Suzie’s House 322: Losing a Wad

Elton wasn’t quite sure what to make of the girl. When the kids first turned up in his office he had assumed she was a hangers-on. When everyone else picked up their instruments and she just stood there, he was sure of it. But they said she was the singer. And then Bruce handed her a mask.

“What….?” Elton looked at the man and the woman who had each offered fifty bucks a month toward their practice room rental. Neither of them looked surprised.

“Shhh.” Bruce gave him a funny look.

Elton shut up. He still wasn’t sure about this whole thing. The flashy girl, the one with her hair done up in a dozen tiny ponytails so her hair stood out in all directions, contacted him first. He told her his regular rates and thought that would be the last of it.

Then Bruce came around.

A couple of years ago Elton had a chance to invest in one of Bruce’s bands. Bruce’s Uncle, John, was someone Elton had done business with for years. John offered a slice of the action is Elton would pony up a room. Elton took one look at the snot nosed kid and passed. He wasn’t going to pout about it, but he’d lost out on a disgustingly huge wad of cash because of it.

Of course, that hadn’t been a long-term thing. Bruce pounded on the wrong bartender after a show one night and his whole scene imploded. All the band members went running, and Bruce was barred from a lot of the places where he’d been a regular.

But things had already cooled down a lot, and you couldn’t argue the kid has talent. The question was, could he keep his sht together long enough, and was his band good enough. They were all college kids John had scrounged up before. This time they were barely into high school. And they were good, but rough. It would take more than six months to make them marketable.

Their singer gave the mask a covetous look, then a doubtful one before glancing nervously at all her band mates. She took a deep breath, then put on the mask.

Elton had more than half expected a major change, like a transformation. And she did seem to draw confidence as she walked up to the microphone, but she didn’t seem real comfortable.

The song they played was good. A bit heavy on the teenage angst, but that had an appeal. The singer’s voice was good, too, but nothing special. And knowing Bruce’s history… well, there would be other bands. The kid wasn’t going anywhere for a few years yet.

“I’m sorry, but you’ll have to come up with the full price if you want the room.” Elton turned toward the door, assuming the whole deal had fallen through.

“Wait.” The man – a middle school band teacher – put his hand out. But when he talked again, he talked to the singer. “That was awful. Do it like you did at the talent show.”

“He’s right. You’re normally better than that,” the woman who was going to pay the other fifty said.

Elton hesitated. She was normally better? The kids were already good for their age. “Let me see.”

“No.” Tracy came out and put her arm across the shoulders of the girl in the mask. “You have no idea how hard this is for her, do you. Grown ups are all alike. You think we’re all machines or something. Well, we aren’t.” She put her chin in the air.

“Look, I’m only willing to work with people who take it seriously. If you can’t perform when it’s time, what good are you?” Elton wasn’t trying to be mean. He was just saying it like it is.

“Even professionals have bad days.” Bruce came up on the masked girl’s other side. He also lifted his chin.

Great. Now he had both of them up in arms. And they had a point. But still, this deal was so shaky. So tempting, but so shaky.

“Don’t push her around.” The female drummer came up behind her, then everyone else in the band did too. They all looked mutinous.

Just what Elton didn’t need – a band of uppity teenagers. Although there was something appealing in their unified front.

“Wait. I think I know how to do this.” The girl in the mask kind of smiled. “Let’s do Trust the Destruction.”

That’s when the change came. Not like flipping a switch, but more like a slow burn turned into a burning building. She sang with a strength and bitterness that took his breath away, and she did it from inches away while wearing a fluffy pink mask. It sent chills up and down his arms, and sealed the deal.

Because he understood now. This wasn’t Bruce’s band, or Tracy’s band. This band belonged to the mystery girl in the mask.

“Yeah. All right.” Elton swallowed hard and he nodded, still feeling too stunned to be coherent when the song ended. “I’ll let the difference in price slide. By the way, what’s your name?”

But the wonder singer had taken off her mask, and turned into a mouse.

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