The Bird and the Worm

“I cannot believe I get to do this today.” I glanced into the mirror, flicking some hair from my face and then pinning it into place. “I mean….my music career might start today.” Brian smiled at me, and I grinned back at him as his hand found my shoulder.

“I’m excited for you, love,” he said, kissing the back of my head, “but if we don’t leave soon, you’ll be late to the big meeting.” I sighed, taking one last hopeful glance into the mirror. “You look fine, hon. Come on. Let’s get going.” He slid his arm around my waist, and then he snatched up his car keys and his sunglasses. I sighed, walking beside him, and I climbed into the passenger’s seat as he slipped his sunglasses on and settled into the driver’s seat, the both of us buckling in before he started the car and pulled out of the driveway.

“I’m still nervous, Brian,” I complained as we started down the road.

“Well you won’t have to do much. You just have to sing for them, and I’ll do most of the talking so that you won’t have to worry about that. I’ll even ask the questions, and I’ll keep Jace from hitting on you.” I sighed. “Sorry, that wasn’t funny.” He closed his hand around mine, and he offered a smile. “You’re going to do fine, love. Stop worrying.”

“I know. It’s just…intimidating.”

He chuckled. “I can believe that. But trust me, these guys will love you.” I quirked an eyebrow over at him, but he practically grinned back at me, really working hard at convincing me about this. “Just breathe, love. It won’t be long at all before you’ll have a contract.”

“Thanks, Brian. I love you.”

“Yeah, yeah. Same to you, kid.” He squeezed my hand.

When we got there, he opened the door for me, and once the receptionist told us where to go, we found the boss’ offices, which just happened to be right next to the studio. Jace greeted us at the door, and Brian released my hand so that he could slide his arm around my waist.

What happened between the initial contact and the moment I was standing in front of three A&R guys, a recruiter, and Brian was a little blurry, and it kind of sped along, but I knew that that time didn’t matter nearly as much as this moment did, right now. I wrung my hands, and then I glanced down at the table, calming my nerves.

After that, I drew in a deep breath, locked my gaze with Brian’s, and then I sang.

My heart was pounding the whole time, and I could feel the sweat forming on my palms, but I knew it was just my nerves. Brian held my gaze with ease, watching me with a smile. It didn’t matter to him that my appearance didn’t match the song I’d chosen- contrary to what he thought, the song he and Jimmy had written was amazing, and I wanted it to be my good luck charm, even though I could never sing it the way he did- and he didn’t seem to notice that my legs felt like they were going to give way.

He looked touched that I was singing his song, and Jace, with his three corporate music biz bosses, seemed impressed enough. I took that as a plus, and I made it through.

When I was finished, Jace walked up to me, extended his hand, and smiled as he said, “You’re in.”

I took his hand, shaking it a couple of times, absolutely dumbfounded. “Really?”

He nodded. “Yes. You have an amazing voice, and your vocal style is simply astounding. I think that the bosses would agree that not only would I be an idiot for turning you away, but your husband may also beat me up in an alley if I say no, so we can hammer out any fine details and then I’ll draw up the contract.” I must have looked like an idiot- I was grinning. “Congratulations, Mrs. Haner. You’re officially in the music biz.”

I sat back down as Jace did, and then Brian began the question and answer session. I didn’t really know what questions to ask, so I kept quiet, but Brian knew what he was talking about, so he asked the questions, got the answers, made a few jokes, and made friends with the guys. I knew the attention would turn back to me eventually, and of course I interjected when I knew I had something to say, but I pretty much let Brian handle it, since I didn’t want to screw anything up.

“Are there any…scheduling issues you may have when it comes to touring?”

“Huh?”

“Once we get a group together, the only way to get your name out is to tour. Would there be any major clashes in scheduling when it comes to that?”

“Oh. Yeah. Actually, well, I’m working on getting through college, and I have another year to go after this.” All three bosses nodded in unison, and Jace simply stroked his chin, trying to find a way past the schooling issue. “Is that a huge problem?”

There was silence for a couple of minutes, and then Jace spoke up. “Well, not really. We could always keep you local until you’re out of school, and then we can start you and any band you may or may not have off on smaller tours and then build your way up.” I nodded. That sounded good. “Would that be your only issue?” I nodded. “So there are no more issues to hash out?”

“I don’t think so. Unless Brian has any qualms, I think we’re set.” I glanced over at Brian, and he was thinking about it. The room went silent again, and then he shook his head.

“I don’t have anything else, really. Except for the fact that when Heather goes out on tour, I’d like for her to have the option of bringing me with her, if I don’t have a tour going on, of course.”

Jace glanced at his bosses, and they shrugged. “I don’t see how there could be any problems with that. Shall we get this over with, then?”

I nodded, giving Brian’s hand a squeeze, and he gently squeezed it back, smiling at me and running his thumb over my wedding ring. “Yeah. Let’s do this.” Jace smiled and rose, disappearing into another room for a moment, and I heard him typing something out for about five or ten minutes before he reappeared, a stapled pack of papers about four or five pages thick in hand. He also had a pen in hand, and he set that on the table when he brought the contract over.

Brian looked it over first, scrutinizing the information, before he set it back down in front of me, and I picked up the pen. It was a good thing that I was ambidextrous, because I really did not want to let go of his hand.

“So where do I sign, exactly?”

“Do you see the x’s on the pages?” I nodded. “You sign on those lines, and then we’ll take care of the rest.” I nodded, returning my attention to the contract before me, and then I signed where I’d been told to before setting the pen down and giving Brian’s hand another squeeze. I felt ridiculous- why was I still nervous?

“Alright, Mrs. Haner. You’re good to go. Thank you very much, and we’ll be calling you to set up auditions for some band members. Does that sound alright?”

“Yes, thank you so much. I’m so glad you guys gave me the time of day.”

“Well, you’ll find that that’s what we’re about. We enjoy seeing new talent get a chance in the spotlight, so there you go. You go celebrate and have a good day.”

“Thank you, sir. Goodbye.”

They each shook my hand, and then they shook Brian’s. My heart was still pounding, and I could feel the nerves slowly fading until we got to the car, where Brian let go of my hand and then picked me up, his strong arms wrapped tightly around my torso, swirling me around in the air. I set my hands on the sides of his face, stroking his skin, and then I kissed him.

When he kissed me back, I felt truly victorious.

Thanks to Brian, I could do anything.