Here, Here, and Here

“I thought I sent you out to pick someone up” Jost said as he saw me walk back through the room door.

“You did” Tom answered for me, “but she had a panic attack.”

“Why’d she have one of those?” Jost asked unknowingly.

“Oh no” Bill says concerned, “There is only one thing on earth that could give her a panic attack.” He looked at Tom to confirm it.

“Yep” Tom said.

“You didn’t give her a car for a rental did you?” Georg asks.

“Yeah, it was a Nissan Maximum” Jost answered.

“That would do it” Gustav says and he pulls me down on the couch next to him so he can see if I’m okay.

“Why? What’s wrong with a car?” Jost asks confused.

“Uhhhh” Georg starts, “It’s hard to explain.”

They look at me as if asking permission to tell the whole story. I nod my head yes and lean back on the couch. As I hear Gustav take a breath, getting ready to speak, I close my eyes and lay my head back towards the ceiling.

“Her mom died in a car accident” Gustav started to explain.

“And Eibhlin was in the car with her” Bill continued for him.

“The other vehicle was a truck and their vehicle was a small four door car” Georg added.

“The truck destroyed Eibhlin’s car” Tom finished, “And ever sense then she refuses to get into a car. If it’s smaller than an SUV or truck she starts to have a panic attack.”

“I’m sorry” I say to Jost as they finish.

“No, I’m sor” he starts to but Bill cuts him off with this weird choking noise. I look at him and he is making slicing signs across his neck and waving his hands back and forth.

“What?” Jost asks confused again.

Bill gets up and whispers something in his ear. A look of understanding comes over his face.

I roll my eyes, knowing just what Bill had told Jost, “What would I do without you three to explain all my little quirks?”

“Lose your job” Georg suggests, relaxing a bit after they were all so tense.

“I still need to pick up that person for you” I say.

“You can take the Escalade Tom rented” Bill gave an answer to our problem. He looked at Tom, daring him to say no or even hesitate. As soon as he made eye contact with Bill he nodded.

“Well now that that’s settled I’m going to go pick this person up and bring her to the venue” I say getting up and grabbing Caoimhe by the hand.

*****

I pull up to the place and I finally know what that bunch of Russian meant. It had an English translation underneath and it read “Peace Café”. Caoimhe and I got out of the car and walked in.

There was only two other people in the café and sense one of them was an old man I opted for the young girl in the corner. I walked over to her and she kept her eyes on her magazine.

“Reaghan Harper?” I asked to make sure it was her.

“Hmm?” she responded without looking up.

“I’m Ava Kristia” only the guys and Jessica call me by my real name, “and I’m with Tokio Hotel.”

At this her head snaps up and she starts babbling, “I thought you weren’t going to come. I thought you had changed your minds. I thought it was a sick joke. I thought . . . I don’t know what I thought next.”

“No, we didn’t change our minds and no it wasn’t a sick joke. I was just late because of some car trouble” it wasn’t a complete lie, “but because I’m late we have to go now because the guys have some interviews at the venue and then sound checks and finally the show so we have to go.”

We got in the Escalade and I was about to ask her a question but she interrupted me, “If you don’t mind could you speak in English?”

“How’d you know I speak English?” I say in English.

“My mom was American born and raised and so are my cousins. I can catch an American accent, even under fluent German, pretty fast.”

“So, I not as good with accents, where are you from?” I ask trying to make conversation.

“England, but I spent every summer in America with my grandma.”

We were at a stop light and I took the time to finally get a good look at her. She had a short modern bob with purple and pink and teal streaks in the front while in the back it was blonde with black mixed in. I thought it looked really hot and cool. She had on no eyeliner with black mascara. She had pink eye shadow on her eyes. She had a lip ring and single holes in her ears with only one cartilage piercing.

“So who are you again?” she asked as I started driving again.

“My names Ava, I’m the assistant manager of the band.”

“Oh, that Ava!” she exclaims finally understanding who I was, “So this must be Caoimhe.” She turned around to wave to Keevie and Keevie waves back.

“That makes me not only your assistant, but also your nanny. I hope you don’t have an issue with my look” she said nervously.

“Don’t worry” I say and then add under my breath, “You haven’t met her father let alone her uncle.”

She smiled and turned her eyes away trying not to laugh. I think she heard me.