Textbook Romance

"I think you should visit your parents tomorrow," Craig said as the two of us headed into the venue in Jersey the next afternoon.

I stared at him incredulously. "Why?"

Craig shrugged his shoulders. "Because they're your parents," he told me simply, "And they do care about you. If my girl were to grow up and stop speaking with me so she could run off with some crazy men, I'd probably go insane."

"Little girl?" I asked as I took the cigarette that Craig held out to me.

Craig nodded. "Didn't I tell you about Leila?"

I shook my head and handed him back his smoke after I took a drag. "You have a daughter?" I asked, "I didn't picture you as the 'daddy' type."

Craig smiled and shrugged his shoulders. "She's a great kid. She makes it easy being a dad." He tossed the cigarette butt to the ground and stepped on it. "She doesn't hold it against me when I'm out here doing shit like this."

"You miss her?" I asked, shoving my hands down into my pockets.

Craig nodded. "Like hell. I try to spend as much time with her when I'm in town, but her mom makes it kind of difficult. She holds this against me."

I nodded my head. "That's tough."

Craig shrugged his shoulders. "I can deal with her if it's for my daughter. She's worth everything." Craig looked around him. "She's is why I'm doing all this. Sure, I love the music and all, but I'm also setting up a good life for my girl."

I chuckled, causing Craig to glance to me.

"What?" he asked, "Did I say something stupid?"

I shook my head and smiled at him. "No," I told him, "I just never thought rock and roll could be responsible."

Craig chuckled to and shrugged his shoulders. "I guess I defy all the rules."

I nodded my head. "I guess you do."

Craig and I detoured off towards a tree so that we could sit under the shade. We didn't have to be into the venue for another half an hour or so. "She's going to fly out to visit sometime next week," Craig said as he leaned back against the trunk of the tree.

"Leila?" I asked.

Craig nodded. "Yeah. I haven't seen her in awhile."

"She's flying out alone?"

Craig shrugged his shoulders. "We usually have someone from the company meet her at the airport and then they fly here together and then she flies back and I keep Leila with me."

"That has to be a little freaky," I said, "For a little kid, I mean."

"She's five now," he said, "She's been doing this for awhile."

I nodded and rested my elbows on her knees. I couldn't imagine ever having a child and letting her fly across the country with a stranger, especially at such a young age. I couldn't help but wondered if that was how it was for all children born to famous musicians.

"I better get in there," I said as I climbed to my feet, looking down to Craig as he smoked another cigarette. "Tey had been letting me off easy."

Craig smiled and nodded his head. "He's like that," he chuckled, "Tey's too cool to make you do any work, if you don't want to."

I shrugged. "I want to," I replied, "He just makes it easy to bunk out early."

"I'll see you later," Craig said.

"Have a good show," I told him before I left him sitting under the tree in the summer heat. I flashed my tour ID at the guy who stood by the door, and he let me through to the backstage area.

I didn't know where Tey would be and I sighed when I realized I probably should've made the trip over to their bus to see what the plan was, but I shrugged that off when I found a few people already setting up tables.

"Hey Ginny," Ricky said when he saw me enter.

"Need some help?" I asked as I moved to help him flip the table the right way.

"Thanks," Ricky said with a smile. He stood in front of me. "Where's Tey?"

I shrugged my shoulders. "I'm not sure. I thought he'd be here already. He's usually already got the boxes in when I show up."

Ricky chuckled. "That's because you're a slacker."

"Why does everyone keep saying that?" I laughed, "I can work hard!"

Ricky shrugged his shoulders and winked at me. "But you don't."

I folded my arms. "Should I just quit then, Ricky?" I asked with a smile, "Turn in my ID and head home? Because tour is too much fun to do any work."

"That sucks for you, Hawthorne, because your 19 year old ass needs to start setting up these shirts for me."

"Hey Tey, where you been?" I asked with a cocky smile, "I've been here for hours."

Tey rolled his eyes at me and set the box down on the table. "Liar, you just walked in a couple minutes ago."

"And how do you know that?"

"Because I watched you walk across the parking lot from the van," he said with a grin on his face that knocked mine right off of my face.

I unfolded my arms and rolled my eyes playfully. "I'll get started."