Laura’s first week in Nashville was a good one. They’d gone to several more open mic nights, and on Saturday night, they joined Jason and Rufus and a few more of their friends for a pub crawl. They went to five different clubs and listened to music of all sorts until the wee hours. Laura was having the time of her life, and when she phoned home on Sunday, her aunt commented on how happy she sounded.

“Well, I can see that I’ve been worried for nothing. You sound wonderful, honey.”

Laura let her know how her job search was progressing. “I’ve applied to a bunch of schools in the area, just to have my resume on file. There was only one music teacher opening, so I’m not going to hold my breath on that. But, I also put my name in to be a sub, so I should be able to at least get some part-time work once the school year starts.

“And you’re still drawing salary through the summer,” her aunt said. Laura had elected to be paid yearly so she would still be collecting a check for most of the summer, which was a relief. She had some money saved too as her expenses had been minimal this past year while she lived at home. Her aunt filled her in on all the people she knew and mentioned that she’d run into Peter at the supermarket.

“He asked me if you’d sung anywhere yet in Nashville? Made me promise to ask you. What’s that all about?”

Laura chuckled. “He knows me so well. If you see him again, tell him yes. I watched this week, but I promised a friend I’d do it this coming Tuesday.”

“You’ll do great, honey. Good luck!”

Laura hung up and felt a flash of homesickness, but it only lasted a minute. She missed her aunt, as she was the only family she had, but she was very glad to be in Nashville. It felt like home already, and she knew it was where she was supposed to be.

It had been a good writing week too, the most productive week that she’d ever had. Once Tina left for work in the morning, Laura had fallen into a routine of walking to the little coffee shop on the corner, reading the paper while she drank her coffee, and then opening her notebook and writing down all the random ideas that came to mind. Sometimes it was a struggle to get more than a few words down. Other times, they came so fast and furious that she wrote as quickly as she could to keep up and get it all down. Sometimes she’d run into Jason, and he confessed that his routine was similar. They’d walk back together, and Laura would grab her guitar and settle on the living room sofa, her notebook by her side. She would play for hours, fine-tuning until the music in her head wrapped around the right words in a way that pleased her. Sometimes it all came together easily, but most days the right combination was elusive, coming close but not quite right. She kept at it, though, sometimes working on the same song for several days until it clicked and the magic happened. It didn’t always, though. She had more not quite done songs than ones she was happy with. But it always gave her things to work on.

“Are you nervous for tonight?” Jason asked on Tuesday as they walked home after getting coffee.

“I’ve never done this before, you know,” she admitted. “What if I can’t do it?”

That was her biggest fear. That she’d get up in front of a crowd of people, open her mouth and nothing would come out.

Jason stopped walking and stared at her. “Are you saying you’ve never sung anywhere? Ever?”

Laura nodded. “Just in the music shop, for Peter, the owner. He’s the one that taught me to play. And encouraged me to come here.”

“So he believes in you.”

“He does. He asked my aunt if I’d done it yet and I told her to tell him it would happen this week. So, I have to do it. But I’m terrified.”

“Well, I’m not going to lie to you and tell you it’s easy or that you’ll do great. I hope you will, but don’t worry if nerves get the best of you. My first time up wasn’t pretty.”

“No? What happened?” Laura was intrigued. Jason seemed so confident and experienced. It was hard to imagine him being nervous on stage.

“I made the mistake of looking at the audience too soon before I was comfortable with how I’d started. When I saw a room full of people all staring at me, I lost it. My voice cracked, and I forgot half the words. It was all I could do to finish and then slink back to my table.”

“That’s exactly what I picture happening,” Laura admitted.

“Expect the worst, and it won’t be so bad. It got better from there, the more I did it. You just have to keep showing up. It’s a nice crowd mostly. Even if you bomb, they’ll appreciate that you got up there and tried.”

“Okay. That’s all I can do I guess, just try?”

Jason grinned. “That’s what I tell myself each week. I still get nervous. But it’s a great way to try out new songs and see how people react. They’ll get to know you, too, and that’s what it’s all about.”

“Well, I guess I’m as ready as I’ll ever be. Might as well get the first time over with.”

“I really do think you’ll do just fine…even though I haven’t heard a note yet. I have a good feeling about you.”

Laura smiled. “I hope I won’t let you down then…”

* * *

Laura could barely eat for the rest of the day. She was far too nervous. She kept tinkering with one of the songs she was planning to play. It was a variation of the first song she’d ever written. Peter had told her that it was special and over the years, she kept revisiting it. Of all her songs, it was the one that felt the most personal somehow, yet she couldn’t explain why. She just knew how it made her feel—sad, but somehow hopeful at the same time as the song spoke about losing and then finding love again. It felt like the right song for her to sing. And at least she knew that it wasn’t possible for her to forget the words. They were ingrained in her soul at this point. She’d be singing two songs and hadn’t decided about the other one but thought it might be one of the newer ones she’d been working on.

She spent an hour trying to decide what to wear, putting on one combination after another and rejecting them all. Tina walked into her room when she got home from work and laughed at her.

“What on earth are you doing?”

“I have nothing to wear…” Laura said miserably as she stared at her closet and the various pieces of clothing that she’d flung across her bed.

Tina stared at her for a moment, thinking hard. Then she went to her closet, rummaged through it until she found what she was looking for and handed Laura a top that she’d overlooked. It was deceptively simple, a soft buttery suede halter style in a caramel shade that flattered her long blonde hair. Tina then picked up a faded pair of jeans that she’d already discarded and tossed them at her.

“That with those jeans and your brown cowboy boots. Done.”

Laura laughed. “Okay, fine. I’ll be ready in five minutes, then.”

And she was. She felt good about what she was wearing. The jeans were comfortable and flattering, and she liked the way the sleeveless top made her arms look. Jason apparently agreed as he whistled with appreciation when he and Rufus came to collect them.

“You look great!”

* * *

Laura grabbed her guitar, and they headed out. The place was already busy when they arrived, and they were lucky to get the last available table. Laura had done as Jason had instructed and called a few minutes before one to get her name on the list to perform. She was on the list but wasn’t sure what time she would be called up. It could be anytime, and they played as late as one. She enjoyed hearing the different artists perform, but it was impossible to relax, and each time they called a different name, she jumped. Jason was called first, and then Rufus. It was her first time hearing Rufus play, and she enjoyed both of his songs. They had a mournful, soulful sound that seemed a little at odds with his bright red hair and freckles, but after a moment that didn’t matter as she lost herself in the music. Jason had a good night, too, and the crowd warmly applauded for both of them. Finally, a few minutes past ten, Laura’s name was called.

She rose nervously as Jason handed her her guitar and smiled encouragingly. The walk to the stage seemed to take forever. Finally, she was in front of the mic, and once she had her guitar in place, she took a deep breath and started to play. The sound relaxed her, and she forced herself not to look at the audience, but to glance instead toward her table, to find a focal point. Her eyes met Jason’s, and then she smiled and started to sing. Her voice was shaky at first, through the first half of the song, as her nerves got the best of her. She knew the music sounded fine, but she was too aware of everything to lose herself in the words like she usually did and she knew it wasn’t her best effort. It frustrated her that her voice was so wobbly.

When she finished the song, there was polite applause, and Jason gave her the thumbs up. She knew she hadn’t wowed anyone, but at least she hadn’t forgotten the words. She started strumming again and felt a bit more relaxed as she started to sing what she thought of as her best song. Her voice was stronger now, and she felt the energy around her shift as the audience seemed to collectively lean forward. She closed her eyes and lost herself in the emotion of the song, digging deep to tell it the way it needed to be told. Her voice cracked and grew a bit raspy as it always seemed to do as she reached the end of the song, but she knew that it worked, too. When she opened her eyes and stopped singing, the room was silent and then erupted in enthusiastic clapping. Her eyes found Jason, and he was beaming. A sense of relief washed over her. She knew the first song had been rough, but she’d done her best on the second, and it seemed to have gone over well enough. She picked up her guitar, made her way back to the table and was surprised to be stopped several times along the way as people told her she did a great job and introduced themselves. Most of the names went in one ear and out the other, but she was happy to meet them all and to shake hands with everyone.

When she reached the table, Jason pulled out her chair and gave her a hug before she sat down.

“You did great!” Tina said. “I’ve heard you sing before, but that was amazing.”

“Nice job,” Rufus agreed.

“The first song was a little rocky,” Jason began, and Laura nodded. “But you crushed it on that second one. Totally different feel. That was really special.” He looked pleased, a little surprised even, and Laura recognized something else in his eyes—respect. Tina and Rufus were deep in conversation again, and Jason leaned over and said, “You’re good you know. Really good. Those people who stopped you and introduced themselves? They knew it, too. You need to start doing this regularly now, get known, then doors will start to open for you.” 

“You really think so?” Laura’s head was spinning.

Jason chuckled. “I know so. If there’s more where that came from?”

Laura thought of the piles of songs stacked along the floor of her bedroom and grinned.

“There’s more!”