As I wrote in my previous blog post, I decided to use the month of February to post a tiny bit of a short story each day on Instagram accompanied with a picture related to music, since that's what the story was about. It is called "The Jazz Singer". Here is the story in its entirety, along with some of my favorite music-based pictures that I took in February!
Also, before you read it, here are four facts about the story:
~ I wrote it completely in about one hour. This is one of the only times I've ever felt totally inspired. I had the grain of the story, then suddenly it flowed out.
~ Dan is based off a real life person whom I saw last year.
~ This situation is based partially off a personal experience in the past.
~ Katy is based off a real vocalist, whose music you can find on YouTube by searching for Katy B! Go check her out! She's not a jazz singer, but I do like her very much :-) All the lyrics in this story are based off one of the songs she sings in with the group Magnetic Man called "Perfect Stranger".
DISCLAIMER: Lyrics in this story are not mine! There is a link at the end of the post that will take you to the song where they came from, which I highly recommend hearing!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Katy
took a step back from the microphone and let her eyes follow the
young man across the room. There he went, back into the kitchen
carrying his server's tray. While the band played another smooth,
jazzy interlude, she took the opportunity to sip her drink. None of
the patrons sitting around the tables was paying close attention to
their music, but judging by the pleasantly buzzing atmosphere, the
mood of the finely dressed men and women was relaxed, just as it
should be.
That
young man. She had first seen him standing by the lobby door with a
stack of menus, escorting a party to a table, and he had been clearly
distracted by watching her sing. He was dressed in the same formal
black that all the waters wore, same black apron, same shiny black
shoes, but there was something different about him.
Was
it that the waiter appeared so much younger than the rest of the
staff? The elderly waiter with silver hair who had handed her the
glass of water before the band had started was by far the oldest
here, but everyone else seemed to be at least older than she herself
was. Surely you would have to possess years of experience in order to
be hired at such a fancy restaurant as this, Katy thought.
Hearing
her cue, she leaned back into the microphone. "Night and day,
you are the one, only you beneath the moon and under the sun..."
Here he came again: she could pick out his alert walk, skinny way of
slipping nimbly around chairs, from all the way across the dining
room.
Now
he was leaning over the bar to talk to the bartender for a moment;
now he smiled, which made his naturally nice-looking face seem even
more open and honest. He seemed familiar, now that she thought about
it. Where could she have seen him before...
"Day
and night, why is it so, that this longing for you follows wherever I
go?" Katy found that the mellow song was making her think of
other words. Maybe a new song? Her mind rapidly began to create
lyrics, even while her mouth sang along with the band.
I
don't know
Who
you are
All
I really know is
There's
something in your heart
The
music ended and the band started on the next song. Katy noticed that
the young man had come over to a table next to the stage to help
another waiter serve more plates. For a moment, he glanced up at her,
and her heart skipped a beat.
Bright
blue eyes. An eager expression, yet shy... did he want to talk to her
as much as she wanted to talk to him? It had to be more than just his
physical appearance. Could you be attracted to someone's soul?
I
don't know
Who
you are
All
I really know is
There's
something in your heart
That
makes me feel
It's
a new start
All
I really know is
There's
something in your heart
The
rest of the show went as planned. Katy finished the final song,
bowing with the band. She politely thanked those who came up to gush
about their performance. It always surprised her how many people had
actually been listening and finding enjoyment in the background music
she and the band provided at these fancy establishments.
Even
while she was chatting with the restaurant patrons her attention was
focused on finding the mysterious waiter again. Suddenly, she felt
the skin prickle on the back of her neck.
I
didn't have to turn around
I
can feel him in the back of my brain
When
I stepped into the crowd
Something
told me I would meet you today
Katy
turned to face him. He stammered, "Hi... you sounded... um...
great! I really enjoyed the music." His flustered manner made
her almost nervous too. "Thanks," she said, trying to smile
nicely. "My name's Katy. And you are?" "Oh... Dan.
Daniel, but my friends call me Dan." He quickly brought his hand
up to shake hers.
Your
energy when you touch me
It
lifted me off the ground
"So
what college do you attend?" Dan asked. Katy flushed pink.
"Well, I don't go to college. I graduated a few years ago. I'm
actually older than I look." "Really? Me too! I'm
twenty-five," Dan replied. Katy looked at him in surprise. "Me
too!" There it was again... that sense of familiarity, the
feeling that they had already been through this surface conversation.
They
continued talking as the band members finished breaking down the
sound equipment, then one by one grinned at Katy and patted her on
the shoulder as they left, carrying drums, guitar cases, and bags.
She nodded goodnight at them, ignoring their chuckles.
Your
energy when you touched me
It
lifted me off the ground
Your
words to me are like music
It
had been no more than ten minutes, although it seemed like much
longer, before Dan reluctantly took a step away. "I've got to go
finish my shift. Fortunately, it's pretty late, so I've only got one
more table, and they're in the back having a grand time with three
bottles of wine." "Oh," Katy said regretfully. She
tried to think of something to say that would make it apparent that
she didn't want to finish their conversation, yet she didn't want to
make him feel guilty for finishing his job.
"Can
I... get you anything?" Dan asked, a bit bashfully. Katy jumped
at the chance. "I'm actually kind of hungry... is there any way
I could get a little something to eat? I missed dinner. If it's not
too much trouble, that is." Dan brightened. "Sure! Let me
get you some food. Do you want it to go? I can get you a to-go
container, if you want. You're probably tired and want to get home
for some rest."
"Actually,
I was thinking... maybe I'll wait here until you're done with your
shift?" Dan's wordless look of appreciation as he quickly walked
back to the kitchen confirmed Katy's hopes that he was just as
interested as she was in continuing their acquaintance.
She
exhaled a long breath. What are you thinking, she asked herself
sternly. He probably thinks you're flirting. She'd been to enough
gigs with slick-talking young men hanging around to be quite tired of
the typical guy who just wanted to hit on her. What was it she was
trying to do? What drew Dan to her? What drew her to Dan?
Katy smoothed her black dress down, glad that she had not worn something more edgy; she didn't want to give Dan the idea that she was flirting. Was she being too bold already? It wasn't merely outward appearance that had attracted her to him. It was almost like... as if they were meant to meet. Could people have met before without remembering each other? But if they'd met long ago, then certainly they would have known. There was something magnetic about him.
She
didn't want superficial conversation. She wanted to really talk. To
listen. To know.
Are
you from another world?
I've
never seen someone who looks like you
Beautiful
stranger, how do you do
Is
there something I can do for you?
Dan
came back with a small box. "I put a bunch of the appetizers we
have in here. They're kind of like a sticky cornbread roll with nuts
and glaze, really good. I hope you like them." Katy gratefully
took the box and sniffed inside; the sweet smell made her mouth
water. "They're lovely! Thank you. I'll eat these and wait in
the lobby until you're done, okay?" “No problem. Happy to
help.” Dan's shy smile mirrored her own.
It
wasn't long before he joined her in the lobby. They were a bit unsure
how to get the conversation started again, but very soon transitioned
into deeper subjects. They began talking of school in their
childhood, of religious upbringings, of her dreams as a musician, of
his interest in philosophy, of their lives in the big city that were
different than what they'd imagined for themselves in earlier years.
Katy
found herself talking with complete ease, a sort of relaxed
friendliness, that she'd never experienced with anyone so quickly
before. Slowly they walked outside to where her car was parked.
They
both paused. Katy looked at him curiously. "Have we... met
before? Anywhere? Maybe you've seen me perform somewhere else? Or
have you gone to other concerts where we might have seen each other?"
Dan shook his head with a puzzled expression. "No, I don't think
so. But you seem familiar. I know what you mean." They stood in
silence for a moment.
"I've
got a boyfriend," Katy suddenly blurted. "We're really
happy together. I... I... but I'd like it if you could come hang out
sometime. I'd like to see... I mean, I'd like to talk more. We have a
cool bunch of friends, and we like to go swing dancing, and listen to
local musicians, and even play different kinds of music as a group
together..." her voice faded away.
She
mentally kicked herself. Why did she have to tell him this in such a
blunt way? She could see a twinge of disappointment cross his face.
Of course he would only be interested in her because he thought she
was single. So it did come down to him thinking that she was flirting
after all. Of course.
She
looked up at him in surprise as he ripped a piece of paper off his
server's notepad. "Here. Text me sometime, or shoot me an
email." She stared at the paper with scribbled contact
information. He grinned shyly. "There's something different
about you. It's hard to find people our age who don't just go out
partying or clubbing. Plus, you know," he explained, grinning,
“It would be great to hear you sing again. I'd like to hang out.
With both you and your boyfriend."
He
stepped closer and held out his hand. Katy automatically placed her
hand in his. "It's good to meet you, Katy," Dan said
seriously, but the smile in his blue eyes was genuine. He shook hands
gently, then released her and began to walk away.
"I'll
definitely send you a message," Katy called after him across the
parking lot. "You'll be hearing from me!" Dan turned to
wave under a streetlight. "I'll count on it," his voice
came strongly to her.
Oh
there's something, there's something
I
can see it there
Something
in your heart
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
If
you'd like to hear the song based on Katy's story, listen
here.
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