Superstar, Part 2

August 8, 2009

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Make sure to read part 1 of this story before reading the conclusion!

“What concert might that be?” asked Kristi, and she received a kick under the table from Mac.

“Kristi Smiley is in town,” replied the waitress. “What a great voice – and she also does a lot of charity work. Just a great person. I’d love to go the to the concert,” she said with a sigh.

“Why aren’t you going?” asked Kristi.

“I just can’t afford the tickets. Hey, enough about me. I’ll grab your drinks and give you a few moments to look over the menus.”

Kristi studied the menu intently. She was trying to remember the calories for each ingredient, in an effort to maximize the calories in her pizza. She put on a high energy show every night and burned calories at an incredible rate.

Sarah, the waitress, returned with their drinks, and Mac and Kristi were ready to order. Mac ordered some sort of abomination with all sorts of green crap on it. Kristi ordered a thin crust pizza with hamburger, Canadian bacon, sausage, and bacon.

“Geez, Kristi,” Mac exclaimed. “That stuff is going to kill you some day.”

“Take it easy, Mac. I’m getting a salad, so it basically cancels out.”

Mac rolled his eyes and sipped his pop.

Sarah was back in a few minutes, carrying their salads. Mac ate his salad dry, while Kristi smothered hers in a lake of French dressing. Mac gave her a dirty look, which Kristi pretended not to notice.

The pizza was extremely hot when it arrived, and Kristi singed the roof of her mouth when while trying to inhale the first piece.

“Slow down, girl,” Mac warned. “Protect those vocal cords.”

Kristi ignored him again and focused on enjoying the pizza. The meats and cheese blended together to produce a culinary symphony in her mouth. It was great to be in the midwest, where people really understood how to make a great pizza.

The ever-attentive waitress topped off their beverages as slow poke Mac was finishing up his veggie pizza.

“Can I get you folks anything else?” asked Sarah.

“Just the check,” replied Mac.

When they were ready to leave, Mac caught Sarah as she was passing the table.

“It looks like a couple people in our group aren’t going to be able to make it, so we have a couple extra tickets to the concert. We’d like you to have them,” he said, as he handed her an envelope along with the money for their meal.

Sarah was stunned speechless by the gift, and Kristi and Mac quickly left the restaurant to avoid attracting more attention.

Later that night, Kristi was preparing for the show back stage and saw Sarah being introduced to some of the other musicians. Kristi walked up to the group and introduced herself.

“Oh my God,” exclaimed Sarah. “It’s you – the girl from the restaurant. I can’t believe I didn’t recognize your voice at the time.”

“Mac,” said Kristi, “this poor girl has been on her feet all day. See if you can find her a chair.”

Mac managed to find a tall, three legged stool, which he set up on the side of the stage. This became the lofty perch from which the most popular waitress in town watched the first – and most memorable – concert of her life.

Superstar

August 7, 2009

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Kristi’s voice filled the empty bowl of the arena as she finished the last verse.

“That’s a wrap,” said Mac Radel, formally ending the walkthrough for tonight’s show.

Whistles erupted from the upper level, as two teenage boys indicated their approval of Kristi’s singing. Certainly, the boys had no legitimate reason to be in the arena, but Kristi always appreciated a fan.

“Howdy, boys,” she said, blowing a kiss in their direction.

“You certainly do have this country wrapped around your little finger, Kristi.”

“Aw, shucks, Mac. You know me. I’m just a girl who likes to sing.”

“Sure, and the gold records mean nothing.”

“They’re nice to have, Mac,” she grinned, “but I’d still be singing for free in the church choir if the record deal hadn’t come along. I’m famished. Let’s run into town and get something to eat.”

Mac laughed. “Hon, there is absolutely no way you can show your face in town – you’ll be mobbed by fans, and we need to get back here to tweak the details of the show. I’ll send a roadie into town to pick something up.”

“Aw, Mac,” she pouted. “You’re worse than a parent. Just once, I want to eat in a normal restaurant, where I can actually see some real live people instead of just music people. I’ll go incognito. Pleaaaaaaaaaaase?”

Mac sighed. “This is a bad idea, Kristi. You have one of the most recognizable faces in the country. Someone is bound to see through your disguise. I can see you’re going to be a grouch if you don’t get your way, though, so we’ll give it a shot.”

Kristi hugged Mac and raced into her motor coach. A few minutes late, she walked out wearing a baseball jersey, a well-worn baseball cap, and some dime store sun glasses.

Mac and Kristi picked out a pizza place near the town square. They had just settled into their booth when Mac nearly had a heart attack – someone looked at them with a flash of recognition.

“Hey, I know you,” said the slender man in the John Deere hat. “You’re Mac Radel! Could I possibly get your autograph?”

Mac sighed inwardly with relief and signed the man’s napkin.

“Hey, who’s the gal with you,” asked John Deere Hat. “I suppose she’s your daughter, learning the ropes of the industry from the master?”

“Er, yes,” replied Mac. “This is my daughter, Christine.”

“Glad to meet you, Christine. My name’s Dustin.” The man in the hat smiled broadly at Kristi before walking toward the door.

Kristi kicked Mac under the table.

“Christine? Very creative, Mac.”

“Sorry, Kristi. The guy really caught me by surprise. Why on earth would anyone recognize a manager?”

“He probably recognized you from your previous job.”

“Oh, yes,” Mac replied. “Songwriters routinely have their pictures on the covers of magazines.”

The teenage waitress took their drink order. Mac ordered a caffeine free diet soda, while Kristi ordered her drunk loaded up with lots of caffeine and sugar.

“Ya’ll aren’t from around here,” observed the waitress. “You in town for the concert?”

To be continued – come back tomorrow for the conclusion of “Superstar”