A New Life for Hope

The next thing I knew, I was sitting up against something hard and uncomfortable, while all the time I could feel a gentle motion, like waves.
As I became more alert, I could hear an engine working quietly, and so realised I must be in someone’s car.
By this time, I felt awake enough to open my eyes; revealing to me the opulent interior of a big SUV.
I looked to my left, at the thing I was leaning on, to find it was my bag, next to me on the seat. There was nothing else in the back seats, but as I looked through to the front, I saw Gerard.
‘So it wasn’t a dream’, I thought shakily to myself, trying to sort out some of my thoughts.
Gerard was concentrating hard on his driving and hadn’t noticed I had woken up, so we drove on like this for a time, while I watched the city lights go past - too nervous to make a noise.
Eventually, we came to a red light, where the traffic was banked up, and Gerard had to stop. This was when he noticed that I had recovered from my fainting fit.
Looking in the rear view mirror, he spoke; the sound materialising so suddenly in the quiet air that I jumped in my seat.
“You’re awake, then?” he didn’t wait for an answer, before continuing.
“I was worried about you, back there - you okay now?”
I was numbed by adrenaline and just a little, fear; and answered without even thinking.
“Yeah, I’m fine. It was just a bit of a… a surprise.”
This night had been weird, but I didn’t seem to have a choice; I was just hanging on for the ride.
I had a look around me - now the city had changed, to larger open spaces, with expensive mansions hidden behind luxuriant hedges.
“Um, where are we going?” I asked - he might be famous, but I was still in a stranger’s vehicle, in a place I didn’t know.
Plus, I was remembering now that this was the same guy I had already talked to on the phone three times.
“I’m taking you back to my pl- home, now... uh, are you sure you’re okay? You look a bit pale.”
Despite my jetlag, I had to laugh as I answered.
“Its makeup - you know, sort of like you wear on stage?”
“Oh…”
We drove on through the night, sitting in silence until my edginess got the better of me.
“Um… Gerard, could you turn the music up, please?”
The radio had been on, but turned right down, all this time. Acquiescing, Gerard leaned over and turned up the volume; on one of my favourite songs.
I started to sing along, not caring if I surprised Gerard - hey, if I was going to stick around he’d better get used to it. Not to mention my sense and reason were fading as I grew sleepier.
“She puts her makeup up on like graffiti on the walls of the heartland…She’s got her little book of conspiracies right in her hand…She is paranoid - endangered species headed into extinction; she is one of a kind, yeah, she’s the last of the American girls…”
Gerard turned the music down a little as he glanced around at me.
“You know, you’re probably going to be hearing a lot more of that soon.”
“What do you mean?” I asked, interested.
“Well, if you know who I am, you might have heard something about us going on tour with Greenday, right?”
“Yeah… next year, isn’t it?”
A wry smile was all that prepared me for life in the fast lane.
“Yep. And, well, we can’t exactly go off on a tour without practising together first. Right now, our guys are off with Billie and them practising riffs-“
“-in other words they’re probably at a bar somewhere.” He added sardonically.
I gasped, the reality of the unreal situation that I was in, finally starting to sink in.
“Wow… so will I be able to meet them?!”
Gerard slowed the car, and turned a little to look back at me.
“Hope - something I didn’t tell you yet-”
I was starting to get worried, now.
“-but, you’ll have to come on tour with us.”
My shocked face must have shown, for he hurried to explain, in between watching the darkened road.
“I mean, we might be able to find some way for you to stay in one place, but... you see, I thought you might want to come with us. You know, get to know the band and stuff... “ Gerard’s voice faded off into nothing, as he bit his lip and watched the road.
Through all this, I had been silent; all of this information was amazing - who knew my life could be changed so suddenly?
I knew exactly what I wanted to do, though, and once Gerard had finished his apologetic spiel, I piped up.
“Of course I want to come! I’ve just found my freaking dad after seventeen years; I’m not gonna let you go for, like, a year without being there with you!”
Gerard slowed down to pull in a driveway - he was quiet now, but I could have sworn that, at that moment, I saw a single tear in his eye as he turned his head away.
“Thanks, Hope... “ He smiled.
“…and, here, is home sweet home.”