I’ll Wait For You

Chapter 3

Sitting down with her friends, she got assaulted by hugs and compliments, though she honestly didn’t believe she had used her voice that well.  However, her friends, oblivious to her self-doubts, insisted on praising her as if she was the best singer in the world.

“See? See? Never turn your back on this again, girl!” Tina patted her violently on the back, causing Elinor to cough and pull away.

“I was so scared you’d sound like some caterwauling demon,” Karen confessed, fanning her cheeks in mock relief, “And that I’d somehow shattered all hope of our friendship developing into anything meaningful.”

“I don’t think it would have come to that if I didn’t meet expectations,” Elinor said, giving Karen a solemn hug.

Pangs of disappointment writhed through her. Her friends were quick to jump on the singing, but made absolutely no comments whatsoever on the nature of her lyrics. She didn’t want to prompt them into it, because she wanted them to think of the words of their own accord.

She wanted them to acknowledge it. However, none did, and something must have shown in her expression, because Tina’s excitement died down.

“Are you alright? You don’t seem happy.”

Elinor debated telling the truth or not. Eventually, she decided on obscuring it for something else – because if she prompted it, then she’d never know afterwards if they meant they liked the words, or just remembered that she got upset when they didn’t comment. “I was just thinking… it’s been such a long time. I was wondering why it took me so long to consider trying it out again. Since it’s not like you didn’t try to remind me like at least once a month,” Elinor said, directing a knowing look Tina’s way.

“It’s true. I was going up the walls about it. I barely even got to hear you use your voice back in school, because you were so damn shy.”

“I wish I could sing,” Karen said, her face falling a little, “I always used to enjoy dreaming about having an incredible voice, then turning up at something like X Factor or America’s Got Talent and sing my heart out, wowing the judges and getting propelled to the finals, where I’d naturally win, of course.”

Tina held up one finger. “I used to dream about having flying superpowers. I once jumped out of a window with nothing else but a black trash bag, hoping I would be able to float on the wind like Mary Poppins. Needless to say, it didn’t work out so great.”

“Oh, so that’s why you’re retarded,” Elinor said with a grin, causing Tina to swat at her. Karen and Peter suppressed laughter.

“You weren’t any better. You wanted to be a fish so tried holding your breath underwater for alarming amounts of time. Scared the sh*t out of the swimming instructors at school, who thought you were drowning cos you were black.”

“Please,” Elinor said. “I always had it under control.”

She allowed the memories to buoy her, because she’d found it hilarious how the teachers had all dived into the pool, frantically pulling her up, and not realizing she could hold her breath for far longer than the average child. She remembered protesting about it, and the adult’s horrified and baffled expressions as they tried to work out if she was brain damaged or completely fine and ignorant of the panic she had caused.

Of course, the capacity to hold her breath for a long time helped in regard to singing.

“You should go again next week,” Peter urged, and the others agreed. “Or you can just come over to our flat and be our personal songbird. Either is cool.”

“That’s selfish, that is.” Karen squinted disdain at Peter. “Denying her talent to the world.”

“Guys,” Elinor said, exasperated from the praise, which constantly kept skipping past the lyrics that she desperately wanted recognition for, no matter if they might be considered weak and paltry by some – they were her lyrics, her emotions. “I’m not that good. It’s getting a little embarrassing that you keep going on and on like there’s no one else in the universe who could wail better than me.”

“Well…” Peter said, either about to confirm or deny the point. Elinor’s attention instead shifted to the man with the tattoos, who had picked himself away from his table, making a beeline toward Elinor.

The others on the table fell quiet as well, intrigued by the man ‘s incoming presence.

“Maybe he is a recruiter!” Karen’s hands sprang to her mouth. “Maybe he was lying to you all along!”

“Or maybe he just wants to compliment her like we are,” Tina disagreed, though she too held a spark of excitement in her eyes. “Let’s just wait and see what he has to say.”

Anticipation bloomed in Elinor. All of them waited like predators eyeing prey as he neared. With hands dug into his pockets, showing his tapping thumbs, he stopped in front of Elinor with a big smile.

“If you’re interested, Elinor,” he said, a twinkle in his expression, “I might have a proposal for you. I’ll tell you more about it at my table. And, yes. I am a talent recruiter. Of a sort.” He ambled back to his table before Elinor could get a word in edgewise, and her friends erupted in excitement.

“I knew it! Knew it!” Karen hollered, acting as if she been offered the proposal herself. “Fu*king knew it.”

“Still doesn’t make him any less creepy, though,” Tina observed, before trying to drag Elinor out of her chair. “Well, go on, then. Go talk to the dude. See what he has to say. And if you do end up being famous, don’t forget to credit us, eh? Since we were the ones who forced you back into singing.”

“I’ll be sure to credit you, yes,” Elinor said amused, as she got up, picked up her jacket and handbag in one arm, and headed over to the tattooed man’s table. Another act clambered onto the stage, a group of five people – drummer, two guitarists, a violin player and a singer.