Chapter Twenty-Seven

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My flight left Sunday night at six. Rev had me park my Durango in a large public parking lot a few blocks from the hotel. I still had Andy's jeep, which we left on a street perpendicular to the hotel, and he instructed me to use that when I returned if he wasn't around. That key we left in the hotel room then we started driving in his truck toward the airport with my luggage and his. He was going to check in with Clint, who was near there, and might end up staying.

Rev said I was to call him or text him whenever I wanted until he let me know otherwise.

"Keep the texts vague, but I want to know where you are, so check in", he said. "Calling is best. If I tell you I'm heading out for the haul, do not contact me in any way until you hear from me again. It could even be a few days before I call you after that, so don't worry".

I bit my lip. I was worried.

"Give Andy a call while you're waiting to board. Let him know what's going on. If I'm not available for advice, you're going to want to talk to him before making any decisions. Good?"

"Yep".

He put his hand over mine. "Clint has your number. If things go sideways, and I can't contact you, he will".

I looked at him sharply. He didn't look worried but what the hell did that mean?

He looked at me. "You're worrying", he said. "I said don't".

"Well, what does that mean, Rev?", I asked, my throat feeling tight.

"It means that if something happens and I can't call you, there is one other person who will, so you aren't going out of your mind wondering what might have happened".

He was so sweet. I'd be willing to bet he hadn't done that for anyone else before, and I was incredibly touched.

I squeezed his fingers. "Come back to me, all right?"

He looked at me seriously. "I will, love".

...........................................................................

Los Angeles, California. I loved the weather but I hated the busyness, the choas, the traffic. I took a cab from the airport to my hotel and was sweaty from heat and stress by the time I got there. I texted Rev that I was in my hotel, showered, and went to bed.

The next morning Mike picked me up and we met a songwriter at a recording studio. She had her manager with and wrote rock music.

I felt an arrogance and coldness from them right away, which put me off, and as I attempted to sing one of her songs for them, she kept stopping me and correcting what I was doing.

I mainly utilize auditory recall to sing, and while I am capable of reading sheet music, I am not adept. I felt like a giant failure by the time I was done singing several of her songs for them.

Her manager said to Mike, like I wasn't even there, "I like the power and the quality of her voice, but she's not edgy enough for rock. I think you should try pop. I've got another writer I can set you up with".

I shook my head no. I did like some pop music but I couldn't picture myself performing in that genre.

Mike read my disappointment when we left.

"Don't get discouraged. You hear no a heck of a lot more than you hear yes in this industry, and we've only just started!"

He was a cheerful and vibrant man, and I enjoyed his company. He took me to a nice restaurant for lunch, then we met with a different songwriter and his manager, and went through the same thing.

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