Drunk in Paris

Merv looked like a toad. If there were a human equivalent to a toad Merv would be it. He was round, his hair was slowly balding and he always wore a brown suite. Dear sweet Merv, he wouldn’t hurt a fly, but he didn’t know that he was slowly killing off my heart.
I sat on the bed painting my toenails a bright crimson. Merv watched me, his eyes taking in each stroke of the brush with a fascination. Merv liked feet and to further my point, toads had mighty big feet, so you could assume that this toad’s fetish were my red toenails.
I smirked as he coughed loudly and began typing on his laptop again.
“I’m going home tomorrow Merv darling.”
I sighed, I turned to glance at the clock, it was half twelve in the afternoon.
“Okay, well your ticket is an open return so that’s fine.”
“Merv you’re a sweetie.”
I stood up and began to brush my hair, the hot summer sun was striking through the satin curtains of the French Suite. The air drafted in a fresh cut flower smell from the florist on teh street below the room. I inhaled deeply and wrapped my dressing gown tighter around my body, making for the balcony.
The busy street below was filled with specs of tiny people hurrying around their day to day lives. I looked left, staring down the street where Billie had phoned me the previous night. I smiled to myself, surprising for my part that just the man’s memory made me exultant. But I couldn’t have him, no matter how much I wanted him.
“AVA! YOU’RE CELL IS RINGING!”
I jumped at Merv’s voice and I sprinted to my purse, Billie Joe flashed across the screen and I glanced at Merv whose computer occupied his full attention.
I walked back out on the balcony, staring at the phone like it was a flashing bomb, I couldn’t quite believe he had rung me again.
I so much wanted to hear his voice, but I couldn’t could I?
He was such a darling, I couldn’t…
“Hello?”
“Bonjour.”
His voice flooded my every sense,
“Bonjour Monsieur Vous sont comment cher?”
“Ah, qui, qui…” The phone went silent and I giggled as I heard him whisper,
“Tre…pass the book…pass the…ow…fuck…you tit…”
There was a cough and I giggled harder.
“Aimeriez-vous sortir avec moi ce soir ?”
“Ah, bien Moniseur, J'aurai à demander mon patron.”
There was a silence, “...So what does that mean Ava?”
I giggled, “I’ll have to ask my boss if I can meet you tonight, can I get back to you?”
“Yeah, but you gotta let me know soon, you’ll come and see the show tonight at The Zenith?”
I cringed, “The show? I would love too but…”
“You have to, I’m having none of it, you have to come.”
I giggled again, “I will try I promise.”
“Promise?”
“Promise.” I smiled, “Now I have to go or my boss won’t let me go anywhere.”
“Okay, okay, bye.”
“Bye.”

“Won’t let you go where?”
I turned to see Merv standing behind me, my heart dropped to my freshly painted toenails.
“Someone I know is playing a show tonight and they asked me to go.”
Merv looked at me with a small frown, “Oh right, where?”
“The Zenith.”
“Sounds nice, we’ll go.”
My heart sank, “No Merv, they only have one ticket, just, just me.”
Merv turned around, “You had last night off though, and plus your out here for me and I want you tonight.”
My shoulders fell.
I wasn’t going anywhere.
Merv skunked off to the bathroom and I collapsed on the bed in frustration. I flipped open my cell and text Billie. I shouldn’t be doing this, I should just let him go, let him go easily, it was a nice little fling in Paris and yes the short time I was with him I adored every second. But I couldn't drag him into my life...oh god the more I thought of his eyes and the way he kissed me with such tenderness made my heart flutter with doubt. My fingers rested over the buttons on my cell, I bit my lip and before I knew it, I had typed a new message…
“I can’t go anywhere, but I have a plan…”

Six hours later on the busy streets of Paris…

My heart thundered against my chest as I arrived at my hotel reception. Like I had presumed Merv had gone out like a light, it was what whiskey did to him. Give him four shots of it on ice and send him into a comatose drunken sleep for at least a good twelve hours. I hurtled into the lobby, the receptionist looking at me like I was a serious threat as I landed on the desk and tried to desperately regain my breath,
“Is…there…something…here…for…Ava…Crawford?” I panted staring at this woman like she held the key to my soul.
“Let me check.” She frowned and turned her back to me, flicking through various separators in a draw. My foot tapped against the marble impatiently, my heel uttering a terrible clacking sound as I waited for her to leisurely thumb through each person’s mail.
“Ah, yes, here you go.” She handed me the envelope and I snatched it from her with a thank you.
I plunged my fingers inside to pull out a plastic piece of card attached to a long black string. The card was black with a red heart on the front,
GREEN DAY VIP
THE ZENITH
ACCESS ALL AREAS
Underneath in scribbled handwriting it read Ava Crawford.
I beamed; quite astounded that he had actually left this for me like I asked him to, I glanced over the pass again and suddenly sprung to life, looking at this thing would not get me any closer to Billie Joe.
I hurtled out of the lobby again and onto the street outside,
“TAXI!” I yelled waving my hand frantically at the green car that was trundling down the street.

Oh how very, very surreal. The Zenith was huge, I couldn’t quite believe that Billie Joe was playing here. The cab could go no further down the closed street so I hopped out and just stood looking at the towering circular building for a few seconds. I didn’t know where to go at all. Panic set through me and I darted my head around to try and find some sort of answer.
Three teenagers hurriedly ran past me, all supporting black shirts with Green Day written on the back, I picked up my feet and hurried after them.
“Hey, woah, wait!”
They all turned and looked at me confused; stopping like they wanted to do nothing more but continue their sprint to the building.
I swallowed, “Hey, err…”
Shit, Ava you’re in France now, remember to speak French. I swallowed, my mind clogging as the two boys and dark haired girl frowned at me.
“Yes?” One of them asked in French.
“How do you get in?” I asked.
The boys sniggered to my left and I shrugged, “I know I must seem utterly ridiculous but…”
“Are you standing or sitting?” The girl shot at me quite crossly.
I froze, I had no idea,
“Can we walk and talk? I mean we are a little late, Green Day will be on really soon.” The smaller boy with the spots spat at me. I nodded and followed the trio, helpless through complete lack of knowledge.
They led me around the building and to a door where there was a small queue of late comers standing in a huddled line.
We joined the back and the girl turned to me, “Let’s see if you are sitting or standing then.”
I pulled out the plastic card carefully and she gasped. I frowned and looked down at the card as she prodded the two boys in excitement. She began to utter French words that I couldn’t trace and I suddenly felt utterly foolish.
“You, you go in the other way.” The small boy with the spots gasped
“That’s backstage, I’d sell my soul for that.” The girl whispered not removing her eyes from the ticket like it was the biggest diamond jewel in the world.
“So where do I go?” I asked quite amused at their reaction.
“Round there, straight down that road and you’ll see a car park with buses and stuff, there may be people still waiting there, you just go through there…”
The taller boy pointed the direction, his eyes not leaving the plastic card in my palm.
I smiled and turned to leave before the girl grabbed me, “Oh, miss, put that around your neck and keep it hidden; the people at the gate will pull your hair out for that.”
I chuckled and did as I was told.
“Wow.” The spotty boy gasped as I looked up grinning.
“Thanks for all your help.” I waved, heading off down the road.
“Your welcome!” They yelled back in unison watching me stride down the path like I had a ticket to heaven.

I chuckled feeling rather overwhelmed at all the men I was now walking past with huge posters of Billie, Mike and Tre’s faces plastered over them. I seriously didn’t realise how big these guys were. I suddenly felt very ignorant and naïve.
I spotted the ‘gate’ that the three French kids had told me about, there were far more black hooded teenagers out here waiting. The gate was closed with a guard standing behind the bars and talking away to the kids in rapid French. Oh Shit, how the hell was I going to get around this one?
I walked forwards to the gate and the bouncer turned to me, I must have looked so out of place at this thing, everyone else had jeans on and Green Day shirts, while I was here in my little blue dress and high heels.
“Can I help you?” He asked quite snottily in French.
I nodded nervously, taking out my plastic pass and showing it to him. His eyebrows suddenly raised and he smiled warmly at me, carefully opening the gate and letting me slink in to the protests of many gabbling French teenagers. I cringed and continued to walk across the car park feeling the burning stares from all the French kids stuck behind the gate.
I felt pretty bad, I mean, these kids were obvious fans and two days ago if you would have mentioned Green Day to me I would have stared blankly at you. Here I was, waltzing through the arena with no knowledge of any songs…
“Ava!”
I turned to see Dan running over to me with a grin on his face.
“Hi!” I smiled, fully relieved I had bumped into someone I recognised.
“I’ve been keeping my eye out for you all night, get past the gate okay?”
I nodded and followed him through a small door with two beefy guards either side.
The taller one nodded at my pass and I scurried after Dan like a lost child.
“What do I do now Dan? I mean I have never been to anything like this before.”
Dan chuckled and turned to me, “It’s okay Ava, just hang out with me, just kick back…well, sit back and watch the show its fun I promise.”
I nodded and continued to follow him along the busy corridor,
“That’s Sam, Oh and there’s Jay, and that guy over there is Chris, he’s the front man in the support band The Living End.”
I nodded and smiled as I passed the blonde man who towered over me.
“And through here…” Dan began leading me through another dingy corridor, “…is Green Day’s dressing room.”
The door opened to reveal a huge room with mirrors on the far wall and cream couches in the middle.
“They are all probably warming up; they’ll be on in a few minutes.”
I nodded, sitting down opposite Dan and taking in the remains of beer cans and candy wrappers. A much thumbed copy of an English/French dictionary sat on the arm of the far couch and I grinned.
“I feel really stupid you know Dan, I didn’t realise how big they were…”
Dan chuckled, “I know, it’s mad, they’re huge right now, no one thought they could top American Idiot but they did.”
I nodded, not really understanding,
“That was their last album” Dan added helpfully reading my face. “Have you been living in a hole for a few years or what?”
I chuckled, “No, I’ve lived in London the whole of my life, but I work a lot over here, I’m in Paris quite a bit. I never really could keep up with all the new trends and stuff, so I stuck with what I liked and it kinda worked for me.”
Dan nodded, “So what do you do?”
I swallowed, this question, asked by anybody made my mouth run dry, now which excuse should I use today?
“I’m a therapist, I have a client who has a business in Paris and London, and so that’s why I’m here.”
“Oh so like they kinda off load all their problems on to you?”
I cringed, “You could say that, yeah.”
At that exact moment a guy burst through the door of the room, “Hey Dan you do know that The Ramones has started playing don’t you?”
I tilted my head at the guy opposite me as he stood up, “I’ve heard of them, aren’t they dead?”
Dan chuckled, “Yeah…coming Mark…come on Ava…no, err, the guys use it as their intro with 2001 Space Odyssey.”
I laughed, “Now THAT’S a film” I chuckled following Dan down another corridor and suddenly feeling a pounding sensation in my chest, and it wasn’t just the boom of the music.
I heard that theme very music start playing and a huge flash of light appeared as Dan motored me around to stand next to him by an amp. I caught sight of the crowd and gasped, it was the biggest gathering of people I had ever seen.
“Wow.” I whispered, feeling Dan smirk at me.
My eyes were suddenly captivated however, by a black haired man running on the stage with a blue guitar…