London Harmony: The Pike (15 page)

We got off the plane in London, Itsy's anxiety ebbed a bit, now that we were out of the confines of the airliner.  I couldn't imagine the crushing fear that she says pushes in on her on an airplane.

She feels that all of the passengers are using up all the oxygen and that she just knows that every little bump of turbulence would send the plane crashing down in a fireball.  She has explained that she knows it is all in her head, but that doesn't stop the debilitating panic in her mind, screaming at her to run and hide.

I looked at her as she breathed in the recycled air of the terminal deeply.  I signed, “You ok, Leigh?”

She just nodded and gave me a weak smile.  “I've never been on a plane for that long.  I'll never complain about the haul to New York again.”

I squeezed her hand and shook my head as I grinned then signed, “Yes you will.”

She blushed and nodded, confirming in a quiet voice, “Yes I will.”

I chuffed at her and looked around.  It looked like any other airport, but I couldn't hide my excitement.  I could even see the excitement buried under the anxious look on my girlfriend's face.  I reached out and stroked her long hair which drove me wild.  Letting my fingers run in it to below her waist before letting it drift down behind her.

She looked at me incredulously and whispered, “Amber... we're in London.”  She shook her head and looked back toward the plane like she might try to get back on.  She asked, “What are we doing here.  Was this a bad idea?”

I took her hands and locked eyes with her and let her get her breathing back under control.  Then I let go of her hands and signed, “We'll do whatever you want to do.  If you want to turn around and go back home right now, we will.  But I think this can be something amazing.  Let's at least hear her out.”

She blushed and reclaimed my hands and nodded. “O... ok.”

Then the smile that gets my heart beating double time, spread across her face, transforming her into something so beautiful to me that it made my heart ache, and she repeated with a touch of excitement this time, “Ash, we're in London!”

I nodded and crinkled my nose at her.  I couldn't believe it myself.  If you asked me three years ago if I would ever travel out of the Seattle metro area, I would have laughed and said no.  But then I traveled across the entire country to the art academy where I met my Itsy, and now I was half way around the world in England with her.

I tilted my head toward customs, and we headed that way.  We had checked our baggage so at least we didn't have to drag anything along with us.

I smiled at the lady at the desk when it was my turn.  She asked a couple questions, and when it wasn't a simple yes or no where I could just shake my head I signed back to Leigh who supplied to the woman, speaking like she was being asked the question; she'd make a good interpreter; “Pleasure, ma'am.”

I deflated a little though I didn't let it show on my face as the woman looked at us then stamped my bright and shiny new passport and said loudly and slowly like I was a five-year-old, “Have a great stay.  Welcome to London.”

I had to blink twice when Leigh stepped up and handed her passport to the woman, and she said coldly as she narrowed her eyes at the woman, “She's mute, not stupid.”

She never spoke to strangers so harshly, well she never spoke to strangers at all if she could help it.  Oh, dear lord, why did I find her sudden backbone so sexy?  My hero.

I grinned as she dutifully answered the questions of the now perturbed looking customs officer.  The woman said, “Welcome to London.” In a tone that implied, she was done with my girl.

I grinned at her and signed as she stepped up to me, “Is it bad that I want to take you right here and now?  Where did that fire come from?”

I noted she was a little green as she exhaled and whispered, “I think I may throw up.  But she can't treat you like that.”

I signed with a coy smile on my face, “Where do you store your shining armor?”

This got her to snort and smile shyly, then she started looking around at all the people around us.  Oh crap, I needed to get her out of here before she really did throw up.

I looked at the red line on the ground that read, “Welcome to the United Kingdom.”  Then I wiggled my eyebrows at her, and I hopped over the line then back a couple times.  This got her smiling and chuckling.  I smiled, happy that I could keep her panic from rising.

I took both of her hands, smiling into the deep pools of her eyes and walked backward, pulling her across the line with me.  I signed with one hand, not releasing her hand with my other, “Welcome to London, Itsy.”

She nodded and blushed with excitement and we headed off to find the baggage terminal.

I thought back to that night just a week ago.  When we received the envelope that was delivered to the lodge.

When Leigh opened the envelope and took the letter out, and some things fell out of it onto the floor, we had all just stared at the items on the ground in stunned silence, the black plastic card on the ground held our attention more than the two round trip tickets to London beside it.

Katy was braver than us and bent to pick them up as she whispered, “Oh... my... god!”

She handed Leigh the J-card.  The urban legend about them had reached the Americas, but nobody really believed that June Harris-West actually gave them out to people she wanted to sign with her London Harmony label.  That was like saying that Cinderella's glass slipper was real.  But there was Leigh, holding a J-card in her hand and starting to hyperventilate.

I stepped to her and put my hand over hers, getting her to look at me.  She stared long and hard into my eyes, before steeling herself and nodding resolutely.  I gave her a reassuring smile and knelt to pick up the tickets.  They had our names on them for the following week.  The return date was two days before we had to go back to New York for our Junior year.

I signed, “What does it say?”

My tiny imp blinked like she had forgotten she was holding a letter and looked down at it.  Then started to read in a wavering voice.  “Dearest Ashley and Leigh, I know we didn't get a chance to speak, what with all the business about the funeral that has left a hole in all of our lives.”

That reminded me of Mrs. Zatta's passing again.  She was right, there was a little hole in my life where the woman's kind smile used to live, now it would just be a happy memory.  Leigh had pursed her lips a second at that line then inhaled and continued reading, “I was privileged to hear the two of you make such beautiful, impromptu music on two separate occasions.  When I closed my eyes, I swear I could almost hear a second voice in the way Ashley accompanied Leigh's honey soaked tones.”

She blushed and read a little quieter, “My wife, Vanessa agreed that your sound was something that could only add more emotion to the music world, and it would be a shame if it weren't shared.  I know music is a personal thing, but I also know that many people share our same hopes, fears, dreams, and visceral emotion.  We can all connect with that music and make it something bigger than the sum of its parts.  It can open eyes and doors to a world that most people don't even know exist.”

Leigh just stared at the note for a long few seconds until Katy gently pried it from her tightening fingers.  Katy scanned down the page then continued where my pixie left off.  “I would like to... no, that's not quite right.  I 'need' to share your music with others, to inspire people and share the emotion behind the words.”

She smiled a little. “I was threatened with great bodily harm from my overprotective cousin, Zoey, to leave it be.  She knows that Leigh suffers from acute anxiety, and something like this may be too much.  She is a fierce friend to the people she takes under her wing.  But I think your music is too important to lose to the back rooms of the world without at least trying.”

Katy's eyes widened slightly as she grinned up at us before looking back down at the letter to continue, “So I leave this sincere plea, and will not contact you again.  I understand how something like this could be too overwhelming for someone suffering from the cruelness that anxiety can trust upon them.  I can ensure your anonymity to keep the spotlight off of you and the strain that can put on your condition as I have done for Minuette.  I leave it to you.  I sincerely hope that you will at least meet with me to hear me out, face to face.”

She looked at the tickets then back to the letter. “So as a show of my earnestness, I have included an official invitation to sign with London Harmony in the form of my J-card, and plane tickets and hotel stay in London, for just thirty minutes of your time.  No obligation on your part, and no strings attached.  Sincerely, June Harris-West”

Katy was all smiles as Itsy started hyperventilating.  I grabbed her hand and just encouraged her to calm with my eyes.

She whispered, “Why does she want us?  We're just messing around when we sing.”  I blushed a little, she always called my banging around on things, singing.

Katy blurted, “Good god Short Stack, I've been telling you since I first heard you two make music that it was mind blowing.  It looks like I'm not the only person with that opinion.”

We had talked late into the night before we had made the decision to at least hear June out.  We could walk away if it terrified my girl too much.  The worst that could happen would be a free trip to London, something neither of us thought we would ever be able to do.  Then three days ago, Itsy walked up to me as we got ready for bed.  She was holding her cell and the J-card.  She looked panicked but she just nodded once, and I held her hand as she called June.

Time just crawled by after that, until the day came that we packed up and found ourselves on a plane across the ocean.  And here we are... in London.  I smiled at the fact.  This was going to be so much fun no matter the outcome.  I just had to keep Leigh's mind off of the situation or her would panic and freeze up.

I smiled seductively at her and leaned down for a whispering kiss.  She blushed as I pulled back and I signed as I bit my lower lip, “Our first international kiss.”

She looked at her feet, smiling as she bumped my hip, whispering, “I can't believe you asked if I wanted to join the mile high club on the plane.”

I chuffed and replied, “I was only half serious.”

She grinned cutely and admitted under her breath, “And half of me wanted to say yes.”

Oooo.  I clasped her hand and dragged her giggling along with me in search of our luggage.

After braving the crowded baggage terminal and locating our bags, we went out to find transportation to the hotel where June had a room reserved for us.  We stutter-stepped as we passed by the drivers with signs for their passengers when we saw our names on a sign being held by a really tall man with black hair and Middle Eastern features.

It seems that June was going all out trying to lure us.  We still couldn't fathom that she actually wanted us, we were nobody's, just a couple wallflowers, and she was J friggin 8.

The man, Ajmal, was super friendly and for such a big man who towered over Itsy, he seemed to make himself smaller and less intimidating as she spoke, as if he knew about her anxiety.  He only spoke to ask where we needed to go and to answer the questions I asked using the voice synthesizer on my cell since Leigh was busy driving her fingers through my arm with a death grip as she had a minor panic attack when we started out into traffic on the wrong side of the road.

As Itsy started relaxing, remembering that that they drove on the left here, she began enjoying the sights.  Ajmal took a circuitous route through the city, I beamed a smile at the look of wonder on Leigh's face which matched mine.  The man wasn't as sly as he thought he was.  He was giving us a tour of the city and pretending just to drive us to the hotel.  He caught me grinning at him through the rear view mirror, he grinned back.

He let us know when we arrived at the hotel, that he was our assigned driver for the extent of our stay, handing us a card with his name and number on it.  “Just call and I will be here.”

I thanked him, and we headed in.

What we did in our room that first night is not for your ears, suffice it to say that... wow.  We need to travel more often if she can make me purr like that again.  It is part of the dichotomy that is the woman I love, she is so assertive and in control in bed while being timid in life.  She says it is because I am the one thing in this world that she is confident about.  God can she make me blush and feel important to her.

We got ready for what Itsy said was the most terrifying day of her life then called Ajmal.  I signed to her as I gave her a nose crinkle. “Ready Itsy?”

She grinned looked down at her feet and nodded as she took my arm.

I glanced shyly up to those amber eyes I love so much.  Ash was always so confident about everything.  I steeled myself and drew on her strength.  I melted when she crinkled her nose at me, like every time she does it.  She signed, “Ready Itsy?”

I blushed and looked down, remembering how she welcomed me to London last night, oh lord, I was blushing harder now.  I nodded and took her arm.

I glanced up to see her in that stunning green dress she picked out for the day.  I smoothed my own brick red dress down self-consciously with my free hand.

She tilted her head at me, causing me to look up to see one of her expressive scrunch-faced smiles.  I smiled back, realizing she was trying to keep my mind off of the huge thing we were about to undertake.  She signed quickly with her free hand. “I love you.”

I squeaked out, “I love you too.”

She rolled her hand in a flamboyant ushering gesture, I could hear the silent, “Shall we?” in the action.  I nodded and exhaled, and we were on our way.  I held my breath in the elevator, thankful that our room was on the third floor, so it was a quick ride.

I felt a little better when we emerged from the lobby into the warm summer air of London.  I felt like I could breathe again and I had to grin at that nice driver, Ajmal, who was standing at the curb holding the back door of the big black sedan open for us.  He treated us like ladies.  But I guess it was his job to, but still I liked the man.

Just like the day before, I think that he was driving past all the touristy places to give us a show of the city.  Ash mentioned she noticed it yesterday too.  Then I checked the map after we passed Tower Bridge, it was close to London Harmony.

In spite of my rising angst, I was getting excited, I said, “We're almost there.” I grasped her hand a little tighter.  She was nothing but smiles as we looked out the window in anticipation.

I was envisioning a super modern structure, like a glass wonderland or something.  I mean, this was the most influential record label in Europe and possibly the world.  They have introduced more superstars to the masses than any other label in recent music history.

We turned into a district with older brick structures.  They all seemed to be around a hundred years old at least, and none were more than three or four stories tall.  We turned onto a short lane and on one side was a semi-modern building, steel, and glass, but it looked more like a professional building.  He slowed to a stop across the street, by an old brick building with a bunch of little shops on the street level.

Ok, so that was sort of a let down.  Ashley turned away from looking at the office building as well, she shrugged and looked a little deflated too.  I guess we were expecting rainbows and unicorns or something.  But they are a business, so maybe they just spend more money on the music than making an impression.

There was something about the smugness of Ajmal's smile when he saw our faces that I just couldn't place.  He kept grinning as he held the door for us to get out, then said, “Call when you are done.  I will be circling the block.”

I grinned at his British accent.  I know it is silly of me, we are in England after all and everyone had one, but I just love accents.

Ash nodded at the man, and I took her arm.  We waved as he left then looked down the road and dashed across to the office building.  We paused at the door.  This was a legal building?  Then where was...

Ash had her cell up, Googling the address to make sure we were at the right place.  I pointed at a hastily written sign taped to the inside of the law office door, “This is NOT London Harmony.”  She wheezed out her laugh.  This must happen a lot or something.

She squinted at her phone and looked back across the street as she signed absently, “This isn't the right address.”

I followed her gaze to the old brick building.  It was sort of pretty in an unassuming way, four stories if you counted the attic dormers.  But it had an eclectic bunch of shops on the ground level.  There were big brass address numbers on the building.  Ash looked at her cell and the numbers then shrugged.

I mumbled as we ran back across the road after a bus passed by, “I knew this was too good to be true, we're being punked.”

We looked both ways on the sidewalk and saw a black door at the end of the block and walked that way.  We paused at the door, there was a round blue logo with a building silhouette on it, and in gold letters it read “London Harmony,” then in smaller letters, below the studio name, was  “Meetings by appointment only.”

Oh.

We exchanged a look with each other.  Ash shrugged and reached for the door, it was locked.  I shrugged back and reached out and knocked.  We had an appointment, right?  This must have been some sort of overflow annex or something right?  Surely this wasn't the famous studio that discovered Tabby Cat.

We waited a minute, nobody came so I pulled my own cell and started to dial June.  Ash reached out to knock again when the door swung open.  I gaped at the pretty woman standing there with a stunning smile, in a business skirt suit that just screamed elegance.  My girl was gawking too, her hand knocking the air.

The woman saw the appreciation on our faces, and she actually blushed a little, and she asked in a honeyed alto, “Yes?  May I help you?”

I swallowed, and Ashley held up the card up to her, which she took from her with a smile.  Ash nudged her chin toward the woman.  Crap, she wanted me to talk, “Ummm... Hi.  Umm... I'm,, we're Ashley, and ummm... Leigh.   June Harris-West told us to meet with her today and bring that card.”

Her smile grew, transforming her pretty face into something... more?  She held her hand out and shook each of our hands as she said,  “Of course Ashley, Leigh, I'm Jennifer, the receptionist.  June is expecting you.  Please come in.”

She motioned for us to enter as she stepped to the side.  Saying with that honeyed voice of hers, “Welcome to London Harmony.”

I sighed, this must be the... then froze, just gaping at the impossible scene in front of me.  I was aware that Ash seemed frozen right along with me as I couldn't hear her breathing as a smug looking Jennifer sauntered past.  Ash finally mouthed, “Wow!”

We were in a grand lobby of marble and large timbers.  It seemed huge compared to the relative building size.  I glanced back, had we stepped into an alternate dimension or something?

Jennifer stepped behind a marble receptionist podium, gracefully holding out an arm toward some chairs in the lobby.  “Please have a seat, June will be with you momentarily.”

I pulled my eyes from her eyes that were bubbling over with mirth at our reactions and looked at the glass elevator behind her with London Harmony spelled out in brass letters.  Beside it was a sweeping grand staircase.

As we sat I was shaking my head, ok, this was more what I was expecting... ummm... just missing a rainbow and unicorn I guess.

Jennifer turned slightly from us, raising her hand to an earbud I hadn't noticed, and she blushed and said almost coyly, “Hi Zil?”  Then she added as she lowered her eyes, “The package has arrived.”