To Live and Let Go

I thumbed around to make the cigarette; I tried to make it perfect as the Plane shook my body silly. Of course I couldn’t smoke on the plane nor open the door so the draft would take away my smoke but at least I would be prepared for the next few hours. When I glanced over my shoulder at the window, I saw that the plane was descending closer towards the airport so I hurried my things back into their right places and put on my seat belt.

I clenched my eyes shut and thought about happier times. A hazy memory came to mind. It must have been my ninth birthday and everyone on the street had turned up to celebrate. It was so beautiful. I could still smell the blown out candles, the light smoky smell; the cheer of celebrating people behind me with the sound of Spaceman by Babylon Zoo in the background.

Minutes later and I was walking on safe grounds of the terminal and was making haste to catch a taxi as fast as I could and get to the venue in time. I felt like as if I were being weighed down by an elephant and I could hardly breathe through the heat my body created.

I got to the doors and ran through as they opened just as I approached them. Someone stepped in my path and sadly had to be holding a tray of coffee. I tried to stop myself and crashed into him, his drink spilling all over me. I stopped moving to gasp at how hot it was on my skin and began to flutter my top to cool it down.

“Look what you did, you bloody idiot!” snapped the business man.

He looked up at me and gave me a strange look, liked I’d just killed a puppy or something.

“Oh, don’t worry; I didn’t get any of it on you!” I snapped and hurried on, still fussing over the heat that pressed against my skin that had begun to inflame red.

I shouted for a taxi and didn’t have to wait long for one; I directed it towards the venue whilst I checked to make sure I still had everything that belonged to me. Whilst running a check list through my head, I leaned back against the soft seat and glanced up at the wind mirror. The taxi driver kept glancing back which I would have thought was normal but I swear his eyes were looking upon my bruised face.

Things felt no different from down south and there was still the tall towering skyscrapers, busy streets and that constant hungry feeling in the pit of my stomach every time we passed the a Subway. However, it seemed to excite me to try eating from a different subway in each city. I made it my challenge whilst on this tour.

Whilst long in the thought of having food, I didn’t notice that we were almost near the Venue. The man then waved his hand in front of my face and I blinked at him before passing him the money.

It sounds like an easy task to manage a rucksack, bag, and coat, and yet I found it a near impossible. I took them round back, showing my pass nearly over a thousand times and signed in nearly everywhere, I finally got into the back stage and found Vinny waiting for me.

His eyebrow rose and I narrowed my own.

“What?” I asked.

“What’s with the-” He pointed up and down my torso.

“Oh... long story. Can I go like get changed?”

“Well, yeah, not as if I’m gunna say no.” He laughed.

He pointed me in the direction of changing rooms and I picked the first door that I could see. There were lockers and a bath room but I was too desperate to get changed, I fished out a wide arm hole Motorhead tee and black jeans and started to strip down to my underwear. I picked up my jeans and slipped my feet into them.

And at this point someone threw the door open shouting ‘I’m just gunna take a piss! Give me five fucking seconds!’ I froze, unsure what to do and slowly looked up.

Of all people to see me getting change, it just had to be him.