Chapter Three
“Hey Mum.” Anne said, walking into the living room. “Hi baby.” She gently touched her mother’s swollen belly.
“Hi honey. Are you having fun with all of everybody?” Shannon put down the book she was reading.
“Yeah.” Anne sat down facing her. “We were talking about what Shay and I were doing the day you came home and were wondering if you could help us.”
“What were you and Shay doing, and how could I help?” Shannon asked, intrigued.
“Well, Grandma had asked us to straighten up the attic…”
“What!?” Shannon interrupted. “Never mind, that sounds like something she’d do. Go on.”
“So we were going through the boxes and we found a bunch of neat stuff in them. We were hoping you could tell us the stories behind them.” Anne continued.
Shannon looked surprised, then she smiled. “Sure, why not? Let’s see if I can remember everything.”
Anne grinned. “Great! Hold on two secs.” She jumped up and hurried to the door. She signaled to the others and they all filed in, carrying boxes.
Shannon looked at them suspiciously for a moment them smiled as each one of her ‘nieces’ and ‘nephews’ kissed her cheek and said hello. “So…” she began when they were all seated around her. “I think I smell I set up.”
“Why would you say that, Mum?” Thomas asked innocently. “We were just talking about what Anne and Shay found and hoped that you could explain it.”
“Well, you are in luck. I just happen to have a lot of free time on my hands lately.” She smiled as the others chuckled. “So where do you want me to start?”
“How about this box?” Keanett suggested, pushing one forward.
“Mum?” Joseph asked as they opened the box. “Why do you have so much memorabilia?
“I guess I was unofficially voted to be the ‘historian’ for the Backstreet Boys and their wives.” Shannon answered. “Why, I’m not sure. Maybe because I was always a pack rat and the only one who wanted to spend any time on it. Who knows.” She shrugged.
Anne reached into the box and pulled out the same napkin that had puzzled Shay and her the first time. “What’s this Mum?”
Shannon reached out and gently took the scrap of paper. A small smile played across her lips. “That is a memento of the first time I ever met your father.”
“How did you meet Uncle Brian, Auntie Shannon?” Casey asked, curiously.
“It all started when I was involved in my first movie, the summer after grade 10…” Shannon leaned back and began her story.
The movie that Shannon had starred in had ended up winning the “Best Student Film” award at the film festival where it was screened, and Shannon had won the “Best New Actress” award at the same time. These two awards qualified it to show in another film festival, this one in LA. Shannon had also been invited down to appear at the festival.
At the screening in LA, Shannon was so excited because there were so many important people there. She spent most of the movie looking around the theatre in fascination. After the movie, she went out into the lobby of the theatre where there were complimentary beverages and snacks. She walked over and was picking up a glass of juice when a good-looking couple approached her.
“Excuse me?” the man said looking carefully at her. She looked up quizzically. “But weren’t you in that film, Exposed?”
Shannon smiled. “Yes, I was. Why?”
“I just wanted to say I thought you did a wonderful job.” The man said, then held out his hand. “By the way, I’m Brian Littrell.”
“Nice to meet you Mr. Littrell. I’m Shannon Collum.” Shannon shook his hand, and gave him a puzzled look.
“What?” he asked.
“Your name just sounds very familiar.” She answered.
Brian flashed her a grin. “I get that a lot. It could be because I’m a Backstreet Boy.”
Shannon still looked puzzled. “No. . . wait a minute! Backstreet Boys? Isn’t Nick Carter a Backstreet Boy?”
“Yeah…” Brian answered slowly, not sure where she was going with that train of thought.
Shannon snapped her fingers. “I knew it! My best friend is Drew McClaren. She knows Nick and mentioned you once or twice.”
Brian looked at her for a long moment, then he smiled. “Right! I think I remember her. Yeah, she was from. . . Edmonton, right?” when Shannon nodded, he grinned wider. “What a small world!”
“Wait a minute.” Shay interrupted Shannon’s story. “My mom and dad had already met?”
“Yeah,” Shannon answered. “They met while your mum was on vacation. At the time that I met Brian, they had only known each other for a very short time and weren’t dating or anything.”
“Oh.” Shay nodded slowly.
“So what happened next Mum?” Anne interrupted. “Where does that napkin come in?”
Shannon smiled at her only daughter. “Patience, hon. I’m getting to that.”
“What a small world!” Brian said. “Who would have ever guessed it?”
“Yeah, yeah, great coincidence.” The woman who had been standing next to Brian throughout the conversations said, somewhat impatiently. “Can we go now?”
Both Shannon and Brian looked at her in surprise. “Oh! Shannon, this is my girlfriend, Leighanne. Leigh, this is Shannon Collum.”
Leighanne looked at Shannon with barely disguised dislike. “Nice to meet you.” She said coldly.
“You too.” Shannon smiled.
Brian looked uncomfortable at Leighanne’s rudeness. After an awkward moment, he pulled a pen out of his suit pocket and grabbed a napkin off the table. He quickly scribbled on it, and handed it to Shannon. “It was great to meet you. Maybe we’ll see each other again.” He held out his hand.
“Hopefully.” Shannon smiled at him, and shook his hand. “It was great to meet you too.”
“That’s how you met Da?” Joseph asked incredulously. “But he had a girlfriend!”
Shannon smiled. “I didn’t say that’s how I got together with him. That’s just how we first met.” She looked down at the paper napkin again.
“What did he write?” Dakota asked softly.
“ ‘Great performance! Best of luck! – B-Rok’ ” Shannon read out loud, then sighed softly. She placed the napkin carefully in her lap. “Okay, what’s the next item?”
“Aren’t you going to tell us how you and Uncle Brian got together?” Asia asked.
“Don’t worry, we’ll probably get to that soon.” Shannon assured her. “Right now let’s go one item at a time.”
Jeff dug into the box and pulled out a sheaf of papers, fastened with a large paper clip. “How about this?”
Shannon took it from him and looked closely at it. “What on earth is this doing in there?” she laughed.
“What is it?” Scott asked.
“It’s my final paper from my mythology course that I took in my first year of University.” Shannon explained. “I don’t remember packing it in that box though. Hmm…”
“Why would someone put it in with BSB memorabilia?” Kevlee asked.
“Because I based my entire 10-page essay on the song Larger Than Life.” She answered, then laughed as all twelve of them looked at her as if she were insane. “It all makes sense if you read it – I promise!” she handed the paper to Asia, who had held out her hand for it. “Next.”
They went through a few more items before Casey reached in and pulled out what looked like arm bands. “Oh, here we go.” Shannon said, taking them from Casey and turning to Asia. “I told you the story would continue.”
“How do those continue your story, Mum?” Thomas asked.
“These are wrist bands from Galaxyland Amusement Park.” Shannon explained, and the kids looked at her blankly. “Galaxyland is in West Edmonton Mall and was a favorite place for us girls back in high school.” She explained. “These arm bands are in there because Drew insisted that they be saved. She always saved them for some reason.”
“Omigod! I’m so excited!!” Drew exclaimed. She and Shannon were walking down West Edmonton Mall on their way to meet up with Nick Carter. It had been several months since Nick and Drew had first met, and Nick had called her to say that he wanted to get together with her because they were in town for a concert.
“So remind me why I’m coming along.” Shannon said. “I don’t want to be a third wheel.”
“You’re coming along because I don’t know if I want to be alone with him at first.” Drew answered.
“So once you’ve decided that you’re comfortable with him you’ll just tell me to get lost?” Shannon said sarcastically. “Gee, thanks!”
“No, I won’t tell you to get lost! Don’t be stupid!” Drew retorted. “I’ll give you a signal and you’ll just mention that you’re gonna do some shopping.”
Shannon looked at her best friend in astonishment. “But I hate shopping!” she exclaimed.
“I know that, and you know that, but Nick doesn’t know that.” Drew answered blithely.
Shannon shook her head. “So if you’re making me go shopping while you have fun… Does that mean I’m allowed to kill you later?”
“Sure.” Drew was reasonably confident that her friend was joking.
Soon the two of them were walking into the lobby of the Fantasyland Hotel. Drew looked around frantically before spotting a tall blond getting off the elevator. She gripped Shannon’s arm. “There he is! Do I look alright?”
Shannon sighed. “You look fabulous. Now go say hi, or wave, or something.”
Drew took a deep breath, then turned in the direction of the elevators, and waved. Nick saw her and waved back. A moment later, he stood in front of the two girls, but he wasn’t alone. “Hi.” Nick said, almost shyly. “I hope you don’t mind, but I brought my friend Brian along.”
Drew grinned. “Of course not. I brought my friend Shannon along too.”
Shannon and Brian exchanged amused looks. “Don’t you feel a little like excess baggage?” Brian asked dryly.
Shannon nodded, smiling. “Yep. Like a fifth wheel, even.” They chuckled. “So, how’s Leighanne?” she asked.
Brian looked uncomfortable. “Look, I’m sorry about how rude she was to you. There was no need for it.”
“Don’t worry about it. Some people are like that.” Shannon shrugged. “Are you still with her?”
Brian shook his head. “No, we broke it off about a month ago.”
“Oh, I’m sorry to hear that.”
Drew and Nick were looking at Brian and Shannon as if they were insane. After a moment, they noticed the stares. “What?” Brian asked.
“Do you two know each other?” Nick asked, incredulously.
Shannon glanced at Brian, then back at Nick. “Yeah.”
“Okay, here’s the important question. How do you two know each other?” Drew asked.
“You didn’t tell her?” Brian asked Shannon.
“I guess not. I thought I had.” She answered. “Didn’t you tell him?”
“It slipped my mind, I guess.” He admitted.
“Tell us what!?” Drew demanded.
“You guys aren’t…dating, or anything, are you?” Nick asked warily.
Shannon and Brian looked at each other, then laughed. “No, we’re not dating.” Shannon said. “Remember when I went down to LA? Well, we met then.”
Brian nodded. “I was at the film festival with Leighanne and went up to Shannon to talk to her about her movie.”
“I see…” Nick said, nodding slowly.
“No, you don’t, Frack.” Brian said with a chuckle. “But let’s forget it. What are we doing today?”
Drew looked at Shannon with a significant look. Shannon shook her head. “No, I am not going shopping.”
Drew opened her mouth, then shut it again. “But… I didn’t say that.”
“I know, but you were thinking it.” Shannon replied. “Why don’t we go to Galaxyland?” she suggested. The other three agreed and they turned in the right direction.
They paid for their wristbands and went through the amusement park. For an hour they went from ride to ride, alternating between the ‘wild’ rides that Drew and Nick liked, and the rides that were not as high off the ground for Shannon and Brian. Near the last part of the hour, Shannon noticed that Drew was choosing the rides like “The Drop of Doom” and “The Mind Bender” with increasing frequency.
When Brian and Shannon were standing at the base of “The Drop of Doom” for the tenth time, she turned to face him. “Is it just me, or are they trying to tell us something?”
“You mean, that by choosing rides that we won’t go on, they’re trying to tell us to get lost?” he answered.
“Yeah, something like that.” She grinned.
“That might be the message that they’re trying to get across to us.” Brian grinned back. “Should we give in?”
Shannon looked at him, considering. “Normally I would say no, but I do want to go on the bumper cars. Oh hell, why not?”
“Alrighty then!” Brian agreed and the two of them walked in the direction of the bumper cars.
“You know, I’m glad you came along.” Shannon said as they waited in line.
“You are?” Brian asked, surprised.
“Yeah. I mean, if you hadn’t been here, Drew was going to give me a signal and I would have to go shop or something.” She answered.
Brian looked at her for a moment, then laughed. He put his hand on her shoulder. “I’m sorry. I’m glad I came along too.”
Chapter Four