Life Without You

Chapter 21 - Meltdown

The interview with Billboard that Arnold booked Leon in went smoothly without him bursting into his erratic behaviour, thanks to his painkillers, his desperation to bounce up from his financial troubles and of course, the elephant in the room.

Standing from afar next to Arnold was Sheldon in his sunglasses in folded arms, making sure he did not screw up a single bit. Sheldon hardly micro-managed his profitable veteran artistes, but this time it was different, which meant that this was serious. He made strict prior arrangement with the radio station that any interview with Leon must never make any mention to that fateful gala night nor about his former chef, except questions regarding his upcoming concert and his music.

With his new music now playing on radios worldwide, his album once again made it to the Top Ten, even though sales of his album were not impressive as the previous one. It was a common woe for every artiste that they cannot rely on music purchase alone when their music was freely available online once they were released. Events, shows, interviews and endorsements were areas where most of the money poured in, and a necessary evil to take even they were physically drained.

Months prior, Arnold booked him a slot to perform at a major open-air music concert with several other top acts, and it would be before a crowd of more than a 100,000 people in the wide-open city square.

Today was the day, but Leon was not feeling very motivated nor well.

Backstage, he grimaced and bend over with his hand on his stomach as he felt a searing pain in his stomach.

"You alright, Leon?" Ryan asked with concern. He managed to conceal his sickly countenance in thick makeup, but the appearance of Leon's eyes betrayed the true state of his health.

"I'll be fine. Vinny, my painkillers," he pointed at his bag with a shaky hand.

Immediately, she grabbed a bottle from inside the bag, opened it and passed him a few pills and a bottle of water. Leon swallowed the contents and continued grimacing until the pain subsided.

"You don't have to do this if you're not feeling well," Evan said with worry, but Leon shrugged him, "I've got to do what I've got to do."

"Your turn now, Leon! Get the dancers ready too!" announced a backstage crew member who was oblivious to Leon's state of health and mind.

The crowd could be heard chanting his name in excited anticipation.

"No turning back now, big guy," Arnold patted his back as Ryan helped Leon up. "Don't forget, the big boss is watching."

He knew whom he was referring to. Sheldon was seated at the front in the VIP area.

Leon and his dancers gathered in a circle as they always did before the start of a concert, stretching out their hands towards the centre and throwing them up in the air with cheers of encouragement to do their best. However, Leon's participation in it was half-hearted as he felt more lethargic than enthusiastic.

"Com'on, Leon. You can do it!" encouraged a cheery dancer who noticed his strange mood.

Leon returned a tired smile without a word and dragged his feet forwards towards the middle of a large, elevating platform. He steadied himself and tried hard to keep a mental focus. They had been rehearsing their dance steps many times now and this was his come-back moment. He could not afford to mess this up.

The dancers circled around him and the platform lifted them up to the stage. Screams from the crowd deafened the moment they appeared. The two large illuminating screens on either side of the stage showed the up-close shot of his face.

The music started, and with all the energy he could muster, Leon began singing and dancing to the beats of his latest hit single. The fans screamed and cheered frantically, seeing their handsome superstar live in person after so long. Placards of love and adoration flashed from the crowd, but there were awful placard messages from others who were booing him with their thumbs down. Leon ignored them and continued his performance.