Under the Elms

Act II

From that first night together until it was time to report for new teacher training, Prince and Sofia had been almost inseparable.  They had fallen head over heels for each other. Shocked that she was still a virgin at 22, he was infatuated enough to hold back and let her decide when she was ready to make love. She had listened to and participated in musical rehearsals, watched choreography and staging rehearsals that seemed endless, rubbed the aching shoulders, back and even feet of her beloved, and been a sounding board for a myriad of frustrations and new ideas in the small hours of the night.

Her soulmate was a creative machine, and had the uncanny ability to motivate people to achieve things they'd never thought were possible. Time after time, she witnessed people working themselves to death just to please him.

She was no exception. Part of her wanted to jettison her teaching career and stay on as a third keyboard player, but it was obvious that wasn't really needed. Occasionally she would head back to her apartment for changes of clothing, to check the mail, and spend a night alone. She didn't love those nights, but felt like she needed to prove some independence. She was teetering on the edge of being completely absorbed into Prince's life. It wasn't that he was overly possessive, though she hadn't given him any reason to doubt her fidelity. It was more that being around him was more enthralling than being anywhere else.

‘You have a passport, right?’ he asked one day in July over breakfast.

Sofia's head popped up like a prairie dog, making him laugh. ‘Oh, mama, I wish you could do that again. Funniest thing I've ever seen.’

‘What are you talking about?’ Sofia asked, once he stopped laughing.

‘You don't have to be at work until what, the middle of August? Since I can't convince you to break your contract, the least you can do is come with me on the beginning of the tour. I'll fly you back in time to get over jet lag.’ He started laughing again. ‘Mama, you're gonna catch flies if you leave your mouth hanging open like that.’

‘What do you plan for me to do?’ Sofia was stunned by this idea.

‘Be my baby, take care of me, play if you want, sing some backup. Imma want you right next to me as long as possible.’ Prince took Sofia's hand, kissing her fingers. He used his always arresting eyes to beg without words. ‘What do you say?’

‘I guess it could work, if I'm home by the 18th. I'd never considered it. I'd been counting down the days I had with you.’ Sofia looked scared and hopeful at the same time.

‘Then we’ll make it work.’ Prince grinned from ear to ear. Getting what he wanted always made him happy. ‘Go buy a suitcase, mama. It's on.’

Touring with Prince was magical. Traveling by charter jet, staying in penthouses, carried around in limos. That alone made it heady stuff. Performing for thousands and tens of thousands of people was beyond anything Sofia could have imagined. Walking onstage in Edinburgh, she took two steps back as the roar of 23,000 people hit her all at once. She could feel it vibrating against her breastbone. Morris Hayes, walking on behind her, put a hand on her upper back and said loudly, ‘You never back up in the NPG. Keep walking, little mama.’

She saw a side of Prince that hadn't been visible to her before. He wanted all the information about every part of the tour, from merchandise sales to the cost of replacement bulbs. He was driving people crazy asking for details they weren't prepared to give him. She'd always known he was a musical genius, but it became clear to her he was a bona fide genius in every way. He had an amazingly clear business sense, and had an ability to look beyond the present to see what was coming next before almost anyone else.

She woke one morning to a hand being drug up her side, brushing against the outside of her breast. The physically intimate side of their relationship had begun with the tour, though she had given her heart to him long before he had taken her virginity. As her eyes drifted open, they focused on the beautifully handsome face of the man she loved more than she'd ever believed she could love anyone. She couldn't imagine being in bed with anyone else, ever.