“Hello?” Karin smiled into the phone.
“Hi baby, I’m missing you!” Cassie breathed into the phone still living the high she got from performing. It was late, she knew though that Karin had been up because she had just received a text from her not five minutes before asking how the show had gone. She wouldn’t normally have called her after midnight but since she was up....
“I miss you too” Karin grinned imagining her as she had seen her in the hotel room in Phoenix.
“The show was good. We got a great feedback from this one. It more than made up for the dismal show in Austin” she informed her as she enthused about the songs she had sung. Karin was familiar with them all now; she had played them all on the drive from San Francisco to Portland and then Seattle. After Cassie had left her in San Francisco she had picked up some of her CD’s in the bookstore, she was there anyway and she bought all they had. “I think I’ve started a new song, been thinking of you so much that it started a song in my head” she informed her.
“Ah, then do I get royalties?” the ever practical businesswoman in Karin came out as she smiled into the phone.
“Nope, but you and I both will know that Phoenix will never be the same” and she hummed out a melody as they both smiled in remembrance.
“It will always hold a special place in my heart” Karin told her.
Cassie loved that but she wondered once again why Karin hadn’t told her she loved her. Maybe this sophisticated woman didn’t love her. Maybe for her it was just a fling. It wasn’t like she had made any promises.
“Are you writing it off the guitar I won you in Santa Monica?” she asked with a grin.
Cassie let her morose thoughts go as she laughed at the guitar hanging in her bedroom on the bus “yeah, but I don’t think the acoustics on this thing are quite right, I’m going to have to tune it again.”
They shared a laugh over the shared joke.
“Hey, the guys are signaling, I’ve got to go...I’ll call you tomorrow?” she asked.
“That’s fine, talk to you then” Karin smiled again. Cassie caused her to smile a lot these days.
They talked a lot over the next week. Cassie realized though how little she really knew Karin. She did a lot of the talking. Karin asked astute questions which was probably why she was such a terrific promoter, manager, public relations expert. She asked and listened. But she didn’t volunteer anything and this made Cassie realize she didn’t know things she felt she should about her. She remembered how she felt finding out she had two sons, much less about her brother’s, she just had found them out by chance, Karin didn’t just volunteer the information. It bothered Cassie but she resolved to ask more and talk less.
Friday dawned and Cassie wasn’t thrilled to be in Tallahassee to perform. She was tired and she was missing Karin terribly. Talking to her all the time was terrific but she wanted to see her. Not like the orgy of sex they had in Phoenix which still caused her to smile when she thought about it but to see her, to be with her, to hang out with her. She wanted to get to know her better and there were parts of her she didn’t know but wanted to.
“Hey, how’s Florida?” Karin had texted her that morning.
Cassie called her back, figuring that since she was texting her she wasn’t busy with a client, or she hoped.
“Hi” she gasped as she stopped by a park bench.
“Are you okay?” Cassie asked alarmed.
“Yeah, I’ve just been jogging with my dog” she sat and pulled D.O.G. to a seated position so she could pet him.
“You have a dog?” Cassie asked surprised.
Karin laughed “Yes, and not just any dog, D.O.G.” she pronounced it deeooogee as she always did.
“You have a dog named DeeOooGee?” Cassie laughed in return as she got it.
“Not just any dog, a standard poodle, he’s gorgeous!” she smiled at the dog who looked up at her with laughing brown eyes. He knew she was talking about him.
“I didn’t know you had a dog, do you have a cat too?” she asked wondering what else she didn’t know about this woman!
“I have three cats. One in New York and two in Milwaukee” she informed her.
“Your dog is with you in Texas?” she was confused.
Karin frowned shaking her head “no, I’m in New York” she said as if Cassie should know that.
“How long have you been there? What happened to Texas?” Cassie was surprised. She had assumed after Phoenix she was going to Tucson and then on to Texas as she had told her.
“I’ve been here a week. I flew up here once I knew that one of my team was able to handle Tucson for me and then I gave the team leader Texas to work as well” Karin informed her.
“I didn’t know that, I thought you were on the road...” well that explained how relaxed she had sounded. She couldn’t help but wonder if perhaps there was someone there in New York for Karin to see and she tamped down the jealousy she felt, maybe that was why she didn’t tell her that she loved her.
“I’m sorry; I guess I thought you knew...” Karin knew perfectly well that Cassie hadn’t asked and Karin had certainly not volunteered.
“Too bad you couldn’t be here with me” Cassie sounded so sad. She was actually annoyed that she hadn’t known Karin was in New York and had assumed she was in Arizona and then Texas. It just stressed the fact that Karin didn’t confide anything to her as she had thought. She had just found out about the dog and cats as well which emphasized her train of thought. She shook her head and tried not to sound whiny and clingy but she felt that way. She couldn’t help it. She didn’t like it and it hurt.
That one statement though got Karin thinking. She tied her shoelace that had come untied during her jog with D.O.G. and got up from the bench and began walking back towards her apartment through the park. D.O.G. was tied to a leash that was hooked to a belt around her waist as she jogged or walked along, that way her hands were free. “What time do you go on tonight?” she asked.
“The concert starts at 7 why?” Cassie answered wondering why it was so easy to give information from this exasperating woman but not get any.
“I was wondering what time you would be done so we can talk tonight” Karin told her easily. It was a common enough occurrence with Cassie and her both on the road so much so it wasn’t a question that would get Cassie suspicious.
“We can probably talk after 10 tonight same time as usual” Cassie said and she knew she sounded down. She had called to be cheered up and instead was annoyed. She didn’t like the feeling of tonight’s concert. She had to admit she was tired of being on the road, crabby from not doing what she wanted when she wanted it, and just generally feeling the blahs. Having a girlfriend living in New York City and usually on the road as well didn’t help things either.
“I dreamed of you last night” Cassie told her remembering what she could of it.
“Really, anything you’d care to share?” Karin smiled hoping for something titillating.
“What I remember of it you were wearing jeans and a T looking mighty tasty” Cassie began.
Just then Karin’s Bluetooth beeped in her ear and she looked down at her phone to see it was work calling. “Hey babe, I’ve got to go, work is on the other line, can I call you or text you later?”
They rung off and at the last second Cassie couldn’t help herself and said “I love you” but when it wasn’t returned she was even more depressed as she rang off.
Karin finished with her assistant shortly when she switched over. She had wanted to return Cassie’s sentiments but knew over the phone it didn’t feel right. She could hear the depression in Cassie’s voice and had wanted to cheer her. “Hey Evonne?” she said after finishing the questions she had for her “I’m not coming into work today, I’ll work on the run” she informed her. It happened periodically and with her variety of clients it wasn’t a surprise announcement and accepted without question. She rang off as she checked the time and began to jog back to her apartment with a happy D.O.G. easi
ly keeping up. He loved being with her and while he didn’t see her all the time the time they spent together was always enjoyable, she took him for walks, jogs, to the dog park and he loved every minute of it. In the week she had been home she had taken him to the groomers, he’d had a cut and a bath, been primped, fussed over, and made to look and feel wonderful. She showed him off and as a natural showman he showed off for her proudly. Karin looked at her phone waiting for a light change and checking her contacts she punched the one for American Airlines.
“Hello, I’d like to find out if you have a flight from La Guardia to Tallahassee today?” she asked the clerk as she jogged along trying to keep her pace to get home quickly but finding it difficult with people on the sidewalks.
The clerk assured her they did and the next one was at one that afternoon. She asked to make a reservation and gave her the frequent flier information she had memorized after so many trips so she could get her reservation as well as get a discount on the outrageous fare that was halved once her information came up on the screen. It also meant she didn’t have to give out her credit card information which since she was in public she wasn’t so inclined to speak. Yes she was on a cell phone with her Bluetooth, she was jogging along a New York City street, the odds that someone could memorize 16 digits that easily were incredible, but you never knew.
Karin jogged into her building Gary holding the door wide open when he saw her coming down the walk with D.O.G. If the dog wasn’t distinctive enough this elegant woman was. He admired her greatly and as she always treated him and the others with courtesy and respect and a healthy tip now and again they remembered her fondly. She jogged over to the elevator and pushed the button. It opened almost immediately and she smiled and said “hello” to Carl who smiled widely at her as he discretely admired her in her spandex jogging suit. Had he openly ogled her he knew she would have let him have a verbal slap, he had seen it happen and didn’t want to be on the receiving end of that. He admired her ass and quickly pushed the G button once he dropped her off on the 25th floor.
Karin quickly let herself into the apartment as she unhooked D.O.G. and quickly hung his leash up where he could reach it again when it was needed. She began stripping as she headed for her bedroom and kicked her running shoes into the vicinity of her closet. She finished stripping her clothes off and pushed them into her hamper before pulling her socks off and throwing them in as well. She turned on the shower and stepped in quickly soaping her sweaty damp hair and scrubbing her scalp until it tingled. She washed her long tresses well and then her body. She carefully soaped and then shaved her underarms, her knuckles, and then her legs in that order before hitting the bikini area. She was careful to shave the tops of her feet and her toes as well. She hated extra hair. Checking the backs of her legs with her fingertips she took a few extra runs over the backs of them with the razor to be sure and then rinsed her entire body.
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 drop
ped 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?”
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