MIA:
I called Frank on his cell phone and left a message. He must be
in the middle of a conference and couldn't answer the phone. Rocky
went over to one of his friends houses while Michael and I went with
mom to the hospital.
The doctors had been saying all along this was a troublesome
pregnancy because of Mom's 'advanced age', which I found hilarious.
When she as pregnant with me it was a troublesome pregnancy because
she was so young.
Michael held my hand the entire time we were sitting in the
waiting room. He kept me laughing the whole time. "You'll be able to
tell you little brother or sister that my ass made your mother go into
labor," he said with a smile."Did you hear the one about the flea in
Florida?"
I shook my head, sure that I would soon hear about it.
"Well, this flea shows up at his uncle's house in Florida, all
greasy. The uncle says, 'Johnny, why you looking so greasy and cold?'.
Johnny says, 'Uncle Frankie, I caught a ride down here in a man's
mustache. He rode his motorcycle all the way down." So, Frankie says,
'Next time, go to the airport, find a stewardess and follow her to the
bathroom. While she's going jump on down there. You'll have a nice
warm ride all the way down to see me."
"Oh, Michael," I said, experated.
"I'm not done. So, Johnny comes back the next season, cold and
greasy. 'Johnny, why you look so greasy and cold? You didn't listen to
me!' 'Uncle Frankie, I did, I got in her private area and still ended
up on this guys mustache!'"
I burst out laughing, louder than I probably should have. The
nurses stared at us. "Okay, I have a dirty one for you then," I
started with a smile. It was a joke that Joshua had told me when we
first met.
"Hit me babe," he said, stretching his arms above his head.
"Okay, so this man is in a hotel lobby. He turn to say something
to the desk clerk, but he ends up elbowing a woman in the breast. He
says, 'I'm sorry miss, but if your heart is as soft as your breast I
know you will forgive me.' So she says, 'If your penis is as hard as
your elbow I'm in room 432'."
He smiled, "That was kind of weak. You can do better."
I rolled my eyes, "Fine, ready? This one is really dirty."
"I'm a rock god, of course I am."
"Okay, so this couple is on their way to Vegas to get
married. As the guy is driving the woman turns to him and says, 'Dear,
the reason we have not been intimate is because I am terribly flat
chested. If you want to cancel the wedding, I'll understand'. The man
thinks for a second and says, 'Sex is not the most important thing. I
love you.' They keep driving. He turns to her and says, 'Dear, I want
you to know that below my waist I am just like a little baby. If you
want to cancel the wedding it's fine with me.' She thinks for a
moment, 'Sex is not the most important thing. I love you.' So, they go
off and get married. That night she removes her shirt, and as
advertised she is as flat as a washboard. He removes his pants and she
faints at the size."
"Huh?" Michael asked, confused.
"So when she comes to she says, 'I thought you said you were
small?' He says, 'No I said I was the size of a baby, eight pounds and
twenty one inches!'"
He laughed, "Every man's fantasy."
"You aren't that far off..."
He smiled behind his hair.
The doctor's came out of the room where they were performing the
ceasarean section. "Miss Thermopolis?" he asked.
I stood up, nervous.
"Yes?"
"Congratulations, you are the big sister of a little girl, eight
pounds, twenty one inches."
I looked at Michael and he laughed before he hugged me.
"Congratulations MIA!"
I held my little sister, Cassandara Marie for the first time.
Michael looked on and I could swear I saw a tear run down his cheek.
MICHAEL:
She looked so sweet sitting in her mother's room, holding her
little sister. She could be her little sisters mother for crying out
loud, but it didn't matter. She looked beautiful. My cell phone rang.
I know you aren't supposed to use them in hospitals, but I saw
that it was Tony. "Hey man. Sorry I've been gone all day..."
"Where the hell are you? We are supposed to go on in twenty
minutes!"
"Mia's mom just had the baby!"
Silence. "Oh, oh man, I'm sorry I was pissed. What the hell are
we supposed to do?"
"Have Nolan do my parts. I can't make it man, sorry."
He sighed, "Man, we are gonna sound totally uneven man."
"I'm sorry. I have to be with Mia."
He laughed a little, "Man, you have it bad."
"What are you talking about?"
"We have never let a girl come before the band. Never. Now we
are finally starting to pick up and look at us! It started with me
when I got together with Lilly. It's starting with you now. It's fine
man, we'll cover you." He hung up.
I took Mia home later on that night. I crashed on her couch. She
came out in the middle of the night. "Michael?"
"What?" I asked, wide awake. She looked cute in her oversized t-
shirt. Her hair was in pig tails.
"I can't sleep."
"Come here," I said, sitting up.
She put her head on my shoulders. "I've missed New York," she
whispered.
"Think you could ever stay here?" I asked. I hoped she could,
until she had to take over.
"No. I wish. I am going to go back after the tour. I have to own
up to my responsibilities."
I pulled the scent of strawberries from her hair. I immediately
regretted it. All my memories from when we were younger came flooding
back. "Mia?" I asked softly. She pulled away from me so she could be
looking directly at me.
"Yes?" she asked lashes fluttering like butterfly wings.
"Have you thought about that tattoo?" I asked carefully.
"That experience hasn't happened yet," she said, looking at my
lips. "I think when I finally fall for someone else, when I'm free..."
We stared at each other for a moment, saying nothing. Not really
having to.
I kissed her softly on the lips. It didn't go any further.
"When do you think that'll be?" I asked carefully.
She smiled a little bit and kissed me just as softly. "I don't
know. But I could use some help..."
We talked some more that night, about past relationships and on
the future. We kissed a few more times, none of the French variety.
But that was okay. I realized that night what I had been missing all
these years. Her. Only her.
I called Frank on his cell phone and left a message. He must be
in the middle of a conference and couldn't answer the phone. Rocky
went over to one of his friends houses while Michael and I went with
mom to the hospital.
The doctors had been saying all along this was a troublesome
pregnancy because of Mom's 'advanced age', which I found hilarious.
When she as pregnant with me it was a troublesome pregnancy because
she was so young.
Michael held my hand the entire time we were sitting in the
waiting room. He kept me laughing the whole time. "You'll be able to
tell you little brother or sister that my ass made your mother go into
labor," he said with a smile."Did you hear the one about the flea in
Florida?"
I shook my head, sure that I would soon hear about it.
"Well, this flea shows up at his uncle's house in Florida, all
greasy. The uncle says, 'Johnny, why you looking so greasy and cold?'.
Johnny says, 'Uncle Frankie, I caught a ride down here in a man's
mustache. He rode his motorcycle all the way down." So, Frankie says,
'Next time, go to the airport, find a stewardess and follow her to the
bathroom. While she's going jump on down there. You'll have a nice
warm ride all the way down to see me."
"Oh, Michael," I said, experated.
"I'm not done. So, Johnny comes back the next season, cold and
greasy. 'Johnny, why you look so greasy and cold? You didn't listen to
me!' 'Uncle Frankie, I did, I got in her private area and still ended
up on this guys mustache!'"
I burst out laughing, louder than I probably should have. The
nurses stared at us. "Okay, I have a dirty one for you then," I
started with a smile. It was a joke that Joshua had told me when we
first met.
"Hit me babe," he said, stretching his arms above his head.
"Okay, so this man is in a hotel lobby. He turn to say something
to the desk clerk, but he ends up elbowing a woman in the breast. He
says, 'I'm sorry miss, but if your heart is as soft as your breast I
know you will forgive me.' So she says, 'If your penis is as hard as
your elbow I'm in room 432'."
He smiled, "That was kind of weak. You can do better."
I rolled my eyes, "Fine, ready? This one is really dirty."
"I'm a rock god, of course I am."
"Okay, so this couple is on their way to Vegas to get
married. As the guy is driving the woman turns to him and says, 'Dear,
the reason we have not been intimate is because I am terribly flat
chested. If you want to cancel the wedding, I'll understand'. The man
thinks for a second and says, 'Sex is not the most important thing. I
love you.' They keep driving. He turns to her and says, 'Dear, I want
you to know that below my waist I am just like a little baby. If you
want to cancel the wedding it's fine with me.' She thinks for a
moment, 'Sex is not the most important thing. I love you.' So, they go
off and get married. That night she removes her shirt, and as
advertised she is as flat as a washboard. He removes his pants and she
faints at the size."
"Huh?" Michael asked, confused.
"So when she comes to she says, 'I thought you said you were
small?' He says, 'No I said I was the size of a baby, eight pounds and
twenty one inches!'"
He laughed, "Every man's fantasy."
"You aren't that far off..."
He smiled behind his hair.
The doctor's came out of the room where they were performing the
ceasarean section. "Miss Thermopolis?" he asked.
I stood up, nervous.
"Yes?"
"Congratulations, you are the big sister of a little girl, eight
pounds, twenty one inches."
I looked at Michael and he laughed before he hugged me.
"Congratulations MIA!"
I held my little sister, Cassandara Marie for the first time.
Michael looked on and I could swear I saw a tear run down his cheek.
MICHAEL:
She looked so sweet sitting in her mother's room, holding her
little sister. She could be her little sisters mother for crying out
loud, but it didn't matter. She looked beautiful. My cell phone rang.
I know you aren't supposed to use them in hospitals, but I saw
that it was Tony. "Hey man. Sorry I've been gone all day..."
"Where the hell are you? We are supposed to go on in twenty
minutes!"
"Mia's mom just had the baby!"
Silence. "Oh, oh man, I'm sorry I was pissed. What the hell are
we supposed to do?"
"Have Nolan do my parts. I can't make it man, sorry."
He sighed, "Man, we are gonna sound totally uneven man."
"I'm sorry. I have to be with Mia."
He laughed a little, "Man, you have it bad."
"What are you talking about?"
"We have never let a girl come before the band. Never. Now we
are finally starting to pick up and look at us! It started with me
when I got together with Lilly. It's starting with you now. It's fine
man, we'll cover you." He hung up.
I took Mia home later on that night. I crashed on her couch. She
came out in the middle of the night. "Michael?"
"What?" I asked, wide awake. She looked cute in her oversized t-
shirt. Her hair was in pig tails.
"I can't sleep."
"Come here," I said, sitting up.
She put her head on my shoulders. "I've missed New York," she
whispered.
"Think you could ever stay here?" I asked. I hoped she could,
until she had to take over.
"No. I wish. I am going to go back after the tour. I have to own
up to my responsibilities."
I pulled the scent of strawberries from her hair. I immediately
regretted it. All my memories from when we were younger came flooding
back. "Mia?" I asked softly. She pulled away from me so she could be
looking directly at me.
"Yes?" she asked lashes fluttering like butterfly wings.
"Have you thought about that tattoo?" I asked carefully.
"That experience hasn't happened yet," she said, looking at my
lips. "I think when I finally fall for someone else, when I'm free..."
We stared at each other for a moment, saying nothing. Not really
having to.
I kissed her softly on the lips. It didn't go any further.
"When do you think that'll be?" I asked carefully.
She smiled a little bit and kissed me just as softly. "I don't
know. But I could use some help..."
We talked some more that night, about past relationships and on
the future. We kissed a few more times, none of the French variety.
But that was okay. I realized that night what I had been missing all
these years. Her. Only her.