Undiscovered Melody |COMPLETED|

Chapter 37

"Put that amp over there and then put my guitar stand there," directed Jagged Stone to a stagehand.  Once everything was set up, Jagged gave a nod of satisfaction and then scanned the set-up to make sure everything else seemed correct.  The band was performing on the Eiffel Tower and there would be a huge video screen that would provide close-ups of all the band during the concert.  Jagged knew it was going to be awesome.

"Let's do the final sound check," said Jagged, who was always involved in every aspect of show preparations.  The rest of the band, including Luka, got into position.  Jagged picked up his guitar, double checked the settings on the amp, made eye contact with the sound guy to make sure everything was set and then counted off.  The band started in on one of the songs and continued to play until Jagged motioned them to stop.  He recommended a few changes and then they played again.  Then, Jagged moved onto improvising so he could check the sound quality of his full range.  When he came to the end, he let the last note reverberate for a few seconds before stilling the strings.  He then nodded to the sound guy his approval and placed his guitar on the stand.

Luka watched Jagged through the sound check, still amazed to be sitting this close to his idol.  He was really good and entertaining to watch, too. 

Jagged turned around and smiled when he saw Luka staring at him.  He dismissed the rest of the band and then motioned Luka over to him.  "You getting excited?  Nervous?  I remember feeling pretty sick before my first big performance, but as soon as I let myself really get into my music, the audience just faded away."  Jagged moved his hands as if he was clearing away everything nearby.

"I'm definitely feeling both of those things.  It's a big day. I'll be putting Kitty Section behind me, which feels a bit sad, but there is so much I'm looking forward to doing with . . . my dad," said Luka.  He could hardly believe how good it felt to say those words.  When he found out about Jagged, he hadn't been sure that he would ever be able to call him dad, as it felt so weird after all those years without a father.  But with how supportive and great Jagged had been these last few weeks, it now felt right.

"Dad, huh?" said Jagged, amazed how right that simple word felt.  He had been so stupid to fight it at first, but luckily he'd had Penny there to force him to face things.  He would never give up being a father now for anything in the world.  He walked over and put an arm around Luka's shoulders.  "I'm so happy to be your dad, for you to be my son, and I'm excited to share my love of music with you.  I couldn't have asked for more amazing kids."

"Hey, Luka, where should I put my— unh," grunted Juleka in surprise. She had been walking over to talk to her brother while reading a text from Rose only to be unexpectedly included in a big family hug.

"Jules, you know you're amazing, right?" said Jagged as he gave his kids an even tighter squeeze.

"Kind of hard to breathe," gasped Juleka from inside Jagged's arms. 

Jagged let her go, but took her hand, so she couldn't escape.  "I'm so proud of you for putting yourself out there and taking part in this concert.  I know that's not always easy for you.  And I expect to hear from you sometimes, right?  Because know I'll be wondering how things are going. I'm going to miss you."

Juleka hadn't been able to meet her dad's eyes at first, as she was feeling simultaneously a bit sad that she was going to be left behind and also a lot of new emotions at his unexpected words.  But, when she comprehended what he said- that he was going to miss her and wanted to hear from her- she brushed her bangs out of her eyes and smiled up at him.  She then threw herself at him to give him a big hug, which he returned.  After a moment they stepped back from each other.

"Right," said Jagged, wiping away a small tear of happiness at how lucky he was.  "Guess we'd better get changed.  Things'll be starting soon."  He then headed off to the changing area.