Memorial Day weekend arrived, and with Saturday morning, came all the nervous anticipation over Badger McCloud’s concert to benefit St. Joseph High School.
Dressed in sneakers, blue jeans and her baggy football jersey, Jessie hurried across the shaded asphalt walk-way leading from the parking lot to the Sunken Garden Theater, an outdoor arena on the edge of Brackenridge Park. Stone walls lined the path, which ended at a chain-link gate where two security men sat drinking coffee.
“Good morning.” She smiled, showed them a pass hanging from the belt loop of her jeans, and passed through the gate.
As she adjusted the denim bag on her shoulder, she admired the clear, blue skies with spots of cottony clouds. Bits of quartz sparkled in the rock cliffs surrounding the theater. She sent another prayer of thanks into the heavens and hoped the beautiful morning was a positive omen that today would be terrific from start to finish.
Workmen were already busy setting up concession booths under the Spanish oak and pecan trees. She moved towards the theater itself and saw members of the production crew up on ladders and scaffolds, wiring lights. Others were hooking up the sound boards for the amplifiers and microphones.
She moved towards the front of the theater and began counting off the aluminum chairs to rope off. Since there was no reserved seating in the theater, she wanted to be sure the radio and newspaper contest winners, important people like the mayor, Brother William, and the archbishop were able to sit in the front rows. Pulling a nylon rope from her large bag, she strung the rope over the appropriate seats and tied it off. She clipped her “reserved” signs in place. Roland assured her that the five alumni he had assigned to guard this area would keep the other concert fans away, and she depended on them to help her. She sighed, suddenly feeling lonely for Roland. They had done so much together the past month, she felt like a person without a shadow.
She shook her head slightly to clear it, then pulled a list from her bag. She turned towards the stage to see what needed to be done next.
The stage area was set between two narrow cement buildings, which were decorated with stone columns. Jessie walked through one side and down the steps into the open patio area that would be the central backstage area for tonight’s performance. Then she inspected the two smaller buildings set against the rock walls that were the dressing rooms for the performers. She made sure everything was prepared for Badger’s people and the warm-up band, Cactus Blossom.
Jessie spent the next hour on her cell phone double-checking on the limousines to pick up Badger and his entourage, as well as verifying the equipment trucks had picked up the band instruments at the airport. By the time she came back out to the front part of the theater, Mitchell Brewers’ workers and Texan Cola employees were unloading beer and soft drinks.
She spotted Henry Sitterle and another man stringing a long KSAN radio banner across the columns on each side of the stage. The roadies, a group of muscular men whose job it was to set up and tear down the stage, showed up about the same time the trucks arrived with the band equipment.
Excitement grew within Jessie as everything progressed smoothly. She glanced at her watch, crossed things off her list as they occurred, and decided that if everyone kept to this schedule, she could run home, shower, change into her new jeans and western shirt, and be back before the sound check at three o’clock.
“Hey! Are you Jessie Medina?”
She turned to see one of the roadies, a scruffy, over-weight man, standing in the middle of the stage.
“Yes, I’m Jessie.”
“A call came in the dressing room. Badger’s running late. They’re going straight to the hotel. They’ll be out here at five for a sound check.” The message delivered, the bulky brute lumbered away.
Jessie’s fingers raked her hair. I knew things were going too well.
“What the—” she said when she saw Gonzo standing in front of one side of the columned porches. Two young women were taking down one of the KSAN’s banners.
Jessie ran over to where Gonzo stood. “Hey! What are you doing? Henry just put those up.”
Gonzo frowned. “KSAN isn’t the only sponsor around here, Jessie. We need our banners up, too.”
She looked around the area. “Can’t we put your banners some place else? Hang them from the railing over there, or off one of the cliffs?”
“Hey! Where’s your loyalty here?” Gonzo’s dark eyes sharpened upon her.
“I’m just trying to keep everyone happy.”
“I just want this half of the stage area. We won’t take down the other banner. Henry’s famous for stealing other sponsors’ spaces. As you can see, I only brought one banner.” Gonzo held up the red material tossed over one arm. “See?”
“Okay. Okay. But will you find another place to hang the KSAN banner you took down?” Jessie asked, starting to feel a tightness in her stomach.
“If you give it to me, I’ll hang it in the men’s room. If you want it somewhere else, you hang it up.”
Jessie glared at her friend, angry to find that his loyalty to his radio station superseded their friendship. She marched over to the two women and took the banner from them. Without another word to Gonzo, she left to find a place to hang KSAN’s banner, and hoped Henry didn’t show up until it was too late to complain.
As she stood under a tree trying to decide what to do with the banner, a uniformed delivery man came up to her.
“The guards say you’re in charge. We’ve got some flowers and baskets of fruit for the dressing rooms.”
“Great. I’ll show you where to put them.”
She spent the next thirty minutes arranging everything in the dressing rooms until she was satisfied Badger would be pleased. Then she wandered outside.
The two dozen roadies were enjoying the food Flavio Martínez had provided, and by the time Jessie had shown Flavio’s workers where to put the food for the singers and band members, the food outdoors was gone. It disappeared in the same tornado that left debris everywhere. Napkins, used paper plates, and empty cans littered the backstage area. She was grateful that the three men who delivered the food helped her clean up the area, and carted off the black garbage bags in their van.
Jessie returned to the stage area, and saw the roadies had just about finished their job. She glanced at her watch. She had an hour before Cactus Blossom arrived to do its sound check. Then, she saw the red KYCK banner waving in the breeze, and suddenly remembered she had left the KSAN one in the dressing room. She went back to retrieve it, and then walked all over the facility trying to find somewhere to hang it.
She had just about decided that her good intentions were wasted when she saw Roland come through the gate with two other alumni.
When she saw him in a red western shirt and dark jeans, she suddenly recalled the first time they met. The thought was a subtle reminder that she needed to go home and change. She couldn’t face Badger and all the other people tonight looking like a lady roadie.
Roland smiled, although his eyes looked concerned as they moved over her. “Hi. Everything going okay?”
“I think so.” She shifted her weight from one foot to the other. “I’m glad you’re here. I need to go home and change. Can you guys try to figure out a place to hang this?” She handed Roland the KSAN banner. “I’ll be back as quick as I can.”
Roland grabbed her arm. “Jessie. Wait.”
She looked up, surprised by the urgent tone.
He handed the banner to the other two men. “Hang this some place.” Gently, he took her elbow and led her under a tree.
“What’s going on?” she asked, impatient to leave.
“I have something for you.” He smiled. “Because I love you.” He reached into his shirt pocket and took out a small velvet pouch. He placed it in the palm of her hand.
With trembling fingers, she opened the drawstring and poured out two gold earrings.
She gasped as she realized they were identical to the ones she had given the hotel maid. She raised her eyes to Roland, blinking away the sting of tears. “My earrings?”
“New ones.” His hands smoothed her hair away from her face. “Wear them tonight. For me?”
She nodded, feeling her love for him surge in her heart. Slowly, she closed her hand upon the earrings, then lifted her face towards his.
He kissed her, then smiled. “I’ll take care of things until you get back. And drive carefully.”
“I will,” she promised. She walked towards the gate, and she was smiling for the first time in the last two hours.
By the time she returned in her new jeans, yellow western shirt, a freshly braided hairstyle, and the diamond earrings, Cactus Blossom was doing its sound check. She laughed when she saw that all the male workers had stopped to listen and watch the all-female band from San Marcos go through their songs for the benefit of the sound crew.
She wove her way to the backstage area, and saw a few empty soda cans by a dressing-room door. Upon entering the room, she discovered someone had unwrapped one of the fruit baskets, taken much of the beer out of the cooler, then helped himself to the sandwiches. She suspected some hungry roadies, but all she could do was replace the drinks from the concessions and find someone to guard the rest of the food until the band members arrived.
She found Roland in the Booster Club’s fajita booth. He was helping Chris Sotello feed the fire in a barbecue pit behind the booth.
“Hi, Jessie. I’m glad you’re back. A man from one of the radio stations was looking for you. I don’t think he liked where we hung the banner you gave me.” Roland shot a thumb behind his shoulder, and she saw the KSAN banner hanging between two branches in a hack-berry tree to the left of the stage.
Jessie sighed. “I’ll worry about that later. I need some help. Are there any alumni hanging around I can borrow for a few hours?”
Hands on his hips, he looked around. “There’s Matthew and Kyle. They have a late shift in the beer booth. I see your brothers over there, too.”
She turned to see Vincent and Gilbert helping the Band Boosters hang a sign over their booth.
“Go get Gilbert and Vince. They love to boss people around. I need someone to keep people out of the dressing rooms.”
“I’ll take care of it.” He turned and headed off in her brothers’ direction. She went back to the dressing rooms and waited until Roland and her brothers arrived. Jessie sent Vincent back to replenish the ice chest with drinks. She asked Gilbert to stand outside the other dressing room.
“Are you okay?” Roland’s hands gently massaged her shoulders as they stood alone in Badger’s dressing room.
She closed her eyes, savoring the feel of his strong fingers easing the tightness from her body. “I’m starting to feel like I’m losing control of this concert. Badger’s people called and said he wouldn’t be here until five for the sound check. The gates are supposed to open at six.”
“Just handle problems one at a time, Jessie.”
She felt his lips press against her cheek, and she turned into his arms for a much-needed hug. “I don’t know what I’d do without you.” She couldn’t believe the words came from her, an independent woman who always fought her own battles. But she had discovered that even the strongest person needed someone to care about her and share her problems.
Jessie had left the guest passes and tickets in appropriate envelopes at the Will Call window early, but she still had to wiggle through an anxious crowd in line outside the gates. The people had begun to line up at three, and she began to feel excitement rolling over her anxiety.
Handing out backstage badges to the appropriate alumni, Jessie heard someone yell out that Badger had arrived. She glanced at her watch, and reminded herself there was nothing she could do about the delays but deal with them calmly.
Within fifteen minutes, Badger came up on stage, and he and his band members sang and played to allow the sound people to set the balance within the special acoustics of the outdoor theater. In the meantime, Jessie was trying to placate the alumni ticket takers and security guards who were dealing with the angry fans who couldn’t get into the theater as promised.
“It’s after six, Jessie,” one of the men told her.
“I’m sorry. We can’t let anyone in until the sound check is over. It can’t be much longer.” She walked away from the gate area, and headed for the backstage. She wanted to double-check that the other guards and alumni were in place before the crowd came through.
The vice-president and treasurer of the Alumni Association were at one entrance to the backstage, and Roland and his friend Sonny were at the other. She glanced at the people milling around backstage to make sure they were supposed to be there. Most had badges, but before she could question the others, the music stopped and Badger came off the stage.
She moved over to greet him for the first time. “Hello, Badger. Is the sound check over?”
“Sure. I’m going into the dressing room for a cold one. Come in so we can talk about what’s going on tonight.”
She looked into his shaded glasses, and wished she could see more of his face. He seemed less like a super-star and more like a person when she could see his eyes.
“I need to make sure the gates are opened; then I’ll be right back,” Jessie told him.
She headed straight for Roland. “Send someone over to the gate, and tell them to let the people in.”
He gave her a quick kiss on the cheek. “I guess it all begins now. Good luck!”
Jessie nodded, then made her way back towards Badger’s dressing room until someone grabbed her arm. She had been stopped by Badger’s manager, a thin, long-faced man in a black suit.
“I wanted to know if anything’s changed. We’ll do all this backstage business early, right?”
“Yes,” Jessie said. “The newspaper winners, radio people, and television people should be here—” She pulled away from him and looked at her watch. She sighed. It was after six, and everyone was supposed to have been here by now. “Uh, I’ll get everyone in place and call Badger out, okay?”
The manager nodded and went into the dressing room.
Jessie moved through the people backstage and headed past her brothers trying to find Gonzo or Henry.
The crowds of people scrambling for good seats made her stop and stare at the noisy confusion. She heard people arguing over seats, and her eyes immediately went to her roped-off area, and saw the five alumni struggling to keep people from dragging the ropes off the chairs. When she saw they were doing their job, she told herself, Relax.
She took a deep breath and moved down into the crowds. Circling the perimeter, she waved to friends and family, but didn’t stop to be sociable. She noticed the food booths were busy and the beer booths had lines of people waiting to get drinks, and that made her happy.
Finally, she returned to the backstage area, noticing only Sonny was in place.
“Where’s Roland?” she asked the short man with a thick beard.
“He’s looking for you. There’s a photographer waiting for you back there.”
Moving backstage, she saw dozens of people standing around, many not wearing the special backstage passes she had printed. Then, she saw Gonzo standing with some people against the wall.
“Where have you been?” she asked him. “I thought we were going to do the pictures early?”
“What the hell’s going on around here, Jessie? We couldn’t even get in! The gates were supposed to open at six.” Gonzo’s ugly tone cut through her like a knife. He had never lost his temper with her before.
“It wasn’t my fault.” Jessie’s voice was angry too. “Badger didn’t do a sound check until five-thirty. What was I supposed to do?”
“So where’s the photographer?” Gonzo demanded.
“I’ll find him. You stay here. Don’t leave!” Jessie turned and pushed her way through the people. She felt someone grab her, and she jerked around to find Roland had her arm in a steel grip.
“Jessie, the photographer is waiting in Badger’s dressing room. Did you know that?”
“Now I do.” She wiggled her arm free. “Roland, where did all these people come from? You need to get back and be sure no one gets in here without a pass!” She stomped off in the direction of Badger’s dressing room, regretting she had taken out her frustration on Roland.
But she couldn’t take the time to worry about it now.
Jessie found Gonzo and sent his party to take their pictures. Then, she bumped into Henry and his contest winners from KSAN, and sent them to meet Badger, too. As she searched for the newspaper winners, Max Delgado found her, demanding his picture with the singer, and she led him to meet Badger, too. By the time she introduced the newspaper contest winners, she knew both Badger and his manager were irritated with the lack of organization. As she apologized and left the dressing room, she bet the men never considered that their tardiness was partially responsible. Everyone wanted to blame her for things she couldn’t control.
“Jessie!”
She saw Gonzo motioning to her. She moved through the crowds over to where he stood. She realized Henry was beside him, and both looked angry.
“Tell Henry here that my D.J.’s going to introduce Badger,” Gonzo told her.
“No way, Rangel! My station is sponsoring this concert, too. I got my D.J. ready to go.” Henry glared down at Jessie. “Well? Which D.J. do you want, lady?”
Jessie looked from one man to the other. She suddenly decided that since both men dumped so much of today’s frustrations on her shoulders, she didn’t owe either one anything.
At that moment, she was in charge, and used her power for her own benefit. “Listen, go find your seats—both of you—and I’ll make that decision later. I’ll send for the D.J. I want. I really can’t be bothered with that problem now.”
Suddenly grateful for the crowds, she slipped through the people and went back to the dressing room. She wanted time to talk to Badger and thank him again for coming. As a representative of the school, she owed him the courtesy.
After the bodyguard let her into the dressing room, she closed the door on all the confusion outside and took a moment to appreciate the muffled noise and her short escape.
He was alone in the room, his glasses and hat on a table. Sitting on the sofa, he rolled a bottle of water between his hands.
“How’s it going, Miss Jessie?”
“Fine,” she said. Her face seemed to burn in the bright lights of the dressing room.
A deep chuckle came from Badger. “You’re a terrible liar. I know everything outside is more than you bargained for.”
Moving from the door, Jessie went to sit on the arm of the sofa. “Next time I do this, I’ll be better prepared for the things you can’t prepare for.” She laughed, scratching her head. “Does that make sense?”
“Only to you, I’m sure.”
“Maybe so.” Jessie smiled. “Badger, I just wanted to tell you again. Thank you.”
“It was my way to say ‘thank you,’ too, Jessie.” His wide grin appeared under his moustache. “Does that make sense?”
“Only to you, I’m sure.”
A loud knock on the door interrupted their laughter, and the manager came in with three men in western suits. The manager frowned in her direction, and she took the hint.
“I’ll talk to you later, Badger.” Jessie stood up and left the dressing room as one of the men started to complain about the crowds and asked, “Who’s in charge of this circus, anyway?”
Quickly closing the door on the reply, Jessie pushed her way through the people milling around backstage, and once again wondered why the crowd kept getting thicker. She noticed more alumni, women she assumed were their wives, St. Joe’s students in Badger McCloud T-shirts, and other strangers who weren’t wearing badges.
Weaving back to the backstage entrance, she saw the two alumni officers, Mark Muller and Louis Bustamante, talking with two pretty women, and her eyes widened as the men glanced around and nodded, allowing the women through.
“Stop right there!” Jessie blocked their path, her hand raised in front of them. “Do you have a backstage pass?”
The taller of the two women blinked at her. “I didn’t know we needed one.”
“Well, you do. And if you don’t have one, you need to leave.” Her voice rose sharply. “Now!”
She saw the woman nudge her friend, and both of them turned to leave. Jessie followed them until they passed Mark and Louis, who shrugged at her as if they couldn’t help themselves.
“Don’t let anyone else through! No one! Even if they have a pass! There are too many people back there! Do you understand?” She felt like she was breathing fire, and gave them the full power of her anger in a stare that made her eyes burn. “No more people! No one! Do you understand?”
“Sorry, Jessie. We won’t let anyone else back there,” Louis said, and Mark nodded quickly in agreement.
As she spun around, her irritation made her regret not hiring more security, but she was trying to save the school money. She assumed Mark and Louis could muster up the authority to keep people out of the backstage area, but she didn’t count on them letting friends and pretty women sweet-talk them into bending the rules.
She heard cries of excitement and applause as she stepped off the cement steps. The ladies of Cactus Blossom came through the crowd on their way up to the stage. Once they were gone, Jessie moved through. By the time she reached the dressing room, she had been stepped upon, elbowed, and had her braid pulled. She was angry, and she was frustrated by the lack of crowd control.
She saw that two bodyguards now stood outside Badger’s door. Because of the darkness and dim lights, all she could tell was that they were big men.
“The warm-up band is about to start. Will you tell Badger?”
One grunted loudly, and the other moved from side to side, but didn’t open the door.
Then Jessie heard the echo of applause, and the first sounds of music coming from the stage. Excitement tingled over her body, as she indulged in a happy smile. No matter what else had happened before, the concert had begun as scheduled.
Behind her, the dressing room suddenly popped open and an angry voice shattered her moment of success.
“Find that woman in charge! Jessie Medina!”
Jessie’s heart jumped into her throat. Immediately, a dreadful shiver ran down her back.
“Let me pass.” She squeezed through the two bodyguards, and blinked into the bright lights of the dressing room. “What’s wrong?”
Badger paced the room. His heavy steps harmonized with the beat of Jessie’s heart. His manager startled her when he slammed the door, and snorted in anger.
“There’s too many people in the backstage area. Get them out of here!” The manager’s long face was pink with anger.
Before Jessie could reply, Badger spun on the heel of his boot and came towards her.
“Jessie, get those people out of the backstage.” His arms crossed upon his chest. “I always like to listen to my warm-up bands, and when I opened the door, all I saw was this mob of people. What’s going on?”
Jessie’s face flushed with embarrassment. “I’m sorry, but—” Once again, the black hat and shaded glasses intimidated her. He was such a different person when he wore them.
“I won’t go on stage with all those people out there. I’ll call this whole thing off right now. Do you get me?”
An alarm clanged inside her, making her head ring and her body shake. Her heart pounded at the thought of Badger canceling the concert. Suddenly, she realized everyone else had stolen control from her all night long. Badger’s threat was the final straw, and she refused to allow others to ruin everything she planned, even Badger himself.
“No one is canceling this concert. Do you understand?” Jessie pointed a finger at him. “If you want everyone out, then fine! I’ll clear out the backstage.”
She whirled around and left the dressing room. She pushed the bodyguards aside, and looked around. She was angry enough to spew lava; however, she knew she was only one small person in the midst of this mob. She needed help.