Not Enough
six
I sat across from my dad at the breakfast table, he was staring down at the paper and I was picking at my waffles. He sighed and set the paper down, pulling his glasses off.
"What is it you need to ask me?"
"You have a friend that's got a small record label right?"
He just nodded, "Yes, where is this going?"
"I want to talk to him. I was talking to Taylor, and I played for him, and he thinks I should think about music as a future"
He shook his head opened his mouth and closed it again with no words coming out. He thought for a moment and then finally sighed, "You're good honey, but are you confident enough that this will work. Because if you fail, it will be back to square one. And you know your scholarship won't be there anymore..."
"I know...but this is what I want. It will keep me sane while Taylor's gone"
"Okay" he replied, "His son runs the label now. I'll get the number for you, so you can talk to him" he said looking through his address book, "I hope you know what you're doing"
"I do"
He gave me the number and I grabbed the house phone, running up to my room and dialling quickly.
"Hello?"
"Hi, is this Travis Garner?"
"Sure is"
"I'm Jaden Markan, Steve Markan's daughter"
"Oh, right. Good friends with my dad"
"Yah, I was hoping I could get some studio time? Or at least let you hear me play?"
He paused for a moment, shuffling through some papers, "Sure thing, meet me here tomorrow at 10am, and we'll go from there"
"Awesome, thank you so much!"
"No problem, see you tomorrow"
The next morning, I was legitimately terrified. I've never played for anyone before Taylor, so it was a stretch for me, but Taylor believed in me, and he made me believe in myself.
I stepped into the building, that was fairly quiet, I ran into a taller guy, maybe a couple years older than I was. He was decently built, but nothing like Taylor was. Short dark brown hair, neat. Dark green eyes, that were brought out by the colors in his plaid shirt. He was easy on the eyes, I couldn't lie. He had one hand in his pocket, and the other on his phone.
"And you are?"
"Jaden Markan, we talked on the phone yesterday?"
"Ah, Steve's daughter, I remember, okay, come with me" he immediately led the way, and was already intimidating me. He sent me into the room, sat me down on the stool and went to the other side, with the controls.
"So you're Travis?" I asked.
"I am"
"You look a little young to be--"
"Trust me, I'm alot smarter than I look"
I grabbed my guitar from my case, and just shook my head. He already seemed like a jerk, this should be fun.
"Okay...sing"
The entire time I sang my song to him, his eyes didn't budge, I felt vulnerable and terrified the moment I stopped. Now, he had to tell me.
Instead of talking through the mic, he came into the room, keeping his distance, as if he was checking me over.
"Uh, excuse me? Should I just go, or--"
"You're good" he said crossing his arms over my chest, "But you can be alot better"
"Is that yes?"
He just nodded, "I'll give you a shot, if you promise to give me all the time I need"
"Uh, okay, just as long as it's not Saturday"
"And why not?"
"Cause I'm busy that day, and I can't be here"
"There is nothing that can be more important than the possibility of a career"
"You think I have a career in this?"
"I certainly do, which is why I need you here on Saturday"
"I'm sorry, I can't"
"Jaden, I'm sorry, I--"
"I'm getting married" I said quickly, and immediately there was tension. I didn't know the guy, and I felt like he could snap at me any second.
"You're 18"
"Yes I am"
"And you're getting married?"
"Yes"
"How does that even work?"
I just sighed, "I'm still trying to figure that out"
"And you said yes?"
I just nodded and he stared at me for a moment, "I have a feeling your father knows nothing about this"
"No, and you can't tell him...please" I begged, setting my guitar back in the case, "He'd freak if he heard it from someone else. I'll eventually tell him myself"
"I like that"
"What?"
"You've got a spark. You look like the quiet type, but when you want something, you're not afraid to go and get it"
I shook my head, "Trust me, this time, I'm afraid"
"What is it you need to ask me?"
"You have a friend that's got a small record label right?"
He just nodded, "Yes, where is this going?"
"I want to talk to him. I was talking to Taylor, and I played for him, and he thinks I should think about music as a future"
He shook his head opened his mouth and closed it again with no words coming out. He thought for a moment and then finally sighed, "You're good honey, but are you confident enough that this will work. Because if you fail, it will be back to square one. And you know your scholarship won't be there anymore..."
"I know...but this is what I want. It will keep me sane while Taylor's gone"
"Okay" he replied, "His son runs the label now. I'll get the number for you, so you can talk to him" he said looking through his address book, "I hope you know what you're doing"
"I do"
He gave me the number and I grabbed the house phone, running up to my room and dialling quickly.
"Hello?"
"Hi, is this Travis Garner?"
"Sure is"
"I'm Jaden Markan, Steve Markan's daughter"
"Oh, right. Good friends with my dad"
"Yah, I was hoping I could get some studio time? Or at least let you hear me play?"
He paused for a moment, shuffling through some papers, "Sure thing, meet me here tomorrow at 10am, and we'll go from there"
"Awesome, thank you so much!"
"No problem, see you tomorrow"
The next morning, I was legitimately terrified. I've never played for anyone before Taylor, so it was a stretch for me, but Taylor believed in me, and he made me believe in myself.
I stepped into the building, that was fairly quiet, I ran into a taller guy, maybe a couple years older than I was. He was decently built, but nothing like Taylor was. Short dark brown hair, neat. Dark green eyes, that were brought out by the colors in his plaid shirt. He was easy on the eyes, I couldn't lie. He had one hand in his pocket, and the other on his phone.
"And you are?"
"Jaden Markan, we talked on the phone yesterday?"
"Ah, Steve's daughter, I remember, okay, come with me" he immediately led the way, and was already intimidating me. He sent me into the room, sat me down on the stool and went to the other side, with the controls.
"So you're Travis?" I asked.
"I am"
"You look a little young to be--"
"Trust me, I'm alot smarter than I look"
I grabbed my guitar from my case, and just shook my head. He already seemed like a jerk, this should be fun.
"Okay...sing"
The entire time I sang my song to him, his eyes didn't budge, I felt vulnerable and terrified the moment I stopped. Now, he had to tell me.
Instead of talking through the mic, he came into the room, keeping his distance, as if he was checking me over.
"Uh, excuse me? Should I just go, or--"
"You're good" he said crossing his arms over my chest, "But you can be alot better"
"Is that yes?"
He just nodded, "I'll give you a shot, if you promise to give me all the time I need"
"Uh, okay, just as long as it's not Saturday"
"And why not?"
"Cause I'm busy that day, and I can't be here"
"There is nothing that can be more important than the possibility of a career"
"You think I have a career in this?"
"I certainly do, which is why I need you here on Saturday"
"I'm sorry, I can't"
"Jaden, I'm sorry, I--"
"I'm getting married" I said quickly, and immediately there was tension. I didn't know the guy, and I felt like he could snap at me any second.
"You're 18"
"Yes I am"
"And you're getting married?"
"Yes"
"How does that even work?"
I just sighed, "I'm still trying to figure that out"
"And you said yes?"
I just nodded and he stared at me for a moment, "I have a feeling your father knows nothing about this"
"No, and you can't tell him...please" I begged, setting my guitar back in the case, "He'd freak if he heard it from someone else. I'll eventually tell him myself"
"I like that"
"What?"
"You've got a spark. You look like the quiet type, but when you want something, you're not afraid to go and get it"
I shook my head, "Trust me, this time, I'm afraid"