by J. Bengtsson
“Why do you have tattoos?” Sydney asked after studying Jake for most of the dinner.
“’Cuz I like them,” Jake answered, grinning. “And they’re cool.”
“He’s a rockstar Syd. He has to look the part,” Luke added, as if he knew Jake’s motivations.
“What’s a rockstar?” Sydney asked.
“Someone who sings and performs onstage for lots of people,” I said.
“Like Justin Bieber?” Sydney asked, with a little added interest.
Luke sniggered.
“Um…,” Jake grinned. “Sort of, yeah.”
“Do you know Justin Bieber?”
“I’ve met him.”
“You have?” Sydney’s eyes were huge. “Is he nice?”
“Um…he was…um,” Jake stumbled. He obviously didn’t want to crush my niece by telling her anything negative about her idol. “Yeah sure…he was nice.”
Sydney smiled. “Are you famous too?”
Jake looked kind of embarrassed.
“Yes, he is,” Darcy answered for him.
“Are you on TV?” She stared right at Jake, wanting the answer to come from him.
“Sometimes. Yeah,” Jake answered.
“What’s your name?”
“Jake McKallister.”
Sydney looked Jake up and down then said, “Well I’ve never heard of you.”
Everyone laughed at her precociousness.
“Ooh…shot down by the second grader!” Luke teased Jake as they laughed. I could see a bromance in the making.
“That’s probably a good thing,” Jake said to Sydney after he stopped laughing.
“How do they put the color on?” My niece continued with the inquisition.
“What?”
“Sydney, why don’t you give Jake a break with the questions,” Miles said.
Sydney ignored her father. “The tattoos. How do they put in the colors?”
“Oh…with tiny little needles,” Jake replied.
Sydney gasped, putting her hands to her mouth. “Yuck. Did it hurt?”
“No, not really,” Jake replied.
“How many do you have?”
“A lot.”
“Can I see them?”
Jake laughed. “No, I don’t think so.”
“Why not?” Sydney demanded.
“Because I would have to take my shirt off at the dinner table. I’m pretty sure that would be considered bad manners,” Jake explained.
“After dinner then,” she responded.
Everyone laughed, including Jake, who then looked around the table and said, “A little help here?”
“Sydney,” Darcy began, trying to suppress a giggle. “It’s not appropriate to ask someone to take their shirt off.”
“At least not until you buy them a drink,” Luke whispered to Jake.
The guys laughed.
“Alright,” my mom snickered. “Let’s move on. I don’t think I told you guys the story about Aunt Stacy getting caught in a hurricane when she was on vacation.”
My mom proceeded to tell the lively story and the focus went off Jake for a short while. Sydney finally seemed to lose interest and she left the table to color.
“So Jake, have you always wanted to be a professional musician?”
“Um…yeah, when I was a kid I did. My mom is a music teacher and she started training all of us how to play the piano when we turned three. I really took to it and picked stuff up much faster than my siblings. My mom was shocked when she discovered that I could play by ear.”
“What is that exactly?”
“I can hear something once, remember it, and then play it.”
“Really?” My dad asked, seemingly impressed.
“So hold on,” Luke cut in. “I can play you a song right now, one that you’ve never heard before, and you could play it back to me?”
“The melody, not the words.”
“Damn,” Luke said sitting back and looking awestruck.
“How rare is it to be able to play by ear?” My mom asked.
“I don’t know, really. When I was younger I just thought of it as a cool parlor trick that I could impress my friends with. But now that I work as a musician I can definitely see the benefits. I pick up new instruments easily and I can hear the melody in my head while I’m writing a song.”
“Huh, that’s interesting. So your mom picked up on this and cultivated your talent?”
“It would seem that way, yeah,” Jake smiled. “I thought of it more like punishment when I was young though. All the other kids got to be outside playing and I was stuck inside on the piano.”
“Ahh poor guy,” mom giggled. “I bet you thank her now?”
“I do, actually,” Jake agreed.
“You were really young when you got started in the music business, weren’t you?” Darcy asked.
“Yeah. Sixteen.”
“Dude, you’re like a musical prodigy,” Luke complimented.
“I don’t know about that,” Jake replied, humbly. In fact, he was often referred to as a prodigy, and from everything I’d seen of him and his extraordinary talent, I completely agreed with that assessment.
“So how exactly did you get into the business at such a young age?” My dad asked.
“I was spotted at a talent show and offered a contract. I almost immediately started touring and was away for almost two years straight.”
“You went on tour by yourself?” My dad asked in surprise. “Your parents didn’t travel with you?”
“No. They couldn’t. I had a guardian.”
“Why couldn’t your parents go?” My mom asked.
“Because I still had younger siblings at home. The youngest were 5 and 7. My mom couldn’t just leave them. And my dad couldn’t go because he was working two jobs to make ends meet.”
“Weren’t you making a ton of money by then, though?” Luke asked.
“No,” Jake shrugged. “I was broke, and in debt to the record company for almost $100,000.”
“Seriously? How did that happen?” Miles asked.
“Easily. Most new artists start their careers heavily in debt. It’s a standard pitfall of the music business…debt is worked into the system. It’s unavoidable, unless you have a wealthy parent or sponsor, which I didn’t have.”
“Where does the debt come from?”
“Everything. To release an album, the musician has to pay for studio time, production, demos, staff, tour expenses…everything; and, if you can’t pay, they put it on your tab. By the time your first album is released you’re in serious debt and it just keeps building. Before you can even begin to see any money in this business, you first have to buy your way out of debt. And it takes a lot more than one hit song to do that.”
“How long did it take you to pay it off?” Luke asked.
“Um…I paid it off after the release of my second album.”
“So you had no money coming at all that first tour?” Miles asked.
“No that is why my dad had to work two jobs…so I could eat while I was on the road,” Jake laughed.
“Unbelievable!” my dad exclaimed. “The music company makes all the money and their artists starve.”
“Well it wasn’t that dramatic,” Jake shrugged. “But yeah, it’s a pretty unforgiving business.”
“It’s like preying on dreams,” my mom said.
“Yeah, I like that. Can I use that phrase in a song?” Jake asked.
“Please. I would be honored,” my mom giggled. “So what happens to artists who don’t have a successful second album?”
Jake nodded. “Happens all the time. You get one shot and you better make it, otherwise you’re toast.”
“And they still have to repay the debt?”
“Yes. It sucks. I was lucky.”
“So I gotta ask…with all the free music sites like Spotify and people illegally downloading songs, how do musician’s even make any money now-a-days?” Miles asked.
“It’s not really about
selling records anymore. Most successful artists make the majority of their money touring.”
“Wait I thought you said you didn’t make anything while you were touring.”
“That was just the first tour. Once I paid the record company back, touring became my main source of profit. Like now I pay for my own tours…the band, the crew, the publicity, everything.”
“How does that benefit you?” my mom asked.
“Because I get all the profit too. I cut out the middle man.”
“Oh I see. Do most musician’s do that?”
“If they can afford to, yeah.”
My dad cleared his throat and said, “So, in order to be successful, you pretty much have to live your life on the road?”
“I have for the past seven years, yeah, but that was because I was establishing myself. Now that I have a pretty loyal fan base, I can cut back some.”
“And have you?”
“Um…I plan to,” Jake grinned. “I always say I’m going to take a break but then I come off tour and release an album and then I’m right back out there.”
“Is it addicting?”
Jake laughed. “Honestly, yeah. I really like performing but this time I’m definitely taking a break from touring for awhile.”
“What’s different this time?” Dad asked, curiously.
Jake grinned and looked at me. “Well, a few things.”
My family picked up on his reference and laughed.
“Not only do I want to stay in town while Casey finishes her senior year but I’m also going to have knee surgery next month so I physically won’t be able to perform.”
“Oh wow, I’m sorry to hear that. What happened to your knee?”
“Just an old injury,” Jake said without elaborating.
Thankfully my family didn’t push for further details. We passed around the food and chatted easily with each other. Jake was enjoying all the family gossip even though he had no idea who we were talking about.
Just as dinner was winding down my mom asked Jake, “Can I get you anything else? Are you still hungry?”
“No, I’m so full. But thank you. That was great lasagna,” Jake replied to my mom.
“Oh well thank you.”
“Homemade is always the best, in my opinion.” Jake replied.
“I agree!” My dad seconded.
“Do you cook?” My mom asked.
Jake laughed. “Not really. I can make sandwiches, scrambled eggs, and Kraft Mac and Cheese. That is about it.”
“Can Casey cook?” Darci asked.
“Um…,” Jake said hesitating.
“Did you just hesitate?” I said, feigning irritation.
“No…you are a great cook,” Jake lied.
“He’s lying…we eat out a lot.”
Everyone laughed.
“So I gotta ask,” Luke said changing the subject, “being a rockstar and all you gotta meet lots of women, how’d my baby sister here catch your eye?”
“Her sense of humor. She was so funny. She just kind of blew me away the minute we met. It didn’t hurt that she was beautiful either.”
“Oh stop,” I grinned but was jokingly motioning for him to continue.
“We just had instant chemistry, right?” Jake asked me.
I nodded and laughed. “It was for me at least. I mean what’s there not to like?”
“So you must have some insane stories to tell about fans and groupies,” Luke said.
Jake laughed. “I have lots but most I can’t say in front of kids.”
“Oh okay, now I’m interested. You gotta give me something.”
“Let’s just say I’ve been asked to sign pretty much every body part there is,” Jake replied.
“Even the meat and potatoes?”
“Yes, even the meat and potatoes,” Jake nodded.
“Oooh, gross,” the guys groaned in unison. “Seriously…why would they even want those things signed. I mean, what could possibly be the purpose of that?”
“Um, so they can have my signature tattooed on.”
“Noooo,” the guys screamed.
“Yes,” Jake laughed.
“HOLY…SH…”
“Luke!” Mom shushed him.
“Sorry, SHOOT. So do you sign them?”
“No, of course not. Do you really think I want my signature forever inked onto that?” Jake pretended to shudder.
“Tell me another crazies story.”
“Um…oh…this one time I was at the grocery store and there is this guy who keeps staring at me. He’s like peering around the aisles.”
“Creepy.”
“Yeah. So finally this guy comes up to me and we make eye contact. He then puts his hands up, you know, like he’s trying to talk down a suicide jumper and he starts approaching me slowly,” Jake demonstrates to my family with his hands. “And he’s staying things like, it’s okay…take it easy…just relax. He’s talking to me like he’s trying to tame a wild animal. So weird. Then he says to me, ‘Easy…it’s okay…I don’t want to talk to you, I just want to take a picture with you.”
“No, he didn’t?” Darcy gasped.
“I swear.”
“What did you do?”
“I walked away.”
“Geez, what a weirdo,” my dad said.
“You know…the older I get the more I realize how many weird people are in the world,” my mom said. “I mean, how do people get so…odd?”
“That’s easy,” Luke said looking smug. “Weird people breed weird kids. I mean, think about it. Who is a weirdo going to marry? Well, another weirdo, of course! And then those two weirdoes pop out mini weirdoes. It’s the circle of life, people…crazy style.”
We all laughed.
After dinner, we retreated into the living room. As Jake walked in he stopped in front of the piano.
“I didn’t know you had a Steinway,” he said to me.
“A what?”
“The piano…it’s a Steinway.”
“Is that a good thing?” I asked.
“Yeah. Steinways are great pianos. Very well made. This is a Victorian styled Model B.”
“Is that a rare type?” My mom said from behind us.
“Um…yeah…I would say they aren’t as common as some of the other Steinways. Is this a family heirloom?”
“It belonged to my grandmother and it was passed down to me by my mother.”
“Only because it’s such a huge waste of space, that she didn’t want it in her living room,” my dad grumbled.
“Like it would fit in her living room. She lives in a mobile home, Dave.”
“Yeah, yeah. I think she purposely moved into one so she wouldn’t have to take the damn piano.”
Jake glanced back and forth between my parents with an amused look on his face.
“Anyway it hasn’t worked for as long as we’ve had it.”
“It doesn’t work?” Jake asked in disbelief.
“I mean some of the keys are broken. I looked into getting it fixed because I thought maybe the kids might want to take lessons on it one day but they wanted something like $1500 to get it in working condition and $8000 to completely refurbish it. Someday, maybe.”
“The only way we are spending $8000 on a piano that just sits there taking up space, is if we win the damn lotto. And even then, we will have to have bought every single other thing we ever wanted first,” my dad griped.
Jake bust up laughing.
My mom gave my dad a warning look. He shut up.
Jake walked around the piano and ran his fingers over it. He pressed some of the keys. “How old is it?”
“I’m not sure but probably the 1920’s or 30’s.”
“I think it might be older than that. The late 1800’s maybe.”
“Really? Do you think it’s an antique?” My dad was now interested, no doubt hoping to sell it for a big profit.
“Well, yeah, it’s definitely an antique but I don’t know how much it’s worth. Steinway was a pretty big pian
o manufacturer back in the late 1800 and early 1900’s. My guess is that there are a lot of these in circulation, which would drive down the price. Still it’s a pretty one.”
“Ball park figure…what do you think it’s worth?” My dad asked eagerly.
“Maybe ten to twenty thousand, in top condition, which this one isn’t.”
“So much for this being my ticket to a better life,” my dad huffed.
“It doesn’t get any better than this,” my mom deadpanned.
“Yeah, that’s what I’m afraid of,” my dad grumbled.
Jake laughed. He was used to this kind of joking around in his family and I could tell it relaxed him.
“I’m surprised,” my mom ignored my dad, “I always thought it would be worth a lot more.”
“Um…I’m no expert but typically pianos really don’t hold their value…that is why it’s better to hold onto them like family heirlooms.”
“I definitely want to have it restored one day. I would like to pass it down.”
“Not to me…thank you very much,” Luke said.
“I can get it into working condition for you,” Jake offered.
“Seriously? You know how?”
“Yeah. I fix all my own instruments. Do you have a music store in town?”
“Bensen’s is on Main Street.”
“Cool, I can stop in there for some supplies tomorrow.”
“Really Jake, that isn’t necessary. We didn’t ask you here so you could work.”
“It’s no chore at all. It wouldn’t take more than an hour or so. I love fixing things. You’d actually be making me happy.”
My mom smiled and patted Jake on the shoulder. “I would love it then. Thank you, Jake.”
“You don’t fix toilets do you?” Dad joked.
“Dave!” My mom reprimanded my dad.
“What? I was just asking,” Dad laughed.
“My dad used to be a carpenter before he got a job with the post office. He taught me how to fix everything in the house.”
“Really? So back to the toilet then,” my dad grinned.
“Oh stop, Dave,” my mom said smacking him playfully.
“What? You get your piano fixed…I get my toilet fixed,” my dad said joking.