Sydney didn't have much, but that was fine with her. She didn't need much. Growing up on the Washington coast in a lonely beach town, working quietly behind the scenes was what she was good at. Living on the beach was much less glamorous than most p...
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See how the moon is full. Follow the push and pull. Follow the ebb and flow in the breathing tide.
June, 1989
Customs thankfully didn't take long. They piled back into the bus and drove for about two more hours until they reached a small town just south of Venice. They were only two days from Rome, but Dino needed some sleep and the rest of them needed to find a laundromat, some real food and a pay phone to make a phone call or two. They rented out a day room at a local motel for Dino, and grabbed maps and other informational pamphlets from the front desk after agreeing on a time to return to the motel to continue on their journey South. First thing on their checklist was finding the nearest laundromat. While they were waiting, Hiro, Gunny and Sydney took off to find a pay phone. The others insisted that anyone they wanted to talk to back home wouldn't be awake, considering it was the middle of the night back in the Pacific Northwest. Sydney figured that Adam would be just getting in from work or at least still awake, which is why she wanted to call. The guys insisted she go first, so she inserted several lire that she had exchanged for at the border and dialed the number to her apartment. Adam answered on the second ring. "That was fast, doll." "I- what?" Sydney asked, confused. "Sydney?" "Well yeah. Who else would be calling in the middle of the night?" "I just assumed it was you. I'm glad to hear from you again so soon." "Oh. Well yeah, I've missed you. I told you I'd call every chance I could. I didn't wake you up did I?" "Nope. Just sitting here watching mindless late night tv and studying." "Well, you do graduate soon... I know they've been throwing tests at you like crazy. I hope you're at least getting better sleep than I am. Our bus driver is a little erratic... I fell right out of my bunk early this morning right before we crossed the Italian border." Adam laughed. "It's because you sleep on the edge of the bed. I still don't know why you do that." "I'm not sure either." She laughed as well. "I've been sleeping okay. I've just been lonely without you. Thinking about you halfway across the world and living in a bus with those guys still rubs me the wrong way." Adam grumbled. "Trust me... after five days with nothing but baby wipes and copious amounts of deodorant for hygiene would kill anyone's vibe. It gets pretty sweaty and smelly in the bus." "How glamorous." He replied sarcastically. She could hear the bitterness edging into his voice quickly, and struggled to turn things around. Turning up the sweetness in her voice she crooned, "Listen, I have a line behind me for the phone. I just wanted to catch you before you fell asleep and tell you how much I can't wait to be home. Love you." "I love you too doll." "Talk to you soon." She hung up, releasing a huge breath that had been trapped in her chest. Thankful that they hadn't fought this time, she turned around and let the others have their turn. They picked up some coffee and pastries from a cafe when they were finished, all trying but butchering the native language. When they did eventually return to the laundromat Sydney sat down on a bench next to Chris, offering him the coffee she'd brought him and one of the pastries they had bought for everyone. "Cappuccino and a cornetto." She explained, doing her best Italian accent. "I hear the pastry is good dipped in the coffee." They both popped the lids off of the to-go cups, dipping their sweet bread into the foamy liquid gold. "Mmm. It is good." He smiled down at her. "How's Adam?" "Good. Buried in exams." "Sounds about right." There was a pause as they both ate their breakfast. When the timer went off on her washer, she switched her clothes and then Chris asked her if she wanted to take a walk. They set off down the street with no goal in mind other than to stretch their legs. It was fun to observe the cultural differences in each country they visited. It was surreal to even be here... this truly was a dream job despite the cons that liked to frequently present themselves. Sydney used the silence as a way in to the talk she needed to have with Chris. "So... Mr. Tall, Dark and Troubled... you going to tell me what was bothering you after I was rudely awakened this morning?" "It's nothing Syd." Chris dismissed with a hollow laugh. "I told you not to bullshit me. If you don't want to talk about it, just say so." A few moments of silence passed until he finally cleared his throat. "It's stupid. I just get nervous before shows sometimes. I think it's worse here." "Why? You guys have been great." "I don't know." She raised an eyebrow up at him, and he cracked a smile. "Fine... I guess I just don't feel like I have any business here." "What do you mean?" "Do you remember the day we met?" He asked. "Vividly." She smiled. "You told me that the job interview had seemed like fate... but once you got there you felt like a goldfish dropped in the ocean." "I did feel like that. I still do, except that ocean has grown exponentially in size since then." "That's exactly how I feel right now. There's all these people in a corner of the world that I've never even been to before, and they are singing the lyrics to songs I wrote in my fucking bathroom. Why are they here? Why are they paying money to see it? How am I here, being paid to fucking sing?" "Because they like it when you sing, Christopher." He shook his head, not looking like he was feeling any better about the situation. Sydney thought for a moment, unable to bear the thought of any turmoil rolling through his beautiful brain. She knew all too well what that felt like... and she didn't want any part of that for him. They continued to walk in silence for awhile before Sydney remembered something else about that day. "So, on the day we met... do you remember me telling you I didn't belong there because I felt like a goldfish dropped in the ocean?" He gave her a sideways glance, the hint of a smile on his lips. "Yes." "Do you remember what you told me after I said that?" "I told you to make the stage your home." "Yep. You told me to make anyone else feel like a guest on their own stage. You already do that, effortlessly." He looked down at her again, his smile widening. She continued. "People pay to watch you sing because you own whatever stage you play on. Even if that stage is your bathroom. You consistently show them that they would have been stupid not to come and listen to you." He smiled from ear to ear, lowering his gaze to the ground. "Yeah, well maybe I was full of shit." He said. "Maybe. But your advice landed both of us here in... where the fuck even are we? Middle of Nowhere, Italy?" He laughed loudly, throwing his head back. "According to the map we're in Padua." "Fine. We are in Somewhere, Italy. We've already been in Somewhere Austria, Somewhere Germany, and Somewhere London. We've been to a lot of Somewheres in the states. If my calculations are correct, a decent amount of people just like the sound you make when you open your mouth. If you don't like it, we can all go home. You could make a living doing something else. There's no pressure, okay? Just keep doing what you've been doing... or stop, and do something different. It's your life, do whatever you want with it." Another moment of silence passed as Chris thought. "You would still love me if I flipped burgers at a McDonald's?" He asked. "Yep." She answered without hesitation. He was smiling goofily now, feeling uplifted by Sydney's encouragement. He was being paid to do what he loved to do... that in and of itself was remarkable. Not many humans got that opportunity. They got back to the laundromat just in time for their dryers to be done. "Here's your clothes Syd." Matt smiled at her, handing her the mesh bag that she used for laundry. "Thanks Matt." She smiled back up at him curiously, and they all made their way back a few blocks to the bus. Everyone went their separate ways after that, waiting patiently for Dino to get rested. Sydney got comfortable with her nose in a book, eventually drifting off into a very welcome nap. When she awoke, they all went out for food before facing another long night on the road to Rome. Joining her friends, they passed the night with card games and jokes and memories to last a lifetime.
