39. Mai #2
The message read, ‘Sorry, we can’t make it tonight. The new boss of the house says we need to stay in. Gloria is coming to watch, Taylor says he apologises in advance. Good luck. I know you’ll be amazing. I hope we can come to the next show!’
Mai slipped her phone back into her bag and assessed how she was feeling. She hadn’t yet started to feel too many symptoms of stage fright.
Maybe she could do this.
Maybe there would be a next show.
The line was huge outside the pub when she pulled up. Her pulse began to race, and her breathing became ragged. She tried again and again to gain control of it, but the panic escalated. Her knuckles were white where they gripped the steering wheel.
Squeezing her eyes tightly shut, she said, “Come on, Mai, pull it together. It’s only the local pub.”
Opening her eyes, she peered out the window and scanned the crowd. So many of them were wearing Midnight Thunder T-shirts.
Her heart jumped to her throat. She couldn’t do this.
The passenger door of her car was wrenched open, and someone climbed in.
“My darling,” an American voice drawled from the seat next to her.
Mai’s eyes swivelled to the intruder. “Gloria!”
“The one and only. I thought you could use a bit of moral support.”
“I’m fine,” Mai managed to say.
Gloria raised an eyebrow and pointed to her hands.
“Your knuckles are white. You're hyperventilating and sweaty. That’s not alright.” She put her hand on the younger woman’s arm.
“I’m here to support you. I will cheer like a lunatic if that’s what you need.
Or keep quiet and wave. Or we can drive away now.
Tell me what you want me to do, and I’ll be there for you. ”
Mai turned her head to look at Taylor’s mum, and for a moment, she superimposed the image of her mum’s face over the top of it.
Her mum would have been near Gloria’s age if she hadn’t died; maybe she would have had the same smile lines as Gloria.
But instead, she was forever frozen in time, never growing older, even as Mai did.
“Cheer,” Mai said quietly. Then her voice gained strength. “In a room full of people cheering for Ford, I want you to cheer for me.”
Gloria put her arm around Mai’s shoulder, pulling her in for a hug. “I'll be the loudest. I meant what I said: I always wanted a big family, and I’d be honoured to add you to my tribe.”
A tear collected in the corner of Mai's eyes, and she sniffed.
“Oh no,” Gloria exclaimed. “Don’t cry. With that amount of eye makeup, you’ll look like a panda. Let’s get you inside and to your man.”
She looked at Gloria sharply, but didn’t make any comment about the statement that Ford was her man.
“Donnie said to ring him when I arrived, and he would come to meet me.” Mai pulled her phone out of her bag and dialled her old manager.
They didn’t have to wait for more than five minutes before Donnie was out at the car, ushering them both past the crowd. Mai kept her head down, clutching her guitar case and avoiding making eye contact with anyone in the queue.
A man yelled out in indignation that they were skipping the queue, but someone else shushed him, shouting that Donnie was Midnight Thunder’s manager.
It must have been a superfan.
The crowd started to mutter about who she was. She heard someone suggest Sie, then their friend told them not to be stupid, as she didn’t look like Sie.
Mai moved faster and hurried into the pub. Taking a moment, she stood and breathed deeply to recover from the anxiety.
“Donnie, have you got a minute?” one of the men working behind the bar called.
Donnie gave Mai a quick look before he rushed away.
Mai’s feet were frozen, and her eyes wide as she looked around the bar. Donnie, as usual, had worked wonders. There was a proper stage now, and the other guys' instruments were set up ready for them to play.
Her heart rate increased, and her breathing became erratic.
“Mai, you’re okay. I’m here for you,” Gloria’s calm voice broke through the impending panic.
“I.. I.. can’t do this.” Mai shook her head.
“You can do this. But also, you don’t have to if you don’t want to. This is your life and your decision. I’ll take you home right now if that's what you want.”
Mai’s eyes rose to the stage again. Did she want to play?
“Sie!” a voice exclaimed behind her, and she turned to see Scotty—who had spoken—Joel, and Ford enter the pub, followed by the screams of the fans outside.
Her eyes locked with Ford’s grey ones, and a smile bloomed on his face.
Home, she was home.
She knew with certainty that wherever Ford was, that was her home. If he was on stage with her, she would be okay.
Mai’s racing heart began to settle, and her breathing evened out. She didn’t break eye contact with Ford as she said to Gloria, “I want to do this.”
“Tell him,” Gloria replied, a twinkle in her eye as she tilted her head fractionally at Ford.
Mai didn’t have a chance to answer Gloria before the three men from Midnight Thunder were right in front of her.
“Are you alright?” Ford asked her quietly.
Mai nodded. “Yeah. I was supposed to work today, but one of my colleagues took mercy on me, and I slept all day. Which is good, or I would have been a wreck.”
“Were you awake all weekend?” Ford reached out and gently touched the side of her face.
“Pretty much. It seemed like all the babies wanted to be born over the weekend, and then one of the junior doctors called in sick. It was awful.” Mai couldn’t help herself; she leaned slightly into his hand and smiled up at him.
Scotty clapped her on the back, jolting her out of Ford’s touch. “We’re glad you made it. Shame we didn’t have time to practise some of the newer stuff with you, but the crowd will love the classics, so it’s no loss.”
“We’ve got a few minutes. I’ve listened to every song that Midnight Thunder ever recorded, so you can run me through a couple,” Mai suggested.
“You’ve listened to everything we’ve ever recorded?” Ford questioned, a self-satisfied smile on his face.
“Of course I have.” A cheeky grin pulled at the corner of her lips. “I wrote most of them. Why wouldn’t I want to check and see if you guys had messed up my lyrics?”
Ford smirked while Scotty and Joel guffawed with laughter.
Mai’s grin broadened. “I want to do Up in Flames, Ten Years in an Hour and All the Roads End in the Beginning. I loved the lyrics for all of those songs, and I loved what you guys did with the music.”
Gloria clapped. “Oh. I adore Up in Flames. Did you write the lyrics, Mai?”
“Some of them,” Mai said.
“Most of them,” Ford amended.
“You are a very talented young lady.” Gloria reached over and gave Mai a hug. “While you practise, I’m off to find some good champagne.” The older woman pulled away and sauntered over to the bar, smiling winningly at the bartenders, who weren’t supposed to be working yet.