‘And Connie Cooper, where are you? Could you make your way to the stage, please?’
Oh, my God. What is happening?I cast my eyes around the group in panic. Everyone looks confused except Matteo. He has a… I’m not sure what expression that is, but the DJ has more to say.
‘Come on. Don’t be shy!’ He laughs into the microphone. ‘And while we get set up, here’s a trip down memory lane.’ He plays some moving background music as images of Eddie throughout the years appear on the screens. Eddie as a cute baby, Eddie as a scruffy-looking toddler, Eddie with a series of terrible haircuts, Eddie dressed in hand-me-downs with dirty cheeks and a raggedy bike held together with string. It is clear Eddie had a very humble upbringing. Liberty has a pained look in her eyes as she clings to Eddie’s arm. Eddie laughs, clearly mortified, but is being gracious about it because his reactions are live on some of the giant LED screens.
Matteo nudges me and whispers, ‘Go on. Go to the stage. There’s a surprise waiting for you.’
I make my way through the crowd, over to the stage area and behind the curtain. I’m greeted by a team of security man-mountains. They immediately block my way.
‘Oh,’ I say, feeling intimidated. ‘I was told to come to the stage by my… boyfriend. Well, actually, he’s my husband now.’ I start giggling out of nerves, and because it feels weird to call Matteo my husband out loud.
‘Who is that, ma’am?’ asks one of the guards in a tone that suggests he gets this all the time.
‘Matteo. Matteo, erm, Tolleado, no, that’s not it.’ I pause, trying to remember what my husband’s name is. ‘Marie-Carmen is one of the names. Grande is definitely the last one.’
The guard shakes his head. ‘Ma’am, seriously? You want me to believe that you don’t know your husband’s surname, but you married him anyway?’
When put like that…
I nod.
‘Guys. She’s with me. Let her through.’
I peer between the sets of beefy arms and nearly choke with shock.
‘Hello again. Don’t be freaked out. Matteo is producing my next album,’ the mega-superstar says quietly, leaning towards me. ‘Matteo played me your new song. I love it,’ he says. ‘I thought we could sing it as a surprise for Eddie. He manages my US tours. Your lyrics really speak to how grateful I am to the universe right now. I couldn’t do any of this without the support of my loyal family and friends.’
I feel genuinely faint. One of the world’s biggest pop stars is asking me to sing with him. To be spontaneous. I nod mutely.
Oh my.
‘Now?’ I squeak. ‘As in right now, on stage… with you?’
He smiles that enigmatic smile, and I go to complete mush. ‘Come on. The VT is just about finished.’
‘So, erm, you’re the one working with Birdie and Matteo?’
‘Yeah. They’re great.’
I nod.One of them is.‘I don’t suppose you could give Matteo the day off tomorrow, could you?’ I ask, receiving a wink in response.
‘Congratulations. I heard all about your accidental Vegas wedding. We’ve all been there.’ He laughs.
I make a ‘yikes’ face. ‘You don’t have to give Birdie the day off, though. I’m sure she would like to work tomorrow. All day long. Without any breaks if you can manage it, please.’
This is met with a snort of laughter. ‘She’s so fucking intense, right? I like you. We’ll get on just fine. Come on. Let’s knock ’em dead with your lovely song.’ He hands me a scrap of paper with my song lyrics and which bits he is going to sing and which bits he’ll harmonise over.
‘Wow. Great. Let’s do it.’
‘Just one thing. What’s it called?’ he asks.
Matteo the Magnificent, Volume One.
‘Well, erm, I haven’t really…’ Then it comes to me. ‘“Girls Gone Rogue”. It’s called “Girls Gone Rogue” because that’s how this whole haphazard week has been. I took a risk. I stepped way, way,wayout of my comfort zone to completely and utterly amaze myself. You know, when women lean on each other, lift each other up, we can achieve anything, do the impossible.’
He laughs understandingly. ‘Welcome to my world, lady. Ready?’ The next five minutes are like floating in clouds, looking down on myself from afar. It passes in a complete rush of adrenaline. One minute we are leading the crowd to sing happy birthday to Eddie, and the next we are dedicating my song’s debut to him. Matteo has made a special backing tape and set it up ready. When? When did he have time to do all of this?
It sounds incredible. I have no problem singing it this time round. Every single note is fresh in my memory. I search for him in the crowd but there are too many people between the cabana and me. I close my eyes and picture him listening to his song.
