“Where is your brother?” Walker asked as he checked his watch, “It’s 12:00! He was supposed to be here an hour ago!”
“I think he might be asleep. Jet lag doesn’t wear off easily on Tay,” Isaac said flipping through the menu.
“I know that. Maybe I’ll call his room,” Walker said as he reached into his pocket and pulled out his cell phone. He dialed the digits to Taylor’s hotel suite. No answer.
“He’s not in his room,” Walker sighed.
“Page him,” Zac offered as he sipped his Dr. Pepper.
“Good idea,” Walker dialed Taylor’s pager.
Taylor heard the faint sound of his beeper going off.
“Shut up you god damned beeper!” Taylor whispered loudly, not wanting to wake Scarlet who had rested her head on his lap. He slowly and tentatively moved ever so slightly and reached out to his pager behind his pants. He looked at the message. It was his father wondering where he was. He carefully reached out for the cordless phone that lay on the coffee table in front of him. He pressed the digits to his father’s cell phone.
“Walker Hanson,” his father said in that business like voice.
“Hey dad. It’s me,” Taylor replied quietly.
“Taylor! Where are you?”
“Uh…I’m with Scarlet in her room,”
“Taylor…it’s good to see you making friends with her, but I told you to be down here by 11,” Walker said bluntly.
“Sorry, dad. Scarlet just wanted to talk and I guess I was the only one there,”
”It’s good to see her talking. According to Chris she’s had quite a rough past,”
“You’re telling me,” Taylor huffed.
“Look Tay, you guys have an appearance at Sam Goody’s tonight at 6:00pm, just make sure that you’re down in the lobby with your brothers by 4:30pm at the latest. OK?”
“Kay, dad,”
“OK, we’ll see you then. Bye,”
“See ya, dad,” Taylor hung up the phone just as Scarlet began stirring.
“Taylor?” she asked with a yawn.
“I’m still here,” Taylor said.
Scarlet sat up and leaned against the couch, “Thank you, Taylor,”
“Anytime, Scarlet,”
“You don’t know how much I needed to tell somebody. That was all bottled up inside of me. And thank you for stopping me, if you didn’t…God knows where I would be now,” Scarlet said looking towards the ground.
“Like I said Scarlet, anytime. Anytime you need somebody to talk to I’m here,”
“Thank you,” Scarlet replied with a smile. Scarlet looked at the clock on the wall and shot up. It was past 12:00.
“Shit! I have to meet Chris in a few minutes!” she shouted as she ran to the mirror and began brushing her hair.
“Well…yeah…I should go then,” Taylor said as he walked to the door. He reached out to open the door but turned back before his hand even made any contact with the shiny brass knob. He jogged over to the sliding door, he shut it and locked it before taking the key out.
”Just in case,” he told Scarlet as he shoved the key in his pocket.
”Thanks again, Taylor,” Scarlet smiled.
“No problem. See ya soon,” Taylor said as he exited the room.
"I
may be a wild rocker, but you won't catch me peeing in
public!"-Taylor Hanson
(*:laughs: Taylor Hanson? A wild rocker? :falls
off chair: :still laughing: :sigh: But, many a girl would love
to see him pee in public*)