everyone to their vehicles. We weren’t allowed to start our cars until they’d opened the lift to the dock so we sat in absolute silence, waiting.
“How long have you played the piano?” Tom asked, drumming his fingers on the wheel of the car.
“Since I was four...so, about fifteen years. My grandmother taught me at first when she lived in Austin, before she relocated back to Jersey.”
“Is that where you learned Cooley’s Reel?”
“Yeah, I know a bunch of silly Irish tunes like that.”
“You’re talented,” he said, making me blush to my toes.
“Thank you, but you don’t have to lie,” I teased.
“I’m not,” he bit out, very serious and startling me. “I’m not,” he repeated, softer. “You’re truly gifted, January.”
“Th-thank you,” I said, staring at him in astonishment. “So are you.”
He scoffed at that. “No, I’m not.”
“Bullshit,” I said.
“Excuse me?”
“Bull. Shit. You are talented. You forget, I knew your band before I knew you. I know who wrote all your songs. It was your name on almost every track.”
“Yeah and a fat lot of good that got me.”
“It may not have gotten you signed, but that’s the luck of the draw in my opinion. You and I both know there are a million bands out there that didn’t make it but are just as, if not more, talented than those who have. Maybe that’s why you’re here, in this car with me, waiting to see five bands in London. You know what talent really is, and you can help push it to the front of the queue with Seven.”
He dragged the side of this thumb across the top of the steering wheel and I accepted that as a form of acknowledgement.
“Besides I’m kind of glad you didn’t make it.”
“Nice, January.”
“No, really. Listen, if you had made it, I’d have never...” kissed you , “met you and wouldn’t have gotten the ultimate lesson in scouting under such awesome tutelage. Call me selfish, but I’m happy to be sitting here with you.”
He looked at me and shook his head, a tiny grin gracing his lips. Bingo .
“I think you’re incredibly suited for this job, Tom. It may not be what you had imagined yourself doing, but fate has a way of stepping in and guiding you the direction you need to go even when you yourself had no intention of creating that path.” I sighed deeply.
A chorus of engines started as the lift to the ferry opened up and Holyhead’s blue sky greeted us.
“We need to feed you,” he said out loud, not really talking to me.
“Thanks, I’ll just get my bib and rubber-coated spoon then.”
“Shut up,” he said, laughing and surprising me.
“I just meant that if we’re going to be on the road for a while and what with your little issue, you probably need to eat something to keep you from feeling ill.”
“Oh, thank you,” I said, genuinely touched that he even thought past the minute with me.
“Yeah, don’t mention it.”
Our little rental putted down and out into the fresh sea air.
“Pass this way with a pure heart,” I said, reading an inscription on a bit of concrete just off the port.
“Holyhead’s motto.”
“Very pretty.”
Tom grunted his reply. I suppose it was better than
“How long have you played the piano?” Tom asked, drumming his fingers on the wheel of the car.
“Since I was four...so, about fifteen years. My grandmother taught me at first when she lived in Austin, before she relocated back to Jersey.”
“Is that where you learned Cooley’s Reel?”
“Yeah, I know a bunch of silly Irish tunes like that.”
“You’re talented,” he said, making me blush to my toes.
“Thank you, but you don’t have to lie,” I teased.
“I’m not,” he bit out, very serious and startling me. “I’m not,” he repeated, softer. “You’re truly gifted, January.”
“Th-thank you,” I said, staring at him in astonishment. “So are you.”
He scoffed at that. “No, I’m not.”
“Bullshit,” I said.
“Excuse me?”
“Bull. Shit. You are talented. You forget, I knew your band before I knew you. I know who wrote all your songs. It was your name on almost every track.”
“Yeah and a fat lot of good that got me.”
“It may not have gotten you signed, but that’s the luck of the draw in my opinion. You and I both know there are a million bands out there that didn’t make it but are just as, if not more, talented than those who have. Maybe that’s why you’re here, in this car with me, waiting to see five bands in London. You know what talent really is, and you can help push it to the front of the queue with Seven.”
He dragged the side of this thumb across the top of the steering wheel and I accepted that as a form of acknowledgement.
“Besides I’m kind of glad you didn’t make it.”
“Nice, January.”
“No, really. Listen, if you had made it, I’d have never...” kissed you , “met you and wouldn’t have gotten the ultimate lesson in scouting under such awesome tutelage. Call me selfish, but I’m happy to be sitting here with you.”
He looked at me and shook his head, a tiny grin gracing his lips. Bingo .
“I think you’re incredibly suited for this job, Tom. It may not be what you had imagined yourself doing, but fate has a way of stepping in and guiding you the direction you need to go even when you yourself had no intention of creating that path.” I sighed deeply.
A chorus of engines started as the lift to the ferry opened up and Holyhead’s blue sky greeted us.
“We need to feed you,” he said out loud, not really talking to me.
“Thanks, I’ll just get my bib and rubber-coated spoon then.”
“Shut up,” he said, laughing and surprising me.
“I just meant that if we’re going to be on the road for a while and what with your little issue, you probably need to eat something to keep you from feeling ill.”
“Oh, thank you,” I said, genuinely touched that he even thought past the minute with me.
“Yeah, don’t mention it.”
Our little rental putted down and out into the fresh sea air.
“Pass this way with a pure heart,” I said, reading an inscription on a bit of concrete just off the port.
“Holyhead’s motto.”
“Very pretty.”
Tom grunted his reply. I suppose it was better than
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