Feel the Bass

Avenged Sevenfold barely finished their set when Celia turned to me rapidly signing and talking about all her favorite parts. I picked her up and she fell almost instantly asleep. In the middle of her sentence her eyes rolled back and she was dead to the world. I laughed as I followed Morgan out. She was talking about how amazing it was as well. I figured I'd be hearing about this for the next month or so.
We didn't go right to the car. No, that would have been too easy. I was fine with just leaving, but Morgan wanted to wait around for a little especially considering Celia was already asleep.
"Not too long though," I kept repeating even though Morgan was barely listening. She had found Fiona again. I ran my fingers over Celia's sweaty hair, the picture of her smiling still burned in my mind, and smiled to myself. I was too tired to get up when the crowd started getting loud and excited meaning someone came out. I felt old sitting her with my little girl. Old and tired.
"I'm surprised you're still here," Arin scared me so much that I jumped.
"Yeah my friend wanted to," I told him. He didn't look nervous right now. Instead the look on his face was satisfaction and pride. "You did good," I added and he laughed.
"I thought I was going to mess up so bad, but once I got into it the crowd just kind of melted away ya know?"
"Celia knew who you were," I said and he smiled. "I had no clue though. Her and my friend are the ones who know every Avenged Sevenfold detail. I just listen to the music and nod when they shout facts at me." He laughed some more and I decided to finally stand up, hefting Celia who was still asleep higher on my shoulder. "She loves the drumming," I decided to let him know.
"The vibrations?" he asked and I nodded. "Did she like the concert?"
"Like isn't a strong enough word. I thought her eyes were going to pop out of her head or her smile was going to break her face. From the first note to the last she was loving it," I said which made him smile.
"So you'll come to another?"
"I don't think I'll have a say in it," I laughed.
"So who's your friend Liza?" Morgan asked coming up behind me even though she knew damn well who it was. I rolled my eyes.
"Arin this is Morgan my friend, and Morgan this is Arin the guy drumming for Avenged Sevenfold which you already knew."
"Shut it Liza," she said extending her hand to him and I laughed.

"I thought I was going to hold a gun to your head or something to get you to ask for his number. And then he offers it to you and I had to like twist your wrist to give yours up?! What was that? Are we lame middle school kids or something?!" Morgan ranted as I drove home. I rolled my eyes.
"We did it okay? I have his and he has mine so can we just stop talking about it?!" She laughed and I rolled my eyes again. I was done with boys. I'd been done since he left us. Morgan knew this.
"So are you going to see him?" she pressed and I gave a non committed shrug. As intrigued as I ... might be, I didn't want to think about it.

Even though Celia had gone to bed late, very late, she was awake bright and early climbing into my bed and singing in my ear. She was wearing her shirt. I rolled over and buried my head with the pillow and told her mommy was very tired and signed for her to go watch TV, but all she did was climb onto my back and proceed to sing.
"It's breakfast time!" she shouted what felt like a year later. I rolled back over, knocking her off me.
'Go find Morgan' I signed and she called me a poop face and finally left. I dragged myself to the shower and then out to the living room where Morgan was fixing her hair on the couch.
"Morning Liza," she said with a wink and I rolled my eyes before collapsing into the arm chair.
"Why are you up so early?" I asked. She usually slept well past noon and it was barely ten am.
"Andrea woke me and demanded a play by play," she said and I nodded.
'Park' Celia signed.
"I can take her if you'd like," Morgan said, but I shook my head.
"I'll go," I said and got my shoes on as Celia jammed her feet into her cowboy boots. "You can call about that stupid sign," I told her. We'd been calling city hall and such since I moved in trying to get a deaf child at play sign put up, but the city was dragging its feet. 'Celia where are your hearing aids?' I signed and she shrugged and skipped off to her room. I hoped to get them.
"Yeah sure thing," Morgan said. "And seriously if they don't then I'm going to make my own damn sign."
"I second that," I said and was relieved to see Celia had returned with her hearing aids.
"So are you going to call him?" she finally asked.
"No."
"But whyyy Liza? You're no fun!" she whined and I laughed.
"I have my hands full and besides guys are douchebags better suited for life in the deepest parts of hell," I told her and she rolled her eyes.
"That's reserved for a certain guy, not all of them are like that," she countered and I headed to the door.
"If he calls we will see, otherwise he's just another guy I decided not to waste my time with," I told her and shooed Celia out the door.
The park was just two blocks from the house and this early on a Sunday left the streets quiet expect for Celia's singing. I didn't have the heart to shush her for singing Afterlife at the of her lungs though. At the park, she immediately went to the slide. I sat on the swings and watched as she ran endlessly up the steps and slid down the slide. She eventually waved.
'What are you singing now?' I signed.
"Second Heartbeat!" she yelled back and I shook my head. She still seemed to be on the concert high.

My phone went off when I was walking back from the library with Celia. Morgan had gone out and since it was a nice day we went to the library after lunch. It wasn't too far from the house. I took my phone from my pocket hoping it was Morgan or even Andrea, but no such luck. The caller ID said Arin and I just stared at it.
"Hello?" I said on the last ring just as Celia decided to stomp on a rolly-polly and then pick it up.
"Uh hi it's Arin." I was signing at Celia to put the bug down but instead she went on to step on ants and then pick them up.
"Hi," I repeated.
"Mommy it's dead," Celia said and I nodded.
"I just uh did Celia like the concert?"
"Yeah she did," I told him. "All she's been singing is the songs all day."
"Here for you Mommy," Celia said and tried to hand me smooshed ants.
'No stop it Celia that's not nice.' I signed.
"I'm glad ... and how are you?"
"Pretty good, tired," I admitted finally picking Celia up making her scream at me.
"Is this a bad time?"
"My life is a bad time," I said. "Stop it Celia!" I snapped and she put the dead bugs in my hair. He laughed. "I'm serious. I have dead bugs in my hair," I explained before I could stop myself. He laughed again.
"Do I want to know what you're doing?"
"I was at the library," I told him glad the house was in sight. "We got many Spot adventures to read," I said as Celia squirmed and I finally set her down. She ran up the steps and I following brushing the bugs out of my hair. "And the bugs are Celia's new obsession," I finally explained and collapsed on the couch.
"I see ... sounds intense."
"You have no idea," I sighed.
"Well ... I was calling to ask if you maybe ever wanted to do something ..."
"Tuesday's," I said automatically before I could stop myself.
"Tuesday?"
"Yeah ... and midday is best because I'm sans child then," I said, again before I could stop myself.
"Want me to pick you up or meet somewhere?"
"You can come here," I said and told him the address. What was I doing?
"I'll see you then I guess."
"Yeah bye," I said and hung up just to stare at my phone. Celia came over and laid on me.
'Who was that?' she signed and I shook my head.
'A friend.' I signed and stared at the ceiling. All I could think was what the fuck was I doing? Seriously now. Maybe the loud music rattled my brain or something because right now I definitely wasn't thinking straight.