It's been a few weeks and not too much has happened. I am pretty renowned here in Florida and also LA. My album is in the works and my video is being dropped in a week, the premier is during the Boys' concert the 22nd. I'm nervous and excited, I can't explain it any other way. I sit at the soundboard with my daughter, mixing my newly recorded song, introducing her to the behind the scenes elements that go into creating an album. We laugh as we play with the pitch and speed of my voice. "Momma?"
"Yes, baby?"
"Why are you doing this?"
"For you three to see dreams come true."
"Will you and Joshie ever make it forever?" Childhood curiosity is funny at times and spur of the moment.
"What? You mean get married?" I ask, placing my chin on her small shoulder.
"Yeah, that."
"Not yet. Remember that we told Ange that Josh and I will be engaged for a long time, when he and I know-"
"All of us will know," she finishes. "Why Joshie?"
"He's loving, good to us, spends time with us, tells us he loves us, helps us and I really love him," I tell her.
"I like how he makes us happy," she adds.
"Me too, babygirl. He treats us unbelievably well."
"He tucks us in when he's home."
"He comforts me when I need it."
~~~~~
"No, I don't believe in abortions because the fetus is a living thing and I look at it like murdering a child before it has a fair chance," I say, looking at the guys interviewing me for the National Right To Life organization and Rolling Stone.
"Are you a Catholic? How did you come to the conclusion?"
"I've worked with Carenet and I don't believe in abortion. I'm not a practicing Catholic, but my grandma had taught me that killing anyone is wrong, even if it is a harmless and defenseless unborn child."
I sit here wearing a pair of faded denim jeans and a green Danskin long sleeved shirt, pulling on the bottom of my sleeve. We're in the studio at my house and I look at Josh, being my co-manager, and he nods with a smile on his face. "Ok, thanks for your time and we appreciate you taking the time to have this interview," the guy says, standing up and letting his partner take a few pictures of me before leaving.
"That interview felt like it took absolutely forever," I mutter to myself.
Josh comes back down the stairs as I turn my back to the door and bend over the sound board, unknowingly enticing Josh to stand behind me. He quietly walks over to me and grabs my hips. "I want to do it right here and now," he groans in my ear, grinding me from behind.
I wiggle my ass against his crotch and hear him hiss, wanting to give into his desire. Only two interruptions can stop us-a physical visitor or a phone call, of course the latter has to happen and I check my caller ID to find out that it's my main manager. "Hey, Ush," I greet once I press the cell to my ear after accepting the call.
"Hey, ghetto. How comes the album? What about the interviews? How are the kids? Are you and JC good?" he rattles off as fast as he can.
"Five more tracks for the album, the interviews were a range of awkwardly personal to boringly basic, kids are great, Josh and I are doing great. More to it than that, I know it."
Josh leads me to the couch by my hand and sits, pulling me onto his lap. I'm looking into his cerulean orbs and he's looking into mine, enjoying our moment. "I have to be honest, there is more-I got you on the Today show and the VMAs."
"When?"
"Today show is slotted for August 19 and VMAs are August 28. The Today show would also like to have you appear again on release day. FYE is requesting signings in Boston, Florida, NYC, LA and somewhere else in Massachusetts."
"Leominster, most likely. What am I performing for the Today show the first go 'round? For the VMAs?"
"They want 'Phantom'. The Today show is more interview than performance."
"That works. Could you please get a list of the questions they have in mind and e-mail them to me?"
"Sure, I can have them in the next couple days. You're holding steady at #3 on the hot 100 singles list, you're two spots up from JB."
"Sweet!"
"We have an album meeting September 16, Orlando at 11a."
"Works for us-the kids will be school. That it?"
"You have interviews with Teen People, Tiger Beat, Bop, MTV and VH1 over the next two weeks." He gives me the deets (details) and I write them in my planner notebook. "MTV also wants an interview for the VMAs, the day of, I'm trying to talk them into a 'Diary' special for the weeks leading to, during and just after the album drop," he tells me.
"The day of the VMAs, yes and we'll get in talks about that special."
"Good deal, ghetto. Talk to you in a few days."
"Aight, deuces." I hang up and rest my head on Josh's chest, sighing. "Fuck, I'm busy for months."
"I know, I've been there," Josh reminds me.
"I remember, I only followed your career," I quip.
"We should try to get more done while they're out."
"How many tracks have been laid down in all?"
He closes his eyes, counting them. "Something like 13."
"Six more enough to make half an album?"
"You're doing 25 tracks?"
"I like that, 13 on one disc and 12 on the other."
"So we're doing three versions-one with 12, one with 13 and the double disc. They have varying hidden tracks, the only one remaining the same on all of them is our duet."
"Ok, Producer Man. How about we get a few tracks done and take the weekend off?" I propose.
He rocks his head side to side, contemplating the pros and cons of doing so. "We have to finish the tracks by August 9th, we have to start mixing and setting them for the album."
"I can do that, Josh, but we also need time to ourselves. We have…" I tell him, pulling out my iPod to accurately count the ones we've already recorded and mixed, "17 recorded & mixed, four that need mixing and nine that need to be recorded. We're golden."
"That's 30 songs!" he announces with surprise.
"Um, yup. C'mon, we need a break," I whine.
"Just this weekend and then after the kids are dropped off with the guys, we get as much as we can recorded Monday. We might be able to get 5 or 6 done Monday, the rest Tuesday and spend the rest of the time mixing them," he plans out loud.
"We should be done by the 9th," I point out.
"We most likely can be done before that."
"Good, then we can focus on the appearances and interviews and photo shoots."
"The fun stuff," he groans.
"At least most of it is here or at your Winter Park property. Only the tv stuff is in NY and we have interviews there too."
"You have this all planned?"
"No, it's what Ush set up, remember?" I reply, picking up and dropping the planner notebook. "I enrolled the kids for school already, got their dentist and doctor appointments set up and went food shopping around studio time and publicity interviews."
"Whoa! You act like super mom now that we've gotten over so many humps."
"Just trying to keep busy now that we're winding down on the album, seeing as it's almost complete."
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