Everyone has baggage, but it's certainly not Selina's job to carry it for them.
*****
Radio talk show host Selina Locke was just looking for a peaceful summer in sunny Barcelona, but...
( — phil collins; english drummer, singer, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, record producer, and actor. )
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THE WAIT IS OVERWHELMING.
Even though Cameron said the band's manager would call Selina in just fifteen seconds—she supposes it's fifteen seconds after their own call ended—and it's definitely not a long waiting period, it still feels like fifteen minutes instead.
So, she holds her phone with both of her sweaty hands, in spite of the drop in temperature, and can't do anything but wait. It rings shortly after that, as expected, with an unknown caller trying to reach her, and Selina takes in a sharp breath, praying she won't embarrass herself and miss out on one of the biggest interviews of her career.
"Hello?" she cautiously begins, after picking up.
"Selina Locke?" a professional male voice on the other side of the line answers.
She gulps, instinctively reaching out for her water bottle. "That would be me. How can I help you?"
"Ah, great. Just the person I wanted to talk to. This is Charles Ricci, and I'm the head manager of Summersteen. You've probably heard a thing or two about me, and probably more about the band. I mostly work from the sidelines." He takes a brief pause to type something on a keyboard, and that break is only momentarily useful for Selina as she uses it to timidly sip her water. "Did Cameron let you know I wanted to get in touch with you?"
"Yep—I mean, yes, yes, he did. He let me know you were calling."
"I know. I told him to." More typing, more sweat coating Selina's hands, more heartbeats per minute. "So, it has come to my attention you're interested in interviewing the band. What is it, exactly, that you do?" She opens her mouth to answer, but, before she can say anything, he decides he's not finished talking. "It's a talk show, correct?"
"It's a radio talk show."
"Right." Selina can't tell whether he sounds skeptical or not, so she bites her tongue before saying something she might regret. Her ego can take a few blows just fine—after all, it's definitely not the worst thing she has ever heard—but her job cannot. "And what's the purpose of it? I get that you interview people, but what is your main goal? What made you choose to start your own radio show?"
Selina inhales, trying to find the right words.
It's not a complicated question, but it requires somewhat of a complicated answer. She knew she wanted to be on the radio since she was in high school, but, considering she's horribly tone-deaf, singing was not an option. She also wanted to make a difference; besides interviewing people, she wanted to raise awareness to world problems—global warming, shootings, social justice, racism, feminism—and she wanted to let girls like her know they had a platform and they had a voice.
