Laura was constantly amazed at the talent of her husband.  His new album was finished and each song was a work of art.  The passion he had in his voice and the many late nights showed his dedication and love for what he was doing.  He had been rehearsing for the tour for weeks now and the tour was set to start next week.  The first half of his tour had been sold out, due largely in part to the stir Laura had created on the Internet about him, and the second part was close behind in sales. 

For JC, this album and tour was a way to redeem himself after the low sales from his last one.  This album was very different from the last.  The music was catchy but didn’t have the heavy suggestive words from previously.  The pressure he placed on himself was incredible.  He had many people counting on him, not the least of which he didn’t want to let his wife down, who was being so supportive. 

Laura was a nervous wreck about heading out on tour for three months.  What to pack, how much to pack, what if she forgot something?  JC was an old pro at this and knew that even if he did forget something, someone else would have it or he could send someone to buy it. 

Had JC been home, he would have been able to soothe her fears, but he left early every morning and didn’t return until way after dark, just falling into bed when he got there.  Finally, three days before they left on tour, rehearsals were finished and called a great success, and everyone was released in order to go home and prepare themselves for the road. 

After falling into bed the afternoon following rehearsals, JC didn’t surface until the next morning.  Even after hours of needed sleep and a hot shower, his back muscles were rebelling.  He wasn’t as young as he had been when he had toured previously.  Padding down the stairs, he hoped he could talk Laura into one of her massages.  But what he found made him want to run as fast as he could in the other direction. 

Laura had turned the living room into a staging area and had clothes, shoes, and other necessities spread on every available surface.  

“What the – what are you doing?”  He shouted.

“What does it look like I’m doing?”  She responded curtly, not looking up from the suitcase in front of her. 

“How hard is it to pack some clothes in a couple of suitcases?  Why did you drag it all down here?”  His voice got louder. 

“Because I don’t know what to pack, let alone how much to pack, and before you even think of suggesting that I ask you, need I remind you I asked you last week and again two days ago in which you responded you would get to it as you fell asleep.  I haven’t seen my husband in weeks and yet just magically I’m supposed to know what to take to live on a tour bus for the next three months!”  During her rant, she had turned to face him, eyes flashing her rage, but finished she turned back and starting attacking the clothes she was packing. 

JC inhaled deeply before rubbing a hand over his eyes then down to his jaw, feeling the whiskers he hadn’t taken the time to shave yet.  He had caught the stress and hint of tears in her eyes and the bags underneath.  He had forgotten to give her the list everyone on the tour received to help them pack.  Tony, the tour manager, had passed them out to the crew weeks ago and JC could picture it still sitting on the backseat of his car.

Stepping behind her, he pressed against her back and ran his hands down her arms until he could grab her hands, which she clenched into fists as she tensed.  “I’m sorry,” he whispered into her ear.  “I’ve been a horrible husband expecting you to take care of everything here and not helping at all.  Come lay down with me and we can pack after we take a nap.”

“I’m not tired,” she said.

“Yes, you are and even if you’re not, I want you next to me, please?  Please?  I’m sorry.”  He slowly turned her in his arms.  She knew if she met his eyes she would be lost, but he tipped her chin up so she had to look at him. 

She saw the sincerity and apology in his eyes.  She took a deep breath as she relaxed into his arms.  “I’m sorry too, I know how busy you are, and instead of talking to you, I kept it to myself and let it build.”

 “I get so focused sometimes that I don’t know what I’m missing.  Feel free to hit me over the head and say “hey, we need to talk.’  I’ve never been married and on tour before so it’s going to be an adjustment for both of us.  But I’m going to try to make it as easy as possible on you.  If there is anything you want or need, just tell me and I’ll do my best to make it happen.”

“I just need you, for the rest of my life I just need you.”

*** 

Being on tour was very stressful for Laura.  Staying in a different hotel every night or sleeping on the bus when they couldn’t, different venues with the same people with different faces catering to her husbands every whim was also a strain.  She tried to hide the stress from JC, but he was too perceptive.  He struggled with what he could do to make her feel more comfortable. 

She stayed in the background the majority of the time and watched the people around her.  Everyone on tour knew JC was married, but many didn’t know what she looked like so Laura blended in with the rest of the staff.  She preferred it that way, and then she didn’t get any special treatment.  When JC was busy, she helped where she could, running errands, or keeping up with fan mail.  When JC wasn’t busy, they spent all of their time together on the bus or in his dressing room so he could feel out how she was doing.  Laura was also the one that helped him with costume changes, ripping off one set and helping him into the next. 

One day everyone’s emotions came to a boiling point. 

Laura had offered to help put together more press packets for the tour.  It wasn’t a hard job so a couple of the other errand girls sat down together to work on them.  Laura was tired and wasn’t in the mood to talk to these young girls when all they wanted to do was gossip.  She knew they were jealous of her, being married to JC (even though they didn’t know it was her), but they had no idea what they were getting themselves into when they started talking. 

They didn’t even attempt to include Laura in their conversation.  They knew she had special privileges but weren’t sure why.  So after discussing whom they liked and didn’t like on the tour, they moved on to the headliner. 

“I just took this job to be closer to JC.”

“You know he’s married, right?”

“Yeah, but I don’t think they get along very well.  I mean you never see them together.”

“Supposedly, she’s on tour with us, though.”

“She’s probably so stuck up she won’t associate with the common people.”

Laura’s ears were tuned to every word.  By this point, they had forgotten she was even in the room and had stopped working so they could talk. 

“I bet she’s so ugly that JC doesn’t want to show her off in public.”

“She’s from Ohio, who meets and marries someone from Ohio?”

“I’m sure she tricked him into marrying her.  Why else would he still be with her when he’s got me waiting on the sidelines?”  They both laughed. 

“She’s probably never worked a day in her life.”

“Exactly right and being from Ohio, doesn’t that make her like uneducated?”

“Yeah, and a hick!”

“Who knows what he sees in her?  She’s probably missing some teeth too.”

“Excuse me,” Laura interrupted their gossip session.  “Could you pass me a couple more folders?”

She kept stuffing as she said in a conversational tone, not knowing JC had stopped outside the door and had been listening to the conversation.  He hadn’t known she was in there until she spoke.  Now his blood was boiling as he waited to hear what Laura would say.

“So you think JC’s wife is an uneducated hick from Ohio who’s never worked a day in her life?”

“Yeah, I mean, have you seen her working on anything?  I’ve never seen her around.  She probably sleeps all day and eats bon bons!”  Both girls laughed hysterically at that. 

Laura nodded.  “That’s good to know.”  Standing, she declared, “I’m done here, do you think you can handle the rest?”  Her stack was three times as big as the other two put together.  She paused before saying, “You know girls, it’s best to know who are talking about before you start spreading rumors.”

They froze as JC appeared behind Laura and drew her back against his chest.  She hadn’t been expecting him and jumped when he touched her.  “Sweetheart, they think you married an uneducated hick from Ohio who doesn’t know what work is.”

“I heard,” his voice was tense from anger and his eyes were flashing.  She started to pull him away as the two girls started hyperventilating.  But JC stood his ground.  “Let me tell you something, my wife is the most beautiful, thoughtful, caring woman I have ever met and in fact has several college degrees.  And as for never working a day in her life…”  He glanced at the pile Laura had put together and then looked at their short stack.  “Well, she seems to have worked circles around you and still maintained her classiness while I can’t say the same for you.  You are no longer needed on the tour.”

JC latched onto her hand and pulled her behind him until they reached his dressing room.  He slammed the door behind them and ran his fingers through his hair.  Laura tried to catch her breath; she had had to sprint to keep up with him as he raced through the halls.  Sinking down on a chair, she watched him pace back and forth, muttering to himself.

Suddenly he stopped abruptly, turned, and sank down on his knees in front on her.  “I am so sorry about that.  Is that how you are treated on this tour?”

She averted her eyes, not wanting to admit the truth, but he grabbed her chin firmly and forced her to look at him.  He saw the truth in her eyes and swore. 

“JC, it’s just a few people, the majority are very nice, but there are the women who think they are going to steal you from me.  It’s never been quite so hostile as today though.”

“Why haven’t you said anything?”

“Because you need to concentrate on giving your best every night.  It’s not worth the breath to mention that there are very ignorant people who don’t like that you are married and not to them.  They are just jealous that I am the one that has you.  It’s alright.”

He saw the hurt in her eyes that she had tried so desperately to hide.  This woman had been dealing with this for the past few weeks completely on her own.  Had he really been so involved that he hadn’t taken the chance to show her off or claim her as his to the people on his tour?  What kind of a husband was he?  He remembered all the times she had sat in his dressing room waiting on him, not interacting with anyone else.  In her own way, she was trying to protect him from the harshness of her world, but no longer.  This was something he could fix and fix very easily.  He was the headliner, but didn’t throw his weight around as many others did.  However, that was about to change.  If someone didn’t accept his wife or respect her, they would be off the tour, no questions asked.  He didn’t share these thoughts with his wife though, she would have protested greatly. 

His onstage performance was about to change tonight as well.