Chapter Nine
Silas
Gary called me that morning and asked me to do another site managing stint for him. He had heard what a good job I had done and said he wanted me on the job again. It had been a long day, but I’d enjoyed it. I was starting to prefer working as a manager more than doing the construction work, so I hoped he would have more work like that coming my way. I hadn’t seen him yet, as he hadn’t been there when I arrived. But he came just as I was packing up.
“Good day?” he asked. He looked around, and I saw his eyes widen as he took in what we had done. “You guys did all this? Wow, the boys work faster when you’re in charge. I must say, you did a great job.”
“Thank you. Yeah, it went well. I like working with these guys.”
“And, from what I hear, they like working with you.”
“Oh, Gary, I wanted to thank you for showing me that advert in the newspaper. I moved in.”
“What? Are you serious? Wow, that was quick.”
“Yeah, actually I’ve been there for almost a week already. I’m very happy with the move, and I now don’t have to worry as much about getting the rent out on time. I cannot believe how little she wants for the room. I know it’s a house share, but I am paying so much less on rent now. And the room is huge.”
“I can imagine. That place is massive. Is it as nice inside as it is on the outside?”
I smiled. “It’s better. There’s something about that place. They should film a movie inside it. That’s how interesting it is.”
“And what about the lady she owns it? Is she okay? She must be old.”
I chuckled. “Riley is definitely not old. She’s probably about my age, maybe a bit younger even. Her grandmother left her the house when she passed away.”
“Are you serious? That’s cool. And the two of you get along?”
“Yeah, she’s great. It’s been very easy living with her.”
“Well, I’m happy for you. I’m glad you don’t have to stress anymore. Any more gigs?”
“Actually, one later tonight.”
“Ooh, good luck, Silas. Things are looking up it seems.”
Things were looking up. And as I made my way back to my new house, I realized how happy I was with everything. The construction work was finally starting to make me some money, especially now that I wasn’t throwing it all into my rent, and I finally had another gig to go to. I’d been feeling down for a while, but I felt a new sense of hope take over me. When I got home, I saw that Riley was in the kitchen, stirring a pot on the stove. The food smelled incredible, and she looked very pretty with her hair tied up into a high ponytail. As she stirred the food, her ponytail swayed from left to right. She turned and smiled when she saw me walk in.
“Oh, hey. You’re just in time. I’m almost finished with the dinner. I thought I’d make us both something tonight. I mean, if you’re not going out or anything.”
“I’m going out later, but I’m home for dinner. You cooked for us? Thank you. It smells incredible, by the way. What is it?”
“What isn’t it?” she said and chuckled. “There are so many ingredients in this dish. I have no idea what it is. Some sort of stew, I guess. It’s a recipe I made up a few years ago, and it always comes out well. Although, I don’t have the recipe written down, so it changes each time I make it. Hopefully, this one will be good.”
“I’m going to have to make you dinner sometime too. You’ve cooked for me way more than I’ve cooked for you.”
“I don’t mind. I like cooking. You?”
“I’ve lived on my own for a long time, so my cooking skills are not the greatest. It’s easy when you’re only cooking for one. I probably ate more bread than anything else.”
“Nothing wrong with that. I happen to love bread,” she said as she poured the food into bowls for us. “Ready to eat now? I’m starving.”
“I’m always ready to eat. Thank you, Riley.”
“So, how was your day? Busy, I’m sure. Construction work sounds pretty intense.”
“It is. But they put me on as the site manager today, which was great. It’s the second time they’ve asked me to do it, and I’m starting to think I enjoy it more than the construction work itself.”
“Oh yeah? Think you’re going to get promoted to that full-time?”
“I don’t know. Maybe. I’m not sure I want to though. I mean, I don’t really want to do this for the rest of my life. It’s just a nice way to make money on the side.”
“Speaking of, any more gigs coming up?”
“Yeah, actually, that’s what I’m doing tonight. I’m playing at one of the smaller pubs in the area.”
“Really? That’s great news. Can I come?”
I was hoping she wouldn’t say that. I didn’t want her to see me singing in front of an empty crowd. The last thing I wanted was for her to feel sorry for me. I wasn’t sure why I cared so much. But I did.
“Uh. Well, it’s not going to be very interesting. Trust me; this is nothing like the pub you work at. I doubt anyone will be there. It might be me singing to an empty room. You’ll be bored.”
“I like the idea of a small, quiet pub, to be honest. I’m so sick of busy places. And I’d love to hear you sing. Anyway, I have nothing else to do tonight. It’s my night off, and I haven’t been out in ages.”
“Okay then. But if you’re bored, I won’t be offended if you leave.”
We finished our dinner, which was absolutely amazing, and then I went to get ready for the pub. I hadn’t even thought about what I was going to eat that night, so it was nice to come home to Riley cooking. She had been right about the meal; it was hard to know exactly what I was eating, and I had no idea what I would call the dish, but it was great. As we made our way to the pub, I asked her if she had ever considered being a chef. She chuckled and shook her head.
“Definitely not. I like cooking, but only for me. And I don’t like following recipes. I’d get so bored if I had to cook the same meals each night.”
“So, what is your dream then?”
She sighed. “I’d love to be a writer. And an illustrator. Both would be great. One would be amazing too.”
“Children’s books?”
She smiled. “That would be incredible.”
“You should go for it, you know. Don’t let things hold you back. Life is far too short. Although, who am I to talk? I’m about to sing for a crowd of one.”
“But at least you’re singing. And you’re right. I need to get out there and do something about my dream. You’re very inspirational, Silas.”
“Thank you. But let’s see how you feel after you hear me sing.”
As expected, the venue was small, and the crowd was almost nonexistent. I usually didn’t mind, and I also usually didn’t worry about how I was going to sound. I was confident in my singing. But, as I got up on stage, and saw Riley standing and looking up at me, I felt nervous. What if I was actually a terrible singer and I’d just been fooling myself all these years? What if she heard me and felt embarrassed for me? I tried to put the thoughts out my head. I took a deep breath, smiled, and introduced myself. Then, I forgot about everything around me and began to play.
My set was an hour long, and the time went by quickly. So quickly that I almost forgot where I was. When I got to the end of my last song, I saw Riley beaming up at me. She clapped and shouted my name, and I noticed a few others around her clap too. I thought I should bring her out to more of my gigs. Her enthusiasm was contagious, and it was nice to see a few others following her lead. I stepped down, and she ran up to embrace me. I was so surprised by her actions that I stood there limply, unsure of what to do.
“Sorry!” she said. “I’m a hugger. I just felt so excited. I cannot believe that I am sharing a house with a talented singer like you.”
I smiled. “Really? I was okay?”
“Are you kidding me? Silas, you were incredible. Come on; I’m buying you a beer.”
I chuckled as she ran over to the bar and ordered us each a beer. We sat at the counter, and she held out her beer toward me once the barman had handed them over.
“To my talented roommate,” she said and knocked her bottle against mine. “Why do you look so surprised by my reaction? You must surely know that you’re good at this.”
I smiled bashfully at her. “I mean, I wouldn’t go into this business if I didn’t think I could sing. But I’ve been starting to worry about it lately. I’m not just getting anywhere. I’m scraping along with my music, and I’m just so tired of playing in these small venues with hardly anyone watching me. I cannot tell you how nice it was to have you standing there cheering me on. It was a great feeling.”
“You’re so talented, Silas. You have the most incredible voice. Honestly, I have no doubt in my mind that you are going to make it big. You’re not a construction worker. If anyone asks me what my roommate does for a living, I’m going to tell them that he is a singer. That’s what you are.”
“And you are a writer and illustrator,” I said.
She chuckled. “That sounds nice. A writer and an illustrator. Yeah, I do like the sound of that. It sure sounds better than being a waitress. I’m just not cut out for that job. It’s not for me. Maybe if I was working at a nice little café, serving hot coffees and pastries. That sounds better. Not a loud pub with men constantly trying to get me into bed.”
I pulled a face. “Seriously? They try their luck?” I felt a little ill at the thought of these drunk men asking her out while she was just trying to do her job.
“All the time. All the damn time. And I don’t take it as a compliment even though my boss says I should. It’s not me that they are after. They would ask anyone out. It’s gross. You know, you’ve inspired me today, Silas. I’m going to start working toward my goal now. I know that you are going to become a famous singer one day. And, because of you, I’m going to make it big too.”
I grinned. “That’s the spirit. One day, we can come back to this pub, you know to hide away from all the people wanting our autograph, and we can laugh about how once upon a time nobody knew who we were.”
She smiled. “Here’s to our future!”
And, as we sat there, I was aware of how much happier I was when she was around me. I’d only just met Riley, but already she was having a positive impact on my life. Perhaps she would be my lucky charm to finally breaking it in the music industry.