I stepped back and listened as the sax player went through his solo flawlessly. He was good, much better than most of the guys I’ve heard locally. The applause he got at the conclusion of solo let me know that my applause really was mostly Tyhedra. I decided to stop second-guessing myself, let go of my fear, and play my final solo. I closed my eyes and went for it.
Once the song was over, the crowd gave us a round of applause and once again, Tyhedra was the loudest. The bass player and the drummer patted me on the back as they left the stage, but the sax player just put down his horn and walked away. As I packed up my horn, Curtis came up behind me. “I’m gonna be completely honest with you.”
“Do that.”
“That wasn’t bad, but your pace was a little slow. I can tell it’s been a while since you played with anybody.”
“True. It has been a while,” I said, and knew what was coming next.
“Unfortunately, I need somebody that is ready to go right now.” He patted me on the back. “But don’t give up. It would probably do you some good to sit in some more until you really get your lip back.”
“I understand. Thanks for giving me a chance. And for the advice,” I said and shook his hand. “Good meeting you, Curtis.”
“Good meeting you, too, Tavarus. I’m sorry it didn’t work out,” Curtis said and walked away. He passed Tyhedra on his way to the bar and shook his head. It wiped the smile off her face.
“I thought you sounded great,” Tyhedra said when she got to the stage.
“Too bad Curtis didn’t hear what you did.” I closed my case and got ready to leave. “But he was right. I did hit some bad ones. He said it might help if I sat in with some guys, and he’s right.”
“So what now?” Tyhedra looped her arm in mine as we walked away from the stage.
“I’m gonna take his advice. Find some spots that have jam sessions.”
“As long as you’re not giving up.”
“No. Not even close to giving up,” I said as we passed the bar.
“Well, can I buy you a drink?”
“As much as I’d like to, I didn’t get much sleep last night. So I’m gonna call it a night, go home and get some rest.”
“You sure?”
“Yeah, but I’ll call you tomorrow.”
On the way home, I thought that maybe part of the problem with my pace was that I was tired from fucking Kathy all night. But the truth was that I simply wasn’t ready.
When I got home, I took a long, hot shower and tried to wind down. As soon as I turned off the lights and got comfortable, the phone rang.
It was Kathy. “I’m coming over.”
“Come on.”
Chapter Eighteen
Tyhedra
I took a seat at the bar and watched Tavarus walk out with his head hanging low. My heart went out to him, but he was right: he did hit a few bad notes, and sitting in with some other guys would probably do him some good. “What are you drinking?” the bartender asked.
“Kamikaze.”
When the bartender brought me my drink, I sat and listened to Curtis and them when they came back on for their second set. While I enjoyed their sound, I thought about my circumstances. I had been in Atlanta for a few months now and I had only killed two men. Which was pretty good for me. I have to be honest, part of that was because of what happened to me the last time out. That guy could have killed me, and would have if I didn’t kill him first.
That more than anything, has kept me on the sidelines. I keep flashing back to that night and the ass kicking I took at his hands. I trying to remember if there was anything about him that should have told me what he was capable of, but there wasn’t. He was no different from any other prey, until the door to that room closed and he punched me in the face.
It was fortunate for me that I work for myself. It gave me a chance to let my wounds heal. When I walked out of that room, my lip was busted and I had a black eye, not to mention my whole body hurt. The big test came when I had to meet Chris and his partner CJ for lunch to discuss the work he wanted me to do. I had on so much makeup that day. I don’t think that Chris noticed or cared for that matter, but CJ did. I could tell that she doesn’t like me. Even though she’s married, I think that she is in love with Chris; and doesn’t like me hanging around what she considers her man. I liked Chris, he was smart, good at what he does and he is very good looking.