Chapter 8

Tuesday night came around, and I woke up earlier than 7. My body had always been set on my own time, which meant I woke up earlier than dark came around. I usually woke up an hour or two earlier. I had a plan to take my car and cover everything up. The sun would set around 7:30, and I could uncover myself. I dressed in a mask, sunglasses, hood, gloves, and pants. I got in my car and used the garage opener to open the door.

I slowly rolled out of the garage and hoped for the best. I would need to turn around if the sun began to burn me. I was driving my mustang, and the windows were tinted as much as was legal. I found it blocked out the sun pretty well. I got to the club, and the sun was setting. Once it was entirely down, I took off everything I had on and put it on the floorboard. I took my guitar out and hoped Dominique would still allow me to audition for her.

"I'm sorry I'm late. Unfortunately, a business call ran later than I thought it would," I said as I walked into the club and over to the stage.

"If you can't be on time for an audition, how do I know you'll be on time for the show?" Dominique asked.

"I don't conduct meetings late at night. I make it a point to cut all meetings off at 8 o'clock."

"So, if that happens, you may not get to practice with us then?"

"It's a possibility. I won't lie about it. However, if you already know what you're playing, I can make sure to practice it at home. Plus, I can listen to what you're playing and join in. All I have to do is have the opening cords," I said.

"What do you think, guys? Should we let him audition?" Dominique asked Melissa and Post.

"Why not?" Melissa asked. "Let him amuse me."

"Yeah, let him try out and see if he can do what he claims he can," Post said.

"Alright, Mr. Black. The stage is yours for now," Dominique said as everyone got off the stage and pulled up a chair.

I got my guitar out and hooked everything up. I began to play different types of music from different eras. Due to my enhanced hearing, I heard Melissa talking to Dominique about me. I found it amusing that she told Dominique to go for me, or she would. I tried to hide the smile spreading across my face. What really piqued my interest was when Dominique started telling her about Saturday night.

Hearing her laugh was like music to my ears. When she got on stage, I stopped playing and looked at her. She went over to the keyboard and started playing. I watched her for a minute, listening for the cords she was playing, and then began playing along. Melissa and Post took up their spots and started rehearsing the cover songs. I listened to the tune and then joined in. We practiced for another hour before we stopped. I put my guitar up and walked over to Dominique.

"Well, what do you guys think? Think he can join our little house band?" Dominique asked.

"He's good. I say yes," Melissa replied.

"I agree," Post said.

"Well, Nathaniel, it looks like you're in if you want to be. I'll warn you, though, we don't get paid. We just do this for fun. We practice twice a week and play once a week on Fridays for at least an hour."

"I don't need the money. I told you, I'm doing this because I love to play, and it helps me relax."

"Alright. If you're sure, then welcome to the band and being part of Club X."

"I do have a question. Why do you call this place Club X?"

"Because X marks the spot. Who doesn't want to be at the spot?" Dominique laughed.

"I wouldn't have thought of it like that. I guess it's a good way to look at it. I enjoyed playing with you tonight. I'll be back Thursday. It's usually dark by the time I wind up leaving my house. Would it be alright if I got here a little bit after practice starts?"

"I guess if you can get here around 7:30, that would be okay. The last hour is when we usually practice our set for Friday night. That's the only night we play. It's just to blow off some steam from the week, really," Dominique replied.

"Thank you. I'll do my best not to disappoint you. Would it be alright if I stayed until you opened?"

"I, uh, well, I guess it would be alright as long as you stay at the bar."

"Alright. I'll stay at the bar."

I smiled and kissed her hand before walking off. When Melissa caught up to her, I heard her asking about our date. Dominique told her about it, and I couldn't help but get excited about the tone of her voice. She seemed excited as she talked about it, even though she acted like it wasn't that big of a deal. Melissa saying she thought I was Dominique's soulmate thrilled me, but Dominique just laughed at her.

I sat at the bar watching Dominique for some time after the bar opened. Sometimes she had her bouncer send people home, but she was never rude to them. Sometimes she would look my way and always caught me looking at her. Eventually, I became restless and left the bar to go to her. I put my hand on her shoulder. When she looked up at me, I put my hand out. She excused herself from the people she was talking to and stood up, taking my hand. I took her onto the dance floor.

"I thought I would try my luck on getting that maybe dance you promised," I said in her ear.

"I didn't think you were serious about that. I figured you would stop with the charade once you got into the band."