Guitar Lessons With The Player

The New Guy

“Hi, I’d like to ask about these guitar lessons?”

I chewed my bottom lip as a gust of wind whipped against my legs. I didn’t know what to expect from the person on the end of the line but it definitely wasn’t a lady. I thought maybe it would be someone who sounded as if they ate cigarettes for breakfast, nowhere near this crisp well-mannered 50 year-old.

“Yes?”

“Well,” I mumbled, shifting from foot to foot. “These guitar lessons say they’re twenty dollars for two hours?”

“Yes,” she confirmed.

My mind blanked, suddenly not knowing what to say. I nervously chewed on my lip and played with the hem of the T-shirt. She wasn’t exactly helping with her short comments, not even an offering of a name! If she wanted people, then she wasn’t exactly striking me as someone I’d want to be in the same room as.

“Would you like to participate?”

No, I just thought I’d go around calling numbers stuck to poles for the fun of it.

I bit back the comment and mumbled a barely audible, “yeah, I suppose.”

“Speak up girl!” The lady suddenly snapped, causing my spine to straighten and eyes widen. “I’m glad I won’t have to put up with you.”

Well I’m glad I won’t have to put up with you, I pulled the phone back, ready to press the ‘end call’ button, but her words sunk in, making me push it back to my ear.

“You’re not teaching these lessons?” I didn’t bother to hide the hope in my voice. This lady was one of those people who would sit in her chair and yell at all the young whippersnappers to get off her lawn. No, by the sound of her accent, she probably had her lawn cut exactly one centimetre above the ground and scream at her gardener if it was any different. I shuddered.

“No, my son is, thank the Heavens,” she blessed with a sigh of relief. I screwed my face into a scowl.

Instead, I put on my nicest voice. “Well, that’s great. Is he as bitchy as his mother?”

“What was that young lady?”

Shit, that wasn’t meant to slip out. I bit on my cheek harshly and ran a hand over my face. “That was nothing.”

“It had better be nothing, or you can kiss these lessons good-bye.” She hissed. I almost pulled the phone back in shock. How could a vicious comment come out of such a posh sounding voice?

“I need your name and number. Then this conversation can end.” I could hear the silent ‘thank the Heavens’ at the end of her sentence.

I gave her what she asked for and wasn’t surprised at the sudden beep, beep straight afterward. I clenched my teeth, wanting nothing more than to rip up her lawn and laugh manically as she watched with horror. It almost made me smile.

These thought passed my head as I walked home, kicking up pieces of gravel and wishing it were her face.

*~*

Despite my anger, I was positively glowing the next day.

Maybe it was because the sun was shining, the birds were singing, and the flowers were opening up or that I was finally doing something completely selfish.

Summer sat across from me and studied me long and hard. Her eyes were narrowed and she was chewing on a glossy sunflower nail, a habit she did when she was contemplating something.

“You got laid, didn’t you?” Her eyes widened and she grinned from ear to ear. She leant over and slapped my back, startling me and making me hack on my juice.