The garage door is closed. The rain beating against the metal and trees scraping against the outside of the building. I rummage through the small box in the back of the room for any extra clothes I may have hidden away in here. I need to get out of these clothes. It may match my mood, but it's uncomfortable. Finally, I find a pair of sweats and a t-shirt. I make quick work of getting changed and toss my clothes in a pile on the floor.
The rain seems to be getting louder, as well as the thunder. I hope like hell Lisa is careful when she drives to class later. If she was actually speaking to me right now, I’d probably drive her myself. But that’s not the case because I can’t keep my big mouth shut. I should have left it to her to tell me what was wrong in her own time.
I grab a soda out of the fridge and plop on the old couch. My pen bouncing off the notebook and onto the floor. Can nothing go right today? Bending over, I pick it up from the floor before leaning back. I grab the notebook and flip through the pages, looking for songs that need some editing. But words about my failures kept bouncing around in my head and I find the first empty page.
The pen flies across the page. The words flowing more than they have since that first night Lisa stayed over. This song doesn’t have the same vibe, though. It’s sadness, fear, and a hope at redemption for both of us. Everything I wish I would have said to Lisa in her room is filling the page of this notebook. Not all of it is usable, but some of it will be. If we get our ass in gear with practice, we may be able to perform it this weekend.
Is it a good idea? Probably not. But I’m laying everything out on the table. It’ll be up to Lisa to decide if she wants to continue where we’ve seemed to leave off. To give us a real chance without fear overwhelming her.
The side door bangs against the wall as it opens. I bolt upright and rush to close it, thinking the wind blew it open, but Trey and Cash are running inside to get out of the storm.
“What are y’all doing here?” What time is it for that matter? I haven’t looked at my phone since I started writing. I pick it up off the couch and look at the time. Holy shit. It’s beenhours.
“Are we not having practice today?” Trey looks around the room. “I figured because we have the big showdown this weekend, you’d want us here as early as possible.”
“Sorry, I was in my own little world. I’m good to practice now.” I turn back toward the couch. “Actually, I wanted to run this new song by you.”
“When did you write it?” Cash asks as he takes the notebook.
“It’s what I’ve been working on all day.”
Cash reads over it for a few minutes. “It’s deep, man.” He pauses for a second and taps his foot. “But I think I know a beat that will work well with it. Do you want to perform it this weekend?”
“If we can pull it off, but I don’t want to play something that isn’t ready.”
“For sure.” He hands the notebook over to Trey. “I’m thinking slow and soulful, what about you?”
Trey reads it over nodding as his eyes pass over each line. “Let’s do this.”
Both of them go toward their instruments, ready to see what we can make of this new song. I have a feeling this will be the one that gets Crooked Halo’s attention.
19
Lisa
I feellike an asshole for blowing up at Devin the way I did the other day. Eric hasn’t made things any better either. He wants my whole life story so he canhelpme work through it. I don’t want help through it. I just need people to understand I have my own scars from the past. It’s hard to let go of them.
Today is the last day of testing. Tomorrow, we get our certification and I’m done with coming to this class. The only plus side is our instructor moved classes to earlier in the day because he had something come up tonight. I should get back to Asheville in time for Devin and his friends to go on stage, assuming traffic isn’t a nightmare.
“Hey, you okay?” Joan whispers to me as the class douche fails to make the drink he’s been given. It fills me with a tiny bit of satisfaction to know he’s struggling as bad as me. The only difference is I’ve been studying. On breaks, before work, and sometimes even when I get home from class. I’ve been taking it seriously to be the best I can be.
“Yeah, just nervous.” I hope like hell she doesn’t press me anymore, even though I have a feeling she’ll ask again later.
“You’re going to do great.” She points toward the guy everyone can’t stand, and laughs. “I mean we all have to do better than him, right? Look how much liquor he’s wasting on the bar.”
“You’re right.” I can’t help the giggle that bubbles up. If there’s one thing about this class I love, it’s the friendship I’ve formed with Joan. I’m going to miss her when this is over. Or, maybe I can talk to Angie and Carlos. She said she only wants to work on the weekends and that’s when we’re busiest. Plus, she’ll have Sundays off. It’s a win-win.
“I think I’m up next.” She fidgets with her fingers and I wonder if she’s come up with a way to memorize the basic drinks. He did say we weren’t going to do anything fancy.
“You’ve got this.” She walks up to the bar with confidence and goes over the setup procedure. The instructor asks a few questions and she answers them without an issue. He has her make a margarita, and I can see the relief she feels at the choice. It’s simple and something she already knew how to make. It’s not long before she’s standing beside me once again. “I told you.” I bump my shoulder into hers.
“Thank God he chose margaritas. Otherwise, I would be screwed. There are very few drinks I can make off the top of my head, and I know I’ll need a cheat sheet taped to whatever bar I work at until I get it down.”
“Don’t worry about it. I’m sure you’ll pick it up in no time.”
My name is called next, and my feet feel like they are glued to the floor. I can do this. He calls my name again and Joan gives me a little nudge forward. She’s such a good friend. It’s the push I need to move my feet forward.
The bar set up is similar to Out of the Ashes. I think that’s what makes it easier when I’m watching behind the bar. I finish doing the setup process and wait for my instructions, a smile on my face because I know that brings in great tips.
