Take Away the Pain

Ciara

            “I don’t know where I’m going,” I muttered in to the receiver. I was wandering fairly aimlessly around a recording studio that I was unfamiliar with, trying to find a manager or a secretary—even the cleaning lady—who could help me find my way around. I was supposed to be here to meet with a friend who was working on some project he couldn’t talk to me about at the moment, but I didn’t think it was going to be this hard to find his office.

            “I can’t find anyone to help me and tell me where I’m supposed to be.”

            “What good is being on the phone with me going to do?” my sister Hannah asked. “I don’t know my way around there any better than you do.”

            “Yes, but you’ve been here before,” I said. I saw someone come out of an office down the hall. “Oh, wait, I think I found the person I’m looking for.”

            “Call me later from the hotel,” Hannah said, and she hung up the phone.

            I raced down the hall after the person. “Excuse me? I need some help—I think I’m lost.” I walked around the corner to an office with a door slightly ajar. Someone in jeans and a green shirt was bent over a filing cabinet.

            “I’m sorry to bother you,” I said timidly. “I just don’t know where I’m going. I’m looking for a friend of mine—Tanner Leon, he told me to meet him here today.”

            The person stood and turned around, casually looking at the papers in his hands, almost as if he didn’t hear me. This person looked slightly familiar, but I couldn’t pinpoint it. Then his deep brown eyes shifted a little bit and it hit me like truck—I was looking at Michael Jackson, only five feet away from me. He was even more beautiful in person than he was in pictures. A million things raced in my head. I’d been a fan of Michael Jackson for years but right now wasn’t really the time to pounce on him like a crazy fan.

            He looked up from the papers finally and seemed a little bit surprised to see me standing there.

            “I thought I heard a voice,” he muttered. “Who did you say you were looking for?”

            He was so soft-spoken that it made my stomach turn. His shyness amazed me. After all, I should be the one who’s tongue-tied.

            “Uh… Tanner Leon,” I said. I fought to compose myself. “He just told me to meet him here. I have no idea where else to go.”

            He rolled his eyes and laughed slightly. “That sounds like him. I can show you where he is.” He stuck his hand out to me. “I’m Michael.”

            “I know,” I said, and instantly regretted it. “I mean—I really like your music—no.” I sighed. “I recognized you when you turned around.”

            Michael gave an amused smile. “I know what you mean, don’t worry.”

            “I just don’t want to seem like…Weird I guess.” I laughed nervously. “I’m usually not like this around people.”

            “You’ve met other people through your friend?”

            “Yeah, a few times, he’s let me go back stage and stuff like that.”

            “Lucky girl with connections,” he said. He pointed to a door at the end of the hall. “It’s the one on the right.”

            “Okay, thank you.” As I was about to walk away, Tanner came out of the office.