It was the 29th of August, 1980. We were in Rome, Italy. The boys had a concert that night but before that they had an interview which included me as well.
'You should dress like us.' Gene suggested.
'Like what?' I asked him arms crossed.
'For example...' Paul went to the couch that was covered in different outfits. 'What about this one?' He picked up a black ripped jean that had chains on its waist and some diamond at the sides.
'Go on.' I bowed. He picked up a shirt which had a writing on it that said "Sex instructor. First lesson free"
'Seriously?' I gave him a look.
They laughed and Gene grabbed a white shirt that had diamonds all over it and it also had some holes. Like stylish holes.
'Okay.' I gave in.
I snatched the clothing items and got changed in front of them. They have seen me in my underwear more than I can remember and vice versa.
'You look great Babe.' Eric came into the room smiling.
'Thanks.' I smiled at him.
'What size your feet are?' Paul asked me kneeling down in front of a box of shoes.
'Seven.' I said walking over to him.
'Here.' He handed me a pair of black and grey shoes.
It was similar to Ace's but at the same time it was also different. I made a weird face when I saw them. They were high. Like the heels were around eight centimetres. I almost said no but then I looked at Paul and his eyes were begging me to say yes.
'Fine.' I sighed while rolling my eyes.
I grabbed them and put them on after I sat down on a chair. I stood up and begin to walk a few steps to try them out.
'You look smashin' Babe!' Ace came into the room and walked over to me. He gave me a big hug and a kiss on the cheek.
Then they started to finish their make-ups and while they did that I walked back and forth in the room. It was to stretch them out and also I was a little nervous. Okay, extra nervous.
I have been with the band as their only girl but they never included me in an interview. They did in photoshoots so I could have my memories captured, and most of the pictures didn't get published. Only a few of them appeared in magazines but that's all.
After walking around in the room for almost half an hour Ace spoke up.
'Could you stop?' He put down the brush that was in his hand.
'Sorry.' I hopped down on the couch.
'I'm just really nervous. I've never done an interview before. What if I screw it up?' I put my face in my hands.
'You won't.' Eric sat down on my left and put a hand on my back.
'You rock Babe.' Ace sat down on my right and did the same as Eric did.
'I don't know guys.' I breathed in the air sharply.
'Come on gurl.' Eric patted my back while Ace shook me a little. I put my hands on one of each guys' knee.
'Hope you're right.' I squeezed their knees.
Then they stood up and went to their vanities and did some touch ups. I sighed but got up and went for a drink.
I opened a bottle of champagne and poured some into a glass. I drank its content and poured another. Soon Ace joined me and we drank the whole bottle. The others didn't like it that much. But I needed something to get loose.
'Everyone ready?' The boy's manager entered the room.
We nodded and walked out in a line. I was still a little nervous and they could tell. Ace slowed down and walked beside me and honestly this calmed me down. We exited the building, got into the car and headed towards the studio.
'Relax.' Paul squeezed my hand. I smiled at him genuinely feeling a little tipsy.
We arrived and got inside. They guided us into a huge room that was filled with lots of cameras. There was a big built-up place in the middle. It had two couches, a desk and a chair. Seeing these I gulped hard. Knowing that I have to sit there and face the cameras and speak without screwing it up really scared me.
I know that sometimes I spoke up during their interviews but I never really got a big role like this. They didn't care about me that much, I mean the people who interviewed and took pictures of them for different occasions. But now that Eric came along suddenly everyone was interested in me. They knew about my existence but never gave a rat's ass about it.
'You okay?' Eric sneaked up behind me.
'Y-yes.' I stuttered while turning to face him.
'You don't have to worry. Everything is going to be just fine.' He gave me a reassuring smile. 'You know... I was antsy at the beginning but you guys helped me get through it. Especially you Babe.' He continued. 'Now thinking about it I don't know why I was feeling restless about the whole thing. The fans seem to like me and they've known you since the start.' He put a hand on my shoulder.
'Thank you Eric.' I said, my eyes suffused with tears.
'Don't need to.' He pulled me in for a hug that I returned. 'You will be great.'
After the speech Eric gave me I felt encouraged. I thought I could do it...