Salt Shaker

This is the chapter that introduces the character Aurie Ledger. The other main character Will Taft meets Aurie later when Aurie's band goes on tour in the countryside.

 

 

"Thats some groovy stuff, I tell ya" remarked a grizzled old customer.

 

This old customer sat at the bar, his head twisted towards the entertainers that were there for the night. His glass was already empty, and the bartender swore she could blink her eye and he would've already downed his poison. The rest of the time, he would be fixated on the TV set, or be staring at the band. Time would go by before he would cue a refill. But that interval allowed her to grab a quick smoke and throw some glasses into the washer, so she didn't mind. After all, he was a regular.

 

"You hardly see good bands anymore" said this old man, Ned, still watching the band whom were about to begin their second set.

 

"Yeah I know!" replied Bee, the bartender. She had no expertise on the subject of bands, but like a cab driver she had to reciprocate on chit-chat.

 

"I went and saw Grateful Dead in '68. Back then after you saw a show like that, you took it with you. Nowadays people forget what they saw" Ned said, his grin bleeding through his white beard.

 

"They're just here today, gone tomorrow" she added.

 

Their conversation drifted. A married couple asked to cash out. When Bee completed the transaction, she noticed Ned looking at her instead of at the band. She then figured out what this meant.

 

"Want another one?" she facilitated.

 

"Oh yes, pour for a poor man" Ned laughed.

 

"Poor man huh? Has your wife been giving you grief?" Bee said. Usually Ned had sorrows to drown, like his fading marriage.

 

"Nah, just drinking to good music"

 

Bee agreed with him. She thought the band playing there tonight was one of the few good bands as well, bringing in the clientele and subsequently the cash. And this sat well with the owner who was facing shutdown of his business and paying taxes on time made a good impression with the city council.

 

"This one's on the house" Bee said, giving Ned a free refill because of his gesture of faith with the band. She then noticed some glasses were due for a wash.

 

A group of young people entered the tavern. This aroused attention from everyone at the bar since there hadn't been much movement; they glanced at the doorway and then back to television or band. One of the young people, an imposing man who looked about late twenties, walked over to the bar and whipped some bills from his pocket. Two female companions of his remained at the door. They looked through their purses, apparently they were missing something handy. The young man waited patiently at the bar, his eyes shifting between the band and Bee. Finally noticing the man, Bee clanked the last of the glasses into the washer and walked over to him.

 

"Whaddaya having?" she asked.

 

"Yeah um, could I get a rum'n'coke? And uh..."

 

He glanced over at his tagalongs.

 

"What do you want?" he called.

 

"Um, do you have my cigarettes?" one of his lady friends asked.

 

"Cigarettes later, drink first" he said.

 

"Seabreeze" she selected.

 

"I'll have a seabreeze as well" her friend, a chubby woman with glasses, added.

 

"Rum'n'coke and two seabreezes? 'Kay" Bee said. She crashed a scooper into the ice bin and began to assemble their drinks.

 

"So yeah, what band is playing?" the young man asked, his textless cap angled, his white shirt flashing a sport team's logo, and his faded-style blue jeans accordioned over his white kicks.

 

"Parallel Circle" Bee replied.

 

"Are they any good, what style are they?" He spoke softly but his projection was intense.

 

"I'd say they're good, they're just about the only band thats worth a cut from the till. Theyre indie rock, or alternative, one of those" Bee explained the best she could.

 

"Their style is Parallel Circle!" Ned interjected, his grin so pronounced that he looked like Santa Claus in an old Disney cartoon. The young man chuckled at the remark, it sounded sincere but not genuine.

 

"So they been coming here a lot?" he asked.

 

"Damn right! They're about to play. Whats your name?" asked Ned.

 

"Cameron" replied the young man.

 

"Cameron, I'm Ned. That band is really good"

 

"Cool" replied Cameron. "Wanna shoot some pool, Ned?"

 

"Sure!" said Ned.

 

"But I get a turn" said one of Cameron's females.

 

"I know, I'm just making sure whether he wants to or not" Cameron asserted. He and Ned walked over to the pool table closeby, and racked up.

 

Parallel Circle stood on the chipped platform that they called the stage, adjusting their instruments. The drummer blissfully tuned one of the toms on his Ludwig kit. The guitarist vigorously tuned his Gibson Les Paul which did not have a scratch. The bassist adjusted their sound console while talking to a group of friends seated at a nearby table. He then gestured for the guitarist to step up to the microphone. The guitarist did that.

 

"Okay try it" called the bassist.

 

"Check, check" muttered the guitarist, the mutter booming around the room. The bassist twisted a knob.

 

The drummer did a quick run through on his kit. He pounded on the snare drum - da-DA-bum-da! - and did a roll down the toms - budduba-budduba-budduba! - then hit the crash cymbal - KAWASSH! He then tried the ride cymbal - teedlee-teedlee - and then played a full bossa nova rhythm - teedlee-CLACK!-tee-CLACK!-tee-tee-tee-tee-CLACK!

 

The bassist yelled something to the guitarist, but it couldn't be heard over the drumming. "Stop, will you?" the guitarist boorishly said to the drummer who then ceased the noise. Then the guitarist turned back. "Okay is the mic good?" The bassist then gave the okay sign. Then the guitarist made the announcement. "Okay we're gonna do another set here"

 

"Woooo!" Cameron yelled, flashing the rock-on sign.

 

"Yeeeah!" Ned bellowed. The rest of the clientele gave their applause.

 

The frontman continued "All right, once again wanna welcome you guys out there tonight. Glad you could make it. We have Chuck Smith on keyboards, Stuntman Mike on bass, and myself Joel Skeet on guitar"

 

The drummer leaned forward into a mic set up by his kit. "Quite an impressive lineup, Joel" he quipped.

 

"Oh yeah and Aurie Ledger on drums" Joel finished.

 

Aurie laughed. Joel stepped away from his mic, calling "A one, two, three, four..."

Reviews

[Cristal Bridges]

As I told you in the email this is wonderful, vibrant, and it definitely catches the reader's eye.

You're descriptions are fantastic, and very well versed and modern. I also love the dialogue, it's very direct and hip. (I tend to think my dialogue is very lenghty)

Wonderful read from a wonderful person. Keep it up! :D