It wasn’t even ten minutes later that Ava had come tearing back in, tears streaming down her face. ‘I messed it up. I messed it up. I messed it up. Oh God, Netta, I messed…’
Netta had dropped the tray of sausage rolls she’d just taken out of the oven onto the steel countertop and rushed over to her. ‘It’s okay, pet, just breathe. Sit there. That’s it. Okay, and breathe.’
What a state she was in. No amount of chocolate snacks was going to fix this.
‘Tell me what happened.’
It had taken Ava a minute before she’d calmed down enough to speak.
‘When I got there, I realised that the girl that went two before me had chosen a Celine Dion song – the one fromTitanic– and, Netta, she was so much better than I could ever be.’
‘I don’t believe that for a second.’ Netta wasn’t just saying that to make her feel better. She’d heard Ava perform and rehearse many times and she thought she was spectacular. All she had to do was bring her confidence up to match her talent.
‘Honestly, she was, Netta. And then that got all in my head, and when it was my turn, I was standing there, on the stage, and everyone was watching me. And then I opened my mouth and nothing came out because… because… what was the point? I could never be that good. And that was all I could think, so my mind went blank and I couldn’t remember the words either.’
Guiding her gently by the shoulders, Netta had steered her over to the nearest chair and sat her down, then she’d kneeled in front of her, so that she could look her right in the eye.
‘Ava, I’ve heard you, and for my money – and don’t you repeat this because I don’t like to show favourites – but you’re one of the best singers in here. You just have to believe in yourself.’
‘But, Netta?—’
‘Ava, I don’t ever cut anyone off when they’re speaking, because I prefer to listen to what they have to say, but I’m not going to let you criticise yourself. Listen, love, in this world, there will be enough people who’ll queue up to do that, especially in the industry that you want to be in. And there’ll be folk like that in life too. I used to listen to them, and that was my problem. I took in all the voices, the real ones and the one in my head that thought I wasn’t good enough. And you know what, pet? I regret that every day. So don’t you make the same mistake. Repeat after me – I’m Ava…’
For a moment, Netta had been worried that she hadn’t got the message through. Then she’d heard a quiet… ‘I’m Ava.’
‘That’s it. Okay, keep going… I’m Ava, and I’m bloody brilliant.’
That got something close to a laugh out of the young lass. ‘I’m Ava, and I’m bloody brilliant.’
‘And I sing this song so well that Celine Dion might be my maw.’
Netta hadn’t been able to resist using the Glaswegian term for mother because it just felt like it would make Ava smile. She wasn’t wrong. Ava’s laugh was almost a splutter through her tears now.
‘And I sing this song so well that Celine Dion might be my maw.’ She’d giggled as she’d added, ‘My mum will kill me for saying that.’
‘Well, we’ll just keep that between us then,’ Netta said, grinning. ‘Okay, I used to have a trick when I was nervous too.’ Netta hadn’t been sure if she should say it. She wasn’t a professional coach. She’d never done anything more than sing in the bath, the kitchen and in her local pub. But she had always been nervous, and this was the only thing that had got her through. And well, if it got this lass on the stage, what harm could it do?
‘Sing the first line or two, with your eyes closed.’
Netta wasn’t sure why, other than she wanted to show the lass that it worked, but to prove her point, she’d closed her eyes and sang the first line. When she’d opened them, Ava was staring intently at her.
‘Right, pet, on you go. Your turn.’
The young one did as she was told, and then Netta had done the same with the second line.
Again, Ava copied her.
‘That’s it. And then open your eyes on the next line, and pick a person in the room and sing every word of it to them.’
She’d seen that Ava’s whole posture was relaxing, as if her confidence was being poured right back into her. Netta might not be great at much else other than being a devoted listener and making a smashing scone, but she knew how to make someone feel better.
‘Right, well, your throat will be tight with all that crying, and you want to go in there ready to sing, so what you’re going to do is run through the song right here with me, and then you’ll go back in there, apologise for running out, tell them you’re ready, and do it all over again. Are you good?’
‘Bloody brilliant,’ Ava had replied with a cheeky grin. Yep, she was definitely feeling better.
‘Okay, let’s go… Close your eyes.’
The lass had done as she was told, and Netta had been right there with her. The two of them, eyes closed, had sung the first line, then the second, they’d opened their eyes, the third line was a soft one too. They’d finished the first verse that way and then…
