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Chapter 4: The Sacrifice Sacramento, Reno, Sacramento, Reno I know I have a cool job. I go on road trips with my friends, perform for my fans in a different city pretty much every week, and then have the opportunity to see what the city has to offer. But life on the road isn't always easy. When you have a job that requires you to fly anywhere from two to five times each week, stay in different hotels each night, book rental cars and find your way from city to city, there are bound to be some problems. We travel so frequently and our turnaround from one place to the next is so quick that sometimes I don't know where I am when I wake up in the morning. There was once time, wher eI had a bad case of "Where am I?" After our Divas shoot in Phoenix two years ago, I was dropped off at the airport to head to my next assignment. And I was exhausted. All week we woke up at 4 A.M. to start the day and worked the whole way through. My schedule was to fly to an autograph signing, then be driven to the house show about 130 miles away. So I had a pretty busy day ahead. The woman checking me in asked for my last name. After a brief moment of staring at the computer, she asked if I was going to Sacramento and I said yes. I boarded the plane, fell asleep almost immediately, and didn't wake up the entire flight. When I picked up my bags, I didn't see anyone from the limo company to drive me to the signing. I waited a while, and decided to call our talent relations department. They called the limo company to find out what was going on and the limo company said they were waiting outside. I walked out there, but did not see them anywhere. By this time we were all on the phone together. The limo company, our talent relations department, and me. I was telling them what I was wearing, where I was standing, and we still couldn't find each other. After a little more discussion, we figured out the problem. I was in the wrong city! I was supposed to be in Rene, but I was actually in Sacramento. This was where our house show was later that night and I guess the office had double booked me two tickets--one to go directly to the house show from the Divas shoot and one for my autograph appearance in reno. When the woman asked if I was going to Sacramento I said yes without even checking my itinerary. Who ever has two different tickets waiting for them?! It was still early in the day, so I had a choice. I could get a ride to Rene to do the appearance or I could just stay in Sacramento and wait for the house show. I was so tired, but I thought about the fans who sometimes drive two hundred miles just to see us and shake our hands, and that maybe someone drove all that way to get to Rene just to meet me. I couldn't let that person down. I knew I had to go. My only real option for a ride was to jump in a cab. This wasn't going to be the typical "Can you take me to my hotel downtown, please?" Oh no. This was "Can you drive me the 130 miles to Reno, please?" Fortunately, the first driver I flagged down agreed to drive me all the way there, and it was the most expensive cab ride I have ever been on! I made it there a little late, signed for everyone, and jumped right into the limo that was now waiting for me in Rene to head back to Sacramento for the show. After the show was over we drove to the next town. Guess what it was? You got it--Reno! Since that trip, I've never gotten on another plane without double-checking my itinerary. |