Chapter 561: New York City

Tuesday, February 28th, Morning

The sun rose over the jagged picket fence of Manhattan. Unable to sleep, she looked out the window as they approached the George Washington Bridge. They were still quite far from their hotel, they were staying near one of the airports, and they'll be there for a week. It's sort of a vacation with a couple of local shows sprinkled in. From there they'll return home, tour over.

Katrina "Kat" Jared, also known as Kat Hartmann, leaned back and hugged herself. Her baggy sweatshirt gave her enough room to pull her knees up into it without stretching it out. She waited to get home and see Raya, her daughter. Her sister should've gotten home, recently. Tucker Baker, the man filming this tour was dating her sister, and they were due for a reunion.

A short South American Tour will follow a few weeks home, then another break. The summer will be the festival circuit in Europe. Kat opened and closed her hands, looking down on them, then back out to the bridge as they crossed it in the dawn traffic.

The City of Dreams some people call it. New York City, everyone comes here. Kat knew she would be here until sometime next week. Only two dates will be shows. On one of those date, she'll have an interview with a Dutch Filmmaker Felicia Van Ankeren for her Brian Scott Documentary, from what Kat understood she's the last one to interview.

As the bus crossed the bridge Kat heard the opening notes to The Who's Baba O'Riley in her head. It seemed fitting when she thought of Brian Scott and their time together, almost six years. Some great times, but near the end like in every ended relationship thing soured. Brian and she were never intimate, but they were musical soulmates. The arrogance of youth they thought their music could change the world. Kat nodded and hugged her knees.

Kat's husband and band leader, Arne Jared, came out of the back and saw Kat sitting on a bench. Arne took a seat and looked at his wife.

"I know that look," Arne said.

"What look is that?" Kat asked.

"You're deep in a sad thought look," Arne said.

"I have a deep in a sad thought look, Meine Liebe?" Kat asked.

Arne nodded, "Yeah, usually when we're on tour, you're either thinking of Raya or Brian," he said.

"I see," Kat said.

Arne nodded, "Yeah," he said.

"So, it doesn't bother you that I'm thinking of another man?" Kat asked.

"It does, if I'm honest, but I also know there is no chance for him, and there was never anything between you two," Arne said.

Kat nodded, "It's nostalgia, Meine Liebe. Just the thoughts of a woman nearing thirty remembering her misspent youth," she said.

Arne nodded, "It doesn't help I wrote half the last album mad at Brian," he said.

"It's always been your therapy," Kat said.

"I can also be an insecure man, too," Arne said.

Kat smiled, "Arne, Meine Liebe, I chose you, not Brian. Yes, we met the day I left the band I co-founded with him, and sold everything to him," she said.

"That makes me feel like I'm the rebound," Arne said.

"No, remember, we took our time to get together," Kat said.

"I do," Arne said.

Kat looked out the window, "Fallon, Trin, and Ellie live in the city," she said.

Arne nodded, "I've not heard from anyone about ticket requests," he said.

"Yeah, but Fallon will just have a label pass," Kat said.

"The perks of being rich and part-owner," Arne said.

"Also, being one of the first hires as well, she's employee number three I believe," Kat said.

"So, you'll be visiting Trin?" Arne asked.

"We have time, and we're in the same city," Kat said.

"But why?" Arne asked.

"Above all else, Trin is a friend, who just got herself entangled in Brian's net," Kat said.

"I think a date night is coming this week," Arne said.

"Are you asking me out, Mister Jared?" Kat asked.

"Yes, yes, I am, Ms. Hartmann," Arne said.

Kat nodded, "Good, but I get to pick what we do," she said.

"Okay," Arne said.

Kat studied Manhattan before they started to head south. Eventually, the Bronx will block out Manhattan. There's so much that is going on out there, she needed to take advantage of it all.

"I'm thinking maybe we should take in the culture here," Kat said.

"You should," Arne said.

"Just me?" Kat asked.

"I have band business to do," Arne said.

Kat nodded, typical. "Do we have any press to do?" she asked.

"I'm not one hundred percent sure, but if we do it's later in the week, I'll check," Arne said.

"What do the boys have planned?" Kat asked.

"I think the SOs will be flying in for a few days, part of the reason for the hotel near the airport," Arne said.

"Do you want to see a museum with me?" Kat asked.

"I'm not going to the Museum of Sex," Arne said.

"Prude, and I wasn't implying that," Kat said.

"Then where do you want to go?" Arne asked.

"I don't know somewhere to stimulate the creative juices, and expand our horizons," Kat said.

"Okay, but still no Museum of Sex," Arne said.

"No fun, Meine Liebe," Kat said.

"A man's got to know his limitations," Arne said.

Kat sighed, "A real bed, I can't wait," she said.

Arne nodded, "Me either," he said.

Dallas Barnes: one of the band members came into the lounge. He yawned and stretched.

"What's for breakfast?" Dallas asked, looked around, and saw Kat and Arne, "Did I interrupt?"

"No," Arne said.

"No, just discussing some things, we want to do while in New York," Kat said.

Dallas shrugged, "Okay, so back to the original question, what's for breakfast?" he said.

Kat and Arne laughed.