Concert

Sometimes, a hobby is more than a hobby. Dominic reflected on this truth while absently rustling through his pockets for whatever change he could find to pay for the bus. Sometimes a hobby is a means to an end. A subconscious expression of deepest feelings. Sometimes a hobby sets you free. The rain seemed to grow heavier as the evening wore on, and as night gathered her skirts and prepared to saunter onto the sky stage, the bus finally came down the street. He straightened his shirt and got up from the bus bench, brushing dust, splinters and a rusty penny from his pants. Tonight was going to be a very special night, for a multitude of reasons. The concert was the linchpin in his plans, and it was imperative that he be on his best beh-

His thoughts were interrupted by a flood of warm water dousing his body. Leaping back, a string of well-worn curses falling from his lips, he stumbled and sat down hard again on the edge of the bench. The bus he had been waiting on had rolled through a puddle in the gutter, leaving him awash in rainwater. He looked down, dreading the sight that gleefully awaited him, and sadly was not disappointed. The lower half of his body, formerly light blue denim, was now dark and wrinkled...and made him look like he had peed his pants for about four hours. The initial burst of rage subsided, and he grabbed his phone to let her know that he was going to be late. As he pulled it out of his pants pocket, he briefly thought of what he would say. This was not a good start to the night.

Then his brain managed to get through to his consciousness what it had been gently nudging him about up until now. The phone had been in his PANTS.

"Ahhhhhh shit," he drawled disgustedly as he looked at the device dripping wet in his hand. Whether it would ever work again was up to how well he could dry it out, but he could almost guarantee it would no longer work tonight.

"You know, you could just dunk it in a bag of rice for a day or so, take the battery out, it'll be fine. Rice absorbs the water," a helpful passerby observed.

"Yeah, I know, but as of right now my rice supply is nonexistent," he responded wearily. His mind was in different places though. This might be the last bus down to the venue until maybe 9 pm. Should he take the chance of running home to change, or just go? He knew that if he were to miss this, the probability of a billing like this that they could both get to was astronomically small. He sighed and squished onto the bus steps, digging out the moist quarters.

Sometimes, a hobby is a way to see just how foolish you are willing to look for something you want.

I had some problems

And no one could seem to solve them

But you found the answer

You told me to take this chance

- DeBarge, All This Love

The line was thick, and well out onto the sidewalk. Anne stood under the flickering yellow streetlight and took in the scene. "You have got to be kidding," came out under her breath. The line wound itself way out front of the auditorium and well onto the sidewalk. Some fans had come early, and despite the headlining acts, she could smell the telltale fumes of strong liquor already. Not that she was particularly against such things, but they had their place. Parties, bars, Slipknot concerts. Not a Sade and Foo Fighters concert. Even Dave Grohl of the Foo Fighters had said that they were going to be playing some of their softer cuts from their "In Your Honor" double album. So why did these guys have the look of obvious troublemakers? She sighed and scratched a nail down the back of the cell phone in her pocket, conspicuous in its silence. Why hadn't he called? It was strange of him, he knew how important this night was going to be for them. Could it be that he wasn't able to come?

With a start, she realised two things, one being that she was now maybe four spaces from being checked in. As she grabbed for her purse, she also realised that while she had been daydreaming about where Dominic was, she had been staring at one of the guys in the group of drinkers, who was now eyeing her intently. Damn it. Now is really not the time...

He started over.

Oh, God.

"Hey, girl, you looking for a goo-"

"A good time? Really? That's how you're gonna start in? Can't you even be original? Get out of my face."

The guy blinked twice rapidly, letting her get a closer look at his eyes. Sea green....and dilated far beyond the size of any normal person. A junkie. Awesome.

Clearly, once he had gotten over the shock at his initial rejection, he was determined to succeed. "Come on baby...this is a concert for loversh," he slurred, looking to his left and right. His friends got up and joined him, albeit with resigned looks, and her problems had compounded. As the sound of air brakes filled the street, she could see the ticket holder struggling in vain against the tide of people entering the arena and knew that she was on her own. Rubberneckers surrounded them in a loose circle, curious as to how this was going to play out.

The guy closed in again, aiming for her arm. No one ever got to find out what his plan was going to be past that point. Anne shfited her weight to her left leg and swiveled. The front of the open toed Christian Louboutin shoes sank with a satisfying thud into the guy's crotch, and for a moment he hung there in front of her, seemingly paralysed, choking sounds coming from his throat. He finally started to fall, and his friends raced forward to grab him before he fell to the floor. They both looked up at her, eyes darting between two of them, and started to smile. She was feisty, and she knew how to aim. They still outnumbered her, and their drug addled minds cared nothing for where they were. No one was coming to help, after all.

A series of squishing sounds interrupted the tense moment.

"How about we not take this any further, and just say we did, huh?"

Dominic was standing next to her, clearly wet clean through from the waist down, and very stern. The guys started to laugh, seeing his soaked pants, but then looking at his eyes and realising that the worst possible scenario now presented itself (a fair fight) they withdrew, muttering. Dominic turned to her, his glare already dissolving into a sarcastic smile.

"Good thing they left....I would have looked pretty ridiculous kicking people and making a squishing sound. So this is what you get up to when I leave you unattended, eh?"

"Well you know me, always have to get into something. I had it covered, though."

"So I saw. Bus pulled up right as he started coming toward you. I was gonna run across the street but you punted his dreams into next year, so I took my time."

"Ah, so you were gonna let me hang out and do it all myself, eh? What happened to chivalry?" she teased.

"Practicality took it out behind the woodshed. But....we should get inside. The show's about to start."

She led him to the stunned ticket taker, who no doubt had expected a much tamer showing from the line at a Sade concert, and then inside.

so matador

so calm

so oil on a fire

she's so good

she's so good

she's so goddess lithium flower

so sonic wave

- Scott Matthew, "Lithium Flower"

Once inside the room, the lighting changed. Bright fluorescents made way for more subdued illumination, and the walls almost looked like candles were hanging up there. He let her go ahead of him, as he had been trained long ago to let people walk in front so he could make sure they were okay. Not that she seems like she had any trouble facing down the A-Team out there....but old habits died hard. He looked up at her and started. Since he had come down here, he had not really had a chance to look at her, and now that he did, all conscious thought melted away. The dress she had worn was blue, and her hair had run down her back in cascades of dark coils. The lights of the room - they were candles, he could now see - ran over her body like greedy wolves, now flickering, now glowing against the curves he could now fully appreciate. He looked up and saw her blush momentarily.

"Sorry...that was kind of awkward, wasn't it?"

"Well.....its okay though. I just don't see why you're staring. You've seen this dress before."

Before he could stop himself, he blurted out the first thing on his mind.

"Well yeah but Ive never had the chance to see it on you in person, and that makes all the difference - that you're here. You could be wearing a paper bag for all I care."

The color went into her cheeks, and she turned away slightly. "So what you mean is that the dress is ugly, so it doesnt matter what I wear? Is my fashion sense that bad?"

"No, thats not- its not about the dress - not that anything's-" he sputtered, then groaned in exasperation at her grin. He stepped toward her to say something else, but then his feet squished again.

"Oh.....what happened to you? Why are you wet?"

"Bus hit a puddle. I took the fall. It got my phone so I couldn't call. Figured this was more important though so I got on the bus anyway."

"Well, you cant squish around the room in those. Take em off."

"But this is a concert! I can't just-"

"I don't see any anti-barefoot signs, do you? Plus, it will be less of a distraction."

As he bent over to remove the soggy shoes, he could not see her eyes following his body through every bend and turn. The shirt he had worn clung to his big frame, even more so with the trace elements of moisture in the cotton. He was stocky, and not in the best shape ever, but she still found herself entertained at the sight of him Not so much his physical attributes....but the fact that he was hers tonight...to do whatever she wanted with. Making a memory this way would be...interesting.

"Ladies and gentlemen...Dave Grohl."

He straightened up rapidly, and they both looked up to see the man on stage bowing, a genial grin spread across his face.

"Tonight..." he waited patiently for the initial burst of applause to subside,"tonight...we just want to be close to one another. We want to remember promises made in the quiet moments that we will always remember. The faces on the water that don't disappear with the ripples. Tonight is for those people in your lives."

Before they knew it, the opening chords of "Still" were coming through the air. Grohl sat with his guitar and scooted up to a microphone. He put the mic a bare inch or so from his lips, and when he spoke, it was as if he was talking to each and every person, individually.

If you'd like to walk a while

We could waste the day

Follow me into the trees

I will lead the way

Bring some change up to the bridge

Bring some alcohol

There we'll make a final wish

Just before the fall...

Dominic found himself mouthing the next words to himself, or so he thought. As he looked at Anne, her eyes sparking int he candlelight, he found himself blocking out the world and singing to her, all other thoughts forgotten.

Promise I will be forever yours

Promise not to say another word....

As the show went on, their fingers strayed until they found each other, and slowly became entangled. He found himself realising that every song reminded him of her, and wondered what divine providence had led him to find her. Regardless, this was one night he would never forget for the rest of his life. Normally ashamed of his singing voice in public, he sang along with the songs heedlessly, and he realised through all of it that he was happy. This was enough.

As the band finished up with "Virginia Moon" she felt his fingers, rough and thick, yet tender, tangled in hers. She was not of the damsel in distress persuasion, and had no interest in laying back and letting some man take control of her life. Dominic, though...there was something there that she had not counted on when she had first talked to him all those years ago. They were close, sure, but she had not counted on how close they had become over the years. Through everything that happened to them, she knew she could count on him to still be with her in spirit, no matter what she went through. As the first band left the stage, she reflected on this. Not a lot of people would do this. But why?

She shrugged mentally. Why not ask?

"Why are you doing this?"

He started, confused." Uh..what?"

"Why are you here with me, tonight? What kept you around all this time? You can't have been after my body all this time."

He grinned and pretended to check out her curves in exaggerated detail. "Well, you know you got it going on over there..."

She brushed his hand away gently. "Seriously, Dominic. A straight answer."

HIs grin melted away, replaced by an awkward smile. "Well....you deserve it."

"And why do I deserve it?" she asked in a hushed voice, moving closer to him.

Before he could answer, they heard the roar of the crowd reverberating in the closed room, and the lights dimmed slightly. A woman with olive skin glided onto the stage and held the microphone stand delicately in her fingertips as she swayed side to side.

"Oh my God, it's Sade," he breathed.

She smiled as the band kept setting up instruments. When she finally spoke, it was to a silent room.

"Thank you for coming out tonight. We almost did not make it here tonight, many things went wrong, this whole event in itself was a last minute idea, and some of us still did not think we were going to make it," she said, winking at the bass guitarist. He laughed awkwardly, and just like that, the entire crowd was in her hands. She continued.

"I believe that it was worth it, because I see couples all the time come to hear my music, my langage du coeur, or heart's language, and I hope it is worth it for all of you tonight."

She started swaying, and the first notes of "Kiss of Life" came from the band. Anne noticed that everywhere, people were separating off into pairs, and before she knew it, she was face to face with Dominic as Sade sang. Her heart filled as he slid a hand around her waist. He leaned forward.

"You should know that Im not the best dancer."

"Then why are you doing this? Tonight is not about what feels weird." she replied.

He smiled and drew her closer. "Well, you got that part right. Tonight,"he sighed," tonight is about what feels right."

There must have been an angel by my side

Something heavenly led me to you

Look at the sky

It's the colour of love

There must have been an angel by my side

Something heavenly came down from above

He led me to you

He led me to you....

-Sade, Kiss of Life

Before he was fully aware of what he was doing, he was drawn into Anne, closer, seeing those lips so close to him. She saw him coming and closed her eyes. Their noses bumped into each other, and she opened her eyes with a start to see his mortified face.

"Wow....I really played that one straight."

She winked at him. "Well, my nose at least is satisfied."

He stared at her a long moment before his stiff face softened. From deep within came his laughter, his real laugh. The one that ran up the scale surprisingly high for a guy of his size. His teeth flashed as he threw his head back. When he tilted his head back down, his eyes were warm.

"Ah....well played, cherie. Well played indeed..."

He came back in again, and this time their lips met. For those few seconds, they were just a couple like everyone else, utterly unremarkable. To both of them, those seconds were the culmination of everything they had wanted for years while they were apart. Desire, lust, longing all came together in those few hungry seconds, and as Anne thought later, she would not have traded that moment for anything in the world. Sade sang on, their bodies hummed together, and the night spun on into infinity.

Neither one of them would have had it any other way.