Chapter Twenty-Seven
Silas
I looked at the calendar that morning in surprise. A full month had passed since I’d left Wichita. I could still remember how nervous I had been, and how sure I was that things might not work out the way I had always hoped for. I kept thinking that maybe someone was going to tell me it was a joke or that I wasn’t nearly as good as I thought I was. But it wasn’t a joke, and the month had boiled down to a lot of hard work and determination.
Garren was a great agent to have. He knew the business inside and out, and helped me fine-tune all the songs that I had. I’d been singing for such a long time that I already had over an album’s worth of songs. But he knew which ones would work, and which wouldn’t, as well as which songs needed more work. Sometimes it was hard to have someone critique songs that I had created, especially when the feedback was not good, but in the end, he always seemed to get something even better out of me. While working on the album, we had released one song out into the world as a single. It was a song I was proud of and I was glad that he didn’t want to change it much.
I heard it on the radio a week ago and nothing could’ve prepared me for the feeling of hearing my own voice coming through those speakers. I’d dreamed of this moment my whole life, and when it finally came true, I didn’t know what to do with myself. It was a strangely intimate moment, like I was standing naked for the world to see. I felt completely exposed. Of course, other than the strange feeling, it also felt right. The moment I heard that song, I knew it was what I wanted to do with my life.
I stretched out on the big bed and flipped on the TV. I still had another hour before I went to see Garren, and there wasn’t much else to do. I had spent so much time working in the last month that I was always too exhausted to do much else in my spare time. I wondered if the people back home thought that I was living this big rock-and-roll lifestyle. They would laugh if they knew how different my life really was to that. I was either working, or sleeping. There didn’t seem much time for anything else. I also hadn’t yet met many people other than Garren and Annie and a few other people in the business. Mostly they were all people that I worked with and nobody that I would really want to hang out with. I’d gone out with Garren for a beer once or twice but we ended up mostly talking business. We just couldn’t help ourselves.
There was nothing great on TV, so I got up to make a cup of coffee and went to sit out on the balcony. The apartment was great, and far better than I had expected. There were modern furnishings throughout and the latest gadgets in just about every room. I shuddered to think how much money had been spent to get it to look the way it was. I would’ve been happy with far less but it was still a nice thing for Garren to do for his clients. Annie kept telling me not to concern myself with things like that. She said I would be making Garren huge amounts of money one day and that a free apartment for a few months was pocket change to him. Still, no matter how nice the place was, and how much effort they had put into it for me, it wasn’t home.
It was strange that home still felt like the big house with Riley even though I hadn’t even though lived there that long. If I had to compare the apartment with the big house without having ever lived in either, I would’ve chosen the apartment. It was more my style. More modern, and far more in line with a man my age. And yet, despite the extravagance of the big house, it felt homey. I wondered if Riley would ever find out why her grandmother had left it to her. Perhaps one day she’d discover the truth. No matter what, she deserved it. I thought of giving her a call but changed my mind. I wasn’t sure why, but it just felt strange on the phone with her lately. I kept thinking that I was boasting about my new life when I told her what was happening. I didn’t want her to think I was doing that.
Later that morning, I made my way over to Garren’s office, the place that had now become my second home. The studio where I recorded my songs was attached to his office, and I had spent almost all my time there over the past month. When I arrived, Annie waved me over.
As expected, I got along well with Annie. She was an absolute sweetheart. She was a beautiful woman, in her late sixties, with grey hair chopped stylishly short against her head. She told me that she used to be a model when she was younger, and I could definitely see that. She had a beauty and poise that hadn’t gone away with age. She had taken an instant liking to me and seemed to go out of her way to be there for me over the past month. Garren had told me that she wasn’t this nice to some of his other clients, and said that she was giving me special attention. She said I reminded her of her own son, who was now traveling the world.
“Silas, my darling boy. How are you? Oh, before I forget, I baked you some cookies.”
I grinned at her. “You did? I didn’t know you were a baker. Thank you.”
“Oh, I’m not. I spent my whole life buying food rather than making it myself, so I’m not sure what has happened to me. But lately, I just feel like making stuff. I’ve messed up a lot, but these cookies seem to be a hit every time.”
She handed me a box, and I immediately opened it and popped one in my mouth. Thankfully, she wasn’t lying. The cookies really were great.
“They’re delicious,” I said. “Thank you.”
“Pleasure. Do me a favor and take a box in for Garren too. He has been in a meeting all morning, so I haven’t had the chance to give it to him.”
“Of course,” I said and took another box. “Thanks, Annie.”
I walked inside Garren’s office and handed him a box.
“Annie has been baking,” I said.
He looked at the box and frowned. “Should I be worried? She’s not exactly known for her skills in the kitchen.”
I chuckled. “Yeah, she told me. But I wouldn’t have known from these. They’re amazing.”
He cautiously took a bite and then smiled. “Oh wow. These are great.” He walked out the office and thanked Annie, and I heard her whooping in delight.
“She’s so nice,” I said as he came back in.
He laughed. “She loves you, that’s for sure. Speaking of love, do you have any idea how much of a hit your song has been?”
“It has?”
“Sales are through the roof. I’ve had incredible feedback, and I actually have some big news for you.”
“Should I be sitting?”
He laughed. “Sit! Definitely sit.”
I took a seat and looked at him. Garren chuckled to himself, obviously enjoying this moment.
“Remember I said that I wanted to start the tour in the next few months.”
“Uh, yeah.”
“Well, by ‘the next few months,’ I actually meant Monday.”
I sat back in surprise. “As in this Monday?” I said and laughed nervously.
He nodded. “You can’t be surprised! You know how quick I like to move.”
I chuckled. “You’re right. I’m not surprised. Not at all. But still . . . wow, Monday? That’s crazy.”
“It’s a crazy sort of business we’re in. Now, I’m going to run through the schedule with you. We have enough songs for the tour, but I’d like to continue working on some of the ones we have started on. I think it’s finally time that the world got to know who you are. Of course, for now, you’re not going to be the main band at most of these events. But that will come in time. I hope you’re okay with that.”
I laughed. “Are you kidding me? Of course I’m okay with that. I’m over the moon. I’m actually going on tour. I still can’t believe it. You know, even though you asked me to come here, I still thought you were going to tell me one day that you changed your mind. I’ve been expecting the bad news.”
“No bad news from me. You’re a star, Silas! I knew it from the moment I saw you at that pub. I have an ear for these things. I’ve signed up guys that everyone thought were rubbish because I saw something in then that nobody else could. You weren’t rubbish, of course, but nobody was giving you a chance. Well, this is it. You’re about to become a star.”
We sat for the next few hours, going over the schedule and talking about how the tour was going to be. I couldn’t believe some of the big names that I would be sharing a stage with. Up until now, I hadn’t met any famous people, but all that was about to change. I felt nervous and excited all at once. As I left, Annie came up to give me a big hug.
“Guess what? My son is coming back to visit. I’ve told him all about you. I can’t wait for the two of you to meet.”
I smiled at her. “That’s great news. Oh, you must be so excited!”
“I am. And he’s going to be shocked to discover I can bake now.”
I chuckled. I was glad to have Annie around.
“Are you coming on tour with us?” I asked.
She laughed. “Me? On tour? Goodness no. Those days are over, I’m afraid. And someone has to be here to make sure everything is still running. Anyway, why would you want little old me around?”
I smiled. “Because you make me not miss home so much.”
“Oh, Silas. You’re a sweetheart; you know that? Don’t ever change. And just enjoy this all. Soon, you’ll be so used to the fame. You’ll never get this moment back, so just enjoy it all. You’re a star now.”
I walked off feeling good about everything, but the moment I got back to the apartment, I knew that I would really only enjoy the moment once I had spoken to Riley. It was too big of a moment not to share with her. I got out my phone and called her, but it just rang. I frowned. Was she just ignoring me? Or was she busy had not able to take my call? I couldn’t understand why she would ignore me though unless there was something going on that I didn’t know about. The thought of her meeting someone else made me feel sick to my stomach, but I pushed it away. There was no reason to believe that something was going on. She was probably just busy. I thought about trying again but didn’t want to look too desperate. Instead, I just typed out a long text message to her, explaining that I was going on tour, and then I put the phone aside.