My Lighthouse

Confusion

Mark looked at all those thousands of people and the adrenaline floated threw his body. Nicky slabbed him on the back, ready buddy? Mark hugged his friend and confirmed his question. Shane and Kian were on the other side of the stage and put their thumbs up to let them know they were ready too. The music started and so did the screaming. Mark pushed his "ear" further in, to stay in contact with the music. With all the screaming he wouldn't be hearing a thing without his "ear", but after all these years he was still wondering why they couldn't make these devices perfectly fitted. While singing, it always moved around until it irritated him so much, that he pulled them out. "So expensive and still shit!" he had said so often after a show. Nicky made his trademark out of it, by letting them print the Irish flag on it. Mark liked that a lot, but not for him. He hated these things and a nice print, wouldn't make it any better.

The show went great again, although something went wrong with the heights of the tone in Mark's ear, during the start of one of the songs. They started to low in tone, which made the whole song impossible to continue. But because of all his years of experience, he knew exactly how to solve that. He pulled out his "ear"and continued in the right tone of voice without anyone noticing. Shane smiled and put his thumb up. Only the people on stage knew what went wrong, but the screaming fans didn't have a clue. During changing clothes while the music continued, Mark got angry though. At this level and with so much money involved, things like this weren't aloud to go wrong. They'd rehearsed this over and over again. During the gigs, this should be spot on! Kian put an arm around his shoulder. Relax Sparky, you've solved it perfectly. But Mark still wasn't happy about it. Their tour was 2 weeks on the road and it should be perfect now.

The crowd shouted and screamed even louder than they did at the beginning, when the lads walked of stage for the last time that evening. They all got bathrobes and towels to dry the sweat of their bodies and not get a cold because of it, while they got pushed into the van to drive them to the hotel as quick as possible. They knew if they wouldn't be quick enough, fans would definitely be holding them up for pictures and autographs. After an energetic show, that wasn't something they were up to anymore. Mark was looking forward of taking a shower, but as soon as he arrived at the hotel, the first thing he did was texting Sheila. He missed her like crazy and he realized, it would be getting worse in the weeks to come. He asked himself more often, if it was all worth it.

After they got home that specific day, Mark had called Louis to tell him, that he proposed Sheila. Instead of being happy for them, Louis got angry because of it. The focus and the attention of the press and the fans should go to the Westlife tour and not Mark's marriage. If they would tell the press, no one would ask about the tour anymore, but only about Mark's upcoming marriage. This was bad for publicity and bad for sales. Don't forget, we're selling sex! Louis had said seriously and firmly into the phone. And marriage had nothing to do with sex. The fans should be getting the idea, they still made a chance of getting one of the lads's husband's . Even if the boys knew this was never going to happen, the 40.000 screaming woman in front of them, liked to think they did.

But the worst thing was yet to come. Now Louis knew Mark had proposed Sheila, he demanded her to stay home and stay low profile. The things she normally took care of, could be done from home as well, he said. Sheila was furious. Of course it wasn't possible. So she made a very difficult decision, by saying, she wanted to do her job the right way or not at all. Louis decided, it would be not at all then. At first Mark wanted to say, he could do without him as well, but Sheila convinced Mark to let it be. They would find a way to get through this, but after being on tour for two weeks, they found out there wasn't a way. The schedules in what to do whole day were so filled, there wasn't a moment of time to be busy with the home front. Sheila as well as Mark felt lost and lonely. Sheila had been present with every gig and tour they ever had for eight years and she felt awful to miss all that now. She didn't even understand why. She could split love from work, but Louis thought otherwise...