Life with the jokers: on tour

Part 7

Rachel managed to get the guys into the bus, with me already rushed in.

I. Was. Exhausted.

With less than a month of late nights and early wakes I wasn't sure I could handle it. Rachel rubbed her eyes quickly- trying to defeat the exhaustion.

"Right," Joe said, "clapping his hands together, "let's bring the party to us."

Joe, who didn't drink alcohol, got out some lemonade from the fridge. I followed him quietly to ask him the question that had been scaring me all day.

"Hey Joe?" I asked, getting out a paper cup for his drink. He acknowledged me with a smile and a sharp nod.

"I was just wondering... you know those videos you took when me, Q and Sal were drunk? Well, you didn't show us the last video... you said it was bad."

He chuckled, not taking his eyes off the bottle.

"I know them videos," he shot back.

"Well? Can I see them?"

"When time calls for it," was his answer.

What if it's something terrible? I couldn't even imagine the worst that could have been recorded? Was I in the video?

"Just tell me one thing," I ordered, "tell me- am I in the video?"

"Yeah."

His smart remark didn't help at all- was that good or bad?

"When are you waiting to show us?" I asked.

"When time calls," he repeated. Seriously- not helping!

"Joe, seriously!" What did Joe capture on his camera? How drunk were we? "Please just let me see."

"No." And with that, Joe grabbed his drink and left. Left me alone by the mini fridge and the counter. At least Rachel was having a good time- laughing and joking with Murr and Q. A plastic cup in their hands.

"What's up?" Sal asked as he wobbled over to me, the moving bus causing him to lose balance.

"Nothing," I huffed, "it's just Joe's stupid video of me on his phone."

"You saw it?"

"No, but I want to."

"He'd never actually show anyone, don't worry." He tried to cheer me up, but I couldn't seem to concentrate on him.

"I think... I think I need to sit down."

Sal directed me to the bed on the ground, working out what was the best option. Q was on the couch, Joe was drinking by the table and Murr was in his bed.

Sal lowered to the ground- patting the mattress for me to join.

"I can't get that low." I laugh, looking around for something else to sit on. Nothing.

Cautiously, I lower down in the tiny corridor until I'm crawling into the tiny bed space.

"Feel better?" He asked me. Our heads were tilted to the side so that we could sit up straight, but it was still better than sitting up. I nod.

"I can't believe it's only the second day and I'm already exhausted."

"You get used to it," he admitted, stretching, "but all our enthusiasm disappears after a few weeks."

"It must be hard performing almost every day."

"It is." Sal replied, raising his eyebrows.

"Anyway," I interrupt, "I'm gonna get to sleep. Goodnight."

I thrashed around to lift myself up to my feet and entered the kitchen and living area.

"I'm going to sleep," I inform Q and Joe. Q quickly turned off the TV and allowed me to sit next to him.

"I guess we all might as well," he replied, checking his watch. "It's 11."

The guys had left me a big blanket and some pillows on the sofa and, without changing into my pyjamas, I went to sleep. The guys yelled good night- one at a time and the lights quickly turned off.

Now it was just me rocking around in a moving bus until the morning came around.

NEXT STOP NORTH CAROLINA.

Rocking back and fourth felt as if I was on a boat- a quiet, relaxing boat on a quiet but wavy sea.

But in the distance was a faint snoring sound- which Murr already warned me about. Sal is the loudest sleeper. You just had to sleep through it. His snores were as loud as a drill- but at least I was several meters away.

Impossible. It was impossible to sleep. The rocking. The snoring. The bright road lights that passed quickly, signalling for a new light to join the view. Each as bright as the sun.

3:00

In the morning.

We had 4 more hours until we needed to be up. My eyes couldn't possible shut again from the bright lights from the busy traffic.

Welcome to North Carolina.

We were here. One step closer to New York.

Sitting up on the couch enabled me to watch each and ever car pass the sign. Each car probably filled with an excited family closer to their vacation or an angry business man caught up in traffic. There was not an in between.

Except us. We were miles from that scale. A leisurely trip but also for their job. They had the best job anyone could possibly have.

"Guys?" I whispered. Someone else was awake- I could tell.

"Olivia?" A voice came from the sparsely lit bunk beds.

I fell silent as I didn't know who I was talking to. Until Q lurked in the shadows for a few seconds. He rubbed his eyes and sat beside me.

"I've been awake for an hour," he informed me.

"I only just got up. We're already here."

He nodded.

"How did you sleep?"

"Well," I said, "how about you?"

"Ok... I guess," Q shrugged, "apart from Sal's loud snoring."