He placed a silver-edged business card in my hand and walked off. I stared after him, open-mouthed. Did that just fucking happen?
Will appeared from nowhere. “Who was that?”
I looked at the card. “Someone called Sullivan Jones. Do you know him?”
“Fuck, yeah. He owns some up-and-coming music label. If you’ve caught his eye, then you’re going places, my friend. Don’t forget us when you’re living the high life.”
I doubted that was true, but I tucked it into my pocket. My ride shouted, so I said goodbye to Will and made my way over to them.
We piled into a decrepit camper van, and I wondered if we’d make it home, but two hours and a lot of stops later, I was back home in my rundown flat.
Who could I tell about this stroke of luck? Certainly not my parents or Seth. I’d not heard from him at all, and it was then I realised I was as alone as Harvey.
I had no close friends to call, no lover to snuggle up with on the sofa and talk about the future.
The one person I wanted to tell likely wasn’t talking to me after the shitty note I left earlier, and I vowed to call him the moment I had some life in my phone.
I searched the kitchen cupboards for the vodka to celebrate before remembering I’d poured the last lot down the toilet. The best place for it, really, so I settled on a glass of tap water and let my mind wander.
I knew nothing of the music industry. I’d wandered around from bar to bar, hoping to get noticed, but when that hadn’t happened, I’d resigned myself to being a casual singer. At some point, I’d need to find a real job and put this behind me, but after today, maybe I didn’t need to do that.
If I had internet, I could check out Sullivan Jones, but my phone was still charging.
I read the card again.
Sullivan Jones – Jupiter Records
There was a mobile number and an email address, too.
What the fuck would I say if I called? This was something I’d always wanted, but now it could become a reality, I panicked.
Surely, I was too old. Who’d want to listen to my old, croaky voice? And look at the state of me. I couldn’t remember the last time I’d had a proper haircut, and my beard had grown so much; it really needed a trim.
I checked the phone again. It had completely died on the way home; the battery was dry. I’d had the phone for years. When you lived as much on the breadline as I did, new phones were a luxury I couldn’t afford. This did the job, but the battery was slowly giving out.
Another half an hour should see it right. I lay on the sofa and closed my eyes. I needed to catch up on my sleep.
I’d just shut them for five minutes.
Two hours later, I woke up shivering.
I rarely put the heating on, not that it helped much, and now the temperature had dropped, I rubbed my arms trying to get some warmth into them. Maybe I should stick the heating on to take away the chill.
I heard scurrying as I stood up and cursed the stupid fucking mouse. At least I hoped it was a mouse. Can you imagine if I were sharing my flat with a rat? I hated the little critters. I’d seen enough of them in my time, and I had no desire to see them again.
I pulled on a jumper out of my wardrobe. If this Sullivan offer was legit, I could afford a new wardrobe. Hell, I could afford a new flat. No more mice. No more rats, and no more fucking freezing feet.
I eventually found my phone. Considering it had been on charge for two hours, the battery was only at fifty percent. No one had called, and other than the texts with Harvey from a few days ago, there was nothing else.
Not even Seth called these days, and that was probably for the best. He always said I’d make it to the big time. But I was getting ahead of myself. Nothing had happened yet. Some guy had given me a card; that was all. There were no contracts, no worldwide tours. It was just a card.
I recalled how I’d left things with Harvey. The noncommittal note, the early morning dart. Would he want to hear from me? I told him I’d be in touch, and nine times out of ten, I was a man of my word.
Killian: Hey, not long been home. Gig went well. Some bigshot agent gave me his fucking card. Can you believe it? Anyway, just checking in. Sorry for the early dart, K.
Would he respond? Only time would tell.
Chapter 15