Imagine yourself with five older men in the middle of nowhere covered in gasoline. That's something I never thought I'd say. That's a situation I never thought I'd find myself in. But that's what happens when you write down the wrong number in your travel sized phone book. One minute you're hungry for Chinese noodles, the next you're on a tour bus with the most famous band in the world. And you're still hungry for Chinese noodles. But, life's funny that way.
I didn't expect my life to change that day. Then again nobody does. Or you spend your whole life expecting something great and it never happens. I've gone both ways. I think most of us have. But the story you're about to hear is something only I have. And at first I almost didn't want it.
Don't get me wrong. This was the opportunity of a lifetime even if it was all an accident. But what on earth was a twenty year old gonna do on the road for six months with a bunch of men she'd only just met? Well I'll tell you what she did.
"Pick it up, pick it up, pick it up..." I mumbled twirling the phone chord around my finger. Vee was late again. We had made arrangements to go out for coffee earlier that week. Just in one ear and out the other with that girl. Unless there was traffic in the two blocks between our houses or her living room phone burned up in a kitchen fire, she forgot. The phone buzzed me to voicemail and I left her a piece of my mind. As soon as I hung up I knew I was overreacting. She was probably on her way over. After an hour of Solitaire and "studying" with her newest crush of the month.
I stood up from my bed and headed downstairs. The nearest coffee shop was closed by now. If Vee ever showed up I could surprise her with some homemade coffee...chunks. That was our little joke whenever one of us tried to use the coffee maker successfully. Instead of a smooth liquid, it came out in moist clumps. Moist clumps don't taste good even if they are coffee flavored. I limped my way to my dishes in the sink, crumbs on the counter, I'll pick that up later, cozy kitchen. The canisters towered in the corner was my first opponent. One wrong move and you're caked with coffee, but none to drink.
My hand reached down to massage my leg while I carefully turned each canister to read the label. "No...no...gross, no..." I finally found the mocha which was our favorite flavor. Well, Vee claims it's her favorite but I know she sneaks some caramels behind my back. Better make some of that too. If this damn machine even worked.
All my money was put toward my rent. I didn't exactly live in an apartment...no. Really it was a house. But the owners didn't favor it over their new beach house so they put it up for rent. They used that money to pay for their 1978 California beach house. And the husband being a professor at UCLA and the wife being a lawyer had its perks. Not to mention I had taxes to pay. So no new coffee maker for me.
I sighed as I realized I forgot to call off work for the incoming month. I was scheduled for a doctor's appointment to check out my leg and might have to miss a few days. A full week couldn't hurt. My boss Sabrina likes to know way in advance if we can't come in. Being the owner of a roofing company, it makes sense to know if one of your workers is out. It's nearly impossible to substitute.
Carson, my other 'boss', was much more lenient. Here I worked as an apprentice fixing railroads. This was my first job out of high school but the pay was barely enough to fix a meal. And I'm not one for fast food, so I took up roofing. As you can imagine that puts a lot of strain on your bones. I should be glad I missed going out for coffee, I can barely make it to the door.
I jumped when the coffee maker sputtered and sparked. Unplugging it was safer than going up against it. Although it meant no coffee. But I probably shouldn't have coffee anyway since it makes me dizzy, and no food before drinking is one dynamic duo. The clock said dinnertime so I decided to go to my favorite restaurant. If there was one fast food I liked it was noodles. But I only made it to my keys on the table when I felt a dull ache around my hip. I'd call Sabrina after dinner, which would have to be ordered over phone.
My pocket sized phone book was hiding under a stack of junk mail and job listings. Vee gave it to me for Christmas because I'm terrible at remembering numbers. Once I wrote it down, I had easy access. And of course I wrote the number for food in case of emergencies.
I found the number listed under 1-800-YUM. A giggle found its way out as I dialed the number. These were labelled a long time ago and I had forgotten what they said. The phone rang and without sending me to voicemail a man spoke up.
"Congratulations, you're our eleventh caller!" He was cheery even if he didn't want to be. His voice was hoarse like he owned a twenty four hour talk show. "You have just won the exclusive contest!"
I narrowed my eyes. "Excuse me, who is this?" I asked as polite as I dared.
"Name's Rob Roberts, and you just called line number eleven and won our contest!"
"Wait, what contest?" Did I win free noodles? I could sure use some. This man didn't even sound Chinese, he sounded like a New England man.
"We just aired tonight a special including a fantastic prize. The eleventh caller, that's you, would win the chance to tour six months with the world's most famous band."
"So...this isn't a Chinese restaurant?" I asked.
"No Miss, it isn't," he replied strongly.
"Oh excuse me, I must have written down the wrong number. You see I meant to call-"
"Well you're in luck! You called this number and won our contest! Just give us your address and we'll send the band over to see you!"
"Sir I'm sorry but I really do have the wrong number. Whatever this contest is should go to someone who meant to call it. I didn't even know it was going on."
"Well maybe fate wanted to turn your evening into somethin' special! If work's got you down or your husband stole your money, now your luck is for the better!" He laughed at his poor attempt to be funny.
I felt my hip and leg. Things haven't been so smooth recently and now I wouldn't get my dinner. Instead I won a contest I knew nothing about. But maybe he was right. Maybe my luck decided to change. But a six month tour? How was I gonna handle that? My doctor's appointment was in a month and couldn't be skipped. And then there was work. Carson I wasn't too worried about but Sabrina would make a roof out of me if I missed six whole months.
I couldn't do it. Just had to kindly reject the offer and let it go to someone who really wanted it. Maybe a dying British orphan. Who only had six months to live. But I must say curiosity got the better of me. If I was gonna say no, I wanted to know who I was turning down. I swallowed dryly and picked at my jeans.
"Which band is it?"
