REPRESENTED (18 page)

             
She squeezed the excess water from her hair as best she could before stepping out of the shower to grab a towel and rub her body dry.  Grabbing another towel she did the same to her hair as best she could but knew only time or a powerful hairdryer would take care of the rest.  She pulled out her hairdryer and began brushing out the long locks.  She didn’t want it too straight today so she first brushed it to get out all the snarls and then using a comb she picked it to let its natural curls take over.  Looking in the mirror as she applied her make-up she thought it didn’t look half bad.  She rolled on her antiperspirant and used the dryer to dry that as well.  She twisted her curls up into her usual bun and headed for her closet.  She picked up her sports shoes to put them away and drew out a suitcase she could use as carry on.  She carefully selected clothes for a few days away as she thought about the dream Cassie had told her about.  Cassie had commented many times that she didn’t wear jeans or she hadn’t seen her in any and Karin usually didn’t wear any.  In fact she saw the pairs she had here in New York were not something she wanted Cassie to see her in.  She had used them to clean out apartments and they weren’t in the best condition.  She thought of the many pairs she had back in Milwaukee and sighed.  It did no good now; she would have to buy some when she got to Tallahassee.  She eagerly looked forward to the surprise on Cassie’s face when she put in an appearance there.  She had missed her more than she could say and wanted to hear her happy voice over the phone again, but better yet, in person.

             
She was packed and out the door within 45 minutes.  She called down to Gary before she left her apartment and asked him to hail a taxi for her.  As she checked that there was water in the auto feeder she also checked D.O.G.’s food.  She reached up and using a stepladder she checked C.A.T.’s automatic feeder on top of one of the cabinets, out of reach of D.O.G. to see that he had enough food too.  She checked her patio door to make sure it was locked and looked out over the fake lawn that the dog and sometimes the cat used and saw that it was clean of feces that she had cleaned up just that morning. 

             
As the elevator arrived she locked her front door on two very disappointed animals’ faces.  They had known instantly that she was on her way out and watched her packing as though they hadn’t seen it a hundred times before.  They were masters at the guilt trip and she always felt bad leaving them behind but it was her life.  She had packed so many times she had travel bags for her makeup, toothbrush and other necessities that only took moments to throw in her suitcase.  Shoe bags and clothes took a little longer but she packed enough for several days duration.  C.A.T. tried to be packed in her bag as she took one more last look in her closet before closing the doors.  She laughed as she evicted him from the bag and zipped it closed.  It was nice to know someone would miss her while she was gone.

             
The taxi drove her quickly and efficiently to La Guardia and she tipped him generously as she went into the American Airlines terminal.  She punched in at the self-service terminal, something she had done a million times or so she felt.  It spit out her ticket and she took herself up towards the concourse that would take her to her plane.  She had less than an hour to spare which they highly recommended but then she had cut it all close with this last minute impulse decision.  She slipped off her Italian shoes and placed them on the conveyor belt in a basket as she slipped her keys into her side pocket of the suitcase.  Her ticket in hand she went through the sensor with no annoying beeps.  She didn’t keep change in her pockets and except for her plastic money clip and credit cards in a little folded purse she had nothing to set them off.  She was a pro at traveling and did nothing to alarm anyone.  She didn’t want the hassle, the waste of time, or the excitement.  She had clients though who had done this and she hadn’t been amused.  She trained them when she could, admonished them when she couldn’t.  It was another reason she didn’t want to represent stars or celebrities, they loved the ‘bad boy/bad girl’ images way too much.

             
As she sat in her comfortable commuter seat she thought it was too bad she couldn’t have a first class seat.  She never traveled first class unless it was on the company dime.  Even using the company jet that they normally reserved for high profile clientele she didn’t take advantage, for that the company was grateful.  Michael and his minions used it every chance they could and could get away with.  Elliott was always up in arms about unnecessary expenditures.  With Karin and her teams he didn’t have to worry, she trained them well and she treated it as though it were her money that they were spending.  She never did things excessively.  Even when it seemed she did with her promotions they were always justified and paid back in residuals that the client paid the company in.

             
The flight took three hours and she was surprised at the small airport they flew into much less that there had been a direct flight.  She hailed a taxi and asked him to take her to a nice hotel near the civic center where she knew Cassie was performing the next two nights.  He took her quickly and she asked him if he would wait he could get another fare, he told her if he got another call he would have to go but he would wait while he could.  She checked in, got a downstairs room and a full sized bed in a non-smoking room in short order.  She dropped her bag in the room took her key card and grabbed her taxi again.  He took her the few blocks to the civic center and she told him again if he waited around he could get another fare out of her.  He appreciated it as most folks would have just called when they needed another and as he hadn’t had many fares that day he would wait around if he could.  She didn’t know if it was because she was from New York or because she traveled so much but she knew these smaller town drivers could use the money.  She went up to the box office and asked about that night’s concert.

             
“Well, we have some seats left” she was told in a slow Florida accent. 

             
She smiled looking at the map of the seating asked about tenth and center; sure it would be sold out.  She was pleasantly surprised when the attendant told her it was available but it was one of the more expensive ones.  She pulled out her credit card and bought her seat.  “Is there any way I could get a back stage pass?” she asked her.

             
“Well, I don’t know about that” the woman told her slowly looking at her curiously.

             
“I’m a friend of Cassie’s and this is a surprise” she told the woman.

             
The woman eyed her suspiciously but as she was well dressed it relieved the woman’s mind a little.  “I’ll ask the manager” she said as she called someone on her phone.  As she was behind a window Karin couldn’t hear what was being said.  When the woman got off the phone she asked “if you could wait here a moment?”

             
Karin nodded and stepped aside as an older couple came up to the booth.  She looked around and saw the taxi driver waiting patiently and eyeing her in his rear view mirror.  She smiled and looked around the civic center.  What a small venue for Cassie to perform at!  What was her manager thinking?  The seating was ridiculous and more suited to a small Jaycees play than a music artist of Cassie Summers’s caliber.  No wonder her career was stalled if this was the type of venue she was playing at.  She should be performing at country fairs, stadiums, on TV.  Karin shook her head.  It wasn’t her place to say.

             
“Twenty five dollars you say?” she was brought back to where she was standing as the older couple was buying tickets for tonight.  The old man painfully counted out twenty five dollars in singles and handed them across the counter under the plastic barrier.

             
“That’s twenty five dollars each” the woman said slowly watching them.

             
Karin could see the anguish that crossed the couple’s face as they realized their error. 

             
“Oh sorry” he said embarrassed.  He turned to the old woman Karin assumed was his wife and said “I guess we will have to come another time” his reedy voice said to her and Karin’s heart went out to him as she took in the fact that they weren’t dressed in the best clothes and she guessed this night out had been painfully saved for on a limited income.  But fifty dollars for two seats to a concert was beyond their means.  He collected his twenty five dollars and folding them carefully began putting them away.  He gathered his wife and his cane and began to turn away.

             
“Wait a moment” Karin said impulsively.  She wasn’t an impulsive person but she had flown to Florida so maybe she was after all.  She pulled out her wallet and a credit card and slid it under the plastic barrier “charge the two seats on this” she told the astonished woman who’s face soon changed to a delighted smile.  She punched it up in her computer and quickly made a change and printed out the tickets in no time charging Karin’s card she handed her a receipt to sign.  Karin pointed to the cards hanging behind her on the wall to local stores and restaurants and said “let me have one of those to the Cracker Barrel too?”  She shook her head at the first one and held up two fingers and the woman charged this as well.  She signed her slips and turned to the flabbergasted couple who stood there wondering was happening.  She handed them the tickets and the two coupons for the Cracker Barrel.  “Have a nice evening on me” she said and waved off their thanks.  She smiled as she watched them walk away obviously delighted in their good fortune.  For a stranger to have bought them two tickets to a night out at a concert as well as dinner for two was unheard of but Karin felt good at her good deed.  The woman behind her obviously thought so too as someone else came to her booth and she talked to him rapidly and earnestly.  He looked at Karin in pleased speculation and handed her a back stage pass and a gator clip.  She smiled in thanks and said “see you tonight” as she headed to her waiting taxi.

             
That good deed made her feel good the rest of the afternoon.  She had the taxi drop her off at the local mall having asked for one that had a Sears and other shops and not just a strip mall which abounded on this sunny coast.  She was surprised that she had to go down a size in jeans but as she hadn’t bought any in years that was distinctly possible.  She also bought a set of sports shoes with high tops that looked good with the pre-faded soft jeans.  She headed out into the mall and was tempted to shop at other shoe stores and jewelry stores, two of her favorite past times that she didn’t indulge in often enough but she kept herself focused and saw in a chain store a jacket she had to have.  Made of soft suede its rust color complemented her auburn hair admirably.  She bought a second one in wine color and found in the same store a beautiful camisole that completed her outfit admirably.  It wasn’t the T-Shirt that Cassie had dreamed but then there was only so much she was willing to wear for the sake of her dream, she did have standards and the camisole looked incredible.  She bought six of them in various colors.

             
Walking out into the late afternoon sunshine she realized she was only a few blocks from her hotel and decided to walk.  She didn’t fault the taxi driver for not having told her, he knew she didn’t know the area and had to make a living besides.  He had gotten three fares out of her though and she laughed at herself.  She saw a large bus parked behind the civic center as she walked down the block and wondered if Cassie was that close but she would wait.  As excited as she was to be there to see her, to surprise her, she could wait.  She wanted her surprise to be on her terms.  She stopped at a florist before her hotel and ordered a bouquet of tulips for Cassie to be delivered to the concert before she went on.  She took three individual flowers for herself and paid for it all with her well used credit card before heading back to dress for the concert.

             
Cassie was annoyed, she hadn’t heard from Karin all afternoon and assumed she was in business meetings.  The error of finding out she was in New York and not Texas was still grating on her nerves.  They needed to have a serious conversation about keeping the other informed and not just Cassie telling Karin what was going on her life.  It had to be a mutual thing or this wasn’t going to work.  The sex had been great but Karin said she wanted more to their relationship, it had to be both of them then.  As she sat at her makeup counter that evening before the concert there was a knock on the door, one of the guys answered it and took the bouquet that had arrived.  They often got flowers in the more important venue’s they performed in but it had been a while, before Cassie had come out and certainly not in one as small as Tallahassee.  The bouquet of tulips was beautiful though and Cassie assumed they were for all of them.  Alex brought them over though and set them before her.  “They are specifically for you” he smiled.  They all knew she had been down today; you couldn’t work this closely together in a band and not know every nuance, every emotion that went on between them.  Sometimes it was a little much but they worked well together after all these years.

             
Cassie opened the envelope that accompanied the beautiful bouquet and read: Sing just for me - K.  She smiled wondering at the strange note but knowing the ‘K’ had to mean it was from Karin.  She hadn’t forgotten her!  And while Cassie was certain someone of Karin’s stature would just farm this little chore out to an assistant she was pleased that she had sent her flowers.  She hadn’t done that before and Cassie was pleased.  The guys and girls from the band were all watching her and they were pleased for her, it had turned her mood immediately they all could see.  Cassie was the leader, not only the lead singer but also the natural ring leader in their small group.  Her moods affected them all.  They knew she was involved with someone.  They couldn’t help but know after she returned from Phoenix on cloud nine but even before that they had known there was someone.  Cassie was a good natured and fun lady.  After she had met this woman whoever she was she was happy all the time.  Her mood today had come about after their manager Travis gave them the news that not only was the venue in Austin been bad it had cost them.  That bad news had given them all a headache.  Seeing how cheered a simple bouquet of flowers had brought her, cheered them all.  After watching her read the note though they could see how much brighter her day had become.