said they were good for him. There were some things he liked doing, but those were things he planned for himself; things that weren't done because he had to. He liked seeing fans in crowds, he liked being out there with people, and he loved performing not only in movies, but in plays as well. What he didn't like were doing pointless interviews with magazines he didn't know or going through the motions of another photoshoot when he'd had two in the past sixth months. "It's all for your benefit, Tom. Really.", "Now just trust me on this one, Tom.", it never failed. Just because he was an actor didn't mean that he didn't have a limit. 

He settled down for breakfast and ate it quickly because he still had to shower and run all the way across town to Luke's office. He placed his bowl and spoon in the sink and went back into his room and laid out a nice, pressed shirt and black trousers. He figured that it would make dressing for the days later events easier and less time consuming. He took a quick shower, leaving hot water for Emma if she wanted to take one later. He had on his trousers and was buttoning his shirt as he walked into the kitchen and saw Emma making coffee. 

"You're up." 

"Yeah." Emma was not a morning person, she never was. She used to tell Tom when she was teenager not to speak to her before ten. If he did, she would usually find some way to torture him that day. 

"Listen, I have to leave here at 11:30 and won't be back until much later. You're welcome to stay as long as you'd like. I think you still have clothes here from the last time you stayed." He fumbled to find his wallet and rearrange some papers that were lying on the counter.

"Alright. Hey Tommy?"

He stopped what he was doing. She hadn't called him that in years. She was the only one who ever called him that and it was always when something was off.

"What's wrong?" He turned to look at her.

"Nothing, I was just going to ask if you've talked to mum recently." 

"I talked to her last week, why?" 

"Nothing. She told me yesterday that when you spoke last, you didn't sound too good."

"I'm just tired, Em. I just need a break."

"Maybe you should take some time off, you know? We should go somewhere for Christmas!" 

"That'd be amazing, but you know how busy I am. I can never plan anything in advance." 

"Maybe you should start. All I'm trying to say is that mum knows something is up and you know how she gets. She starts planning and meddling and the next thing you know she's feeding you." 

"Yeah, I know." They both laughed then. He looked at his watch and decided that he should leave a tad bit early just in case there was traffic. "Emma, I'm going to go ahead and go. Call me later and tell me if you're staying again tonight." He hugged her and gave her a kiss on the forehead. "Be good." 

"Yes, Thomas. You know I'm a grown woman, right?"

As you walked out the door he threw back over his shoulder, "Yeah, but you're still my little sister!"

He found a cab and gave to address to the cabbie of Luke's office. It was about 20 minutes there, but with traffic it might be an hour. Today didn't look too bad  as far as traffic went; he should be able to make it there on time. On the way there he made casual conversation with the cabbie who, thankfully, did not recognize him. Sometimes it was good just to have a normal "How's the weather?" conversation. They talked about almost eveything: football, food, and of course, the weather. When the ride was over, Tom was a tad disappointed to see the man drive off. Moments like that didn't happen often. He walked in the office building where Luke was and flew up the stairs two at a time. He zig-zagged through the hallway avoiding eye-contact and contact in general. Lots of managers and agents kept their offices here. It wasn't out of the ordinary to see another musician or actor here. 

"You requested me?" Tom knocked on the already open door to Luke's office. Luke minimized his computer tab and turned around in his chair. 

"Yes, sit."

Tom did so, "Luke, what now? What did you plan?"

"Nothing." Tom gave him a look that clearly called his bluff, "Yet." Tom sighed and shifted in his chair. "It's nothing like what you think. I think this might even be fun."

"What is it?"

"How do you feel about, Chicago?"

Tom swallowed hard. How did he feel about Chicago? Well, the first word that popped into his head was guilty, but if he told Luke that he'd think he was crazy. "Fine.", he lied.

"Have you ever been there before?"

"No- yes, I have. It was a long time ago though."

"That's great! So there is this art exhibition going on next month on the 7th. It'd be great publicity if you go. So many people will be there and it'd boost your image exponentionally."  So Luke wanted him to go to that thing that was in the paper? 

"Does it need anymore boosting, Luke? Have you been on the internet lately?" 

"It never hurts. So, will you go?" 

Tom thought for a moment. Did he really want to go back? Go back to all those memories? Seeing them in real time, played out before him like a ghost? Luke was right, what could it hurt? Besides, he had moved on. He was doing great. Going to Chicago shouldn't be a problem at all. "Sure, why not?" 

"Atta boy! Now let me go over the rest of today's schedule with you since it's jammed packed."

Luke's voice drifted off as Tom thought of what he had just agreed to. He was going back.

Well, he thought, I'll just add it on to my list.