BlueSilkenSky
Rock n' Roll Doggie VIP PASS
Sorry for my mistake. 
The original chapter of this was too long... and then what I cut out made it too short... but even if it's short, at least it's the story. (A story that I made up!)
It’s just my luck that, while returning to the dressing rooms, I have spotted Eric backstage. He looks surprised to see me as well, and I guess who wouldn’t? Why would I be out here in Portugal, in Lisbon? I should be back at home, far away where he left me last time.
Why else would I be here but to see U2?
“I’m sorry, do I-“ He has to stop talking as I hug him and he realizes he does know me. “Hey, Marieke! Whatever are you doing here? Why did you come to Lisbon?”
“It was the next show,” I tell him. “You said.”
“Oh, I… I guess I did.” He looks dazed, and I can’t blame him. Then his eyes focus, and he calls over my shoulder, “Hello Edge!”
We look back and there’s Edge standing with Jack, right outside the dressing room door. His eyes settle in on us and he smiles. “Are you acquaintances?”
“Of a sort,” Eric responds while I try to remember what acquaintances means. “Oh, hi Jack,” he quickly adds, because Jack is looking a little lost by now.
“Hey, Eric,” Jack replies.
“I guess I’ll just leave the two of you alone,” Edge says, still smiling, although not as much as before. Obviously he’s worried about leaving a fan to her own twisted devices. I snort and cover it up by pretending to cough in my hand. Eric’s with me. Nothing can possibly go wrong…
“I’ll keep a very close eye on her,” Eric suggests, and just laughs when I glare at him. I’ve got to get someone to help me perfect that look. Edge waves casually with his left hand, and I wave back and smile as he fingers the doorknob. Just then, the doorknob turns without Edge moving it, and the entire door bangs open as the two Portuguese fans, Valeria and Max, leave the room. From somewhere inside I can hear Bono saying, “Time to go! Have a good night, you two!” Then his tone of voice changes as he sees Edge outside the door. “Ah, so you’re back, Edge!”
“Em… I was just opening the door,” Edge murmurs.
“Yeah, but now we’re letting you back in. Where’s Marieke?” Bono steps out of the room and spies me. “Hey!”
I giggle and wave. Eric doesn’t seem as happy, though, and calls back, “She’s with me.”
“Oh… well, is she now?” Bono strolls closer. “Marieke, where did you and The Edge run off to?” he asks, addressing me.
I am about to tell him before Adam comes out and ruins it for me. “Hey, Bono, shouldn’t it be about time for the party now?”
“Damn. Who’s got a watch on them?”
“I do,” Eric mutters, holding up his wrist.
Bono takes Eric’s wrist in his hands and stares at the time. “Great. If we hurry we’ll make it.” His gaze turns to me, and he says “It’s time you better go.”
I bristle as he says it, but in truth he doesn’t sound that angry with me. His tone is much more regretful, as if he’d like me to stay. Why doesn’t Bono just invite me to the party?
“Okay,” I murmur, and hold out my hand for one last shake before we go. Bono takes it, but to my surprise he pulls me in by my hand and wraps one arm around me for a hug. I squeeze him back, my nose full of his scent, before he lets go and we break away.
“Hey, keep it PG out here,” Adam mutters, pulling out a cigarette.
“If that’s not PG I don’t even want to think about what goes on in your room at night,” Bono mutters back to him.
Edge takes my attention off them and shakes my hand. “It was fun seeing you again, Marieke. Take care.”
“No hug?” I ask, my lower lip jutting out in a mock-pout.
He sighs and turns it into a laugh. “All right.” We embrace, and for the moment we’re together he whispers in my ear “Don’t make Lina jealous!”
I laugh and say “Oh, never!” And then Larry escapes the dressing room and the rest of the band pounces on him.
“Wait!” I call before they can leave. “Can I…?”
They’re all looking at me, so I hold out the autograph that Edge gave me. Don’t go yet.
“Of course we’ll sign that,” Bono says, coming back over. “You can’t ask for much less.”
He’s right- unless I asked for, let’s see, free tickets to the next show in general admission? Nah, that’d never work…
They’ve all signed the paper, and I inspect their handwritings. Bono’s signature is pleasing to the eye. Edge’s is near illegible. I look up and manage to throw the band one last wave before they’re all gone, and a sense of loss overtakes me.
I turn and face Eric again. I can see my sadness mirrored in his eyes, though I have no idea why he should share my mood. How could anyone be displeasedif they got to work for U2? Does he have any idea how lucky he is?
“Good night, wasn’t it?”
“Yes,” I respond, my mood clearly heard in my voice.
“Good night you didn’t want to end?”
“You are right,” I say, and lean into him. “I have to go.”
Eric takes my arm. “C’mon, I’ll lead you out.”
The scenes around me soon become a blur as Eric leads me down and out, back to the stadium. I don’t want to see any more of it, anyway. It’s not fair that he should get Zoo TV every day and I should have it whenever I can afford the money.
The stadium is an empty place now, with only cleanup crew going along the aisles. Eric takes my hand and asks “Where did you sit this time?” I point to the spot, and he looks at me with a “wow, really?” expression on his face.
“Yes,” I say, and smooth my brown hair back. His own hair, I notice, is brown like mine. Or it could be black like Bono… hard to tell in this darkness. I don’t remember what it was like in the light.
Eric touches me and hugs my body, and I give him a half-hearted embrace back. He looks sideways at me for a while when we pull apart, and then gives me a statement I thought I’d never hear.
“How would you like to stay with me, Marieke? I could get you a job with the Zoo TV crew. You’d never have to leave a show.”
What?!
My mouth falls open as I try to think of a response. All my English has just flown out the window. Eric saves me by assuming, “I take it you want to?”
I can’t nod my head. Already practicality is settling in. So even though my heart is screaming YES, YES, YES, my open mouth slower moves and forces the words out. “I need to… think of it before.”
Eric is silent for a moment. Then his words tumble back out- “I understand. I’ll give you a number you can reach me at, in the hotel…”
I wait for it.
“…but you can only get me there for as long as we’re in Lisbon. The tour’s going to be moving on pretty soon, and you’ll have to decide it by at least tomorrow.”
Oh.
The bare facts of his speech come at me. I know I want to do this so badly- follow U2 on tour. But I just can’t without consulting Lina.
“Give me the number.”
“Okay.” He whispers, barely disturbing me or the stars in the sky, the only other listeners on our private conversation. I wait while he writes it down on a notepad- maybe all the crew members carry one with them.
He gives it to me and I slip it securely into my pocket. We face each other for a bit, and then he says “Well, goodbye, Marieke.” I flap a wave in his direction and turn off without another word.
The original chapter of this was too long... and then what I cut out made it too short... but even if it's short, at least it's the story. (A story that I made up!)
It’s just my luck that, while returning to the dressing rooms, I have spotted Eric backstage. He looks surprised to see me as well, and I guess who wouldn’t? Why would I be out here in Portugal, in Lisbon? I should be back at home, far away where he left me last time.
Why else would I be here but to see U2?
“I’m sorry, do I-“ He has to stop talking as I hug him and he realizes he does know me. “Hey, Marieke! Whatever are you doing here? Why did you come to Lisbon?”
“It was the next show,” I tell him. “You said.”
“Oh, I… I guess I did.” He looks dazed, and I can’t blame him. Then his eyes focus, and he calls over my shoulder, “Hello Edge!”
We look back and there’s Edge standing with Jack, right outside the dressing room door. His eyes settle in on us and he smiles. “Are you acquaintances?”
“Of a sort,” Eric responds while I try to remember what acquaintances means. “Oh, hi Jack,” he quickly adds, because Jack is looking a little lost by now.
“Hey, Eric,” Jack replies.
“I guess I’ll just leave the two of you alone,” Edge says, still smiling, although not as much as before. Obviously he’s worried about leaving a fan to her own twisted devices. I snort and cover it up by pretending to cough in my hand. Eric’s with me. Nothing can possibly go wrong…
“I’ll keep a very close eye on her,” Eric suggests, and just laughs when I glare at him. I’ve got to get someone to help me perfect that look. Edge waves casually with his left hand, and I wave back and smile as he fingers the doorknob. Just then, the doorknob turns without Edge moving it, and the entire door bangs open as the two Portuguese fans, Valeria and Max, leave the room. From somewhere inside I can hear Bono saying, “Time to go! Have a good night, you two!” Then his tone of voice changes as he sees Edge outside the door. “Ah, so you’re back, Edge!”
“Em… I was just opening the door,” Edge murmurs.
“Yeah, but now we’re letting you back in. Where’s Marieke?” Bono steps out of the room and spies me. “Hey!”
I giggle and wave. Eric doesn’t seem as happy, though, and calls back, “She’s with me.”
“Oh… well, is she now?” Bono strolls closer. “Marieke, where did you and The Edge run off to?” he asks, addressing me.
I am about to tell him before Adam comes out and ruins it for me. “Hey, Bono, shouldn’t it be about time for the party now?”
“Damn. Who’s got a watch on them?”
“I do,” Eric mutters, holding up his wrist.
Bono takes Eric’s wrist in his hands and stares at the time. “Great. If we hurry we’ll make it.” His gaze turns to me, and he says “It’s time you better go.”
I bristle as he says it, but in truth he doesn’t sound that angry with me. His tone is much more regretful, as if he’d like me to stay. Why doesn’t Bono just invite me to the party?
“Okay,” I murmur, and hold out my hand for one last shake before we go. Bono takes it, but to my surprise he pulls me in by my hand and wraps one arm around me for a hug. I squeeze him back, my nose full of his scent, before he lets go and we break away.
“Hey, keep it PG out here,” Adam mutters, pulling out a cigarette.
“If that’s not PG I don’t even want to think about what goes on in your room at night,” Bono mutters back to him.
Edge takes my attention off them and shakes my hand. “It was fun seeing you again, Marieke. Take care.”
“No hug?” I ask, my lower lip jutting out in a mock-pout.
He sighs and turns it into a laugh. “All right.” We embrace, and for the moment we’re together he whispers in my ear “Don’t make Lina jealous!”
I laugh and say “Oh, never!” And then Larry escapes the dressing room and the rest of the band pounces on him.
“Wait!” I call before they can leave. “Can I…?”
They’re all looking at me, so I hold out the autograph that Edge gave me. Don’t go yet.
“Of course we’ll sign that,” Bono says, coming back over. “You can’t ask for much less.”
He’s right- unless I asked for, let’s see, free tickets to the next show in general admission? Nah, that’d never work…
They’ve all signed the paper, and I inspect their handwritings. Bono’s signature is pleasing to the eye. Edge’s is near illegible. I look up and manage to throw the band one last wave before they’re all gone, and a sense of loss overtakes me.
I turn and face Eric again. I can see my sadness mirrored in his eyes, though I have no idea why he should share my mood. How could anyone be displeasedif they got to work for U2? Does he have any idea how lucky he is?
“Good night, wasn’t it?”
“Yes,” I respond, my mood clearly heard in my voice.
“Good night you didn’t want to end?”
“You are right,” I say, and lean into him. “I have to go.”
Eric takes my arm. “C’mon, I’ll lead you out.”
The scenes around me soon become a blur as Eric leads me down and out, back to the stadium. I don’t want to see any more of it, anyway. It’s not fair that he should get Zoo TV every day and I should have it whenever I can afford the money.
The stadium is an empty place now, with only cleanup crew going along the aisles. Eric takes my hand and asks “Where did you sit this time?” I point to the spot, and he looks at me with a “wow, really?” expression on his face.
“Yes,” I say, and smooth my brown hair back. His own hair, I notice, is brown like mine. Or it could be black like Bono… hard to tell in this darkness. I don’t remember what it was like in the light.
Eric touches me and hugs my body, and I give him a half-hearted embrace back. He looks sideways at me for a while when we pull apart, and then gives me a statement I thought I’d never hear.
“How would you like to stay with me, Marieke? I could get you a job with the Zoo TV crew. You’d never have to leave a show.”
What?!
My mouth falls open as I try to think of a response. All my English has just flown out the window. Eric saves me by assuming, “I take it you want to?”
I can’t nod my head. Already practicality is settling in. So even though my heart is screaming YES, YES, YES, my open mouth slower moves and forces the words out. “I need to… think of it before.”
Eric is silent for a moment. Then his words tumble back out- “I understand. I’ll give you a number you can reach me at, in the hotel…”
I wait for it.
“…but you can only get me there for as long as we’re in Lisbon. The tour’s going to be moving on pretty soon, and you’ll have to decide it by at least tomorrow.”
Oh.
The bare facts of his speech come at me. I know I want to do this so badly- follow U2 on tour. But I just can’t without consulting Lina.
“Give me the number.”
“Okay.” He whispers, barely disturbing me or the stars in the sky, the only other listeners on our private conversation. I wait while he writes it down on a notepad- maybe all the crew members carry one with them.
He gives it to me and I slip it securely into my pocket. We face each other for a bit, and then he says “Well, goodbye, Marieke.” I flap a wave in his direction and turn off without another word.
Marieke, I mean. In looks...
