BlueSilkenSky
Rock n' Roll Doggie VIP PASS
Okay...
I just need to be clear on one thing- was AB released on CD? Were CDs that accessible in the early 90's?
If not, just imagine the word "record" at the end.
And the story is all my idea, based loosely on some true events but not real.
Before my extended shift is over, as I sit listlessly in the chair trying to decide if that really happened and wondering just how long I’d extended the concert with my call, the phone rings again. I snatch it up blankly. “Hello, thank you for calling KLM Airlines, how may I help you?”
“Hello?” The new voice at the other end is a man, with an accent I can’t quite place. “Am I speaking to Marieke?”
Well. What could it be now? “Yes, sir,” I answer.
He laughs. “My name is Eric. I work for U2 on the Zoo TV Tour. Did you have any idea what was going on tonight?”
Because my brain is already past any form of shock, I respond calmly, “I think so, sir.”
“Oh. Are you a fan? I could kind of tell.”
“Yes!” I exclaim. “Tonight was my show!” I want to tell him about the extended shift and Lina going for me, but the English words fail me.
“What were you doing there, then?”
“At… the airport?” I search for words. “Working…”
There’s a smile in Eric’s voice as he says, “Well Marieke, your chance to see U2 hasn’t passed. I called to give you two VIP tickets for the next show, in…”
“Singapore?” I cut in.
Eric laughs. “No, in Rotterdam.”
This makes more sense. At least it’s at home again. I say, “Thank you, sir. I would like the tickets.”
“Okay. Just give me your address and they’ll be coming in the mail soon.”
First I work out what he wants, and then I tell him where my apartment is.
“Thank you, Marieke.”
“You’re welcome. Have a good night.”
“Goodbye.” The phone disconnects.
I remain in my chair, mechanically hanging up the phone. Then finally the realization hits.
Oh God! I’m going to get to see U2 for the first time. Just my luck that they decided to call the airport! Which makes me wonder, why did Bono want to go to Singapore anyway? I try to puzzle this out, and am still mulling over the night’s events when it’s time to go home.
City lights wash over me in the darkness of night. I drive home slowly, still feeling that tonight has been a dream. Well, maybe it was… All I can remember of that call is cheering, a strange British accent, and the sweet sound of Ultraviolet.
I’ve finally made my way to the flat. I take the stairs up to my room and wonder if Lina is still awake. Then I sigh. Of course she is. Thinking of how late she stayed out after the show last night, and now the added anticipation of me coming home…
I stop and collect myself before entering.
“MARIEKE!” And it’s like last night again, only this time I’m the one returning. Before I’ve even made it halfway to the couch she pummels me with questions- “What was it like? Did you have any clue what was going on? What do you think of what you heard?”
“Stop.” I hold up a finger. “First, how was the rest of the show?”
Lina rolls her eyes. “Like you can still care about that! I want to hear what happened at the airport. He called you- like- God! Isn’t that the least bit exciting?”
I believe Lina has reverted back to being a teenager.
“Of course it is.”
“What was the call like?”
“Oh- Lina, you tell me. You heard it yourself. You were actually there.”
And as for me, I am starting to doubt I was ever there. At the airport, I mean. My memory is hazy about the conversation on the phone- it feels like it hasn’t happened. It probably didn’t.
“But Marieke!” Lina cuts in disturbing my foggy remembrance. “I only saw his end of the line! What was it like, being called?”
“I- I don’t know.” In reality, it could have been any other call. “I did the same thing as usual…”
“But when the first call finally finished, weren’t you shocked at all?”
I was shocked then. I remember that now. Except how could it have meant anything truly to me, not knowing the person calling? After thinking it over at the airport and in the car, I had realized that whoever the caller was, he hadn’t answered to Bono. I can tell British accents and Irish accents apart. That was not his voice. So who was this new persona?
When Lina sees no response from me, she says, “It’s okay. You’re probably tired from tonight- I know I am. Maybe we’ll be more coherent in the morning…” She yawns. “Come on, get off the couch. Let’s go to sleep.”
“I can’t…” I insist. “I have to think for a bit…”
Lina has probably noticed the direction my eyes are going. I’m glancing at the CD player, resting atop the TV.
“Whatever. Just try not to wake me up with that, okay?” She slowly rolls onto the couch, and I scoot off to make room for her. I wait until I’m sure she’s asleep- it doesn’t take that long- and then I grab the CD player and settle myself down on the bed. I root around in the drawer on my nightstand and pull out Achtung Baby.
CDs are smaller than records, thinner and easier to break. Their case is made of plastic; instead of the paper covers I’m used to on vinyl. This is the first product I’ve ever bought in CD form- probably the only one I will buy. Unless, of course, these things become more popular…
I skip the entire first half and head for The Fly. This has currently been my favorite song on the album. I wish I knew how to play guitar… Those effects rattle my brain in the most comforting way. And BAM- I remember. The long, tiresome night at the airport flickers back to me.
Next song up. Mysterious Ways. I tremble waiting for the first chord. Then the lyrics hit and I’m sighing with pleasure, grooving silently in place. BAM- the phone call comes back to me. A call from the concert…
And then once that song’s over, I skip over the following track and lie waiting for the tell-tale intro of the next. It begins and I hear the voice telling me not to cry, oh child, wipe the tears from your eyes…
BAM. Realization hits me at last. I really did get a call from someone tonight, at the show I should have been attending. He sang a song for me. And I’m getting tickets.
Forget The Fly. Ultraviolet is my new favorite on Achtung Baby.
Lina snores in her sleep. I am brought back to the dark, silent flat. Silently I hit stop on the CD player and yank the plug out.
Moonlight dances through the blinds, and the city noises lull me to a state of relaxation. I roll over, presuming I’ll never be able to sleep. But when I next open my eyes, the day has begun.
I just need to be clear on one thing- was AB released on CD? Were CDs that accessible in the early 90's?
If not, just imagine the word "record" at the end.
And the story is all my idea, based loosely on some true events but not real.
Before my extended shift is over, as I sit listlessly in the chair trying to decide if that really happened and wondering just how long I’d extended the concert with my call, the phone rings again. I snatch it up blankly. “Hello, thank you for calling KLM Airlines, how may I help you?”
“Hello?” The new voice at the other end is a man, with an accent I can’t quite place. “Am I speaking to Marieke?”
Well. What could it be now? “Yes, sir,” I answer.
He laughs. “My name is Eric. I work for U2 on the Zoo TV Tour. Did you have any idea what was going on tonight?”
Because my brain is already past any form of shock, I respond calmly, “I think so, sir.”
“Oh. Are you a fan? I could kind of tell.”
“Yes!” I exclaim. “Tonight was my show!” I want to tell him about the extended shift and Lina going for me, but the English words fail me.
“What were you doing there, then?”
“At… the airport?” I search for words. “Working…”
There’s a smile in Eric’s voice as he says, “Well Marieke, your chance to see U2 hasn’t passed. I called to give you two VIP tickets for the next show, in…”
“Singapore?” I cut in.
Eric laughs. “No, in Rotterdam.”
This makes more sense. At least it’s at home again. I say, “Thank you, sir. I would like the tickets.”
“Okay. Just give me your address and they’ll be coming in the mail soon.”
First I work out what he wants, and then I tell him where my apartment is.
“Thank you, Marieke.”
“You’re welcome. Have a good night.”
“Goodbye.” The phone disconnects.
I remain in my chair, mechanically hanging up the phone. Then finally the realization hits.
Oh God! I’m going to get to see U2 for the first time. Just my luck that they decided to call the airport! Which makes me wonder, why did Bono want to go to Singapore anyway? I try to puzzle this out, and am still mulling over the night’s events when it’s time to go home.
City lights wash over me in the darkness of night. I drive home slowly, still feeling that tonight has been a dream. Well, maybe it was… All I can remember of that call is cheering, a strange British accent, and the sweet sound of Ultraviolet.
I’ve finally made my way to the flat. I take the stairs up to my room and wonder if Lina is still awake. Then I sigh. Of course she is. Thinking of how late she stayed out after the show last night, and now the added anticipation of me coming home…
I stop and collect myself before entering.
“MARIEKE!” And it’s like last night again, only this time I’m the one returning. Before I’ve even made it halfway to the couch she pummels me with questions- “What was it like? Did you have any clue what was going on? What do you think of what you heard?”
“Stop.” I hold up a finger. “First, how was the rest of the show?”
Lina rolls her eyes. “Like you can still care about that! I want to hear what happened at the airport. He called you- like- God! Isn’t that the least bit exciting?”
I believe Lina has reverted back to being a teenager.
“Of course it is.”
“What was the call like?”
“Oh- Lina, you tell me. You heard it yourself. You were actually there.”
And as for me, I am starting to doubt I was ever there. At the airport, I mean. My memory is hazy about the conversation on the phone- it feels like it hasn’t happened. It probably didn’t.
“But Marieke!” Lina cuts in disturbing my foggy remembrance. “I only saw his end of the line! What was it like, being called?”
“I- I don’t know.” In reality, it could have been any other call. “I did the same thing as usual…”
“But when the first call finally finished, weren’t you shocked at all?”
I was shocked then. I remember that now. Except how could it have meant anything truly to me, not knowing the person calling? After thinking it over at the airport and in the car, I had realized that whoever the caller was, he hadn’t answered to Bono. I can tell British accents and Irish accents apart. That was not his voice. So who was this new persona?
When Lina sees no response from me, she says, “It’s okay. You’re probably tired from tonight- I know I am. Maybe we’ll be more coherent in the morning…” She yawns. “Come on, get off the couch. Let’s go to sleep.”
“I can’t…” I insist. “I have to think for a bit…”
Lina has probably noticed the direction my eyes are going. I’m glancing at the CD player, resting atop the TV.
“Whatever. Just try not to wake me up with that, okay?” She slowly rolls onto the couch, and I scoot off to make room for her. I wait until I’m sure she’s asleep- it doesn’t take that long- and then I grab the CD player and settle myself down on the bed. I root around in the drawer on my nightstand and pull out Achtung Baby.
CDs are smaller than records, thinner and easier to break. Their case is made of plastic; instead of the paper covers I’m used to on vinyl. This is the first product I’ve ever bought in CD form- probably the only one I will buy. Unless, of course, these things become more popular…
I skip the entire first half and head for The Fly. This has currently been my favorite song on the album. I wish I knew how to play guitar… Those effects rattle my brain in the most comforting way. And BAM- I remember. The long, tiresome night at the airport flickers back to me.
Next song up. Mysterious Ways. I tremble waiting for the first chord. Then the lyrics hit and I’m sighing with pleasure, grooving silently in place. BAM- the phone call comes back to me. A call from the concert…
And then once that song’s over, I skip over the following track and lie waiting for the tell-tale intro of the next. It begins and I hear the voice telling me not to cry, oh child, wipe the tears from your eyes…
BAM. Realization hits me at last. I really did get a call from someone tonight, at the show I should have been attending. He sang a song for me. And I’m getting tickets.
Forget The Fly. Ultraviolet is my new favorite on Achtung Baby.
Lina snores in her sleep. I am brought back to the dark, silent flat. Silently I hit stop on the CD player and yank the plug out.
Moonlight dances through the blinds, and the city noises lull me to a state of relaxation. I roll over, presuming I’ll never be able to sleep. But when I next open my eyes, the day has begun.
Not a bad idea...
I'm living in the wrong era! Damn it! 
I'm super excited!
this is just my writing style, I'm adding some more parts with the fictional characters but I could possibly lump two chapters togther. I've already written about ten chapters but I didn't revise anything yet. So this could be interesting...
