driver. It was after two o’clock and her groggy mind was turning to the prospect of dragging herself through another day at work. But after the fantastic evening she’d had, it was definitely a price worth paying.
*****
On Sunday night, once Melissa had finished her shift, she lay on the sofa at home with a bowl of strawberry ice cream – her hangover food of choice – and reflected on what had been an incredible and totally unexpected weekend’s events. She was feeling the effects of having had a combined total of only eight hours’ sleep in two nights, but she’d enjoyed every moment of their evenings out, and she wouldn’t have changed a thing. Apart from having to work, maybe.
After a very long and at times funny phone conversation with Luke and his three mental bandmates, she was feeling much better. They were at Toby’s, having some beers to round off the weekend, and congratulating themselves on two very successful gigs. Luke hated his day job too, but he confidently assured Melissa that one day, when they were selling out arenas on their world tour, she wouldn't have to work. It made her smile, especially when he referred to her as his girlfriend.
‘If you want to be, that is?’ he asked, realising that he’d better not sound like he was making assumptions.
‘Of course I do. I don’t go around saving guitars for just anyone, you know.’
After hanging up, Melissa looked at the piece of paper she’d picked up at Ruby's on Friday. The name ‘Amplified’ jumped off the page. It was a ‘Battle of the Bands’ competition to be held in Hyde Park, London, and she noticed that the closing time for entries was midnight that night. Only twenty bands would be chosen to compete, but she thought the Black Eagles would have a great chance, and she couldn’t help feeling that it could be their big break. She debated the pros and cons in her mind for ages, thinking back to the audience reaction she’d seen. In the end, she decided that yes, they were definitely good enough, and they just needed a push in the right direction. Thinking that Luke wouldn’t do it without some encouragement, she grabbed her laptop and fired it up. She looked at the application page and then nearly talked herself out of it before starting to fill it in. As well as the usual information, the organisers also wanted at least four minutes of footage from a gig, or even just a practice session. She’d got that much the previous night on her phone, so she uploaded it and watched it a couple of times, just to remind herself, and to make sure it did them justice. She tried to look at it from a neutral perspective, to make sure she wasn’t just being biased (which was difficult), but she was convinced that they were too good to be playing to dingy bars forever – it just seemed like a waste of their talent. They needed to find their big break, and she felt excited that this could be it. She filled in the form, then hovered her finger over the ‘submit’ button, again agonising over the decision for what felt like hours. What if they thought it was a terrible idea and hated her for doing it behind their backs? But what about the possibilities if they were selected?
With five minutes to go until midnight, she knew she had to decide. Closing her eyes and taking a deep breath, she pressed ‘submit’.
It was too late to change her mind now.
P lay for me
October 2013
‘Please tell me that wasn’t a joke,’ Luke said in disbelief. He was expecting to be told that the phone call he had just taken was some sort of prank.
Melissa shook her head, smiling on the outside but terrified on the inside, unsure how he would react to her entering them in the competition without their knowledge. ‘No, it really isn’t a wind-up – as if I would do
*****
On Sunday night, once Melissa had finished her shift, she lay on the sofa at home with a bowl of strawberry ice cream – her hangover food of choice – and reflected on what had been an incredible and totally unexpected weekend’s events. She was feeling the effects of having had a combined total of only eight hours’ sleep in two nights, but she’d enjoyed every moment of their evenings out, and she wouldn’t have changed a thing. Apart from having to work, maybe.
After a very long and at times funny phone conversation with Luke and his three mental bandmates, she was feeling much better. They were at Toby’s, having some beers to round off the weekend, and congratulating themselves on two very successful gigs. Luke hated his day job too, but he confidently assured Melissa that one day, when they were selling out arenas on their world tour, she wouldn't have to work. It made her smile, especially when he referred to her as his girlfriend.
‘If you want to be, that is?’ he asked, realising that he’d better not sound like he was making assumptions.
‘Of course I do. I don’t go around saving guitars for just anyone, you know.’
After hanging up, Melissa looked at the piece of paper she’d picked up at Ruby's on Friday. The name ‘Amplified’ jumped off the page. It was a ‘Battle of the Bands’ competition to be held in Hyde Park, London, and she noticed that the closing time for entries was midnight that night. Only twenty bands would be chosen to compete, but she thought the Black Eagles would have a great chance, and she couldn’t help feeling that it could be their big break. She debated the pros and cons in her mind for ages, thinking back to the audience reaction she’d seen. In the end, she decided that yes, they were definitely good enough, and they just needed a push in the right direction. Thinking that Luke wouldn’t do it without some encouragement, she grabbed her laptop and fired it up. She looked at the application page and then nearly talked herself out of it before starting to fill it in. As well as the usual information, the organisers also wanted at least four minutes of footage from a gig, or even just a practice session. She’d got that much the previous night on her phone, so she uploaded it and watched it a couple of times, just to remind herself, and to make sure it did them justice. She tried to look at it from a neutral perspective, to make sure she wasn’t just being biased (which was difficult), but she was convinced that they were too good to be playing to dingy bars forever – it just seemed like a waste of their talent. They needed to find their big break, and she felt excited that this could be it. She filled in the form, then hovered her finger over the ‘submit’ button, again agonising over the decision for what felt like hours. What if they thought it was a terrible idea and hated her for doing it behind their backs? But what about the possibilities if they were selected?
With five minutes to go until midnight, she knew she had to decide. Closing her eyes and taking a deep breath, she pressed ‘submit’.
It was too late to change her mind now.
P lay for me
October 2013
‘Please tell me that wasn’t a joke,’ Luke said in disbelief. He was expecting to be told that the phone call he had just taken was some sort of prank.
Melissa shook her head, smiling on the outside but terrified on the inside, unsure how he would react to her entering them in the competition without their knowledge. ‘No, it really isn’t a wind-up – as if I would do
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