The Biggest Fan
The Phone Call.
”What date is it?”, I suddenly asked Bert, anxiously trying to remember.
“The 30th. Why do you ask?”
“The 30th… The 30th of June! It’s been a year!”, I burst out excited.
“One year since what?”, he asked, slightly confused.
“One year since I saw My Chemical Romance live!”, I dared to say due to the fact that I knew The Used and My Chemical Romance had straightened things out. I’d read that somewhere in a magazine where Bert was interviewed, telling that him and Gerard Way, the vocalist in My Chem, were friends again after their so-called feud back in 2005.
“Oh…”, Bert said while lightening a cigarette.
“Yeah, they were my favorite band before I started listening to you guys”, I explained, inhaling his smoke that was filling the air between us.
“I could call him if you’d like. I mean, just to say hi or somethin´?”
“Would you seriously do that?!”
I couldn’t hide the excitement in my voice.
“Sure. I think it’s almost 7 pm back at where he is right now, so I guess it’s okay to give him a call”, Bert said while going through his cell phone, finding the right number to Gerard.
I stood there, anxiously waiting, watching him as he pressed “call” and held his phone close to his ear.
As he said hello, he stumped his cigarette and raised his voice.
“Hey, Gee. It’s me, Bert. How’s everythin´ goin´?”, he said with his Utah accent.
I couldn’t hear what Gerard replied, but according to what Bert said, I assumed he was doing fine.
“Listen…”, Bert continued on the phone.
“I’ve got this really awesome chick standing right next to me called Lina. You see, she’s on tour with us right now and she told me she saw you guys for exactly one year ago on this very day. Wait. I’ll let you talk to her”.
As Bert gave me his cell phone, my heart started pounding even faster than it already was and I was shivering like hell.
“Hello?”, I said, almost dropping dead due to the fact that my voice was about to crack.
“Hey!”, Gerard replied in his gentle and calm voice which I knew all too well. “Are you Lina?”
“Yes…”
“I heard Bert there telling me about you seeing our show last year. Is that correct?”
“Yes, you were amazing! I stood in line for almost 9 hours waiting for you guys. It was really something special since it was your first visit in Norway!”
I was surprised. My voice wasn’t at all squeaky anymore and not about to break. Actually, it was almost normal.
“Fuck, that’s impressive!”, Gerard said, followed by a pause.
“I guess you got in front then, too?”
“Yeah”, I answered. “At the very front in the middle. I was the one throwing up the tee-shirt whish you took”.
“Oh, yeah! I remember that! The one with the Norwegian flag painted on it, right?”
“Yes, that was me. I can’t believe you remembered”, I replied, feeling my cheeks getting warm.
“I also saw you guys on your 30th birthday on the 9th of April in Malmö, Sweden, the same year. Me and a couple of friends travelled for 12 hours to see you guys for the first time”
Gerard was laughing now, which made me smile even more.
“Wow, so you’re what they call a hardcore fan, then! I’d have to say, I’m impressed!”
“Your music’s made such an impact on me. I’d just like tot hank you for that, all of you. Would you say hi to Frank, Mikey, Ray and Bob for me?”
It wasn’t until then I realized that I was just babbling away, randomly spilling out my thoughts, but at the same time, it felt so good telling Gerard that,
“Sure I will!”, he responded, again in his gentle and calm voice which I’d learn to love.
It became quiet and at that point, I didn’t know what to say.
“Oh, say hi to Lindsey, your wife, for me, okay?!”, I then added, feeling slightly rude for even saying that.
“Of course. I’ll tell her you’re My Chem’s biggest hardcore fan. She’s making dinner right as we speak. It’s my favorite”.
“Chickpea curry?”, I said, almost automatically.
“Yeah! How’d you know?!”, Gerard asked surprised.
“I’m a fan”, I responded. “Fans should know that kind of things”.
“Ahh, you’re right. Well, I have to go now. Lindsey’s telling dinner’s ready”.
“Oh..” I couldn’t hide the disappointment in my voice.
“But it was very nice talking to you, Lina!”
“Yes, you too, Gerard. Come back to Norway soon again, okay?”
“If I get it my way, we’ll come back”, he replied.
I could almost see him smiling as he said that.
“Say hi to Bert from me, okay?
“I will”, I answered, gazing over at Bert who was sitting on the king-size bed”.
“Bye, then. And keep the faith”, Gerard said in a voice so boy-ish that I had a hard time saying goodbye.
“Yes, you too. Bye”.
And the phone call was over. As I went over to Bert, I saw he was lying on the bed, looking up at the ceiling.
“Did you talk to Gee?”, he asked.
“Yeah. Thanks for letting me borrow your phone”.
“No problem. Everything for the best roadie in the world”, Bert said smiling.
“Ah, I better go take a shower and put on some fresh clothes, it’s almost 10 am”, I said before getting my red backpack and heading towards the bathroom.
“Yeah, me too”, he responded, muttering dismal, still lying on the bed.
As Bert said those words, it was something in his voice which I hadn’t heard before. It sounded dismal, like he was in pain.
I didn’t bother asking him if anything was wrong, I just looked at him while he was lying on the bed, staring into nothing as I headed into the bathroom.
As I was about to close the door behind me, I saw him turning over, away from me, before he buried himself in the covers. I heard whimpering as I closed the door.
“The 30th. Why do you ask?”
“The 30th… The 30th of June! It’s been a year!”, I burst out excited.
“One year since what?”, he asked, slightly confused.
“One year since I saw My Chemical Romance live!”, I dared to say due to the fact that I knew The Used and My Chemical Romance had straightened things out. I’d read that somewhere in a magazine where Bert was interviewed, telling that him and Gerard Way, the vocalist in My Chem, were friends again after their so-called feud back in 2005.
“Oh…”, Bert said while lightening a cigarette.
“Yeah, they were my favorite band before I started listening to you guys”, I explained, inhaling his smoke that was filling the air between us.
“I could call him if you’d like. I mean, just to say hi or somethin´?”
“Would you seriously do that?!”
I couldn’t hide the excitement in my voice.
“Sure. I think it’s almost 7 pm back at where he is right now, so I guess it’s okay to give him a call”, Bert said while going through his cell phone, finding the right number to Gerard.
I stood there, anxiously waiting, watching him as he pressed “call” and held his phone close to his ear.
As he said hello, he stumped his cigarette and raised his voice.
“Hey, Gee. It’s me, Bert. How’s everythin´ goin´?”, he said with his Utah accent.
I couldn’t hear what Gerard replied, but according to what Bert said, I assumed he was doing fine.
“Listen…”, Bert continued on the phone.
“I’ve got this really awesome chick standing right next to me called Lina. You see, she’s on tour with us right now and she told me she saw you guys for exactly one year ago on this very day. Wait. I’ll let you talk to her”.
As Bert gave me his cell phone, my heart started pounding even faster than it already was and I was shivering like hell.
“Hello?”, I said, almost dropping dead due to the fact that my voice was about to crack.
“Hey!”, Gerard replied in his gentle and calm voice which I knew all too well. “Are you Lina?”
“Yes…”
“I heard Bert there telling me about you seeing our show last year. Is that correct?”
“Yes, you were amazing! I stood in line for almost 9 hours waiting for you guys. It was really something special since it was your first visit in Norway!”
I was surprised. My voice wasn’t at all squeaky anymore and not about to break. Actually, it was almost normal.
“Fuck, that’s impressive!”, Gerard said, followed by a pause.
“I guess you got in front then, too?”
“Yeah”, I answered. “At the very front in the middle. I was the one throwing up the tee-shirt whish you took”.
“Oh, yeah! I remember that! The one with the Norwegian flag painted on it, right?”
“Yes, that was me. I can’t believe you remembered”, I replied, feeling my cheeks getting warm.
“I also saw you guys on your 30th birthday on the 9th of April in Malmö, Sweden, the same year. Me and a couple of friends travelled for 12 hours to see you guys for the first time”
Gerard was laughing now, which made me smile even more.
“Wow, so you’re what they call a hardcore fan, then! I’d have to say, I’m impressed!”
“Your music’s made such an impact on me. I’d just like tot hank you for that, all of you. Would you say hi to Frank, Mikey, Ray and Bob for me?”
It wasn’t until then I realized that I was just babbling away, randomly spilling out my thoughts, but at the same time, it felt so good telling Gerard that,
“Sure I will!”, he responded, again in his gentle and calm voice which I’d learn to love.
It became quiet and at that point, I didn’t know what to say.
“Oh, say hi to Lindsey, your wife, for me, okay?!”, I then added, feeling slightly rude for even saying that.
“Of course. I’ll tell her you’re My Chem’s biggest hardcore fan. She’s making dinner right as we speak. It’s my favorite”.
“Chickpea curry?”, I said, almost automatically.
“Yeah! How’d you know?!”, Gerard asked surprised.
“I’m a fan”, I responded. “Fans should know that kind of things”.
“Ahh, you’re right. Well, I have to go now. Lindsey’s telling dinner’s ready”.
“Oh..” I couldn’t hide the disappointment in my voice.
“But it was very nice talking to you, Lina!”
“Yes, you too, Gerard. Come back to Norway soon again, okay?”
“If I get it my way, we’ll come back”, he replied.
I could almost see him smiling as he said that.
“Say hi to Bert from me, okay?
“I will”, I answered, gazing over at Bert who was sitting on the king-size bed”.
“Bye, then. And keep the faith”, Gerard said in a voice so boy-ish that I had a hard time saying goodbye.
“Yes, you too. Bye”.
And the phone call was over. As I went over to Bert, I saw he was lying on the bed, looking up at the ceiling.
“Did you talk to Gee?”, he asked.
“Yeah. Thanks for letting me borrow your phone”.
“No problem. Everything for the best roadie in the world”, Bert said smiling.
“Ah, I better go take a shower and put on some fresh clothes, it’s almost 10 am”, I said before getting my red backpack and heading towards the bathroom.
“Yeah, me too”, he responded, muttering dismal, still lying on the bed.
As Bert said those words, it was something in his voice which I hadn’t heard before. It sounded dismal, like he was in pain.
I didn’t bother asking him if anything was wrong, I just looked at him while he was lying on the bed, staring into nothing as I headed into the bathroom.
As I was about to close the door behind me, I saw him turning over, away from me, before he buried himself in the covers. I heard whimpering as I closed the door.
♠ ♠ ♠
so, yeah; i decided to bring in a little my chemical romance feature into this update.it just felt right. (:
and also, comments are always welcome. : D
xo,
lina.