Disconnected (Luke Hemmings AU)

Chapter 5

CHAPTER 5

On our first night in Jacksonville, Pound preformed a sold-out show, of course the opening band, Sigma, was a little more my style, and I got butterflies in my stomach thinking that there was a strong likelihood I would be exchanging words with Brice Norris at some point that summer. Throughout  the show I was curious if I would get a chance to walk around by myself and look for Luke, but the opportunity never presented itself.

My dad was really a marvel on stage. Electrifying. For the first four songs I stood in the front row with Jill and then she led me backstage. From there, looking out across the dark crowd, I could see women tearing their shirts off and screaming the lyrics to the songs until they were red in the face.

When the band preformed Lovergirl, one of their famous love ballads, my dad invited one of the Pounders from the first row on the stage to slow dance with him. She was taller than him by at least five inches in her high heels and was literally crying with joy as they danced, I noticed that Jill was kind of smiling during this song, but in a way that made it look like her jaw was locked in position.

Later, when they played Always Yours, my dad had Jill come out on stage and sang to her. She didn't necessarily look any more comfortable during that either. She was wearing a hot pink terry cloth sundress and both she and my dad were so sweaty under the hot stage lights in the humid Florida air that they glistened.

When Jill stepped out on stage, Caitlyn immediately reached for my hand in her absence. It was sticky and hot and I didn't really want to be holding it, but it would be kind of cruel to drop a little kid's hand, so I held on.

After the show and back at the hotel, Jill asked if  I would mind watching Caitlyn so that she and Dad could have dinner alone.

"We haven't had much private time," she claimed. "You don't have to get her ready for bed or anything, just make sure she uses the potty and hour after she's done eating. We'll be back in a few hours."

Sure, I agreed. How hard could it be, watching a little kid? Well, for starters she didn't want the soy chicken that Jill had sent up for her from room service. She wanted to try my linguine Alfredo, and I let her. Then she liked it, so I gave her more, I left the room service trays in the hallway for the hotel to clean, and set Caitlyn  down on the sofa in front of the television.

"Ou est Maman? Ou est Papa?" she asked repeatedly, practicing her toddler French lessons.

I did not dare reply with my inferior two-year-of-private-school-French for fear of being upstaged by a five-year-old. "They're having dinner at a fancy restaurant. Now tire- toi."

I forgot Jill had told me to make Caitlyn go to the bathroom, and I realized a few minutes too late that she had simply wet herself on the leather couch, Caitlyn learned a few new English words as I cleaned up the puddle and changed her into pajamas. It had been nearly two hours since they had left the hotel room, but it was kind of nice having them gone.

"Who is your dad?" Caitlyn asked me after I placed her in bed. We would be sharing the suite's second bedroom, each having our own queen sized bed. It was a little annoying but I'd just have to get over it.

"My dad is your dad," I said, the words sounding foreign to me. "We have the same dad." I gave her quick smile.

"Then who is your mommy?" Caitlyn asked after a moment, trying to sort it out in her head.

"My mom is in heaven," I told her.

Somehow the words got me choked up.

"What happened to her?" Caitlyn asked.

"She had an accident and pasted away," I told her, not sure if it was really okay for me to be talking about death with a five-year-old. "Remember? You came to the wake with us."