More. I did warn you, you must admit.

Cowardice

"Do you want to jam?"

I look up at him, startled. He's at the Steinway, regarding me over the ten feet of piano lid.

"Why?" Jam? With him? "Um -"

"You were humming." He plays a few bars of one of my songs, effortless, river water. "So, get your guitar - we'll work on it."

"No!" He's lost his mind. I'm a decent musician, but - play with him? He's kidding.

"Oh, come on." He plays the riff again, nearly eviscerating me. "You've seen my scars. Come share your music."

I swallow hard, gather my courage, and get my guitar.

A Session at SIR, 1977

The blond with the ponytail is running the studio single-handed today. He's asked if he can sit in with me; seems he's a bassplayer when he isn't handling this place.

Everyone's signed out; I'm the only paying customer left. It's just past six.

He plugs in his bass, a battered cherrytop Guild long-scale. "You're in D modal, right? Let me tune up."

I wait, idly run a riff on my guitar. The bass, mellow thunder, replies.

Oh my god, his music? Tastes just like mine.

Six hours later, we finally stop playing and I realise I may be in love.

OK, here's a cheesy high school drabble. (Even worse if you know the song...)

"Let me hear you tell me you love me…"

Sitting in the dark, singing along with a tape. Where did everyone go? Somehow, it’s just the two of us, lights off, singing along with the duet. It’s intimate in a way we’d never be with the lights on, would never be in our own voices. We’re too young, too busy protecting ourselves. Too busy believing in high school reputations.

"Make it last forever…."

A couple of weeks later, we go to the Prom together. A couple of weeks after that, we’ve broken up. Not that we were ever really together

I've got one, but I've got a thought that I'm not sure if I'm expressing, you know.
Sometimes life would be simpler if there was a score like the movies or TV, to help us figure out which episode we’re in. No more “Is this a date?” if when you saw each other, Al Green started to play.(Good thing you shaved your legs.)Maybe a blues for when it’s the end of the month and you’re scouring for change under the couch. Yes, again. Sigh.Work days might go faster under the driving beat of “Money’.The local news, home of “If it bleeds, it leads” should be accompanied by “Boom, Boom, Boom” And I really missed Bruce at the union hall the other day, “My hometown” maybe.

Jesse, I love that entire thing, but the last line is superb. Sums up the whole experience.

I TOTALLY know what you're saying, erika! I mostly notice when the real-life backgroud music IS what would be on the soundtrack, just then.

erika, YESyesyesyes.

Aw, thanks, Deb. I swear I could do a whole "Prom" (or, even better, dances more generally) series. That music is so vivid in my head.

Heh. I should be working on my Long Black Veil story, and starting "Cruel Sister", and this drabble topic is so totally cooking me, I may have to stay with it until it burns itself out.

I liked that one, Jesse. I spent that whole day at the union hall feeling the Springsteen vibe. Kept waiting for the "Big Man" to show up.