What could PRINCE have to worry about? He's gorgeous, talented and successful And as a bonus, his insecure girlfriend Penelope Smith has become a little more confident while growing her photography business.
I crawl into bed with Prince. There's just days until we have to start the tour. He pulls me close. "How many more tours do you see yourself going on?" he asks.
"As many as you'll take me to" I say.
"Doesn't my taking you on the road interfere with your work?"
"Well...depends on how you look at it. Yeah, I'm not home-but it's fun and good publicity. So I think it works out fine and I probably get assignments."
"Didn't look at it that way."
Truly, I want to know where we stand, but I'm scared I'll rock the boat if I press too much or seem like my biological clock is ticking. But I am 25 years old-not an uncommon age for women to think about these things. Trying to hint around the topic I ask softly,"What do musicians who are fathers do when it comes to touring?"
"They figure out what works best for them and their families-that's all they can do." Prince smiles at me,"That's what you jetsetting photographers do, right?"
Giggling I reply, "I do try to schedule things to match your appointments. "
"I know, Honey. Don't think I don't appreciate it but I'm concerned you're making too many sacrifices. What about your dreams? I recall you talking about a coffee table book and a studio in New York. How are going to achieve those following me all over?" He chokes up.
"What are you saying?" My eyes begin to water as I think shit, he's gonna dump me.
"Just remember it's okay to take time off from touring to do things that will help you. "
"I don't have the archives for a book yet or the funds for a second studio so I've got all the time in the world for you." I bat my eyes and try to seem sexy.
"Don't you have things you want to work on in the meantime? "
"You mean in the more immediate future?"
"Yes!"Prince sounds a bit exasperated.
"Well...I want to have my work in a national magazine. Shoot a major ad campaign. Maybe even publicity photos for movies..."
"That's career goals, tell me personal goals,"he insists.
"Could you go first?"
Prince sighs,"Alright.I want you to meet my half sister Sharon - when you go to New York again..."
"Really wanting me to met the family, huh?"
"Mom asked if I was serious about you." He smiles mischievously "I told her I am."
"How...how serious?"
"Enough to take you on all my tours, so to speak."
"And that means..."
"I'm getting a little older, when that happens a man entertains the idea of settling down. But I'm cautious because I want to only get married once."
I'd love to be married and have my family by my early thirties but I can't say that! It might sound too much like an ultimatum, so what I say is this, "Definitely understandable. Goodnight, Sugar. I love you"
Prince kisses me goodnight and tell me he loves me.
Prince narrates:
Penelope and I greet Annette for rehearsal the next morning. "Annette, is something wrong? Your eyes look a little red," Penelope asks gently.
"My boyfriend dumped me last night."Annette sighs, "Something about it wasn't going to work"
Before I can say anything Penelope says,"Of course not! He's a lunatic! "
"That's not even the worst part of it, when I'm sad I tend to forget to eat."
"Did you eat breakfast?" Penelope sounds rather concerned.
"I forced myself to eat a hard boiled egg."
"You need a real breakfast. Let me fix you some oatmeal and get you some fresh fruit."
"That's a lovely offer, but I'm fine. It's time to rehearse."
"Annette, go with Penelope, I've got things I can work on without you and anyway you're early." I assure her.
Since no one else is here, I linger outside the kitchen. Penelope fixes breakfast for Annette. "Don't let this fool cause you to not eat. Jasper, my trainer and friend has told me time and again not to skip meals." She points out.
"It's just so upsetting! Here I am working a big tour and writing songs for an album and I could've use some support from him!" Annette gripes.
"At least you won't be wasting more time with that ass. When you're at parties or events I've noticed men stop in their tracks when they see you."
Annette giggles,"I've never realized that. Probably because there's so much going on at parties."
"When you ready maybe Prince and I could introduce to some nice guys."
"We'll see."
"You'd better get going. Prince hates tardiness. I'll help you through this. Grace has been through many breakups so I'm kind of an expert at being there for someone."
I head to the rehearsal area, before I get caught listening. How great it was to hear Penelope being a confidant to Annette! Normally she stays a bit away from Annette. It's a comforting thought to think of Penelope as the housemother of Paisley Park, a source of guidance and friendship for the women I hire. When I imagined what I would like my wife to be like, this trait had never occured to me, but I love it.
"Thanks for letting me have breakfast"Annette says.
"You're welcome" I reply,"Can you keep a secret?"
"For you, yes. "
Annette is a close friend so we can keep private things between us. "I'm thinking seriously about marrying Penelope."
"DO IT! She's perfect for you! Hell, the staff is already calling her "The Mrs." And bonus, she's starting to give Rachel McLish a run for her money!"
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She is exaggerating about Penelope's body a bit, but Penelope would get a kick out of being compared to a fitness professional and former Ms. Olympia."Get to the point," I laugh,"Incidentally, Rachel McLish is on Penelope's list of dream clients. Unfortunately I'm not on that list."
"Aww...she probably just wants to be careful about working with her boyfriend. I'll bet if you offered her a job, she'd take it. Some promo photos for the next album or something."
"Possibly"
Maybe if I did offer her an assignment of some kind, it'd show her I am serious. When Penelope asked about musicians who are fathers last night, it told me everything I needed to know-that she wants to marry me and have my children. My head spun in excitement and I had a hard time sleeping. After the tour I'm going to pop the question. But in the meantime, I'm going to help her figure out how to lick that confidence problem.
