Page 8 of Release
“Asking you the questions…puttingyouon the spot.”
“Hmmm.” Looking slightly nervous, Sammy added, “I think it’s time for another commercial break, ladies and gentlemen.”
“Did I hit a nerve, Sammy?”
“More like cut off the blood circulation with that wig.”
“That’s because your head is twice the size of mine.”
With the audience in an uproar again, Sammy looked over at his sidekick, who nodded for the musicians so play the piece they normally used when cutting to commercial. “Lexxi Rock will be performing in a little bit, ladies and gents. Don’t go anywhere.”
Once the show cut to the commercial break, Sammy gave Lexxi a warm hug. “You’re such a natural at this! We have to have you back here soon.”
“Thanks,” she answered, getting up to her feet. “I’ll be in wardrobe. See you later, Sammy.”
As she walked off stage, Lexxi had the broadest grin. She wouldn’t hear the end of it from Rita or Rick once they found out she defied their instructions and went on Sammy’s show without the wig. She didn’t care either. She was one step closer to releasing the real Alexandra Storme to her fans.
The next day, Alexandra’s father phoned.
“Hi Daddy.”
“Alexandra. Do you know how many calls I’ve gotten, asking me how I felt about you vacationing while I was sick? How do these people get private numbers so easily? This is such harassment.”
“Hmmm. That’s all they called about?”
“What, that’s not enough?”
“It’s plenty, Daddy. I’m sorry they found you, but now do you see why I went to such drastic lengths to stay in disguise?”
She heard laughter from Rosa in the background. Dad must have put her on speakerphone. “Hi Rosa. How’s Dad been behaving?”
“Not too bad, Alexandra. How about you? Are you all set to get back to business?”
Alexandra rolled her eyes. “I wish I were, but to be honest I’d rather hang out without them for a while longer. You should see the itinerary Rick has lined up. I’m gonna be busy, busy, busy for probably the next few months. No matter what, I plan on making regular trips home.”
“Trust me, I know how it can be when you get personally invested in your work,” Rosa joked, referring to Dad. He didn’t reply, but laughed briefly in the background.
“Yes I agree,” Alexandra said. “It’s great when it’s something you can put your heart into. The music has and will always be good for me. It’s everything else I have to do to support it that’s more of a hassle now. Plus I have this contract with the label…” she tapered off uncomfortably.
Knowing Dad, he would take Alexandra’s complaining as a sign he needed to step in and fix things for her. She didn’t want him worrying, so she dropped it. It was too late, though. Dad picked up on her uneasiness and asked Rosa to give him a minute alone. He turned off the speakerphone and said, “Anytime you need a good lawyer to cut through that contract, it can be arranged. Make sure you let Rick know he’s supposed to be shielding you from this bullshit.”
“Everything’s under control, Daddy. All I have to do is finish this album and things will lighten up for me. Anyway, I’m glad you’re sounding so well. I miss you.”
“Awww honey. I miss you too. Seriously Alexandra, I want you to remember something. What you do shouldn’t be your life. Your life should include much more than your profession. When the balance tilts too much in one direction or the other, you’ll suffer for it. The minute you devote too much of your time to work, or to family and friends, or even to the one you love, you’ll start to feel like you’re missing something, because you will be. You need love. You need stability. You need happiness, but you’ve gotta have a little stress and strain to help you appreciate all the good. Right now it sounds like the label is causing way too much stress.”
“Thanks for the advice, Dad. I’ll remember that when I call in to make sure you’re not piling on too much work in your plate,” she teased.
Dad laughed heartily. “No, but I’m serious, honey. When you get to be my age, you realize there are many things you would have devoted your life to because you thought they were so important, when at the end of the day they really weren’t that pivotal. What you’ll regret most is not what you did wrong, honey. It’s the things you didn’t do, and the areas in your life where you knew you could have tried harder. I regret not being there for you more… and I regret instilling this horrid work ethic in you.”
“You’re too sweet to me, Dad. Don’t ever think that. You’ve always been there for me when it mattered.”
Dad paused and let out a breath. “Okay, honey. So when are you coming home again?”
“Soon, Daddy. I just don’t know exactly when.”
“And whatever happened to that country guy you were seeing? Walters.”
“His name is Wilkes, Dad.”
