Loyalty

Chapter 44: Garden.

Jessica's POV

The weeks leading up to the Tenderloins' performance at Madison Square Garden was without a doubt the most chaotic time of their careers. First, they did a two-week tour in the UK, then almost immediately went right on their 2nd Impractical Jokers cruise. Spending those few days with Brian around Halloween time was just about the only time I saw him. But now that things have settled down, I had the show at MSG to look forward to. It was the biggest show of their career and I couldn't be more proud of their accomplishment. I knew Brian could do it. I always believed in him.

Since I work near the Garden, I happen to pass by often. Each day that I walked past, I wondered when the picture of the guys would show up. About three weeks before the show, I finally saw their picture on the marque. It read, "TruTV's Impractical Jokers, the Santiago Sent Us Tour, Starring the Tenderloins, November 9." When I saw their picture appear on the screen, I immediately got teary-eyed. Looking up at Madison Square Garden and seeing Brian's face made me feel incredibly proud of him. Even though I knew the show was happening, there was something about seeing the picture on the side of the iconic building that made it feel more real. Performing at MSG wasn't just some dream anymore. It had become a reality.

Brian was a little on edge the entire week, but especially on the day of the show. He seemed extremely anxious, more anxious than I had ever seen him before. I knew that sometimes he still gets nervous about going on stage. And it made sense to me that he would be nervous for tonight, given the magnitude of this show. It wasn't just any other show. Brian tried to tell me that he was fine, but I knew that wasn't true.

"I don't know if I can do this, in front of so many people," he finally told me.

"I know you can do this, Brian. I believe in you. And I'll be right there watching you the whole time," I promised him.

"It's just... it's the most important night of my life. I don't want to mess it up," he told me.

"Brian, you're not going to mess it up. All those people came to see you guys because they love you and they appreciate what you always do. Just stick to what you normally do and everything will work out. Just be you and I promise they'll love. But I'll always be proud of you, no matter what," I tried to tell him.

"Well, as long as you're happy, that's all that matters. You're the only audience I care about," Brian told me.

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Each of the guys invited their families to see them perform at the Garden. It was great to see Brian's family again, especially his mom. I hadn't seen her in person since Christmas, but we talk on the phone all the time. We all had dinner at a restaurant called Delmonico's Kitchen, which is just a few blocks away from the Garden. Brian and I had been there before, a little over a year ago.

Before dinner, we took a stroll down the streets of Manhattan, walking past Madison Square Garden. I expected to see the same sign I had walked by a few times before. But this time it was different, and I was completely mesmerized. All of us stopped dead in our tracks, to see the sign before us. The sign read, "TruTV's Impractical Jokers, Santiago Sent Us Tour, Starring the Tenderloins, TONIGHT. SOLD OUT."

SOLD OUT.

Those words were something I hadn't even been thinking about. We didn't know that they had sold out Madison Square Garden until we saw the words on the building itself. That moment, looking up at the building, felt absolutely surreal. Finding out that the guys had sold out MSG only added an extra level of pride and excitement to their accomplishment. We all agreed that selling out the Garden was an incredible achievement for the guys, but I felt it was well-deserved. I started tearing up again, but I tried not to get too emotional. I didn't want my excitement to make Brian any more nervous than he already was. But the truth is, Brian made me proud every single day. He didn't have to sell out an arena for me to be proud of him.