The Morning After

I woke up to the smell of bacon and eggs. I sat up in my makeshift floor-bed. I looked into the kitchen and saw Sunny standing at the stove. As soon as I tried to stand up, I immediately felt a jolt of back pain. I groaned.

“Good morning sleepyhead!” she said with a chuckle. “I hope you don’t mind, but I decided to make some breakfast with what I could find in the fridge. I’ll pay you back for my portion, of course.”

I yawned and walked into the kitchen. “Don’t worry about it, you’re doing the hard part. I hate cooking, so cooking breakfast is really more valuable than money to me.”

She smiled as she scraped the eggs out of the skillet onto two plates. She must have just gotten up as well, as her hair was still a mess. We sat down at the table and started eating.

“Thanks for letting me crash here last night. You really saved me from a tight spot, or rather you saved my bass.”

I smiled. “Don’t mention it, it’s what bandmates do.”

She looked puzzled. “Really? My previous bandmates would never do something like this for me.”

No way. All I did was offer her a place to stay so she didn’t have to walk home in the rain. You’re telling me that her previous bandmates wouldn’t even offer her that level of human decency? Not only that, but thinking back to her audition, she showed an incredibly low level of self esteem whenever she made a mistake. Her previous bandmates must have done a real number on her confidence. It’s really no wonder she left their band.

“I’m sorry,” I said. “I promise this band will be different. From here on out, you and I are equal partners, fifty-fifty. The band is just as much yours as it is mine.”

“No, I can’t ask you to do that! This is your passion project, I’m just along for the ride!”

“Don’t talk like that! Last night when we were jamming, I had a great time, more fun than I’ve ever had playing by myself. I think it was because we each have our own distinct musical backgrounds. Combining those two perspectives creates something new, something that I could never have come up with on my own. That’s why I want you to have an equal part in this.”

She finally broke into a smile. “Fifty-fifty partners. I like the sound of that, but there’s still one thing I can’t agree to split fifty-fifty.”

“What’s that?” I asked.

“The money we earn.”

“Well I can’t ask you to work for less than fifty percent. That just isn’t fair!”

“I knew you’d say that. That’s why I thought of a solution. We’ll be equal bandmates, but you also work as the band’s manager. You organize all our gigs and look for new opportunities. Then you can take two-thirds of the cash we earn, and I’ll take one-third.”

I thought about it for a moment. “Are you sure you’re okay with that?”

“Of course I am! I wouldn’t have suggested it otherwise. I’m just in it for the music. I’ve never liked dealing with all the politics. Plus, I’m not really tight on money right now. I’ve got a lot saved up from my time with my last band.”

I smiled. “Alright, I think I can do that.”

She smiled right back at me. “So, what’s on the agenda for today?”

“Nothing much. Why? Do you have something in mind?”

“You said there’s a music store nearby right? I’d like to go and get a portable bass amp so we can busk together.”

“That sounds like fun!” By this point, we had both cleaned our plates. “You done eating?”

She nodded.

“Alright, I’ll clean up here,” I said, taking her plate. “You should probably do something about that bedhead before we go out.”

Her face went bright red as she frantically felt her hair, attempting to gauge just how messy it was. As she retreated into the bathroom to fix it, I started cleaning up the kitchen.

By the time she came out, hair presentable and wearing her dress from last night again, I had already finished cleaning up.

“You ready?” I asked.

She nodded. She slung her bass over her shoulder and we headed out. After a short walk, we arrived at the music store. We made our way into the bass section. She looked over all the amplifiers before turning to me with an overwhelmed expression.

“I got no idea what I’m looking at,” she said.

“What kind do you normally use?” I asked.

“One of those,” she said, pointing to one of the most high end amplifiers on display.

Whew. She must have meant it when said she’s not not tight on money. That amplifier is something I, and most other musicians, could only dream of owning.

“It’ll be hard to top that with a portable amp, but let’s see what they’ve got,” I said, looking around.

I found two from brands that I recognized and plucked them off the shelf.

“What am I meant to do with them?”

“Plug in your bass and try them out.”

“Here, in front of all these people?”

“Yeah.”

“I don’t want to bother anyone…”

I laughed. “It’s a music store, you’re not going to bother anyone. Plus, we actually intend to buy something, unlike most people here,” I said, gesturing over to the guitar section where a group of teenagers were trying out instruments that were certainly out of their price range.

She took a deep breath before plugging her bass into the first amp. It had a great low end sound, it was really boomy. She fiddled with the settings and played a few more basslines before switching to the other amp. This one’s low end was more muddy than the first’s but the mids and treble were much clearer.

“I think I like that one more,” she said.

“You think so? I definitely prefer the first one.”

“What makes you say that?”

“The second one’s low end is too muddy. You’re playing bass, after all. Making the low end sound good should be your first priority. My guitar can patch up your mids and treble. If you were playing alone, I’d probably take the second amp, but for playing in a band, I’d pick the first.”

She nodded. “I see. I mostly play solo, so I hadn’t considered how my tone fits into the mix. Alright, you’ve sold me. I’ll get the first one.”

Sunny picked up the amp and we headed to the counter.

"Hey Jimmy, finally decided to stop window shopping and finally buy something?" the store owner said.

"We both know that's a long way away from happening, Doug. I did, however, bring you a customer," I said, gesturing to Sunny.

"And who's this fine lady?"

"This is Sunny, she's the bassist in our band."

"Finally got yourself a bandmate huh? Good for you. I remember my first band. Good times. Tell ya what, if there's anything I can do for you two, don’t hesitate to give me a call."

"Sounds great, thanks a ton Doug."

"Don't mention it, y'all just remember little ol' me when you get famous."

Sunny paid for the amp and we walked out of the store.

“So, what’ve you got on the agenda for the rest of the day?” I asked.

“Not much, probably going to go home and relax. Nothing against you, I’m just an introvert and need my time to recharge.”

I chuckled. “Me too, I’m probably going to take a nap when I get home. I didn’t get much restful sleep on the floor.”

“Aww, you didn’t have to sleep on the floor.”

“I didn’t want you to be lonely out there all by yourself.”

She smiled. “Well that’s very kind of you. I’d love to do it again sometime; share our favorite music, that is.”

“Me too. I’ll… shit, I just remembered I still don’t have a phone. I’ll have to swing by the store and pick one up on the way home.”

“Do you have a pen?” she asked.

I patted down my pockets. “Nope.”

She ran back into the music store. After a few moments, she reappeared with a sharpie.

“Hand,” she said.

I held out my hand which she promptly scribbled something on with the sharpie. Once she finished, she put the cap back on and returned it to the store.

I looked down at my palm. She had written a phone number, presumably hers.

After a moment, she reappeared. “Alright, I’ll see you around,” she shouted as she walked off.

“Be seeing you!” I called after her with a big, stupid grin on my face.