Making the Connection

The doorbell rang again. She hesitated and then crossed the hallway slowly, anticipation growing. She glanced in the hallway mirror one more time as she passed, deciding all looked fine, took a deep breath, and slowly opened the door. He stood bathed in moonlight, wearing a dark suit, his shirt a crisp white and his soft brown hair flowing to his shoulders. His smiling face reflected his feelings, as if he were as excited about tonight as she.

"Hello. I'm David and I am your driver for the evening, Miss Larson. My job is to see that you get to and from your reception safe and sound. You needn't worry about a thing. You are in good hands!"

Never in her wildest dreams had she imagined such a moment. Of course she had worked very hard, experiencing many heartbreaks to get to this moment but, like a mother who forgets the pain of childbirth, she was feeling only complete joy. In fact, the more she thought about it, she was, in a way, giving birth to her own "baby", a CD of songs she had written, each of them from her heart. She'd cried over them, laughed about them, hated them, loved them, but mostly she felt in awe at what she had created. And she had been even more awestruck when the phone call had come from Mr. Lexicon requesting a meeting to discuss releasing the CD on the Connection label. From then on, she had been moving as if in a dream. There were many meetings, numerous sessions in the studio to rework the songs, and the final moment when Mr. Lexicon finally smiled and the cheers when up through the entire crew. What an adventure she had shared with all those people!

She climbed in through the open door of the limousine and sat down on the black leather seat. Looking around she saw that there could have been twenty people in the car and there would have been plenty of room. On the right side was a television and under that a small refrigerator. David entered the drivers seat and lowered the window that separated them a bit.

“If there is anything you need, Miss Larsen, just press the white button on the arm rest. Otherwise, just sit back and relax. The drive to the reception should take about twenty minutes.” Then up went the window and she was alone again. There were windows all around the car but she knew no one could see in. The people they were passing during the ride to the reception must wonder who the celebrity is in the car, she thought. She smiled. Besides the white button on the armrest, there were three other buttons. She pushed one and the light inside came on. She pressed the next and the power light on the CD player appeared. No, she thought, I’m just going to enjoy the ride. The third button opened the sunroof, which she quickly closed, not wanting to muss her hair. Then she did as David had suggested. She watched the city lights pass. It was as if she’d never seen the city before. The colored lights were breathtakingly beautiful, especially as they crossed the bridge over the bay.

David drove the long car through the city finally arriving at the Ritz Carlton Hotel. When he stopped in front of the hotel, he jumped out and quickly rounded the car, opening the door for her. He placed his hand in for her to grasp. As she as stepped out, she was instantly blinded by camera-flashes. Questions came from all directions.

"Where did you get the inspiration for your songs?"
"Are you going out on tour?"
"Will you put together a permanent band?"

Quite taken aback by the attention, she held David’s hand for a moment and upon regaining her composure, she looked around at the ocean of faces behind velvet cords. Directly in front of her, a red carpet led into the building. She turned, smiled at the faces, and began walking toward the huge glass door. A man in a uniform with a big grin opened the door for her. As she was about to step through, she turned around again toward the crowd and waved. Loud cheers erupted. Giggling to herself, she turned back and stepped through the door into her new life.