ODAAT: Volume 2, Chapter 12

 

Buzz

After taking my shift at the bar that night, Jared started working as a bartender. He did his best to balance his personal performances with working for Reggie. It wasn't exactly hard work. Serving drinks can be easy once you know what you're doing. Not to mention, I was there to pick up his slack. Reggie might have minded paying two people to do one job, if he wasn't so preoccupied by the amount of money he had been making. He isn't the type to be obsessed with money. He opened this bar because it was his dream. But his dream was leaving a hole in his pocket.

“I owned this bar for five years before I hired you here.” He tells me, leaning against the bar. I'm watching Jared swerve around the crowd, swaying his hips to the music coming from the stage.

“I was barely breaking even. I only made extra money on the nights the bands came in.” He laughs, shaking his head. He's watching the band on the stage now.

“I noticed when you and Crystal started coming around, business picked up. It was subtle, at first. But the longer you were around, the more people seemed to show up. After all, in a place like this, it's rare to have such beautiful women.” He compliments. I can see why so many people think his comments are inappropriate. But I know he means it in the most genuine way.

“I thought, this is it, I'm finally making it.” He looks over at me and smiles. I nod, to let him know I'm listening. I think he's had a few too many, but I won't cut him off unless he starts a fight. If he starts crying, I will call him a taxi and send him home to sleep it off.

“But Jared...” He stops, looking toward him. He's wearing a black apron, to prevent his clothing from getting soaked in alcohol. It'll happen anyway, but, it's a nice thought for prevention. Reggie doesn't continue his story, he stands up and walks to where the band is now coming off the stage. He didn't have to finish the story though. I know the next part. I've seen it with my own eyes.

When Jared started coming around, this place got busy. Busy enough that it could no longer be considered a dive bar. There were too many people and some of them were fairly important. Then, when Jared started performing acoustic sets on a bar stool, there was another crowd that swarmed the dimly lit establishment. Of course, he took it one step further, bringing in a set and creating a stage. That's when the other bands started volunteering to play for the exposure. Last week, Frankie decided to come to the bar to visit us. He ended up taking Jared's acoustic guitar and playing a set on the stage. There were so many people in the bar that the fire department came in and said we were at capacity. So, what did we do? Well, that night, we stopped serving alcohol and moved everyone to the parking lot across the street. The wind was cold, but it carried the sound of the guitar across the crowd.

But, Reggie got an idea.

He decided it was time to expand on his dream. He got a permit and immediately added a balcony onto the sidewalk outside of the bar. This meant alcohol could be served outside as well. This meant the next parking lot performance would be alcohol friendly. He even went as far as buying a special events license, so he could do this whenever he wanted to. He put together a contract with the local police to rent escorts for special events. This way, he was legally covered against everything except serving those who were underage. He had me for that, anyway. He wanted to make sure everything would go smooth and his patrons wouldn't be disappointed. At the same time, he attracted a whole new set of patrons who were interested in the live music and the parking lot performances. Frankie hasn't made a second appearance, but there was another semi-famous band that insisted on playing in that parking lot. The venue up the street that Reggie used to get his business from ended up contacting Reggie. They started talking about possibly combining efforts and splitting the profits.

I think Frankie just wanted to create a buzz, since we're getting so close to the tour. Performing an acoustic set in a parking lot in Illinois was an excellent way to do that. It was even better because halfway through, Jared sat down beside him with a second guitar. The chorus of cheers was almost deafening, but in a good way. I know that every interviewer is going to ask about that performance. He'll tell them it was to get closer to the fans. But, what is he going to say about Jared? The videos of that night are already on YouTube. There are millions of views. There are conspiracy theories now. Frankie and Jared moved to Illinois to fall in love. Illinois is for lovers, after all. It's not exactly far from the truth. But the stories don't include me. I'm wondering if the future is the same.

But I don't think about it. We take it one day at a time. Right now, I'm watching Jared be a waiter, delivering drinks and smiles to every table in the bar. Reggie is offering a round to the band, but they are insisting on paying for their own drinks. They're asking about the next few weekends. Reggie is offering them a permanent place to play.

I don't think Reggie has ever been this happy in his entire life.