Chapter One: Audition

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by AnonymousRepay

by AnonymousRepay

PIANIST NEEDED...

I stared at the flyer I saw on the cracked wall of the shelter for what seemed like an eternity. A local bar called the "Rising Sun" was looking for somebody to plays the keys and sing a little bit and they were holding auditions soon. It was decent pay and free drinks. It couldn't hurt. I was just living in whatever homeless shelter could board me for the night. Might give me something to do, something to show my not-good-for-shit parole officer that I am a functioning and productive member of society. It was decided I was going to do it. I headed to the West Los Angeles Community Center and I headed straight to the room with the beautiful mahogany Wurlitzer piano. The first note came out when I struck the key and it was like second nature that everything was coming back to me. Like the five years I hadn't played never existed, piano was always my escape. Music was always something I could feel vibrating in my bones. I had to give it up when my father destroyed our piano and told me something along the lines of it wasn't something our family pursued, that I was to inherit the family business someday and I needed to straighten up my act. Playing the piano in the middle of that community center felt right, I felt complete

*2 WEEKS LATER*

Nerves. I was a bundle of nerves all morning, I managed to scrape up enough cash throughout the two weeks in order to buy a razor, get a haircut and buy a gently used brown suit from the Salvation Army and the nice lady there threw in some matching dress shoes for free... Bless her heart. I walked into the soup kitchen like I would on any Friday morning and Marla, the Mother Teresa of L.A. entertained me with our usual routine morning banter.

"Where you headed to lookin' so fancy Giovanni suga?" she inquired.

"I have an audition at the Rising Sun for a music gig." I replied excitedly.

"You nervous?"

"Petrified." I admitted

"You will do lovely Gio, you look good and you will play good. I promise." She winked and set a plate of eggs down in front of me. If she wasn't the sweetest most generous old woman I don't know who is. I finished up my breakfast and I headed on the long walk to the other side of town. My audition was at three and by the time I finished all my formalities with my friends at the soup kitchen and getting my act together it was roughly noon.

I arrived at the Rising Sun at about 2:30 and there were lots of musicians in the main room already waiting for their chance to audition. I took a number and waited my turn. Auditions were long and restless for me as anxiety festered into the pit of my stomach. Finally at 5:30 pm my number was called. I was the last one to audition. I walked into the back room and sat down at the cold piano bench but was mesmerized at the beautiful black cherry wood of the piano, I was then abruptly interrupted by my admiration of the piano,

"Hi I am Shelley and I am the assistant manager of the Rising Sun Bar. Sorry our manager could not be in today. We will be recording your audition however to send to her for her input on the selection process. State your name and what you will be playing for us today." I heard the camera flick on and the red recording light flickered and I took that as my cue.

"Giovanni, Giovanni Messina and I will be playing and singing Hallelujah by Leonard Cohen."

I played the keys like they were an extension of my hands with a fiery passion I wasn't award I still possessed and my voice hit all the pitches and notes I had practiced. Whatever happened I left it all out there on the piano and with my whole heart into it. I heard the camera cut off.

Shelley exclaimed, "That was fantastic Giovanni, I could hear the emotion and conviction in your voice. You were definitely the best today. I will have to go over the tapes with Jess our manager but I'm sure you are a shoe in." I shook Shelley's hand and exited the room and walked past the bar and saw a woman there all by herself nursing what looked like a Glencairn glass with the liquid gold whiskey neat in the contents of the glass while she was reading a novel. I sauntered over to her to just ask her about her drink,

"Excuse me ma'am I hate to interrupt a good read but I couldn't help but notice your drink and just wanted to know what poison you picked to drink this evening?" I gestured to her glass of the good stuff, however what I wasn't prepared for when she looked up from her book and her beautiful dark brown hair no longer covered her face and her piercing green eyes met mine. My breath immediately hitched in my throat. "This woman is a goddess." I thought to myself. I watched as freckles danced across her face and her smile to greet me lit up as she answered my previous question that I almost forgot,

"Jameson, Neat."

\WUg8,