Culture Shock

Chapter 12: Going On A Tour?

After renegotiating with Amazing Records and specifying that she would do exactly four non-metal posts for them per quarter—with the tour piece being a four-post series and covering her for the first quarter—Sam had begrudgingly signed the papers and been welcomed back to the Amazing Records family. It rankled that she agreed at all, but here she was, packing and listening to Maya beg her to let her come along.

"At least get me tickets to one of the shows!" Maya said. "I can keep you company."

Sam puffed a curl out of her face and looked at Maya. "I don't have the power to do that. Ask Jongho, he'd do it in a heartbeat."

Maya scrunched up her face. "I know, but he can't take me on tour with him!"

"Neither can I," Sam shot back. "You're supposed to be helping me pack, not giving me anxiety." Sam grumbled as she folded clothing and placed it into her luggage.

Maya eyed Sam in bemusement. "You wear like, three things. What's there to help with?"

Sam balled up the shirt she was folding and tossed it into her suitcase. "Well, then go do something else. I'm not in the mood to listen to your pleading when there isn't anything I can do about it."

Maya huffed and crossed her arms over her chest. "Fine, but I have one more thing to bring up first."

Sam stood back with her hands on her hips and leveled her gaze on Maya. "What?"

"Are you planning to see Mamá and Papá before you leave, or do you plan to just disappear and go galavanting around the country for the next few weeks without telling them?" Maya challenged.

Sam let out a breath and deflated. She sat on the bed and shoved her hands in her hair and fluffed it. "I have to go over there, I know I do," she started.

Maya leaned in with an expectant look. "So, are you going to? It's been months since you've seen them, Sameera. You can't go off on this trip without seeing them. It would kill them."

Sam flopped onto her side on the bed. "I guess."

Maya sat on the edge of Sam's bed. "You know, when you broke up with Nic, I thought you'd start seeing them more often." She picked at a frayed edge on one of Sam's shirts. "But then you didn't. Why, Sameera? I don't get it. They miss you. They love you."

Sam didn't respond. She couldn't explain it to herself, let alone explain it to Maya or her parents.

Tomás and Farah Ramirez were critical people. It wasn't their fault, they each came from traditional cultures—her dad being Hispanic, and her mom Middle Eastern. Despite the fact they themselves had bucked tradition and married each other against their families' wishes, they still expected Sam and Maya to be more traditional in their life choices. Sam's music blogging career and metal musician boyfriends didn't fit into their idea of a good life for her, and they took every opportunity to say so. She knew they came from a place of love and concern, but that didn't make their disappointment sting any less.

What stung the most, though, was when they were right. They had tried to warn her about Nic before she got too involved with him, and she hadn't listened. They had been right about him in the worst ways. It made her wonder what else they could be right about. So, she opted for the less painful road of avoiding them.

"I don't know, Maya. I'll go see them. You're right, I need to before I leave." Sam conceded.

Maya stood up. "Good, because I did not want to have to be the one to tell them about you being gone." Maya left the room and Sam stared at her half-packed luggage.

Maya wasn't wrong, Sam did need to see her parents before she left for this trip. Only Sam wasn't sure she was emotionally or mentally ready to deal with the backlash when she did.