I'll Be There

I could not believe that Axl Rose just invited be backstage to two more shows. I was crawling out of my skin from excitement. Dj pushed his door open, “Come on, let’s get to work.” I was surprised at how neat his room was, but I supposed either the cleaning ladies had been in already or he had prepped it for me. I saw two guitar cases in one corner or the room. Another part had a large bed, there were two other doors, and even a separate place completely as a living room area/small kitchen. I was amazed at how nice it was compared to the hotels I’ve been in. Dj spread his arms out and said “This is your home so long as I’m staying here, make yourself comfortable.” I was about to ask if he was serious, but I was kind of getting used to it by now. So instead I just smiled and said Thank You. Then he went over to the guitar cases and motioned me over. “Pick one, but no peeking. You get to play whichever you open first.” “Cool, I love surprises.” I looked them over carefully, wondering which case held which of his many guitars. But no matter how hard I looked, I could find no distinction. Dj smirked. Frustrated, I popped open the left one. I laughed, “Ashtray!” I exclaimed, picking up the Les Paul with a smile. He smiled as well and opened up the other one. “Stickers!” I named it. Dj laughed. “Have you been stalking my guitars?” “No silly, I watched your rig rundown, duh” I joked.
Dj led her to the living room and couch, having her sit and plug into the small amp he had there. “You like Monster?” he asked, heading towards his mini fridge. “Are you kidding I LOVE it!” she said. He grabbed two green ones and handed one to her. He knew there was a reason he liked this girl. Then he sat beside her and plugged in as well, automatically checking his tuning before he played anything. She did the same. “So what can you play?” he asked. He could see her attitude change almost instantly as she became nervous. “Hey,” he said, interrupting her chorus of ‘uhs’, “don’t worry, I’m not here to judge I’m here to help. From one guitarist to another I’m really interested in your talent, would you share it with me?” He made it a point to fix his icy gaze on her face, staring into her troubled eyes. She went rigid as she stared back, then gradually became calm and relaxed herself, looking down at the guitar. Without looking up she said “play rhythm, then pick up the solo at the hammer ons.” He nodded, getting an idea of what song she would pick. She flipped the switch on Ashtray to the top position, lowered the tone by half, turned the volume up, and began the intro to Sweet Child O Mine. As promised he picked up the background until the solo where she left off. Then they both stopped playing. “Alright, I see what your trouble is.” He said, launching into a speech about speed playing and accuracy. After two hours, she could accurately play the rest of the solo at almost full speed, which was quite an improvement from before.
I played the solo once more, confident in myself for the first time, and happy that I could play it at almost full speed after only a few hours of practice. I wished I had a teacher like Dj back when I was learning. We set our guitars down and stretched, and without thinking I hugged him. I got jumpy though and backed away, blushing like crazy. “Um…thank you for helping me.” I said, embarrassed. He held out his arms, inviting me this time. I smiled and hugged him for real, feeling his heart beat under my cheek and holding him close. He felt so innocent, so sweet. Then he let go and looked down at me. “You did a great job, you should be proud of yourself.” I looked back sadly. “Dj, I don’t have to go home do I?” “Of course not, I said this was your home didn’t I?” I smiled hugely and hugged him again, nearly choking him. Then I jumped back and yelled “Movie Marathon!” He laughed. “Sounds good to me, what movies?” I thought for a second. “Let’s make fun of Jersey Shore until we puke then watch Nightmare Before Christmas.” He laughed, “You’re one awesome girl.” “I know” I replied happily.
So they did exactly that. Dj ordered a shit ton of food, and they mocked Jersey Shore until they couldn’t stand it anymore, and then began watching movies until late at night. At one point Dj found himself watching a western movie by himself, it was very quiet. He looked beside him to see Raven asleep. With a sympathetic smile he picked her up and carried her to his bed, tucking her in and kissing her forehead. He watched a few more movies himself with a bottle of Jack Daniels and a cigarette until he too fell asleep on the couch.