Spotlight

By Susan J.

The thunderous applause from the audience was overwhelming. I looked out into the crowd and smiled at the people. I walked off the stage and was met by my two assistants. The blouse that I was wearing was soaked with sweat. I started to undo the buttons.

"What are you doing?" Bobby asked.

"I need to take this blouse off now," I said.

"Here?"

"Yes."

"Well I have your robe ready," Roxanne said.

"Hold on a minute while I wrap the towel around you. We don't need somebody with a camera taking pictures of you and selling them on EBay," Bobby said. He wrapped the towel around me and I took off the blouse, Roxanne then helped me put on the robe and we started towards the dressing room.

"You are crazy!" Bobby said.

"Why?" I said.

"You could have waited until you got to the dressing room."

"No I couldn't."

"Why?"

"Cuz as the minutes pass the blouse gets cooler and I could run the risk of catching a cold later."

We made it to the dressing room and I changed my clothes. I took a fifteen-minute break and then we headed back towards the stage for the second half of the show. The audience and I had a great time. After I finished singing one of the songs a man ran up on stage and hugged me tightly, two of the security men ran on stage and pulled him off of me and took him away. The rest of the concert I kept looking around just to make sure that security was near by in case the man came back. When the show was over I was escorted back to the dressing room where I changed my clothes and rested a little bit. Roxanne collected the dirty clothes that I wore and put them into a duffle bag.

"I wonder where that guy came from?" Roxanne said.

"I was wondering that myself," I said.

"Well at least security was ready," Bobby said.

"Speaking of security, Bobby call the guys that peeled that guy off of me, I'd like to talk to them."

"Okay. I'll be right back." Bobby left.

"Why do you want to talk to them?" Roxanne asked.

"I would like to thank them for helping me."

"Well, they did come to the rescue."

"Yes, they did." A few minutes later Bobby walked in and behind him walked two other men wearing security jackets. I was looking at some papers and Bobby closed the door behind them.

"Angel, here are the guys that you wanted to see," Bobby said.

"Hello. Please sit down," I said. The two men sat on the chairs that were in the room. I looked up and into a pair of deep dark brown eyes.

"What are your names?" I asked.

"I'm Randy Adams and this is Tony Ramirez," Randy said.

"It's nice to meet you both. I wanted to meet you both and to thank you for what you did for me tonight, especially with the guy that ran on stage."

"No thanks are necessary, as the old saying goes we were just doing our jobs," Randy said.

"Well, I really appreciate it. Will the two of you be working tomorrow night as well?" I asked.

"Well I'll be working but Tony won't." I felt my heart drop slightly.

"Oh really? Why is that?"

"Well Tony is a friend of mine. I was one guy short tonight and he was kind enough to fill in and help me out." I looked at Bobby and it was if he could read my mind.

"Is there anyway that we could convince Tony to work tomorrow night?" Bobby asked.

"Why?" Tony asked.

"I think with what happened tonight Angel would feel more comfortable and safe with you around."

"Whata say? Will you work tomorrow night?" I asked. Tony looked at me and then at Randy.

"It's up to you Tony," Randy said. Tony looked at me once again.

"Okay, I'll be here tomorrow night," Tony said.

"Thanks, I really appreciate it," I said.

"Well I guess we'll be seeing each other tomorrow night. Thanks," Bobby said. Randy and Tony got up and started towards the door.

"See you tomorrow," Randy said.

"See you tomorrow," I said. Randy opened the door and they left.

"I'll go and see if the car is ready," Bobby said.

"Okay," Roxanne said. Bobby left the room. Roxanne looked at me.

"Damn, is he good looking!"

"Who?" I asked.

"That Tony guy."

"Oh, you noticed, huh."

"Oh yeah." Bobby came back.

"Car is ready, so let's go," he said.

"Let's go," I said.

We all left the room and got into the car and left the arena. The following night we arrived at the arena and prepared for that night's concert. Bobby walked through the arena with Tony and the rest of the security guards and everything was ready. Bobby and Tony walked towards the dressing room.

"I want you to be in charge of keeping an eye on Angel," Bobby said.

"Don't worry I'll keep an eye on her," Tony said. They went inside the dressing room.

"Is Angel ready?" Bobby said.

"She's almost ready. Hi Tony," Roxanne said.

"Hi, Roxanne, right?"

"Yes."

Bobby looked at his watch. "I think you better hurry her along, it's getting late," Bobby said.

"Okay. Excuse me," Roxanne said. Roxanne went into the other room where I was dressing.

"Are you almost ready?"

"I think so? How do I look?" I asked. I turned around in a complete circle so Roxanne could see me.

"You look great. I think we better get going."

"Let's go."

We walked out of the other dressing room and enter the other room. Tony looked at me like if something was wrong. I looked down at my outfit.

"Is there something wrong?" I asked.

"No. Why would you say that?" Bobby asked.

"Well the way that Tony looked at me I thought there was a stain or tear in my outfit."

"I'm sorry I didn't mean anything by my looking at you," Tony said.

"Well I think we should get going. The audience is waiting for you," Bobby said.

"Let's go," Tony said.

We walked out the door and into the hallway. Tony walked on my right side, all the while holding firmly to my right elbow. We made it to the back stage area and listened to the audience stomping their feet ready for the concert to begin. Roxanne got close to my ear.

"You look nervous," she said.

"I am a little," I said.

"Why?"

"Maybe I'm a little worried that guy will show up again."

"Don't worry he won't." The announcer introduced me and I took a deep breath.

"Now go and have fun," Roxanne said.

"I will."

I walked out onto the stage and the concert began. About half way through the show Roxanne noticed that she didn't have the robe that I changed into during the intermission. She looked at Bobby.

"I'll be right back," she said.

"Where are you going?" Bobby asked.

"I forgot Angel's robe. I'll be right back."

"Okay."

Roxanne left the back stage area and went down the hallway to the dressing room. She went inside and got the robe, but then she noticed an envelope taped to the mirror. She took it off the mirror and opened and read it.

"Oh my God," she said.

She put the envelope in her jacket pocket and ran back to the stage area and waited for me to come off the stage. Bobby noticed that something was wrong.

"What wrong with you?" Bobby said.

"Nothing."

"Now I've known you too long to accept that answer, now what's wrong. Now spill it."

"I found this taped to the mirror in the dressing room." She took the envelope out of the pocket and gave it to Bobby. He opened it and read it. He looked at her with a concerned look.

"What?" she said.

"I don't know what to think? Did you see anybody near the dressing room?"

"Nobody. Oh geezs what if the person was still inside the dressing room when I walked in?"

"Don't even think that."

Tony noticed that what they were talking about was of concern, so he walked over to them.

"What's wrong?" Tony asked.

"Roxanne found this note taped to the mirror in the dressing room." Bobby handed it to Tony who read it.

"Do we have something to worry about?" Roxanne asked.

"Yes I would say so," Tony said.