KEYS

Chapter 13: Mr Pibels

It had been two months since Rochelle had been arrested for the murder of her father. Debbie spent her morning baking cupcakes to take to Rochelle when she visited her that afternoon at prison. Ross was scheduled to meet Mr Pibels, the owner of the studio on that very day. Ross was standing with Debbie in the kitchen and was busy drinking his coffee and watching the news on TV.

"Rossi my darling, what do you have planned for today?" Debbie said while she popped the last batch of cupcakes into the oven.

"I am going down to the studio in about an hour Auntie Deb. Today is the big day! I am going to meet the owner of the studio, so I today I have to put my best foot forward and try to impress this guy. Hopefully he likes my music and will allow me to sign a record deal with them." Ross said with excitement in his voice.

"I have my fingers crossed honey. Things will turn out just great, I can assure you. I am going to see Rochelle this afternoon, so if you are back by then, you are welcome to join me."

"For sure Auntie Deb, she wrote me a letter. Apparently the cell where she is now is much roomier. I am going to meet Trevor at the Bistro for a quick bite, can I get you anything?" Ross asked as he came to the end of his cup of coffee.

"Yes please, just get me a toasted cheese sandwich. And tell Trevor it is his turn to do the dishes tonight." Debbie said in a joking manner.

Ross threw on his coat and fixed his hair in the mirror next to the door. He waved to Debbie and bounced all the way down the hallway. He felt really confident about meeting Mr Pibels today. Things had certainly been changing for his family these last couple of days. Debbie got a promotion at work and Rochelle might be receiving house arrest and now it was Ross's time to shine.

Trevor was sitting at the Bistro looking quite casual while reading a gardening magazine. He looked a bit more colourful with the clothes he had on than he usually did. Ross entered the Bistro and was peeking over people's heads to see if he could find Trevor. Ross looked twice when he saw Trevor's milky white skin and green shirt in the crowd.

"You look really colourful today." Ross said looking awkwardly at Trevor's outfit.

"I figured I'd better dress more casual today so that we do not attract too much attention when we go to see that guy today. I have ordered you a cappuccino and an Alfredo pasta so long, hope you do not mind." Trevor said pointing to the menu in front of Ross.

"Not at all, thank you Trev. So did I tell you I accessed some of that money I got when I sold my car? So I was thinking of buying a house in San Francisco when everything goes according to plan. Not too big and not too small, just the right size to accommodate the four of us."

"Sounds pretty good. I used to live in San Francisco a while back. Maybe there I will get a tan." Ross and Trevor laughed and started planning about what they are going to do once Ross's career takes off.

After their little outing, it was time for them to head over to Pibels Studios. They reached the studio after a while and saw a black limousine standing out front. 'He must be here then.' Ross thought to himself as they entered the studio.

"Mr Victor, right on time!" Mr Crain came running from his office with a huge smile on his face.

"Morning Mr Crain. I am a bit nervous to be honest. I do not know what to say to Mr Pibels. The way you described him on your last phone call makes him sound quite hard to impress."

"He has his moments sometimes, but I am sure if he hears you play, he might just give me a raise. I have been trying for years to convince him to let me start recording. I am also a piano player." Mr Crain said patting Ross on the back.