Chapter Thirteen
Footprints in the Sand
A roadie handed me a microphone as he scooted by the backstage area, heading for the curtains. I took a deep breath, looking at the ramp. When my timer on the floor rang out, it was my cue to run up and make my presence known on stage. I knew I should have felt nervous but I didn't. I couldn't stop smiling, thinking about the little callback Tommy had given me to when we were kids. I knew it was foolish but I couldn't help but think that he did it for a special reason. Maybe it was to wish me luck but I knew deep down I hoped it was for a deeper reason. It was making the rational side of me trying it's best to not dive nose deep into those feelings for Tommy teeter really close to the ledge. I gripped the microphone, trying to focus on the task at hand. I could think about Tommy after the show. Right now, I needed to prove to the label and to everyone out there that I was worth selling tickets for.
On the floor, the timer counted down to the last fifteen seconds. On stage, I could hear the band fine tuning their instruments. The drummer started to slowly hit the bass, building up excitement that was back building in the arena. I jogged in place, rolling my shoulders and my neck. This was the biggest moment of my career so far and Tommy was here to see it. That thought alone made my heart want to soar right out of my chest with pride. The counter hit zero and I saw that all the lights on the stage went out. That was my cue. I ran up the ramp, using the lights on either side of it that gave enough illumination so I wouldn't trip on anything to guide me. I stopped at the top where my position was. I planted my feet, taking another slow but deep breath. There were cheers coming from the sea of people I couldn't see yet, the darkness covering them too.
Suddenly, a spotlight hit me and the band burst into the first song of the set. I smiled, hearing the crowd erupt in thunderous cheers as I skipped my way down the ramp towards the middle of the stage. "How yall doing, Pasadena?" I said into the microphone, receiving a cheer back. "LEt's do this!"
"You're sounding good, Kim." Gus said into the ear piece in my ear. The band continued to play the beginning of our first song as I skipped to the center of the stage.
"Well, the sun's goin' down, it's that time of year, grab your friends and let's all cheer. We're gonna have a blast, nothin' but delight. In these summer nights, under starry lights." I sang, dancing with the beat as we went into the chorus. "Yeah, it's a summer night, feel the breeze in my hair. Singing songs with my friends, not a single care. We're dancin' in the moonlight, oh, what a sight. This cheerful country song about summer nights." The crowd sang along, their energy filling the pit of me with every word they belted out with me. "We got a bonfire burnin' bright, flames reachin' high. Guitars strummin', voices harmonize. We'll laugh and tell stories, memories we'll make. In these summer nights, there's nothin' at stake."
"Kim, walk to the right of the stage." Gus prompted in my ear. I did as he asked, signing the chorus again. "You're sounding good. Head to the left."
"From the small-town back roads to the city streets. Summer nights bring us all together, no defeat. We're raising our glasses, toastin' to the fun. On these summer nights, the good times have just begun. Yeah, it's a summer night, feel the breeze in my hair. Singing songs with my friends, not a single care. We're dancin' in the moonlight, oh, what a sight. This cheerful country song about summer nights." I sang, heading to the left side of the stage now. Bending down, I reached out to the people in the front row and gave them high fives.
"I adjusted the reverb. You should be better now." Gus said in my ear. I stood up straight, heading to the middle of the stage.
"So let's keep on singin', with hearts so light. In these summer nights, everything feels right. We'll cherish these moments, hold 'em tight. In this cheerful country song about summer nights." I sang, the outro carrying out the end of the song. When it ended, the crowd cheered loudly again. "Do yall hear yourselves tonight? You're on fire! No one ever believes me when I saw that country's biggest fans are right here in sunny California." I spoke, walking over to the mic stand in the middle of the front of the stage. Tristan was to my right, his guitar in hand as he geared up for the next song. Just passed him, I saw the VIP seating area. Tommy, Billy, Xander and Ethan were sitting with Shayna, clapping as well. Tommy gave me a smile when he saw I was looking. I returned it, willing myself to turn back to the concert.
I sang through the first half of the concert, feeding off the energy the crowd was giving off. It was electric, making my skin feel like it was charged at the touch. It seemed like everyone was having a good time, the security not having to break up any fights that I had seen. Sometimes the crowds can be rowdy given the amount of alcohol sold at these shows but tonight didn't seem to be that case. The first half of the show went off without an issue, leaving me surprised that it had gone so quickly when I was signaled I could get a break. I finished the song I was on and skipped off the stage to where the water table was. I grabbed the bottle of water and shed my jean jacket, hanging it on the hooks on the right side of the table.
"They are setting you up for your acoustic set." Gus said. "They are ready when you are."
"Thanks, Gus." I said, pushing the button on the pack on my hip so I could answer. I chugged half the water bottle, wiping my mouth before heading back out onto the stage. There were two stools set up in the middle now and I could see that Tristan was getting set up so he could sit on one. As I walked towards him, I could see Ethan in his seat. I was expecting him to look happy but for a brief moment, I saw that he looked distant and upset. I frowned, wondering what was going didn't seem to notice though, his back slightly to him.
"You ready?" Tristan asked as I stopped next to the stools.
"I think I want someone else to play guitar on this one." I said, glancing at him. He looked at me, confused.
"What do you mean? I'm the only guitarist." He replied.
"Just trust me on this, okay?" I asked, giving him a pleading look. "Just be on standby for me."
"Okay." He said, sounding annoyed. Reaching over, I grabbed the microphone.
"Hey guys. I hope you're having as much fun as I am tonight. I actually have a favor to ask of all of you." I started to slowly walk to the right side of the stage. "I brought a few friends with me tonight. One of them is celebrating a birthday. Spotlight guy, can you follow me for a second?" I kept walking, stepping off the stage and heading to the VIP section. Ethan perked up, looking shocked as I approached them. "Now, Ethan is a little shy but he is turning 16 this weekend. Everyone, I'd love for you all to say hello to my good friend, Ethan." I said, stopping at the gate in front of their seats. Ethan stood up, his ears a deep red. The crowd did a group 'hello' all together. "Say hello, Ethan." I said, holding the mic towards him.
"Uh…hi." He said into it.
"Now, it's not every day we turn 16! I still remember by 16th birthday. Around here, we take birthdays very seriously so if you guys could all join me in singing happy birthday to Ethan, I'd appreciate it." I said, smirking at him. "Ready? Happy birthday to you…happy birthday to you.." The crowd sang along with me as I did, Ethan looking like he wanted to crawl under his chair and disappear. When we finished, the crowd clapped. "Y'all are too good." I laughed. "But I actually need another favor now. I need yall to make some noise as Ethan joins me on stage to help me with my next song." The crowd cheered as Ethan looked at me in surprise.
"What?" He asked, leaning forward. "I can't go up there."
"Sure, you can." I replied where the mic couldn't hear me. "Do you know how to play my songs on guitar?"
"Well, yeah. For the most part." He replied.
"Then you are good to go. C'mon. Let's not let them down." I said, giving him a reassuring smile. He hesitated for a minute, looking at the crowd. Then, he took a deep breath and climbed over the railing. The crowd cheered again and we walked back towards the stools.
"Which song?" He asked.
"Footprints in the Sand." I answered. "Just follow my tempo and I'll signal you if we need to go faster. If you need help, just let me know. Tristan will come to the rescue. But I'll be right here next to you." Tristan helped Ethan get set up in the chair, handing him the acoustic guitar once he was seated. Ethan looked nervous as I put the mic back in the stand. I nodded towards Ethan, signaling him to start. He fumbled for a second, trying to find the correct chords. He did though after a couple seconds, the song beginning to form. "I remember that small town, where we first met. A summer breeze in the air, our hearts were set. You were like sunshine, brightening up my days. Innocent and pure, love found its own ways." I sang, the slow beat fitting with the feeling of the song. "You were my first love, like a melody in my soul. Every touch, every smile, made me feel whole. We danced under starry skies, hand in hand. Forever etched in my heart, like footprints in the sand."
"Kid sounds good." Gus murmured in my ear.
"We shared secrets in whispers, dreams we held tight. Late-night conversations, under moonlit nights. Every stolen kiss felt like heaven's embrace. In that tender moment, time would slow its pace." I said, going into the chorus again. The notes swelled as the bridge came. "Life took us on different roads, far apart. But the memories of our love, they'll never depart. I hope you found happiness, as I did too. But a piece of my heart will always belong to you." To my surprise, Ethan actually sang along with the chorus with me, our voices mixing together as he did. He had quite the voice, something that would work well for him once he was old enough to be over puberty. "Though time may pass, the flame won't fade away. You'll always be my first love, in my heart you'll stay. Thankful for the moments we shared, the love we knew. My first love, forever I'll cherish you…" Ethan strummed slowly as the song came to an end. The crowd erupted into cheers and I clapped, holding my arm out towards Ethan to signal the applause was for him. Ethan smiled widely, looking over at me in disbelief that he had just done that.
"That was amazing." He said, pulling away from the mic.
"You up for one more?" I asked. He nodded. "Any requests?"
"Yeah. My Dreams is a good one." He stated. I nodded, leaning forward so I was in front of the mic again. "What do we think of my friend Ethan here?" I asked, the crowd cheering. "A lot of people don't know this about me but I grew up here in California in a small town not too far from here. I never dreamed that one day, I'd be up here on stage in front of all you. Back then, I'd write songs in my notebook when I should have been paying attention in math class. There's no math involved in this job for a reason." I laughed. "But after I landed in Nashville by chance and I started making music for a living, I kept coming back to my memories of living here and the people that I grew up with and loved. This next song was one I wrote during that time and if you know it, feel free to sing along." Ethan started to strum the chords to the next song, looking down at the guitar in his hands.
"On this old porch swing, under the moonlit sky, I close my eyes, memories begin to fly. I'm dreaming of a love from long ago, The one that got away, the first love I let go." My eyes shifted over and through the lights, I could see Tommy's face. He was leaning against the railing, his eyes on me. I took a deep breath, going into the chorus. "In my heart's reverie, I still see your face. We were young and wild, lost in love's embrace. Oh, how I wish I could turn back time, and relive those moments, when you were mine." I signaled for Ethan to take the next verse. Ethan leaned forward.
"We danced in fields of gold, beneath the stars. Two hearts entwined, no boundaries, no bars. But life took us on different roads, far apart. Yet I still dream of you, the keeper of my heart." He sang. We went through the chorus together, my body swaying with the music.
"Sometimes I wonder if you think of me too, if our love's ember still burns, as mine still do. But dreams are all I have, like whispers in the wind, I'll hold onto them tightly, where our love won't rescind." I sang, holding on to the note of the bridge for a moment. I pointed at the crowd, waving my other hand to get them to sing along for the last chorus. They did, the echoes of their voices singing together filling the arena around us. Ethan smiled at me, gazing out over the sea of people. I could tell he was feeling that enlightening feeling you always get when you first see a crowd's reaction to one of your songs. "In my heart's reverie, I still see your face. We were young and wild, lost in love's embrace. Oh, how I wish I could turn back time, and relive those moments, when you were mine." Ethan slowed for the outro. "Though time has passed, and we've both moved on, in my dreams, our love forever lives on. I'll keep dreaming of you, my lost first love. Until the day I find solace in the stars above."
The crowd erupted into loud applause and I stood, bringing Ethan with me. A roadie appeared, taking the guitar from him. I held his hand up, motioning for him to take a bow. He did, bening low. As he stood up, he waved to the audience. I stepped to the side, clapping with them as he beamed out at the crowd. I caught Tommy's eye again as he wiped at them with the back of his hand.
"Thank you." He mouthed to me as Billy snapped pictures next to him on a camera.
"You're welcome." I mouthed back. I grabbed the mic from its stand. "Give it up one more time for my friend and the birthday boy, Ethan!" I said. He turned, giving me a giant hug that surprised me.
"Thank you for this. My mom would have loved it." He said in my ear. It made the breath in me vanish as he squeezed me. I returned the hug, holding him close to me.
"She would be so proud of you right now." I replied, smiling at him as he pulled back. His eyes were misted over and I felt tears in mine. I realized at that moment that it wasn't just Tommy I had fallen in love with as I looked over at Xander who was jumping up and down, cheering on his brother. I had also fallen in love with these two boys who were handed the worst hand in the game of life. It didn't matter to me I had only known them for a couple days. I knew deep down that I was willing to risk my life for the two of them. I couldn't explain the feeling in my chest as I looked back at Ethan. I loved these kids like they were my own and for a second, I felt like the universe landed me back in Angel Grove just for this reason.