Chapter 3

The paperwork stated they would need to be at the parking lot of Jovi Enterprises at 6am a week from Friday. That gave Mika a little over a week to get everything in order. Mika takes the following week to wrap up her ‘adult’ life. She calls her financial guy, flies back to Wisconsin and puts her life on hold for the next year. She hires a landscaping company to come shovel her sidewalk during the winter so she doesn’t get fined from the city. She has her furnace checked to make sure it will work all winter and she sets it to 50* making sure her pipes won’t freeze. She then calls her best friend Helen to tell her what’s going on.

“Hey babe how are you doing?” Helen asks, knowing full well Mika is probably not handling any of this well at all. She was an only child after all; her dad died when she was little so losing her mom had to make her feel like she was alone completely in the world. No place to call home, no one to spend the holidays with. She also knew that Mika would cry about it in private but most likely not let the world know about her pain.

“I’ve ran off to join the circus.” Mika tells her friend.

“Really can I join too?”

”Sorry its only for orphans.” Mika says.

“You are not an orphan, Mika stop that you have family they just aren’t blood relation. You have me and my mom and dad already call you their other kid, Tammy’s family, Amy’s family we all have your back.”

“I know but its not the same so I’m refusing to be a responsible adult for the next year.”

”What did you do?”

”I am fulfilling my dream.”

“How so?” Helen asks her.

“I've been hired to be part of the road crew for Bon Jovi. I'm closing my house up, paying a landscaper to shovel and disappearing for a year.” Mika said all in one breath.

“You can't disappear; I love you. You need to stay in touch with me.” Helen stated, she knew that Mika was dealing with so much, she understood in the oddest sense Mika's need to escape.

Helen I'll stay in touch I just need this.” She told her that she has to get back on a plane today to go back and asked Helen if she’d take her to the airport. She of course says yes then questions more why and how this is going to help her.

“Why? I mean if you can’t go back to work now I know you don’t need the money anymore, why are you going to leave and go on the road with a band? I know you’re insane about Bon Jovi but I just don’t get it.” Helen asked, needing to know for sure her 'sister' had thought this through.

“I never told you ½ the reasons this band means the world to me. Helen, when I was attacked in college by that ass. Keep the faith came out and it was a song and an album that told me I could believe. It was ok to still have faith in men, in life, in whatever. Then when Ray broke my heart and we didn’t get married, Something for the Pain was the song that helped mend. There’s a line in it I opened up my heart, but all I did was bleed I don’t need no lover, just to get screwed. I used to scream that at the top of my lungs. Helen there are a million examples of times in my life when Jovi had the perfect way to express what I was feeling and now, now that I’m empty inside, I need that back. Therefore reality can bite me I’m joining the circus.”

“Will it help? Will it make you smile again and be my Mika that I know?” She asked softly. Hoping if at the end of this excursion she had her best friend back.

”I don’t know Helen. Something inside me is broken. I think this is the way to fix it.”

”Then I wish you luck, you’re keeping your cell right?”

”The number will stay the same but the service is changing cos I need better national coverage.” Mika smiled that her friend saw her need for this and accepted it. Even if she didn't understand her Jovi obsession she understood Mika's need.

“Call me or email me with a schedule so I know where you’ll be.”

“Will you go over to my place every now and then to make sure its still in one piece?”

”Sure babe – hey I'll even take you to HuHot before I have to take you to the airport.” She smiled, damn she was going to miss her 'sister.'

”OH you’re the best friend in the world Helen, I’m gonna miss you.”

”I’ll be there in 10 minutes.”