-Installment Five-
BOLD PRINT means it's Sierra's Viewpoint
NON-BOLD PRINT means Taylor's viewpoint
“Finally,” I breathed thoroughly, as we sat down in our temporary seats, for once the concert started, there would be no sitting. Glancing at my watch, I noticed that the concert was fifteen minutes overdue, and that it was Christmas Eve. I felt built up nostalgia from somewhere deep down inside me, as I glanced over at Skye. Reaching for my bag, I decided to give my parents a reassurance phone call just say that I was alright, yet in the absence of my shoulder bag, the nostalgia quickly changed to pure terror.
“My bag, Skye…”
“Huh?”
“My bag, its gone…I-I had it before and…. now it’s gone.” I choked on the words. I didn’t want to say them as the dread inside heightened.
“You just had it didn’t you?” He turned to me almost vexed by the situation, “Is it under the seat, did you leave it at the ticket counter, the bathroom?”
“I-I don’t know…. Skye. I can’t remember.” I was frantic now, as tears filled my eyes,
“I had it at the other place, the first venue… and… and.” I stopped as I realized that I had left it in the cab,
“Ohmygod.” I whispered placing my hand over my mouth,
“Its in the cab.” I felt sick inside, my stomach churned as my bag was riding around with some stranger who could take all my money and all my possessions.
“Sier… listen to me.” He said placing his hands over mine that were trembling, “Cab drivers are required by law to return all possessions left in their cars. We can look up the phone number and call, and get it back tomorrow. For now lets just enjoy the concert.” I was disgusted by what he was saying, I couldn’t just forget about over some concert.
This was my license, my credit card, my home address, my cash, and my phone all with some stranger. At that moment, the lights dimmed followed by a menagerie of cheers and clapping. I felt nauseous, as I jumped out of my seat,
“Skye, I need to at least call the company. I am sorry.” Without waiting for a reply, I made sure I had some spare cash in my pocket to cash for the phone, and pushed my way out of the stuffy venue; with tears of uncertainty tainting my face.
I sat staring at the bag. I had waited outside in the cold blizzard before I had practically gotten mauled by fans, and was forced to wait inside in a more secure area. I could only pray that she would come looking for the bag, which I had notified all working roadies and venue employees about, and I would be home free. The concert was supposed to start about twenty minutes earlier, but due to some power problems it had gotten pushed back. I was for once grateful.
I slammed the receiver in anguish and frustration. The companies had no record of any new bags in the lost and found, which meant the cab hadn’t returned yet. I felt tired, and homesick and lost; even though I had lived in the city all my life, I felt small and helpless.
I could hear the Ben Harper music blasting from inside the venue, yet I resisted the urge to pretend everything was ok, and decided to retrace my steps. I decided to go back to the first venue, just in case I had left it there by accident, and then check back with the cab company.
The snow had only increased, as I trudged through the slushy sidewalk, attempting to hail a cab. With only about seven dollars to my name, I made sure, that once I was inside the cab, I had enough to make it to the Orpheum Theater where Hanson was playing. When the driver reassured me I told him to go and within three minutes we were back at the familiar large structure that was much less crowded than before. I scanned the sidewalk where we had stood endlessly, but no bag.
I trudged through the entrance and scanned the spacious area for a phone. The lighted sign advertising pay phones caught my eye and I was about to start down the lighted corridor when someone stopped me.
“Excuse me miss, can I help you with something?” From the ID nametags, I knew the man worked at the venue, and probably was wondering why I wasn’t in the Hanson concert screaming my guts out.
In the midst of all of this chaos, I couldn’t help but think back to the time I had met the Hanson brothers, and Taylor’s (I remembered his name) odd behavior. It was so weird how we had by chance bumped into him in Quincy Market, and with that thought I couldn’t help but realize that once again we were in the same place at the same time, and god knows if I’d run into him literally again.
Smiling, I looked back at the venue employee and debated whether telling him that I had lost my bag, but then decided I’d better find the phone first; besides, how would he know about a lost bag. I told him no politely, and then proceeded on down a corridor to the right, past two policemen and to the lighted phone booths at the end.
Five minutes to show time. I bit my fingernails nervously. Where was she? Why wouldn’t she come looking for her bag….
I had skipped the pre-show warm-up just to wait with the bag, to make sure that she wouldn’t’ come, and when I heard footsteps down the corridor, I know I was going to be called to come and start the show.
In frustration, I grabbed the bag and exited the door opposite of the footsteps and came out another unknown door where two policemen and a venue employee stood sipping on coffee. Upon seeing me they all looked quite surprised.
“You’re lucky no girls are out here to see you, son, or else we’d have a full out riot on our hands.” The larger one chuckled and I laughed it off still clutching the bag in my hand.
“Yeah I know,” I said wittily, “I think I am lost.”
“You’d better hurry up and scoot, because there’s one cute girl just around the corner using the phone who looks like a dire Hanson fan. I would get outta here before you’re mobbed.” The other cop chuckled, and the employee told me he’d show to the backstage area.
As he led me away from the cops, I glanced back over my shoulder quickly, as a weird and eerie feeling swept through my body. I brushed it off, preparing to play the concert of my life.
I scribbled down the address to the cab company on the back of littered program on the floor. A new surge of hope flowed through my body, they had two bags returned to lost and found, and the company was only a couple block walk from the theater, so I could walk down there and get my bag and be back in time for the end of the concert.
Before leaving, I decided to call Skye, and at least leave a message on his cell telling him that I wasn’t dead and that I was going to get my bag back.
“Two songs???” I groaned in frustration, “We only get to play two songs?” I knew the answer to my questions; I just wanted to make sure that everyone knew how perturbed I was.
They were only allowing us to play two songs because the weather had gotten increasingly worse and streets in the city had already begun to close.
I pulled my hair back behind my ears, and waited with my brothers for our cue to enter the stage.
“Excuse me miss,” A deep voice behind me startled me just as I hung up the phone. I turned slowly and faced a large man in a suit with badges and tags all over.
“I couldn’t help but overhear your conversation, um, and I think I know what you’re looking for. The bag?” At first I was overjoyed, but sudden confusion overcame that joy.
How would this man know about some random lost bag, and why would he care, because he was obviously very important.
“If you’d come with me, I can show you where your bag is, Sierra, is that it?” He seemed nice enough, yet a feeling deep down inside wasn’t right about following this man.
“Well, I did lose my bag, but I am pretty sure I know where it is now.” I smiled sweetly, hoping he would just leave me alone.
“No, we have it for you, if you’d you just come with me I can take you to it.” He said and began to walk down a corridor to the left.
I swallowed and began to follow behind him, telling myself that if he said he had my bag, then he obviously did have it.
After mazing through doors and hallways, we arrived in a dimly lit room that I had not seen before, and hardly could believe that this is where they take all the people who lose things. These thoughts only worsened the uneasy feeling inside.
“You can have a seat here, and I will go find the bag.” He smiled and exited another door swiftly, leaving me alone with my skeptical thoughts.
The lights went out and I breathed a sigh, wiping the dripping sweat from my face on a towel, didn’t bother to shake hands; I just walked off the stage. The whole night had been a bust; I would never see her again.
“Taylor, there is a girl about 5’8, brunette and drop dead gorgeous looking for a certain bag in conference room 5, you might want to---“ Before Mike, our performance manager could finish I had dropped the cup of water, and was making my way to the door with the bag tight in my hands.
My heart was pounding, and with each step my grin grew larger. I was going to see her, she was so close, and I was going to see her again.
My head snapped up at the frantic footsteps that sounded as if they were coming toward me. I gripped the edge of the swivel chair as a person on the other side grabbed the doorknob but it was locked. Uneasiness changed to fear as I stood up slowly, wondering why in hell this person wanted to give me my bag so badly.
Edging toward the opposite door, I heard a jingle of keys and just as the knob to the door began to turn, I grabbed the knob to the adjacent door and slipped out just as the door flew open.
Empty. The room was empty, except for a table and a mess of swivel chairs. One chair was turning slightly, as if someone had just left it, and I saw that the adjacent door was cracked a bit.
I must’ve scared her. Not wasting time to kick myself thoroughly in the ass, I ran to the door and ran into the empty halls following the far off footsteps.
I skidded to a stop in front of a door that I had no idea where it led. Nausea and terror were the feelings I felt as I pulled open the door and was bombarded with a mass of girls.
Tons of them just standing around. The concert must have just gotten over, I thought as I pushed through the sweaty bodies of Hanson fans. As I was about halfway through the crowd, I heard the squeak of door hinges as the door I had just came out of burst open.
Before I could turn to see who my creepy stalker was, the whole room erupted into hysterical shrieks as every one of those teenyboppers turned and ran at the door. I smirked as I stopped at the edges of the crowd, it was almost as if one of the Hansons himself had just walked out.
“Oh Shit.” I mumbled as I pushed the heavy door open.
It was the door to the main lobby, and filled with pre-teen girls with my name written across their faces. The reaction was instantaneous, yet before I was bombarded with prying hands and screaming mouths, I saw her.
Only for an instant I saw her svelte figure, pulling the long auburn locks out of her cyanic eyes. Her lustrous lips pursed together in a fearful, yet sophisticated way; and then she was gone.
“Sierra!” I screamed, yet my voice was no match for the female shrieks targeted at me.
I tried to jump up so she would see me, yet it was useless. My only defense was to keep moving, against the current of frantic females, against the grabbing hands, the sweaty bodies and I still clutched the fabric of the bag like nothing else. Finally at the edge of the crowd, I used my speed to run out the door, just in time to see the distinct figure of her’s crawling into a blue and white cab across the street.
I screamed her name, yet any pause in my sprinting would allow the herd of fans to catch up, I could only slip and slide through the half-foot high snow so much.
Finally giving up on the cold snow, I grabbed the handle of the nearest cab driver and shoved my way inside, startling its current occupants who I found out right off that they did not speak English. I gasped my whole story to them in approximately ten words and gave the order to follow the cab with the Pepsi ad. After skidding away from the girls who’d caught up to the cab, we were on our way following the cab three cars ahead with the advertisement for Pepsi on top. She was not getting away this time.
I sat in the cab, as my body shook from the cold and with the adrenaline of the whole episode. Who was that? Who would try and accost me at a Hanson concert? What is this world coming to? Questions raced through my mind when I noticed the bright red letters of the meter on the cab, $1.25. A sour taste rose in my throat,
“Excuse me,” I barely whispered over the seat, “I only have a dollar with me,” Before I was allowed to finish my sentence, the cab screeched to a halt and I was thrown forward.
The dollar was snatched from my hand as I watched the blue and white car skid away in the thickening snow, “Merry Christmas to you too.” I said, my lips trembling, and the tears quickly freezing before dripping from my eyes.
I turned, cursing myself for not becoming more familiar with Boston streets.
“There!” I shouted startling the petite couple that I had smashed against the window, as I pointed to the cab we’d been tailgating for 3 or 4 minutes, winding through the side streets of Boston.
Our cab pulled up behind hers, as I dug for money to pay. Through the corner of my eye, I saw her lean figure step out of the cab and begin to walk down the street. I tossed the driver a twenty, muttered Merry Christmas, as I fumbled with the handle. Once outside, I trudged through the slush and attempted to catch up with Sierra.
My heart thumped under my thin clothes, as all the sweat from the performance had turned to frost. I approached her slowly, and once close enough I called her name, cutting the eerie silence like a knife.
My heart fell, when she did not turn but hastened her pace.
“Sierra, its me Taylor,” I called touching her arm softly, as she whipped around surprised.
“Excuse me?” Unfamiliar lips shot arrows at me, as I realized my enormous mistake.
That wasn’t Sierra, it was another girl who’d shared the same body type, but was not nearly as beautiful as Sierra.
“Ohmygod, I am so sorry.” I apologized slinking away from the situation. “I thought you were someone else.” I whispered, pulling the bag to my chest choking back my disappointment.
“Oh well I hope you find her. Merry Christmas” The kind woman said and continued on her way.>“I do too.” I whispered and turned the other way.
“I do too.” I whispered and turned the other way.
I’ve been searching for you,
I heard a cry from within my soul,
I never had a yearning quite like this before,
If you’d only come walking right through my door.
“Shit…” I cried as I began to walk pulling my coat around my body. I walked down the street toward the main road up ahead, looking around every corner for a pay phone. Hot stingy tears burned my cheeks as I walked, bag-less and cold without a dime to my name.
I stopped when I approached the dimly lit building, and a small flame of hope ignited deep down inside. I climbed the steps slowly, and touched the cement pillars gently; I peered inside the stain glass windows, and pulled open the heavy wooden door. I walked down the main aisle as the candles illuminated the room. The church was hidden between two towering skyscrapers and sat peacefully and solemnly as I slid into one of the pews and ran my fingers against the plush cushions, and then wiped my eyes against my damp coat.
There was no other person in the whole church, and I listened to my heavy breathing permeate the holy atmosphere; despite this, I felt meager peace and even relief.
I didn’t know how long I sat there staring at nothing, and thinking about everything. I thought about my family, and them at home, Anders tucked in his bed securly, waiting for Christmas. Nostalgia crept up in my throat as a small helpless sob escaped my throat.
“Oh God,” I whispered up to the nativity scene, “I don’t know what to do.” As I wept, I did not hear the heavy door to the church open and a body slip inside.
Looking one last time at the peaceful scene at the alter of the church I edged toward the end of the pew and slipped out the side aisle. Before I left, I decided, I would light one candle. I lit the wooden stick carefully, my hands trembling, and lit one candle saying a small prayer. I then turned to leave.
The blow was sudden as I collided with a body much taller than mine, and I stumbled and regained my composure and reached for the hat that had been knocked off my head.
“I am so sorry.” I replied reaching for the wool hat, “It’s been a long night----Ohmygod.”
My jaw fell as his jaw fell too. I knew the face better than I knew most. His hair was wet and damp, and his clothes were wet from the snow. He looked flushed and out of breath, and his face was solemn in the candlelight, purely beautiful. I dropped my hat back down to where it had fallen as I noticed the bag that he clutched so tenaciously to his chest. It was my bag.
“Taylor…”
“Sierra.”
We spoke at the same time, yet neither of us cared.
“How did you find me?” I gasped as he handed me my bag and I hugged it in relief.
“I’m asking myself the same question.” He said, his mouth still agape, wiping the moisture from his masculine chin.
He looked longingly at me; his eyes were tired, but joyous now.
“Sierra Tope. How could I forget?” He whispered his voice was husky and deep and I smiled feeling the urge to hug him.
Her arms wrapped around me so suddenly I feared her body so close to mine would steal my breath and I would fall lifelessly to the church floor. Feeling her arms around me was indescribable and I held her protectively; her body offered some warmth to mine as I heard her whisper her gratitude over and over. I could not speak.
The edges of her hair tickled my cheek as she nuzzled her face into my damp shoulder. I closed my eyes sucking in her warmth and sweet aroma, and remembered all of the times I had played this moment over in my head, subconsciously doubting that it would ever actually happen. It felt like a dream.
Her small frame trembled within my grasp as she silently cried into my shoulders, and then she pulled away. The coldness was unbearable, as she removed her body from mine.
“I was so scared. You don’t know what I’ve been through tonight.” She whispered, the remaining tears sliding down her olive cheek.
“I can imagine.” I said sympathetically longing to comfort her,
“I have been searching for you.” I said smiling a little,
“You’re a tough girl to track down.”
Her eyes clouded with confusion and then cleared suddenly as she looked up into my eyes.
“Was that you in the theater… with my bag.” She stuttered referring to the conference room, and was almost afraid to ask. I nodded.
“You mean… you..were coming to—“ I nodded remembering seeing the swivel chair empty and turning.
“And I ran…. out.. and you ran after me?” I continued to nod.
“Ohmygod. I am such an idiot.” Her laughter was like bubbles in a champagne glass, as she pulled on her long auburn locks nervously.
“Taylor, I am so sorry. I didn’t know, I thought you were---“
“I know.” I said bluntly returning her smile,
“Its okay, I just can’t believe you’re here, and I am here. Its such a…”
“Coincidence?” She finished my sentence for me as I nodded speechless by her beauty.
I slid my hand into my pocket and felt the sharp edges of the small package that I had spent so much time, intricately wrapping. I pulled it out gently and slid it into her palm. She looked at the parcel, and then met my eyes with a stare that could melt an iceberg, or move a mountain. God she's beautiful.
"Taylor, you didn't have to give me --" She spoke, yet I solemly cut her off, “I thought I’d never see you again.” I said smiling at the truth of those words, as she stared at me, fingering the gift as she unwrapped the ribbon.
“Well fate works in mysterious ways.” She said lifting off the top of the box, and her gasp sent desirable shivers throughout my body.
"Oh. Its so beautiful." She lifted the glittering chain up in disbelief. I awaited her questions as to why I had given her a gift of such worth, but instead, she took my hand into her own, and every nerve in my whole body was stimulated in a tingling sensation and I feared I would start to cry right there in front of her.
“It’s Christmas time, you can expect a miracle or two. Thank you Taylor Hanson. You're an amazing person” She laughed squeezing my hand harder between her petite palms and then reached to place the chain around her neck.
“So this is what its like.” I whispered, thinking out loud, as I studied her in the candlelight.
“What?” She asked her eyebrows burrowed in curiosity.
“Actually meeting the person you’re sure you want to spend the rest of your life with.” I said not really understanding what I was trying to say. I felt like a speechless teenybopper, in an odd and ironic twisted sort of way.
“I don’t want to have to run into you again just so I can see you.” I said raising my eyes to meet hers, and all my reserves disappeared as she met my gaze with equal intensity and desire.
“I know.” She said and with that I knew everything was going to be all right, and everything was going to work out. I don’t know what happened in that church right then, maybe it was a little Christmas time magic or pure fate.
We formed a connection, besides the obvious physical connection; we created a spiritual connection that would last many more painful run-ins, and tireless chases through blinding blizzards.
She smiled at my comment and looked drunkenly into my eyes. It was right then and there when she raised her plush rose-colored lips to my own and stole my breath away with a gentle kiss, that I knew I would see her again.
All of my life
Where have you been
I wonder if I'll ever see you again
And if that day comes
I know could win
I wonder if I'll ever see you again.
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