Mother's Song| A PRN Short Story

Five

Alexa sighs.

"No," I ask.

She huffs and puffs before she says, "I have never in my life slept in a bed so comfortable." I burst into a fit of giggles. This girl is crazy. "I'm serious, CJ! This mattress was sent from heaven!" Yeah? Wait until she can buy a Sleep Number mattress another thirty years from today. She's going to lose her entire mind. "It was nearly an out-of-body experience."

I tell her, "I will take your word for it." I glance over my shoulder at Prince. He's got his pool stick aimed at his father as they loudly laugh at whatever one of them has said. "Well, look, I just called to check on you like I promised. I wish you could've been here... Why'd you stay in the room again?" Is that how I ask without making it obvious that I have not a single idea as to why my assistant is not accompanying me.

"You're the one who said you think Prince would act different with two of us instead of one. And you know what? I kind of agree, especially after that last phone call he made before we left? I'm sure he would still be just as nice as when we watched them practice but, like you said, it is probably way less nerve wrecking."

Nodding in a slight surprise, I realize that this alternate version of myself is amazing at her job. She really knows her shit. She knows so much that she is top tier. It makes me wish I was this me in the place where I am the real me. Where I come from the only well-known "journalists" are instigators who are paid to gossip on the internet and cable networks— FOX News included.

"I still stand by that."

"I know you do and that's why you're the boss."

In the corner of my eye, I can see Susannah enter the room. She enters with a broad grin and the moment she sees Prince, it widens. Behind her is Eric, Leeds that is. As I quickly come to realize whose rehearsal this is, I find myself anticipating the songs I will be hearing. The members of The Family pile in. Prince pecks Susannah's lips and she skips on over to where the others are as if Prince is not even standing there. He does the same as he plays pool. I did not make it far enough to listen to any of the bootlegs I found that included their rehearsals. For the first time all day, I genuinely have no ides what I am in for.

Prince racks the balls. I watch him from where I stand as I nearly fall into a trance from staring at the way his chain swings around his neck. "I'll be back by eleven tonight. We can talk about all of the things I've learned today. For now, you should go out and do something, okay? Go out and go sight seeing. I'll see you later."

"Okay, bye!"

Hanging the phone up, I pay no mind to the way I twirl on my heels as I turn around to greet Prince again. I politely smile at the band— though there is no formal introduction as they take their places— and wave at Susannah because I met her yesterday. She's a sweet girl. She's a little too sweet though. It makes it look a little clear to me how he got away with a lot of the things I heard he got away with. He's not only that smooth of a fucker but Susannah is also that naive.

Prince glances up at me as I approach the pool table, his gaze starting at the tip of my toes. "You walk to a funky little beat," he says.

My brows furrowing, I stand before him slightly baffled. "Excuse me?" I smile as I am prepared to laugh because Prince has been saying off the wall shit since I met him at his house this morning.

"Everybody walks to their own rhythm—" My eyes roll before his sentence is complete. How corny is this going to be? "Listen." The testy authority in his tone catches my attention and I find myself actually listening. "Most  walk down on the one, the downbeat. You walk... you walk all kinds of ways but it's still in rhythm to what they're doing," he says pointing at the bodies on the stage.