Rock and a Hard Place

chapter 25

Libby couldn’t believe her eyes. Nestled between the massive red rocks, lay an amazing amphitheater. Before her danced a sea of people. The stage lay at the bottom. Row after row of seats filed the hilside, al with a perfect view of Peter performing center stage.

She nearly burst with excitement.

Several people brushed past as they returned to their seats.

An usher approached and yeled something, but Libby couldn’t hear a word over the pounding music. The woman shined a flashlight on the ticket in Libby’s hand and gestured towards the audience. Did Libby know where her seat was?

“No,” Libby yeled back, but knew her words were lost as the deafening sounds of Jamieson pumped through the speakers.

The woman read Libby’s ticket and indicated she should folow. About fifteen rows from the stage, she iluminated the ticket for Libby and pointed out the seat number. Libby pressed her way into the row, but after she bumped and jostled past several people, she gave up and stayed where she was.

At this close distance she could feel the energy glowing off Peter. She screamed inside at the thril of being so close and knowing he wanted to find her.



# # #

Peter couldn’t see a damned thing. The intense stage lights limited his vision to about four feet past the stage. Al he could do now is hope Roger would catch a glimpse of her on the monitor as she came through. He’d given up believing in the security personnel.

They were more worried about kids sneaking in booze than finding a lone girl in the crowd.

They finished their first five songs. The energy in the amphitheater would have shot through the ceiling had there been one. Now that the storm passed, the sky shone crystal clear, and stars dotted the heavens. Peter signaled Adam to start the next number, then noticed his parents next to a waving Roger at stage right.

Peter ran to them, his heart pumping in anticipation, while Adam and Garrett vamped the opening of their next song. Please let this be good news. He looked hopefuly at Roger, not daring to ask.

“She’s here!” Roger shouted.

“Yes!” Peter shouted.

“But we don’t know where,” he continued. “Security didn’t get her seat number and she disappeared into the audience.”

“Yeah, but she’s here!” He could dance on air.

Roger shook his head. He wasn’t having nearly as much fun as Peter.

“So how do we find her? Any bright ideas, Romeo?” Roger crossed his arms over his chest.

Garrett kept vamping on stage as Adam joked with the crowd. He could always count on Adam in a pinch. His Dad looked frustrated that Peter delayed the show.

“Yeah, actualy I do. Al the ticket winners had seats from row ten to row forty. Get a couple of spotlights and start shining them on the crowd. See if you can spot her. If you don’t find her in the next two songs, we’l send Adam and Garrett out while I do my solo. The crowd wil never expect to see them roaming the aisles.

They’ve both seen Libby up close and might find her.” Roger looked doubtful, but Peter spun away, ran across the stage and slid into place between his brothers. Adam hit the chord and the next chart topping song erupted from the speakers. Now that he knew Libby was in the house, he could barely contain himself. He gave it his al. He could see the spotlights roam over the crowd but the stage lights made it impossible for him to see anyone clearly. He wasn’t worried though. She was here and they’d find her.

Between songs, he caled Adam and Garrett over and explained the plan. Garrett smacked him on the back. Adam gave a thumbs up. Oh how the brotherly love flowed.



# # #

Peter performed on stage like the magnificent god she remembered. His tal lithe body moved with amazing power and grace. She’d almost forgotten his impossible good looks. Giant screens iluminated his every step. She nearly cried as she watched his familiar movement. How could she get to him? Maybe if she waited until after the concert?

The song ended and the lights softened. Garrett and Adam left the stage. A single light shone on Peter. He picked up a guitar and softly strummed. The audience cheered as they recognized the song.

He looked introspective as he spoke to the crowd.

“You may have heard that I’ve been trying to find a special someone from my past.”

Her heart beat wildly. He was talking about her. She wanted to yel ‘I’m right here!’ but the fans roared. They al knew about his search.

A huge smile filed his face. “Wel, she’s here tonight.” The masses thundered their approval.

“Libby, I know you’re out there. I can feel it. Where are you?”

The sound of Peter speaking her name nearly brought her to tears. She wanted to shout out, but the cheering audience made it pointless. Peter laughed at the crowd’s response, the sparkle in his eyes clear even from where she stood.

“I had a feeling that wasn’t going to work.” He continued to strum his guitar. “Tel you what, while I try to figure out how to find her in this huge audience, you sit, oops I forgot about the wet seats.

Okay, stand and enjoy this next song. It’s caled Angel Kisses, and I wrote it for Libby.”

As the hoard of admirers delivered another deafening roar, Libby watched transfixed. She didn’t realize he wrote a song for her. Her love for him skyrocketed as she watched. His beautiful baritone voice caressed each word. She remembered that day so long ago at Parfrey’s Glen. Goosebumps covered her arms as he sang of a tender love that no one understood, and how Angel Kisses could wash away the scars of life.

Spotlights continued to wander over the crowd, but to Libby, she and Peter stood alone among the red rocks. The thousands of onlookers evaporated into the night.

Oblivious to her surroundings, Libby was surprised when halfway through the song someone tapped her on the arm. A young guy wearing a basebal hat and hoodie peered at her.

“Libby?”

He knew her name? She looked closer at his face. “Adam?!” She couldn’t believe it. He’d changed so much. He stood taler and looked older. He responded with his familiar shit eating grin.

Perhaps he hadn’t changed much after al. He took her by the arm and puled her toward the aisle.

“Excuse me, pardon me.” When they reached the aisle he waved to a couple of techies. “Clear the way boys.”

“So, you’re Libby?” one asked.

She nodded, embarrassed at the attention. The tech guys lead a path through the fans who stood in the aisle. Adam took Libby by the arm and guided her as they approached the stage.

Suddenly a wave of fear struck her. The moment was here.

Her reunion with Peter was about to happen in front of this mass of fans. As they walked down the final steps, she glanced up and saw the image of her and Adam appear on the screens. A camera folowed their progress toward the stage. The crowd caught on.

She was the girl in the pictures. After al the promotion and news of Peter’s ‘search for Libby’, his fans knew she and Peter were about to be reunited and they would al enjoy front row tickets. Before her pulse simply raced, now it beat a staccato rhythm faster than a snare drum.

The tech guys puled out a set of steps from under the stage and hoisted her up. She glanced back to Adam, scared.

“It’s okay,” he said, a relaxed, happy expression on his face.

She climbed the last stairs alone. Excited. And terrified. She stepped onto the stage. Peter stood at the other end, singing with his heart and soul.

Peter looked across the stage and saw her. He stopped singing and froze. Emotion clouded his eyes. He seemed to move in slow motion as he set down the guitar and walked toward her. The spectators erupted in cheers.

Libby’s legs felt weak. She feared she might faint.

He searched her face and as he came closer. Anguish filed his eyes. She could see al the pain and heartbreak they both had suffered. He rushed to her.

Her surroundings forgotten, she ran into his arms, oblivious to the roar of the audience, the lights and the cameras. He puled her into a tight embrace and swung her in the air. Finaly. Her world felt whole again. He held her as if he may never let her go and she wasn’t sure she would let him. He moved with her and rocked her to the beat of the back up music. She remembered his strong solid body and reveled in the joy of feeling it once again. Their eyes met and spoke volumes of love and longing. The past hadn’t changed.

They were back in Wisconsin alone at Parfrey’s Glen. Tears trailed down her cheeks. He held her face and kissed her in front of al those people and with the concert at a stand stil. He kissed her for the long months they’d been apart and the promise of a future together.