[discon.] in another life, darling [kaylor]

treacherous

nyc. dec. 12. 2017

"So, I'm not sure if you know this, but tomorrow's my birthday!" The woman sat on a stool in the far back of the bar. A few people in the crowd rushed in to wish her a happy birthday. "Thank you, guys! Thank you for saying that!" She felt warmth spread throughout her, having all these eyes on her. It was in these moments that she knew she was born for this, for performing. Of course, she pictured sold out stadiums with tens of thousands of people screaming her lyrics, not in a bar. It was an upscale bar, in the West Village, but a bar, nonetheless.

"So, because of that I wanted to play a little something special tonight. I haven't played this song in a while, but I know it's one of the more popular ones." She said, a smile building up as her anticipation rose. The crowd in front of her shuffled in closer, attached to her every word. She began to strum the chords, getting ready to fade into the song, "I wrote this song when I was about 17. I had just heard back from my first-choice university at the time, and it kind of hit me that, that I'd never get to do this, ever, and I just felt this overwhelming sadness take over me for months, I swear. And so, writing this song really helped me get out my sort of, funk you'd say? And, it made me realize that I don't have to be the world's most famous musician y'know. Like, I love performing and writing and I didn't want to... not continue on this dream because a couple of Nashville big shots didn't like my songs." She chuckled into the microphone, rolling her eyes as her mind flickered back to that day briefly, "So this song means so much to me because, for me um, it was really cathartic to write, so I'm really ecstatic that so many of you like it, too!" She took a small pause, continuously strumming her guitar, "And this song is actually what inspired me to start writing again as I got older, and to really put my heart out there and perform. So, I guess what I'm trying to say is that, without this song, I'm not sure if I'd be here today. So, thank you for having me, I'm really happy to be here with you guys tonight!"

The crowd hollered as she took off. Her fingers glide effortlessly around the guitar, finding the chords easily. The crowd sang along, at some points overpowering the poor woman and her one microphone. But she didn't mind. She fell in love with the fact that they felt so passionately about her music enough to scream it back to her. Her heart fluttered at this.

"Pick yourself up, dust off your shoulder, there's always tomorrow." She laughed into the microphone as the sea of drunk people overtook her in the final chorus. They began to clap on beat and let out whoops and hollers. A ball of energy rose in her chest, sending bursts of happiness through her. She didn't try to hide the fact that a few lone tears leaked out of her eyes. This may not be her biggest dream, but she was happy enough that she got to do this.

She finished off the song with a final strum, and a giant smile on her face. "Thank you guys so much for stopping in tonight and thank you Paul for allowing me to play in this beautiful bar, again. Wonderful man."

She bid the crowd one final goodbye, and then stood, placing Paul's guitar back on its stand next to the keyboard. She did what she always did at the end of her gigs; grabbed her tips, slipped on her long peacoat and headed straight to the bar.

"Hey Paul, thanks for the last-minute gig."

"No need to thank me Taylor, you saved my ass. The act I had booked flaked last minute. You didn't have to cancel any plans did you?"

"You know I have nothing to do these days."

"Yeah, I'm sorry to hear about your breakup."

"I mean, it is what it is. She wasn't happy I guess." Taylor shrugged.

"Well, if it makes you feel any better the crowd here loves you. They're always asking for you here."

Taylor's face beamed, "That's amazing, Paul, thank you for saying that."