Chasing Abby(85)

But I know this fast-paced life, the long hours in the studio and the touring, will all pay off for Abby. And in a couple of years, I’ll be able to sit back in my recliner and watch her singing the national anthem at the Super Bowl. And I’ll smile and say, “That’s my princess.”
The sound check went great, now I just have to get a good-luck kiss from Claire and this show is sure to go off without a hitch. I race down the steps backstage and make a beeline for Abby’s trailer. When I enter, I’m not surprised to find Claire watching as Abby walks little Caleb up and down the tight corridor in the middle of the trailer.
I must admit that I felt vindicated when our fifth child turned out to be a boy. We now outnumber the girls in the house. We have strength in numbers. And it seemed natural that we should let Abby name him, since he was the spark of hope on the horizon for quite a while after Caleb’s death.
“Oh, I can’t take it. I can’t resist those chubby legs!” She scoops him up in her arms and he giggles as she turns him upside-down and gently bites his leg. “Yum!”
There is no sound as beautiful as a child’s laughter, but I know the song Abby is going to sing today is going to come pretty damn close. She hands Caleb over to Claire and he laughs as she plants a loud kiss on his cheek.
Claire steps out of the way so Abby can sit down in the makeup chair and the makeup girl scoots around her to do one last touch-up on Abby’s face. Abby closes her eyes as a fine dusting of powder is applied to her forehead and cheeks, and I wonder what she’s thinking. I hope she’s not too nervous.
She’s been playing smaller venues for the past seven months in preparation of this album launch. The album released last Tuesday and she’s been freaking out for the past four days as she watched the first single, “Chasing Abby,” hit the Billboard top ten in its first week. But she’s never performed the song live. She wanted to wait until today’s show in Raleigh before she unveils something she’s been working on for four months with her new boyfriend.
It was odd to me when Abby told me she was dating someone new. I’ve been wanting her to move on after Caleb’s death, but I didn’t realize how much Caleb had gotten under my skin until Abby told me about her new beau.
Five months ago, I hired Jaxon Stone to work as a lighting technician on the Chasing Abby Tour. About a month after I hired him, I began noticing Jaxon and Abby sneaking off to have private discussions. At first I didn’t think anything of it. I thought they were just discussing ideas for the lighting. Then, I noticed how sullen Abby looked when Jaxon wasn’t around and Jaxon was the same whenever Abby was gone. Finally, I asked Abby what was going on between them and her answer surprised me even more.
“Jaxon is helping me plan a tribute to Caleb.”
The smile on her face told me there was more to it than that, but I don’t think Abby had admitted this to herself by then. Another month passed and Jaxon was sent away for a couple of weeks to work on a show in Savannah. I saw Abby twice during those two weeks and I’ve never seen her look so distracted. She was missing marks on the stage, which caused feedback in her earpiece. And the feedback would send her far off pitch. Once Jaxon returned, everything went back to normal. That’s when I decided to pull them both aside and find out what was going on.
Like two kids in the principal’s office, they both hung their heads when I took them backstage to talk. It took a little coaxing, but eventually they admitted that they were seeing each other outside work. I was skeptical at first. I didn’t think it would last more than a month or two. Until I saw what Jaxon and Abby have been planning for tonight’s show. I knew then they must be in love. For Jaxon to help her plan this tribute to Caleb and for Abby to allow him to help her tells me they’ve put a great deal of trust in each other.