Chapter 90

To:     The Girls

From: Q

Re:     Where in the World is Queenie?

At this point, I’m not even sure anymore.  We’ve been traveling so much I’m not sure I even remember my own name.  :P

I kid. 

We’re back in Germany again, Mannheim to be exact.  It’s been beyond crazy.  Eat, sleep and shows.  That’s all it’s been it seems.  I’ve seen maybe half of second of each country we’ve been in but hopefully that will change soon.  Italy is coming up and they’ve built in a couple of days off after that show and before the one in Greece.

I shouldn’t complain, I’m living out a dream, but all this traveling is harder than I thought it would be.  And I’ve only been doing it for a week.  A rock star I shall never be.  J

I’ve attached a few pictures.  I’ll try to send more soon.

Love to you all!

Q

Stephanie sighed and stood, moving toward the windows.  She should be curled up in the big bed in the other room next to her man.  But sleep wasn’t being a very good friend lately.  Her cycle had been all messed up since they left California.  She’d get used to it eventually.  She hoped. 

Crossing her arms in front of her self she rubbed her hands up and down her arms, over the silk of her robe and sighed once again.  The view of the city was just as breathtaking as the others had been.   Leaning on the windowsill, she pressed her forehead to the cool pane of glass and stared out at the city below.  She may not have seen much of any of the cities they had been in so far, but the views from every hotel managed to steal her breath. 

The hotels did too.

Never had she stayed in such luxury. She couldn’t fault the guys for indulging themselves with their lodging considering how much time they spent in a cramped plane and sitting on little more than folding chairs and warehouse grade furniture at the venues.  When they slept, it was nothing less than four or five star accommodations for these men.  Going home was going to be like roughing it after this.  She smiled amusedly at the thought and pushed away from the window.  She needed to shut down her computer and try to get some sleep.

Sitting back down, she pulled the computer onto her lap and let out a surprised gasp.  Her screensaver had engaged and the picture she was looking at was of her, Mark and Ben at one of Mark’s family get-togethers.  The screensaver cycled to the next random picture and she swiped her finger over the mouse, ending the slideshow and quickly she clicked through her folders to the one with that picture.

She hadn’t seen Mark’s family in more than a year.  She had let his mother know she had sold the house and was moving, but she’d had no contact with any of her brothers-in-law or sisters-in-law since before that.  She had sent the kids Christmas presents, but again hadn’t heard from anyone.  She wasn’t sure any of them would want to see her.  With the two people who had connected her to that family gone, would they still consider her a part of the family?  She traced the faces of the little ones in the picture with her fingertip.  She’d have to go back there and visit.  Find out if she was still welcome there. 

With a last, longing look at the photograph, she shut down the computer and set it off to the side.  She raked her fingers through her hair and dropped her head against the back of the couch.  So much had changed in her life.  It was nearly incomprehensible.

“Hey.”

And there was the biggest, most surprising change of all.  She rolled her head toward the husky, sleepy voice and opened her eyes.  “Hey.”  Her voice was quiet with a hint of the melancholy she was feeling tainting the edges.

Richie crossed to the couch and moved her laptop out of his way before sitting down next to her.  “Why are you out here?  You should be sleeping.”  He ran a hand through his hair before finding hers and twining their fingers together.  “What’s wrong?”

“I know I should be, but I couldn’t so I came out here.”  She rolled her head back and huffed out a breath, “I can’t seem to find my rhythm.”

Laying his fingers on the side of her face, he gently turned her head toward him so he could see her eyes.  “You didn’t answer the other question.  What’s wrong, Sweetheart?”   Her sleep cycle may be out of whack, but something was definitely bothering her.  He hadn’t seen such sadness in her eyes in a long time.

She looked at him for a long moment before getting up and pacing to the window and back.  “A picture on my screensaver caught me off guard.”  She went on to explain about the photograph and her relationship with Mark’s family.  “It makes me sad to realize we haven’t really had any contact since they died.”

“No contact at all?”  Surprise colored his voice.

She shook her head sadly.  “Not since I left.”  She sat back down next to him.  “Do you think that maybe after the tour, we can make a pit stop on our way back to California?  I think I’d like to pay Mark’s family a visit.”  She paused, “at least his parents anyway.”

Richie wrapped his arm around her shoulders and pulled her close, pressing his lips to her temple.  “I think that can be arranged, Sweetheart.”  He’d do anything to keep her happy and to keep that sad, haunted look out of her eyes.  He yawned hugely.  “Come on, let’s go back to bed.”

She followed him back into the other room and crawled into the big bed next to him.  She yawned, suddenly exhausted.

~

To:     The Girls

From: Q

Re:     Where in the World is Queenie?

Well, we made it to Greece.  Italy was amazing and the show was incredible.   (I have to say we Americans NEVER get shows like the Euro fans are getting.  It’s not right!)  We even managed to see a few sights in Udine before we got on the plane again.  I told Richie I’d love to come back when he’s not touring so we can take our time and see everything we’re missing. 

 

 

Actually, I’d love to come and re-tour all the countries we’ve been in and out of in the last ten days.  It’s so hard to do anything other than check into the hotel, go to the concert venue, listen to them sound check, eat, watch the show and leave again.  But, I’m trying. 

We now have a couple of days off and Richie and I are going to get out and see a bit of Athens today.  I can’t even begin to describe just how beautiful it is here.  The sky and water are nearly the same shade of sapphire and the white of the buildings is so brilliant you need your sunglasses to look at anything. 

I promise to send more pictures.  I think you’ll get a charge out of the ones I’m sending with this email.  The guys were absolute goofballs backstage the other night.  You can probably guess who instigated.  You’d think grown men of 50+ would know better than to start a food fight that close to show time.  I thought Jon was going to blow a gasket, until he grabbed a soda can, shook it and joined in the battle.  You can see who caught the brunt of his enthusiasm.  I’m still not sure how I didn’t end up covered in cola. I did manage to get a few crackers stuck in my hair though.  Damn him.  But, I’ll take crackers being flung at me like Frisbees over being sprayed with cola any day, thank you very much.  J

Food fight and lack of sleep aside, it’s been a lot of fun.  Even if I am traveling with five boys stuck in man-sized bodies.  Sometimes I find myself opening my mouth and my mom-voice coming out.  It’s hard not to treat them like kids some days.  *eye roll*

I wish you girls could be here living this opportunity with me.  I hope you’re enjoying the snippets I’m sending. 

Miss you all.

Q

 

 

Richie came up behind her as she pressed send.  “You ready to go?”

She shut down the machine, tucked it back in its bag, grabbed her purse and his outstretched hand.  The Acropolis was waiting for them.  “Let’s go explore.”