Rushing Whispers

    Having had Thursday to spend doing nothing in particular was a small blessing. By the time we got to Manchester around three o’clock Friday afternoon, the road crew were busy setting up the equipment. I hadn’t had much of a chance to get to know any of them except for Neil, who doubled as the stage-side technician in the event something needed to be adjusted while the band was performing.      To occupy the time we had before soundcheck, Cameron and I decided to eat at a small restaurant nearby. Three blocks from the venue, two teenagers crossed the street and called out to us.      “Are you Cameron Thom?” the taller one asked nervously.      “I am,” Cameron answered.       The two boys beamed. “My name’s David, and this is my friend Dave.”      Cameron extended his hand and smiled. “Well, you know who I am. This is Emily.”      We shook hands with the boys and Dav...

    The last note echoed through the venue, Dale shouting “good night!” before they left the stage. Throngs of hyped fans tried to push past the hired security to get into the backstage area but were kept back.      We were all excited tonight, not only because the show had been a roaring one and bode well for the rest of the English tour, but because we had hotel rooms booked for the night. With everyone too excited with the prospect of sleeping in a bed instead of a reclined coach seat, we didn’t linger backstage as usual.      I would have been happy with a budget motel, so when we entered the nondescript and clean hotel and went to our respective rooms, I was still pleased.      I took my shoes off before going through our small suitcase of overnight necessities. I went into the washroom to brush my teeth and then my hair, and took my bra off with a happy groan before I changed into a nightshirt and walked ba...

    It was early evening when Cameron and I made our way to the bedroom. The English portion of the tour would start tomorrow, followed by our trip over the Channel to France.      “Run it by me again,” I told Cameron as I changed into a pyjama top.      “Well,” he accepted, “we’ve got a coach for the road, and should be in hotels most nights. I’d suppose that sometimes we’ll need to sleep on the bus, driving overnight to the next city.”      “Doesn’t sound that bad.”      Cameron took his shirt off and tossed it into the laundry basket. “It’s not,” he agreed. “But it will be more bearable this time, with you beside me.”       A smile spread across my face but before I could kiss him, the phone in the hallway rang.      Cameron left the room and answered on the third ring. Too curious for my own good, I leaned against the bedroom door’s frame and watched him.  ...

    “You’ll be glad to know,” Cameron told me as he walked into the house, “the album cover is being printed as we speak.” He closed the door behind him and set the bag down on the table.      “Where did you hear that? The print shop?” I quipped.      “Nearly. I stopped by Willie’s flat on the way back,” Cameron explained as I walked up to him.      “Did he have anything else to say?” I began to unpack the bag he’d come in with and lifted one of the items. “A single plastic flower?”      “For my aunt. I’ve given her one every year on her birthday, since my mom passed. She’s got a bouquet now,” he chuckled, then paused for a moment. “It’s been sixteen years.”      “That’s very sweet of you to do,” I smiled. “I’m sure she appreciates it. What date is her birthday?”      “The nineteenth.”      “A nice summer birthday,” I noted.      By one o’clock C...

          Cameron and I had left the house early to spend the day in and around Aberdeen. As we were driving along the River Dee mid day, I noticed Duthie Park to our left and my mind drifted to the last time I was at Polmuir Road.      “Do you think Lily would be happy to see me?” I asked.      “I don’t see why she wouldn’t be,” Cameron answered. “Did you want to stop by? We still have time before the meeting.”      I thought for a moment and agreed. We took a little detour and within minutes were standing in front of her house. My hand hovered with hesitation in front of the door. I stole a glance at Cameron, and with a smile he knocked for me.      It took a minute for Lily to get to the door, but once she opened it I could see the surprise clear on her face.      “Hi, Auntie,” was all I said.      “Emily! Come, dear!” she exclaimed, pulling me into a hug and bringi...

     It was just past eight in the morning when a phone call roused us from sleep. Cameron rolled over until he was half on top of me.      “Don’t pick up,” he mumbled.      “Why, is it your mistress?” I joked.      A muffled laugh came from him and he smiled. “Who needs a mistress when they’ve got you in their bed?”      “That’s a good point,” I admitted with a laugh.      The phone stopped ringing, only to start again thirty seconds later. Whoever it was seemed to be adamant, so Cameron begrudgingly got up from the bed and went into the hallway, picking up the handset as it rang again.      I could just barely hear what he was saying, but not clearly enough to make sense of it. When he returned to the room, he told me who had called.      “That was Geoff, saying we have a band meeting tomorrow afternoon.”      “Do you have those often?”    ...

     Preparation for the trip back to Scotland had been exhausting; but I couldn’t have gotten it all done without Liliane’s help. On the day before I was set to leave, we had already emptied my apartment of perishables and brought most of my belongings to my sister’s house, since she had a basement that could store it all.      After we finished eating the take-out we had ordered, we took advantage of the relative quiet moment and spoke about what this all meant.      “Do you think he wants to marry you?” she asked me.      “I think only he would know,” I answered after a moment’s hesitation.      “Don’t tell me you’ve never thought of it, Emily. He gave you his mother’s jewelry, for God’s sake.”      “I hadn’t thought about it. Not concretely, anyway.” That was not entirely the truth. When I read Cameron’s letter during the flight home, I wondered fleetingly if we would marry eventually.  ...