Suzie’s House 477 : The Parts Vs The Whole

Emma clung to the microphone as the other members of her band came into the studio. The glass between the studio and the sound room wasn’t really a two way mirror, but it was definitely easier to see into the studio than to see into the sound room. Everyone had looked like shadows through the glass.

That had to be a good thing when Miranda came barging in. Everyone had been talking about something like that happening for a while now. Emma already knew to expect the woman to be mad, but it still made her flinch to get yelled at.

Emma’s mask bumped into the microphone, sending a resounding clunk through her headphones and making Pete yank his head back the way he did when he didn’t like something he heard. That’s what she got for wearing one of the few hard-shelled masks Bruce had given her. She reluctantly shoved it back up her forehead.

Maybe it would look perky instead of like she was a complete and total oddball. It didn’t really matter. She had her band backing her up now. Even if everything didn’t turn out alright, they would be in the thick of it with her.

Bruce started playing Absolute Shun. Emma didn’t bother to sing because she knew he was just kidding. Maybe Miranda didn’t though, because she started shouting.

Pete must have the intercom off because Emma didn’t hear the woman screech. She just saw her shaking her head hard and waving her arms. A minute later Pete cut in.

“The person paying for this requests the song I Love You Better. Any chance you could play that for her?” The change in Pete’s voice was notable. It was like she’d sucked all the happy out of him and left nothing but a dry sense of humor.

“Yeah. Sure.” Bruce’s voice matched.

Emma twisted around and glanced at each member of the band. Everyone grudgingly nodded. A deal was a deal, after all. Emma nodded back.

Kate counted off the beat, then they all dived in.

“Yeah, he’s got the abs, and he’s got the charm, and he’s got the fame.
Maybe someday he’ll even have the money and a claim
on all the good the good life brings
But Honey, you’re the one I love.”

It was a little rough on the first line, but then everything clicked. They’d been playing this song almost right from the beginning. Maybe that was really only a few months, but in those months they’d played together nearly every day. She’d sung this song in front of bar rooms or streets full of people a bunch of times. It was like slipping on old shoes. They just slid right into it.

“Don’t ask me why. I don’t know. But when it’s all said and done,
you’re the one I want to take me home.
Take me home. Take me home.
When everything is said and done
you’re the one I want to take me home.”

Everything clicked. Emma could feel the song reverberating in her chest the way the other stuff hadn’t.

Maybe they made less mistakes when they each played by themselves. Maybe it was easier for Pete to fix the mistakes. But there was something special – some life force of its own – that only happened when the band all played as one.

“Yeah, he says he loves me, can’t do without me. He says he’ll wait.
Any other girl would swoon for him. They all think he’s just great,
a real top class back water find
But Honey, you’re the one I love.

Don’t ask me why. I don’t know. But when it’s all said and done,
you’re the one I want to take me home.
Take me home. Take me home.
When everything is said and done
you’re the one I want to take me home.”

Emma sang the words like she meant it. In a way, she did. Singing was a lot more fun when the band was at her back than when it was just the recording of them came through her head phones.

She could tell the others were feeling it too. When the song ended and she turned around, even Justin had a little smile.

“Okay, so maybe Miranda’s on to something,” Tracy said. “Let’s do all the rest this way.”

There was a lot of nodding going on in the room.

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