"Oh good grief! Are you sure?"
"YES! I saw the doctor yesterday and he confirmed it. He thinks I'm about ten weeks along. What shall we do?"
"What do you mean with what WE should do? Who are you anyway?"
The girl looked surprised at Chris. "What do you mean? I'm your girlfriend. You know me? I'm Natasha. The girl who was dancing for you remember?" You always called me Tess for some reason.
Chris shook his head. He looked at her nice blond hair. "Poor girl", he said. "Every time when you danced for me, you were telling a story to me, but you were only a dream."
Natasha cried and shouted: "Well, if this is fiction, then I'll be gone, it sure must have been a dream!"
Chris saw her running away. He felt sorry for her. "Poor girl", he thought. "She reminds me of Patricia." (A lovely girl he just met the other day). Oh wow! What a girl Patricia was. I'll just call her Delicia. When she moves her hips... Oh well, it will never work out. They say she's a "bad woman", but hey, at these days when you do something extraordinary, you are quickly strange! Why are they judging so quickly nowadays? Is this the early 20's or not?
Chris laid down and stared at the moon. After a few minutes he fell asleep.
There was someone shaking his shoulders brutally at both sides and shouting, "Chris, Chris, CHRIS! Come up lad, it's time, wake up will ya, and hurry!" "COME ON LAD, YOU'RE ON! You have 5 minutes to prepare and then it is your turn! This is the last time I'll warn you, okay? It will be your last performance if you're not ready by then. I have had it with you!"
Oh boy...the owner from the dark café "Captain America's" in a back street alley, was really mad.
Chris jumped up, took his sheets and rushed to the stage...boy, there will be a day when he will beg for me to perform here, Chris thought...
On the stage there was a big black piano...Chris hated that thing. It was an old one and missed the right tone...
The audience was there. Well...audience as said; it was a sober café where the hard workers of the harbor tried to forget their work and home. Yep, they had to go home later on! But first a few drinks before that!
They were really drunk, shouting for more booze. Some of them were so drunk that they fell from their chairs... Chris laughed, in this atmosphere he had to make his living...
While Chris played the piano, he thought of his future. "Is this what I want?" Sure, Paris is a nice city, but on this rainy night it was nothing that he was looking for. It was after a half hour or so, when IT happened! A lady entered the dark bar...all the drunken sailors and guests stopped shouting and stared at that lady. She had beautiful red hair, a dress he never had seen before...boy, she was really gorgeous! She walked into the room, ordered a light beer and turned her head in Chris' direction.
Believe it or not, everybody wanted to be at her side that night! She gave Chris a smile...it took his breath away and Chris never ever had a feeling of complete love as he did that night! "Wow! Someone should write a song about her", he thought...but hey...who would really buy such a song? Chris lost his concentration...he felt a kick inside when he thought of her! But he had to let her go...He had to play and get paid.
After about 3 hours of playing for a few bucks (Still nothing has changed... ah hum. lol), Chris left the café. He was tired and was looking for a place to sleep. You must remember: musicians weren't paid that well... Chris paid his bed with working hard, singing for the lads...trying to survive...
The stars were bright that night. The full moon lighted the whole sky. In thoughts Chris walked along the ships at the harbor. Although the late hour it was very busy: sailors went off and on, cars stopped and went...a drunken sailor with a even more drunken "fallen" women sang out loud while they were searching for a place that could give them a little private moment.
Chris stopped at a big three master. It was a beautiful ship. Ready to sail away to America. Ahhhhh America...the Promised Land Chris had heard about...many friends left Ireland and went to California. One day when he will be rich; he will do the same...starting his own hotel... Yes, that would be great: he would call it "Hotel California". It sure was a name with music on it...
"HEY THERE! WATCH OUT!"
Before Chris could turn his head to see what was going on, a big box fell down off the ship. The side of the box slammed Chris to the dock...all he knew and felt was a big, deep darkness...
"Oh no, you don't!" The nurse pushed Chris back in his bed. "You have a bad injury to your head. Lie down and sleep! You need some rest."
Chris was confused... "What happened?"
"Well", the nurse said, "You had a car accident. He was coming from the other direction, I believe it was on "Grafton Street" and he didn't see you." You’ve slept for 3 days now...the doctor will be here any minute. Try to stay calm and rest.
Chris was very confused... Was it all a dream? The girl who said she was pregnant, the performance at Paris...what was that place called again? The lady with that beautiful red hair...the harbor...the ships at the shore...Hotel California...and what on earth was he doing on Grafton Street?!
Well, he sure needed some rest. But while he was trying to get some sleep, he had the feeling that he forgot something or someone. A familiar name kept poping in his mind. Someone named Diane. It had to mean something. Maybe the nurse was right and he does need more rest.
Maybe when he is a bit older and has finish his school...yes...maybe then...maybe I can make some music...oh, how he loved to play his guitar...yes...when he was older, then he would...and fell back to sleep.
