The Meeting

Gemma

The gig went exactly how I imagined, the excitable Belfast crowd and the amazing venue acoustics making the perfect setting for my songs. The crowd singing back to me made me emotional, and as always I wished my mum could be there. I thanked everyone for coming and tried to greet as many fans as I could, even stepping outside to greet a few stragglers that were hoping for a glimpse. I was becoming more comfortable with talking to fans, something about my life right now felt worthy, having Leah by my side emotionally made me feel strong and Lydia and Ellie were constant reminders that I would never be alone.

After the gig, we headed to an outdoor bar area to have some drinks and food. I wasn't a big one for drinking but I always had a couple after a gig as big as tonight's. We were placed at a table beside the fire pit and a few people came over asking for autographs and pictures. This was when I met Gemma.

A girl, no older than me, approached me and asked for an autograph. She was about 5ft 6", an athletic build and had long blonde hair which hung like perfection from her shoulders. She was dressed in an outfit similar to my own and had the longest eyelashes I had ever seen. As I signed her ticket, I asked her the usual questions about the gig and what other artists she was into. She told me that she had recorded a few songs herself but that she was too scared to send them off to anyone. I moved along the bench I was sat at and prompted her to sit beside me.
"Play them to me, I was once too scared to send my songs off." I said, trying to give her the same chance that Gavin had given me.
"Okay, but can you put my earphones in, I don't want to play them out loud." Understandable, there were quite a few people here. I placed one earphone that was connected to her phone into my ear and began listening to her music. Her voice was angelic and she had the perfect mix of words and syllables in every line of her songs.
"Gemma - these are incredible! We have to get you noticed. Let us help you to promote." I said, getting excited for the talented girl sat beside me.
"Really? You would do that?" She said, looking like she may start crying.
"Of course, someone took a chance on me once, I want to repay that by doing the same for someone else." Gemma's eyes began to water as she thanked me so I pulled her into a hug as she sat on the seat behind me, stroking her long, blonde hair to calm her down.
Once Gemma had composed herself, I introduced her to Gavin. They swapped numbers and he told her he would be in touch with her by the end of the week. As she thanked me again, she took my hand and said "I can't wait to tell my mum what you have done for me!"
I smiled, knowing that was my exact reaction when Gavin had done the same thing for me a few years previous.
Gavin mouthed 'you big softy' at me, as I sat back down to enjoy my last drink before we headed back to the hotel.