Chapter 68
“God what a long night that was.” I said to myself as I got up. I looked over, and noticed that Nick wasn’t with me. “Oh how typical. The guys make all the mess, and then they leave, so I have to clean it up.”
I was just a tad upset that the party had resorted to food fights and the destruction of my home, but realized that I had a part in it too. As I strolled out to the living room, I mumbled obscenities under my breath. I was angry that Nick and the others weren’t even around to help clean up, so I decided to go make some tea.
“Damn, my back is killing me, my feet are swollen, and now I have to clean up this...” I stopped dead in my tracks as I rounded the corner into the living room.
Five guys looked up at me and smiled. “Good morning Heather. We thought we would get started early so that we had the whole day to do whatever. Hopefully we didn’t wake you up.” Howie said.
Nick greeted me with a kiss and then had me sit on the couch. “I know that you were gonna try and clean this up sweetheart, so I called the guys before sunrise and asked them to come over and help me. We were the ones to make such a mess, so it was only fair that we clean it up. How does it look?” Nick asked.
I looked around the room, and noticed that not one thing had a speck of dust, frosting, or anything on it. The guys had even vacuumed, scrubbed the carpet, cleaned the furniture, and then made breakfast. I was so shocked and stunned that tears welled up in my eyes.
“Oh guys, you didn’t have to go to all that trouble. But, it sure looks beautiful. Thank you so much.” I told them sweetly.
“Now, we have another surprise. We invited the girls over, and we are all going to have breakfast on us.” Brian said.
“Yeah, believe it or not, I actually cooked...” AJ stated proudly.
“And it is homemade...not McDonald’s.” Howie teased.
“Hope you all like pancakes, eggs, and bacon.” Kevin announced. “Oh yeah...and freshly squeezed orange juice.” He added.
With that, there was a knock on the door. Nick answered it, and in walked Dee, Kat, and Leighanne. I was more stunned than anything as Nick escorted me to the dining room. Spread out on the table was an assortment of breakfast foods, juices, fruits, and all the fixings. The four of us ladies were told to have a seat while the guys served us. I don’t think any of us could believe that the guys went all out.
“Can you believe this, Heather?” Dee said as she leaned over and whispered in my ear.
“No, I am wondering what they want...they are acting suspicious.” I giggled back.
Leighanne and Kat weren’t as quiet about it. They wanted to know why the guys went all out, and blurting it out was the best way to find out.
“Okay, guys, what is this all about?” Leighanne asked.
“Yeah, it’s not every day that the Backstreet Boys get their butts outta bed before dawn to house clean and then serve breakfast. What is the deal?” Kat blurted out.
“Oh no, they found us out. They figured out that we were up to something.” Kevin said sarcastically.
“Damn, well there goes plan A. Now we will have to fall back on plan B.” AJ pouted.
The four of us just looked at all of them and shook our heads. We had no idea what they were up to, so we played along. “Yup, that’s right, we had it figured out before we even sat down.” Dee said matter-of-factly.
“Yup, yup, yup.” I finished.
The guys all grabbed their food and then sat down at the table. We all just sat in silence for a few moments, and then I got too curious. “Okay, okay, I admit, we have no idea what is going on. Won’t somebody tell us? Please?” I begged.
Nick looked around the table and got the guys approval. “Well, Heather. You know that we are all leaving in about a week and a half to start the new tour. We just thought it would be nice to spend this weekend enjoying the time we all had together. Once we get back on tour, we won’t all be together, so, why not take this weekend to have fun. I thought we could all go to Disney World and stay at the Paradise Island Hotel. What do you all think?”
Leighanne, Kat, Dee, and I just looked astonished. This was way too cool. “Um, but who is going to pay? I mean, I can’t afford it right now.” Kat said, embarrassed.
I leaned over and told her not to worry, I would pay for it. It was only a few seconds later when Kevin stood up and told us. “Don’t you worry about the money. Management cleared it. They helped us with the arrangements. They thought we could all use a mini-vacation away from everything that has happened in the past month to just relax. We leave in about 3 hours, so, everyone eat up, and then we will go and pack our stuff. The bus leaves at about noon, so meet back here and we will go.” Kevin stated.
Everyone was thrilled, and scarfed their food down quickly. I was as excited as a school girl to find out that I was going to Disney World. I had always wanted a pair of those Minnie Mouse ears and a huge rainbow colored lollipop. Although I couldn’t ride the big rides, I knew I could ride on It’s A Small World, one of my favorites. I ran off to my room after saying a quick “see-ya-later” to everyone and started packing a few things in my bag.
*** *** ***
“I can’t believe I am standing in the biggest fantasy world in the entire universe.” I said out loud to everyone as we stood at the front entrance.
“Don’t tell me, you have never been to Disney World?” Nick questioned.
“Nope, never had the opportunity to. And I have always wanted to.” I said.
“Well, here is your chance.” Dee said.
We all split up and went our separate ways. I told Nick that I wanted to go on the jungle ride and It’s A Small World. Nick easily went along with it, at least for the first 15 times.
“It’s a world of laughter, a world of tears, it’s a world of hopes, and a world of fears, there’s so much that we share, that it’s time we’re aware, it’s a small world after all.” I sang at the top of my lungs, repeating them over and over.
“Heather, honey, there are more words to the song, don’t you know them by now? We have been on the ride 15 times. You would think that you would even know the song in Chinese, French, and Spanish too!” Nick complained.
“Do you want to go any rides Nick? I am sorry. I didn’t mean to tie you up on this ride. It’s just that I can’t go on most of them...not with the baby and all.” I said sweetly.
“I don’t want to leave your side, what if something happens?” Nick said.
“Oh Nick, nothing is going to happen. What ride do you want to go on?” I asked.
“I want to go on Big Thunder Mountain. Will you wait with me and then watch?” Nick said like a little kid.
“Sure.” I said as he ran off towards the ride.
Just about the time I caught up, I noticed a mob of teenage girls crowding around him.
“Oh my God!! It’s Nick Carter from the Backstreet Boys!! AHHHHH!!!” They were screaming. Nick was bombarded by the girls, begging him for autographs, pictures and even hugs and kisses.
“Ladies, Ladies, one at a time!” he kept saying as the girls practically crushed him.
“Ahem...” I said forcefully.
The group of screaming fans turned around to see me standing there tapping my foot. “Ladies, if you would all just calm down a bit, I am sure Nick would love to give autographs and stuff. And by the way, the other four guys are here at the park too, so watch out for them.” I said with a smile.
After about 15 minutes with the girls, Nick made his way into line for the ride. We could hear the girls as they went off in search of the others. Within minutes, we could hear in the distance, “Oh God! It’s Brian, Howie, Kevin, and AJ!!!” Nick and I laughed as we waited in line.
The line moved quickly, and Nick was soon about to get on the ride. ‘Excuse me ma’am. You can’t get on the ride.” The park attendant said rudely.
“I know I can’t get on the ride. I was just waiting in line with my husband. I will just watch while he is on the ride.” I said softly.
The attendant apologized for being rude and told me where I could wait. I stood patiently as Nick got into the train car. As the car pulled away, I saw Nick glance back and yell, “I love you Heather!”
I watched as the ride whipped around and went through the mountain ride. It was funny, because I could hear Nick yelling the entire time. I was glad to see him smiling. After we found out I had cancer, he had been worried and depressed. I thought this little weekend outing was just as good for him as it was for me. It got our minds off of everything that was happening in our lives, and even if it was for a few moments, my life felt at peace.
*** *** ***
The evening soon came, and we all regrouped to watch the fireworks and the parade. It was something I had always wanted to see since I was a little kid. As we all found our seats, Dee said to me, “I am glad that you got your Minnie ears, and I can see that Mr. Carter had it embroidered with your name. How cute!” she smiled and gave me a hug.
“Yeah, isn’t this the best weekend we have had in a long time?” I asked.
“Yeah, it sure is.” Dee sighed with relief.
We all watched the fireworks with awe, until it was time to go back
to the hotel. It had been a wonderful day for us all, and we figured
a good night’s sleep would do us all good.