Little Things (Second Chances 1)

“Summer’s been great! My dad got me a summer job at the firm, but besides that, life’s been good. The ladies have been looking especially nice this summer.”

We both laugh and the waitress returns with our drink order. I take a quick sip of my coffee and it’s perfect. “Damn, this is good.”

Rob agrees, “I told you. The music is great, too. A few of the locals perform and then they open the floor to a few guests.”

I take another sip, “So, have you heard from Melanie or Taylor?”

Rob chuckles, “You could just call them, you know. You didn’t have to push yourself away from us.”

I groan, “I know, it was just easier than facing them, I guess.”

He nods his head, “I understand. Well, Melanie is studying to be a nurse and Taylor’s focusing on his fighting.”

My brow arches, “He’s still doing that? I thought he bowed out.”

“Apparently, he’s gotten better and bigger. I saw him last week and the dude is huge. But, I guess you have to be if you’re an MMA fighter.”

“Wow! That’s incredible. I can’t believe Melanie went into nursing. She always wanted to be a teacher.”

“Well, certain experiences change our perspective on life. I mean, look at you. All you cared about was Lacrosse and now you’ve completely given it up to be an investigator.”

I nod my head, “Yeah, I see what you mean.”

A few minutes later, Rob’s friends arrive and he introduces me to all of them. The live bands start to play and the music is smooth and jazzy with a twist of hipster. After watching all five acts perform, I’m happy I decided to come out tonight. Maybe this is what I needed. Just a little break from all the chaos from work.

The venue’s owner stands on stage and announces they will start allowing guests to come up and sing. That’s my cue. I get up out of my chair and head toward the restroom. As I wash my hands, I hear the first karaoke guest take the stage.

I make my way back to the table and continue listening to the first singer. She’s pretty good, actually. Once she’s done, the crowd claps and cheers as she heads off stage. The next guest stands up and heads to the stage, takes controls of the mic, and starts to belt it out. We watch the next few guests sing on stage and the owner asks if anyone else would like to sing.

Rob leans over to me, “Come on, bro, you know you want to.”

I shake my head, “No, I’m not up for it tonight.”

Rob persists, “Dude, what if it will help you? I know you always liked to sing. Just do it.”

I exhale loudly and groan as I get out of my seat and head for the stage. The owner approaches me and wishes me luck, handing me the mic. I approach the guitarist and ask to borrow his instrument. He reluctantly hands it over and I drag a stool to the middle of the stage.

I sit on the stool and talk into the mic, “Uhh, hi everyone. This is a song that I’ve always enjoyed but I never fully understood the impact it has on me until about a year ago, when som

eone I deeply cared for was no longer around.”

I clear my throat and tune the guitar, “So, I’d like to dedicate this song to her. Wherever she is, I hope she’s safe and knows that I’ll never forget her.”

I breathe deeply and close my eyes, gaining composure, as I glide my fingers across the strings of the guitar. I sing the lyrics to Not Over You by Gavin DeGraw with conviction and passion. As the words spill out of my mouth, I close my eyes and picture her face. She’s absolutely breathtaking while her hair blows in the wind as I drive us along the smooth highway. I imagine my hands reaching out to hers and she looks up at me with her dazzling blue eyes. I blow her a quick kiss and she giggles softly as she pretends to catch it.

As I focus on the lyrics and remember her gorgeous face, I feel the heartache and loneliness creep back into my soul. And as I play the final chord, a small tear escapes from the corner of my eye and I quickly wipe it away. With that, the crowd sits in silence as I sing the final words to the song.

Once it’s sung, the crowd cheers and I say into the mic, “I’m coming to find you, Raya.”

Raya

The chef rings the bell at the pass, “Order up!”

I walk over up to the pass to grab my table’s order and stroll over to distribute the plates to my guests for the night. Their hungry faces glow as I present their orders and a few of them start to salivate.

I chuckle, “Do you need anything else at the moment?”

The three men shake their head “no” in response and I leave them to devour their meals. I walk over to Layla as she fills up a few glasses with soda.