The Devil on Kazoo

19: Smiley's Breakthrough

"Now here you go again, you say you want your freedom
Well, who am I to keep you down?
It's only right that you should play the way you feel it
But listen carefully to the sound of your loneliness"

"Dreams" by Fleetwood Mac

With the concert looming ever closer, the Crumbs were like ants scattered around the boat.

Bash was currently on the radio, Kathy was helping Jim set up the electrical inputs, and Syl sat with Smiley on the piano in a rare quiet moment.

She'd learned some piano from her mother in Russia. She'd never taken to the instrument, but she knew enough to get by, and now she and Smiley had to figure out their modified parts together.

Smiley had been killing himself trying to regain the same level of skill he'd had before the accident. It had taken a while for him to realize that sounding the same would be impossible.

With three days left before the concert, he and Syl were rewriting and simplifying his parts to all their songs.

Syl could tell it physically pained Smiley every time they had to drop a harmony or completely scrap a solo, though he'd sworn not to complain.

"This could go like this instead of this," Syl suggested, plucking a few keys.

Smiley groaned miserably. "But that'll make your bass line weaker and we need that to carry into the chorus."

"Then keep it the same, just drop the harmony."

"But then Bash won't know when to come in!" Smiley buried his face in his good hand.

"Kathy and I will keep the rhythm going."

Smiley looked like he wanted to argue, but refrained. There was nothing to argue, anyway. The fact remained that he was playing a two-handed instrument with one.

"You're sounding great," Bash said, hopping onto the stage. "Baba O'Reiley" played in the background as Bash leaned against the piano.

Syl found herself a little mesmerized by him for a moment, with the way his hair was tied back from his face and the eager expression he wore as he looked at the music, before inwardly scoffing and wondering what on earth she was doing.

Then Bash slid onto the bench, squishing Syl in-between the brothers.

"I can change the guitar part," Bash suggested, "if it makes it easier for you, Smiles. Tell me what you think of this."

Bash began playing, taking Syl by surprise. She didn't know he was proficient on the piano. He was nothing compared to Smiley, but still...

His arms reached across her as he played and Syl could smell the salt and warmth of his skin.

She stood up suddenly. "I need to go check something in the wheelhouse."

Bash and Smiley exchanged a glance.

"It's okay," Bash said quickly, averting his eyes. "I–I'm leaving. Gotta get back to the radio."

As if on cue, the song began to wind down and Bash got off the bench to go back to his desk.

Syl sat back down slowly, shifting her focus to the piano.

She was about to play but felt a pair of eyes staring at her.

"What?" she asked flatly.

"What's going on with you two?" Smiley asked. "You've barely been talking to each other and maybe I'm mad but that was strange just then, wasn't it?"