Having a mentorship meant that I could spend the last hour and a half of the school day at Kronos. Kris didn't like being at the gallery if there wasn't an event, or if it wasn't peak hours for foot traffic, so he ended up just giving me keys. Which naturally I thought was AWESOME! It was a really great set up. I went to the gallery most days. I'd work on planning and making/printing posters most of the time. But otherwise I had a lot of free time. So sometimes I'd bring my art to work on, or maybe homework. Sometimes I'd skip but not very often. And other times Zane would skip school to come hang out with me.
With all of this time and resources, we started having massive shows. 3 bands a night, two nights a week. And we'd pack the house. An average night had a door count of 200! Things were moving pretty smoothly. Kris started working on other parts of the gallery, throwing more art openings (often he'd host an opening right before a show just to see how many people would stay for the show, it was amusing.) A group started an improv night on Wednesday night and a private BDSM group rented the space on Sunday afternoons. We had a full schedule planned out months in advance! And trust me, we lived it up.
One night, at our weekly spaghetti dinner, Kris stood up to make an announcement. He even tapped his wine glass with a fork.
"Ahem. I just wanted to let everyone know that Kronos is not only steadily breaking even, we are actually making a profit!"
We all stood up and cheered. The gallery had come so far in the past few months. Kris had told us before that he had feared that he'd have to shut the gallery down. "No one buys art!" He'd say. "What is wrong with people?"
But now he didn't have to worry about that! The relief and happiness that filled the room that night was remarkable.
After dinner I pulled Kris aside.
"That is wonderful Kris!" I said. "You know, that the Gallery is actually making a profit!"
"Yea!" he said giving me a bear hug.
I took a step back. I was so grateful that Kronos had come into my life, I didn't want to ask for more. But I needed to do a thing for school and I wanted to do it at Kronos. So I took a breath and...
"Kris. Can I have my own opening?" I said starting to get hot from anxiety. "I need to have my art displayed somewhere as my final project for my studio art class, and I thought it would be really cool to do it at Kronos!" Now my eyes were even hot.
Kris pulled me in for another bear hug. "Yes! Charley that would be wonderful!"
He grabbed a bottle of wine and disappeared into the living room.
Really, I thought, holy shit WOW! My own opening! How cool is that!
I ran into the kitchen and grabbed Zane.
"Come here!" I said excitingly.
"What?" He said with a mouthful of spaghetti.
"Zane! Kris is going to let me have my own opening!" I jumped up and down a little.
Zane spit out his spaghetti in the trash can. "Really? That's great!" He said hugging me.
Then we all went into the living room to watch the X files. I laid my head on Zane's shoulder. I couldn't believe how lucky I was.
Saturday, January 2, 2016
K is for Kid Chapter 11
It wasn't long before Zane and I started dating. And he quickly became a part of the group. He was at every show and he even started coming to spaghetti night. Before long he was helping with the shows too. He'd help get people interested in coming to the show, create hype that kind of thing. And he also helped a lot when it came to set up, break down, and clean up. With his help, and a few other regulars, we were able to add a second "show night" to the weekly schedule. Soon we had shows booked for every friday and saturday night!
With the extra work needing to be done at the gallery, I decided that I would try to do my senior mentorship there. But getting approval wasn't going to be easy.
I was in the principals office for the third time that week.
"Charley, I know you really want to do your mentorship with Kronos, but I just don't think Kronos is the type of place a high school student should be at." the school principal, Dr. Ellis said to me.
"What do you mean?" I asked already pissed off.
"Well I went to the website, artisdangerous.com, and well... it's very disturbing. I mean it's all F this and F that. And the music is loud and angry. It just doesn't send the right message as an "educational" experience." He said trying to sound assertive.
I had already had this conversation with my Mentorship instructor, the Assistant principal, and now I was going to have it with this loser.
I took a breath.
"Ok listen. For starters Kronos IS a local business. It is an art gallery. If you understood art you would understand that artist have artistic license and that means they might sometimes make things that are not just "pretty". Because they are trying to convey a message, and not every message is a nice pretty one. Secondly, that website is the owners personal artist webpage that contains his personal portfolio. IF you had read my proposal I clearly said that you have to scroll down to the bottom of the page, and click on the link that says KRONOS ART GALLERY, in order to get to the Gallery page. But no one seems to be willing to do that. And lastly, regardless of your own personal prejudice, if my parent says it is ok for me to have my mentorship there, then I can have my mentorship there. I even had my dad sign the form!" I said pointing to the form on his desk.
Dr. Ellis stared at me in silence for a minute.
I stared back.
"I am going to call your father, and see what he has to say about this." Dr. Ellis said picking up the phone.
I continued to stare.
"Hi! Mr. Quinn, this is Dr. Ellis, the principal at R. E. Lee High School." He paused. "I am calling because we are trying to place Charley in a mentorship, has Charley talked to you about this?"
My mouth fell open. The nerve of this man.
He reached down and put my dad on speaker phone.
"Yea." Dad's voice came over the speaker. "She said she's doing her mentorship at Kronos."
Dr. Ellis shot me a glare.
"Yes, and do you know the nature of Kronos?" He asked.
"Uh... yea it's an art gallery?" Dad said sort of irritated.
"Yes. I mean are you aware of it's explicit content? The strong language, the vulgarity of the artwork?" Dr. Ellis pushed.
"Yes. And?" my dad asked.
"Ok Mr. Quinn we just wanted to make sure that you were fully aware of the kind of place your child wanted to complete her mentorship at. We need to know if you are 100% aware of the mature content this art gallery displays and that you are 100% ok with Charley having her mentorship there." Dr. Ellis pushed some more.
"I signed the paper didn't I?" My dad said.
OOOOOOH snap, get them daddy. I thought.
"Yes but like I said we have to be 100% sure.." Dr. Ellis started.
Dad cut him off. "When will you learn that you should really just let Charley do what she wants to do?"
Now Dr. Ellis's mouth fell open.
Dad continued. "Yes Charley can have her mentorship at the gallery, she spends most of her time there anyway, and yes I am aware of its mature content. As if that is anything new for teenagers. Is there anything else you need from me Dr. Ellis?"
"No sir!" Dr. Ellis said quickly. "Thank you Mr. Quinn, goodbye."
He hung up the phone and stared at me some more.
"Fine. You can have you mentorship at Kronos." he said as he signed the administration approval form.
K is for Kid Chapter 10.
Eventually everyone left the Gallery. Everyone except Mandy, Mae, me and oddly enough Zane.
Kris came in the room. "Alright, time to go." He said turning off the lights.
I stood up and grabbed my had off Zane's head and headed outside.
"Wait!" Zane shouted nearly falling down the stairs. "Can you give me a ride home?"
"Me?" I said.
"Yea" He said. "please!"
I looked at Mae. "Don't look at me, I'm already taking Mandy home." Her and Mandy got in her car.
"Bye!" They said pulling away.
I looked at Zane. "Fine, get in."
He hopped in the passenger seat. I started the car.
"Actually can you take me my friends house he's having a party I want to go to." He asked.
"Where does your friend live?" I asked.
"Over by the elementary school." he answered.
"Sure." I said. I was too tired to argue.
We drove listening to my new Trivium cd. It was a good night, I thought to myself.
I pulled up in front of the house Zane had told me to go to. All of the lights were off.
"Are you sure this is the right one?" I asked looking at the dark house.
"This is his house." Zane said. "Maybe they are in the basement, that is usually where they party."
"Ok, see ya." I said.
Zane hopped out of the car, and I drove off.
I almost got home and my phone buzzed.
It was a text message.
"Hey it's Zane, Mae gave me your number, my friend isn't answering his door. Can you come get me?"
Fucking MAE! I thought.
"I guess. You need a ride home?"
"Yea."
So I turned around and drove back to the dark house. Zane hopped back into the car.
"Alright, where do you live?" I asked rubbing my eyes.
"AAACCCTTTUUAALLLY." He said. "I can't really go home. It is past my curfew and my parents will kill me."
You have got to be kidding me, I thought.
I stared at him for a minute.
"Ok look, my dad is at guard duty for the weekend, so if you need a place to crash, you can crash at my house."
"Really?" he asked. "Thank you! I owe you one."
"Yea whatever." I said turning up the music.
When we got to my house I pulled out my big art bin. "I am going to go through my art. I usually do this in the living room but since you are crashing on the couch I can take this to my room if you want to sleep." I said yawning myself.
"Im not tired." he said. "And I'd like to see some of your art."
So I started pulling out various pieces and deciding whether or not to trash them. Ever since Kris had told me everything in my portfolio was crap, I decided to be a little more strict on what I do and do not keep. I had also been changing my style a little. Being in advanced studies for the arts gave me a lot of opportunity to experiment and grow as an artist. I was developing a knack for "found object art". Anything I found became an art piece. I pulled out a traffic cone that I had cut in half, a hub cap that I had broken, a burned out light bulb, a rusty knife, literally anything. Some of the stuff I had painted, some of the stuff I had yet to do anything with. I started making piles.
"This is really good." Zane said holding up a piece of wood I had painted silhouettes on.
"Eh" I said. "I'm probably going to trash that one. Unless I can re-use the wood."
"NO!" said Zane. "Can I have it?"
"...sure I guess." I said and kept sorting.
At some point we both fell asleep. On the couch.
I woke up first. Somehow Zane had managed to wrap his legs around my torso, so it was a struggle to get free.
WTF? I thought. How the hell did he manage to get his legs around me in a death grip. Does he do this shit to his teddy bears? That's fucked up...
I tried really hard to get free with out waking him up, but I failed.
His eyes popped open.
"Shit." I said. "Sorry I didn't mean to wake you up, but you are holding me hostage..."
He looked down at his legs. Then he laughed. Then he tightened them more!
"DUDE! WTF let me go!"
We both fell off the couch and hit the floor. Eventually I got one arm free and punched him hard in the stomach.
"OOF!" He said and loosened his grip.
I wiggled free, stood up, and proceeded to cuss him out. Which he thought was hilarious.
I rolled my eyes and went into the kitchen to make coffee.
He followed.
"I gotta work at noon, where do I need to take you?" I asked.
"Um... just take me to the skate park." He said grabbing a mug.
"Oh sure. Help yourself!" I said sarcastically.
Kris came in the room. "Alright, time to go." He said turning off the lights.
I stood up and grabbed my had off Zane's head and headed outside.
"Wait!" Zane shouted nearly falling down the stairs. "Can you give me a ride home?"
"Me?" I said.
"Yea" He said. "please!"
I looked at Mae. "Don't look at me, I'm already taking Mandy home." Her and Mandy got in her car.
"Bye!" They said pulling away.
I looked at Zane. "Fine, get in."
He hopped in the passenger seat. I started the car.
"Actually can you take me my friends house he's having a party I want to go to." He asked.
"Where does your friend live?" I asked.
"Over by the elementary school." he answered.
"Sure." I said. I was too tired to argue.
We drove listening to my new Trivium cd. It was a good night, I thought to myself.
I pulled up in front of the house Zane had told me to go to. All of the lights were off.
"Are you sure this is the right one?" I asked looking at the dark house.
"This is his house." Zane said. "Maybe they are in the basement, that is usually where they party."
"Ok, see ya." I said.
Zane hopped out of the car, and I drove off.
I almost got home and my phone buzzed.
It was a text message.
"Hey it's Zane, Mae gave me your number, my friend isn't answering his door. Can you come get me?"
Fucking MAE! I thought.
"I guess. You need a ride home?"
"Yea."
So I turned around and drove back to the dark house. Zane hopped back into the car.
"Alright, where do you live?" I asked rubbing my eyes.
"AAACCCTTTUUAALLLY." He said. "I can't really go home. It is past my curfew and my parents will kill me."
You have got to be kidding me, I thought.
I stared at him for a minute.
"Ok look, my dad is at guard duty for the weekend, so if you need a place to crash, you can crash at my house."
"Really?" he asked. "Thank you! I owe you one."
"Yea whatever." I said turning up the music.
When we got to my house I pulled out my big art bin. "I am going to go through my art. I usually do this in the living room but since you are crashing on the couch I can take this to my room if you want to sleep." I said yawning myself.
"Im not tired." he said. "And I'd like to see some of your art."
So I started pulling out various pieces and deciding whether or not to trash them. Ever since Kris had told me everything in my portfolio was crap, I decided to be a little more strict on what I do and do not keep. I had also been changing my style a little. Being in advanced studies for the arts gave me a lot of opportunity to experiment and grow as an artist. I was developing a knack for "found object art". Anything I found became an art piece. I pulled out a traffic cone that I had cut in half, a hub cap that I had broken, a burned out light bulb, a rusty knife, literally anything. Some of the stuff I had painted, some of the stuff I had yet to do anything with. I started making piles.
"This is really good." Zane said holding up a piece of wood I had painted silhouettes on.
"Eh" I said. "I'm probably going to trash that one. Unless I can re-use the wood."
"NO!" said Zane. "Can I have it?"
"...sure I guess." I said and kept sorting.
At some point we both fell asleep. On the couch.
I woke up first. Somehow Zane had managed to wrap his legs around my torso, so it was a struggle to get free.
WTF? I thought. How the hell did he manage to get his legs around me in a death grip. Does he do this shit to his teddy bears? That's fucked up...
I tried really hard to get free with out waking him up, but I failed.
His eyes popped open.
"Shit." I said. "Sorry I didn't mean to wake you up, but you are holding me hostage..."
He looked down at his legs. Then he laughed. Then he tightened them more!
"DUDE! WTF let me go!"
We both fell off the couch and hit the floor. Eventually I got one arm free and punched him hard in the stomach.
"OOF!" He said and loosened his grip.
I wiggled free, stood up, and proceeded to cuss him out. Which he thought was hilarious.
I rolled my eyes and went into the kitchen to make coffee.
He followed.
"I gotta work at noon, where do I need to take you?" I asked.
"Um... just take me to the skate park." He said grabbing a mug.
"Oh sure. Help yourself!" I said sarcastically.
K is for Kid Chapter 9
Over the next month we had really started getting things rolling with live shows at Kronos. We had a show every Saturday night, and were starting to get a wait list of bands that wanted to play.
"Do you think we could book a show on Friday nights too?" I asked Kris while he sat flipping through his emails.
"It looks like we are going to have too!" He said. "Wow this is great!"
Our shows went from 20 people to 100 people a night very quickly.
Tonights show was a band that we had do a solo show the week after we had our first show. They were a metal band that typically played their shows out in the sticks. They called them "Barn Shows" so they didn't mind playing a hole in the wall either. The good news is they had a following. Their last show pulled in a lot of county kids, we maxed out at 65 kids for the night. This time they asked to bring an act they knew from Harrisonburg. They would open for them. I had heard of that band from Harrisonburg, they had played the Crayola house a lot, and I saw some kids with their t-shirt at school. I knew this show was going to be huge, and man it was. 150 people, even with giving all the band members their +1 entries for the night, we made $600. We gave each band $100 and had a profit of $400. Kris couldn't believe it.
"See I told you!" I said laughing."This is where it's at."
"Are you sure we paid the bands?" Kris asked.
"Yes!" I said and went to sit on the futon. Mandy had a new girlfriend, and they were loving on each other, so instead I sat on the floor beside the couch and watched the bands carry their equipment down the stairs.
There was a kid laying on the floor near Mandy's feet. He was shirtless and pale and had sharpie drawings all over his torso. As he laid there another kid was drawing a penis across a blank spot he had on his chest.
"Dude are you ok?" I asked.
The kid turned his head to look at me. "I am so ok." He said smiling and laughing. "This is the best night of my life!" He then sat up and did a little dance. I noticed his eyes were blood shot.
He must be high, I thought.
"Can I wear your hat?" He asked me.
"Sure" I said passing him the hat. "But you have to tell me your name, because if you don't give it back I am not walking around asking people if they have seen the kid with a penis on his chest. I'm just not doing that."
He started laughing hysterically.
I waited.
"Zane. Now give me your hat." he said reaching for it.
"Rude!" I said pulling it away.
He then put his lip out and fake pouted the best he could being as high as he was.
"Fine." I said. "Whatever, here." I said and I handed him the hat.
He placed it on his head and continued to laugh like crazy.
I sat for a while longer, talking to various people as they came through the room.
I looked back at Zane to make sure he hadn't run off with my hat. He was back to laying on the ground.
"You ok?" I asked. Stupid question.
"Yea. Everything is great. Everything is gggrrrreeeeeaaaattt." he grinned from ear to ear.
"ok..." I said.
His friend tapped me and whispered. "He's high!"
"Yea you think?" I said.
"He's also weird." His friend said.
Zane sat up. "Weird? Oh I will show you weird." Then he grabbed Mandy's foot and shoved the toe of her shoe into his mouth and started to sort of "deep throat" it. It resembled a snake consuming a mouse. Slow, gross, disturbing, but you can't stop watching.
Mandy made a horrified face. "WFT man!" She didn't really try to get away, but she was clearly uncomfortable.
I watched in horror as Zane nearly stuck her entire shoe in his mouth.
Finally Mandy yanked her foot away from his mouth.
He fell back to the floor laughing.
"See, that is weird."
"Do you think we could book a show on Friday nights too?" I asked Kris while he sat flipping through his emails.
"It looks like we are going to have too!" He said. "Wow this is great!"
Our shows went from 20 people to 100 people a night very quickly.
Tonights show was a band that we had do a solo show the week after we had our first show. They were a metal band that typically played their shows out in the sticks. They called them "Barn Shows" so they didn't mind playing a hole in the wall either. The good news is they had a following. Their last show pulled in a lot of county kids, we maxed out at 65 kids for the night. This time they asked to bring an act they knew from Harrisonburg. They would open for them. I had heard of that band from Harrisonburg, they had played the Crayola house a lot, and I saw some kids with their t-shirt at school. I knew this show was going to be huge, and man it was. 150 people, even with giving all the band members their +1 entries for the night, we made $600. We gave each band $100 and had a profit of $400. Kris couldn't believe it.
"See I told you!" I said laughing."This is where it's at."
"Are you sure we paid the bands?" Kris asked.
"Yes!" I said and went to sit on the futon. Mandy had a new girlfriend, and they were loving on each other, so instead I sat on the floor beside the couch and watched the bands carry their equipment down the stairs.
There was a kid laying on the floor near Mandy's feet. He was shirtless and pale and had sharpie drawings all over his torso. As he laid there another kid was drawing a penis across a blank spot he had on his chest.
"Dude are you ok?" I asked.
The kid turned his head to look at me. "I am so ok." He said smiling and laughing. "This is the best night of my life!" He then sat up and did a little dance. I noticed his eyes were blood shot.
He must be high, I thought.
"Can I wear your hat?" He asked me.
"Sure" I said passing him the hat. "But you have to tell me your name, because if you don't give it back I am not walking around asking people if they have seen the kid with a penis on his chest. I'm just not doing that."
He started laughing hysterically.
I waited.
"Zane. Now give me your hat." he said reaching for it.
"Rude!" I said pulling it away.
He then put his lip out and fake pouted the best he could being as high as he was.
"Fine." I said. "Whatever, here." I said and I handed him the hat.
He placed it on his head and continued to laugh like crazy.
I sat for a while longer, talking to various people as they came through the room.
I looked back at Zane to make sure he hadn't run off with my hat. He was back to laying on the ground.
"You ok?" I asked. Stupid question.
"Yea. Everything is great. Everything is gggrrrreeeeeaaaattt." he grinned from ear to ear.
"ok..." I said.
His friend tapped me and whispered. "He's high!"
"Yea you think?" I said.
"He's also weird." His friend said.
Zane sat up. "Weird? Oh I will show you weird." Then he grabbed Mandy's foot and shoved the toe of her shoe into his mouth and started to sort of "deep throat" it. It resembled a snake consuming a mouse. Slow, gross, disturbing, but you can't stop watching.
Mandy made a horrified face. "WFT man!" She didn't really try to get away, but she was clearly uncomfortable.
I watched in horror as Zane nearly stuck her entire shoe in his mouth.
Finally Mandy yanked her foot away from his mouth.
He fell back to the floor laughing.
"See, that is weird."
K is for Kid Chapter 8
The days leading up to "the first Kronos show" were really exciting. I made a poster, Kris slapped the Kronos Logo and font on it, we set up a botched sound system of amps and microphones. And of course, we made a Facebook page for the event.
"Is there anything else we need to do?" I asked Kris.
"Eh, I don't know, there is something missing." He said staring at the blank brick wall behind what we called the "stage area". "We need a banner. Does the band have a banner?"
"No they don't." I said.
"Hmmm." He disappeared into the closet.
"We put up posters all over town!" Mae said as her and Mandy bounded up the stairs. "I mean everywhere! We put them on walls, cars, lamp posts, stop signs, strollers, old people.."
We all laughed.
"Great! Hopefully we will have a good turn out!" I said.
Kris came back into the room with a huge roll of canvas. "Think we can do anything with this?" He asked dropping it on the floor.
"Do you have paint?" I asked.
"Follow me" He said walking back to the closet. Inside were buckets and buckets of paint. I grabbed a bucket of black, a bucket of red, and a bucket of white.
I walked back into the show room and held the bucket up. "Paint Party?" I asked. Before I knew it we had the canvas rolled out on the side walk, rolled up our sleeves and pants legs, took of our shoes, and were practically swimming in paint. We covered the entire canvas in black, red, and white hand and foot prints. And maybe a few butt prints. Then we wrote the word "KRONOS" in big white sloppy paint letters across the front. Kris stuck his head out of the window above us. "Looks Great!" he said. "That's perfect!" When it dried we hung it up on that blank brick wall, and stood back to admire our work.
On the day of the show, none of us could contain our excitement. Kris had hung up new art work and I found a fresh sharpie to mark peoples hands with. Then we waited.
A few minutes before 7 the band showed up. Brian and his friends pulled their equipment up the stairs and begun setting up and checking their sound. Mae had gone out and bought everyone a round of Monsters, so once everything was set up we sat around drinking our monsters and waited for people to show up. Eventually they started rolling in. Kris turned on his playlist, and turned down the lights. And the show started.
When it was over I started to split the door money between the band and the gallery. Brian walked up "Hey listen. We don't want any money for this, this time, ok?"
"What? Why?" I asked.
"Well, we really like this place. And Kris had told us before the show how glad he was this was happening, and how much this kind of thing will help keep the gallery around. We want it to stay around too you know? So we figured all of the money should go back into this place so that we will have the opportunity to play again." Brian said.
"DUDE, that is freakin' awesome." I ran to tell Kris. He came out and started hugging the band.
"Really?" he asked. "You guys don't know how awesome that is."
We dubbed the night as the start of something.
"You know 20 people isn't a bad turn out." I said to Kris after the band had left. I had figured the band meant what they said about wanting this place to continue. But we had only made a 100 bucks that night. I had planned on giving the band $60 and the gallery $40. I knew it wasn't much but I had hoped maybe it could help somewhere. But the entire $100 would certainly help! "I mean 20 people isn't bad for our first show. You know?"
"Yea. And maybe if we pull in more than one band we'd also pull in more people." Kris said.
"Yea that could happen. If we have more bands we could charge more too." I said. "And you know once people know that this is here, and that we are booking shows, we will get more people. No doubt about that."
Kris smiled. "Well then that is what we have to do."
"Is there anything else we need to do?" I asked Kris.
"Eh, I don't know, there is something missing." He said staring at the blank brick wall behind what we called the "stage area". "We need a banner. Does the band have a banner?"
"No they don't." I said.
"Hmmm." He disappeared into the closet.
"We put up posters all over town!" Mae said as her and Mandy bounded up the stairs. "I mean everywhere! We put them on walls, cars, lamp posts, stop signs, strollers, old people.."
We all laughed.
"Great! Hopefully we will have a good turn out!" I said.
Kris came back into the room with a huge roll of canvas. "Think we can do anything with this?" He asked dropping it on the floor.
"Do you have paint?" I asked.
"Follow me" He said walking back to the closet. Inside were buckets and buckets of paint. I grabbed a bucket of black, a bucket of red, and a bucket of white.
I walked back into the show room and held the bucket up. "Paint Party?" I asked. Before I knew it we had the canvas rolled out on the side walk, rolled up our sleeves and pants legs, took of our shoes, and were practically swimming in paint. We covered the entire canvas in black, red, and white hand and foot prints. And maybe a few butt prints. Then we wrote the word "KRONOS" in big white sloppy paint letters across the front. Kris stuck his head out of the window above us. "Looks Great!" he said. "That's perfect!" When it dried we hung it up on that blank brick wall, and stood back to admire our work.
On the day of the show, none of us could contain our excitement. Kris had hung up new art work and I found a fresh sharpie to mark peoples hands with. Then we waited.
A few minutes before 7 the band showed up. Brian and his friends pulled their equipment up the stairs and begun setting up and checking their sound. Mae had gone out and bought everyone a round of Monsters, so once everything was set up we sat around drinking our monsters and waited for people to show up. Eventually they started rolling in. Kris turned on his playlist, and turned down the lights. And the show started.
When it was over I started to split the door money between the band and the gallery. Brian walked up "Hey listen. We don't want any money for this, this time, ok?"
"What? Why?" I asked.
"Well, we really like this place. And Kris had told us before the show how glad he was this was happening, and how much this kind of thing will help keep the gallery around. We want it to stay around too you know? So we figured all of the money should go back into this place so that we will have the opportunity to play again." Brian said.
"DUDE, that is freakin' awesome." I ran to tell Kris. He came out and started hugging the band.
"Really?" he asked. "You guys don't know how awesome that is."
We dubbed the night as the start of something.
"You know 20 people isn't a bad turn out." I said to Kris after the band had left. I had figured the band meant what they said about wanting this place to continue. But we had only made a 100 bucks that night. I had planned on giving the band $60 and the gallery $40. I knew it wasn't much but I had hoped maybe it could help somewhere. But the entire $100 would certainly help! "I mean 20 people isn't bad for our first show. You know?"
"Yea. And maybe if we pull in more than one band we'd also pull in more people." Kris said.
"Yea that could happen. If we have more bands we could charge more too." I said. "And you know once people know that this is here, and that we are booking shows, we will get more people. No doubt about that."
Kris smiled. "Well then that is what we have to do."
K is for Kid Chapter 7
I did not forgive Jason. I was way too hurt. He had the "skank", as Trent put it, call me and try to "put things in perspective" for me. But it wasn't helpful. She basically said all the things I said:
"You weren't exclusive right?"
"I mean he did tell me about you, so that is something."
"You know you are younger than him, and that can be hard. He is going to be 18 soon, you know what that means"
"In the alt(ergative) lifestyle, nobody is exclusive. It's lame."
It wasn't easy listening to her, but I couldn't hang up.
What if she was right?
That was the last I heard from Jason for a while. I started spending all of my free time either at Kronos or at Kris's house. Him and his wife started having spaghetti night once a week, and invite people from the gallery over. It was usually a mix of local artists and musicians, and us kids. Mandy, Mae, Myself, and who ever we brought with us.
One night after dinner we sat around watching an episode of the X-files, and I started thinking. Why isn't there a venue for music in our town. I mean sure we have restaurants that occasionally host live music, but there isn't a music spot. Harrisonburg had a few, Charlottesville certainly had more than a few. But not Staunton, which is between the two places. So if anyone in Staunton wants to see live music, they have to drive 30minutes to an hour to do so. There are bands in this town. There is a lot of talent. I thought through out the entire episode, and when it ended I spoke up.
"Kris, have you ever thought about hosting a live band in Kronos?" I asked.
"Well, I mean I have open mic sometimes, and the occasional acoustic act." He said.
Oh yea, I thought, that's right. But that wasn't what I was talking about. Open mic nights usually end up as just another poetry night with the occasional kid with a guitar. I was thinking bigger.
"Yea but I mean like bands. Like they do at the Crayola house in Harrisonburg. Do you know how many people come out to shows like that?"
"Keep talking..." Kris said.
"uh, I mean, I don't know. Mandy and I just went to see a show in Harrisonburg, two bands, $5 at the door, there had to be at least 100 people there right?" I asked Mandy.
"Probably more." She said nodding.
"$5 a person?" Kris's wife, Chelle said. "You know, the gallery has been struggling to make rent. It wouldn't be a bad idea to try and pull in more money." She nudged Kris a little.
"Yea ok. You know any bands Charley?" Kris asked.
"Totally!" I said with excitement.
"Rock and Roll!" Kris said grabbing his guitar.
I immediately sent a text to a friend of mine, Brian, who had just been telling me about his band. I had taken some photos of them for their EP they were working on, so they owed me a favor.
"Dude, want to play a live gig?"
I received a text back with in seconds.
"Uh.. really? Where?"
"Kronos, it's an art gallery down town."
"For real? Like a real gig?"
"Yes like a real gig. Are you down?"
"Yea totally!"
"Great! I'll get the details and get back to you!"
I spent the rest of the night planning the event with Kris. It was going to be a sort of rough, garage style show. But we didn't care. We were going to make it happen.
"You weren't exclusive right?"
"I mean he did tell me about you, so that is something."
"You know you are younger than him, and that can be hard. He is going to be 18 soon, you know what that means"
"In the alt(ergative) lifestyle, nobody is exclusive. It's lame."
It wasn't easy listening to her, but I couldn't hang up.
What if she was right?
That was the last I heard from Jason for a while. I started spending all of my free time either at Kronos or at Kris's house. Him and his wife started having spaghetti night once a week, and invite people from the gallery over. It was usually a mix of local artists and musicians, and us kids. Mandy, Mae, Myself, and who ever we brought with us.
One night after dinner we sat around watching an episode of the X-files, and I started thinking. Why isn't there a venue for music in our town. I mean sure we have restaurants that occasionally host live music, but there isn't a music spot. Harrisonburg had a few, Charlottesville certainly had more than a few. But not Staunton, which is between the two places. So if anyone in Staunton wants to see live music, they have to drive 30minutes to an hour to do so. There are bands in this town. There is a lot of talent. I thought through out the entire episode, and when it ended I spoke up.
"Kris, have you ever thought about hosting a live band in Kronos?" I asked.
"Well, I mean I have open mic sometimes, and the occasional acoustic act." He said.
Oh yea, I thought, that's right. But that wasn't what I was talking about. Open mic nights usually end up as just another poetry night with the occasional kid with a guitar. I was thinking bigger.
"Yea but I mean like bands. Like they do at the Crayola house in Harrisonburg. Do you know how many people come out to shows like that?"
"Keep talking..." Kris said.
"uh, I mean, I don't know. Mandy and I just went to see a show in Harrisonburg, two bands, $5 at the door, there had to be at least 100 people there right?" I asked Mandy.
"Probably more." She said nodding.
"$5 a person?" Kris's wife, Chelle said. "You know, the gallery has been struggling to make rent. It wouldn't be a bad idea to try and pull in more money." She nudged Kris a little.
"Yea ok. You know any bands Charley?" Kris asked.
"Totally!" I said with excitement.
"Rock and Roll!" Kris said grabbing his guitar.
I immediately sent a text to a friend of mine, Brian, who had just been telling me about his band. I had taken some photos of them for their EP they were working on, so they owed me a favor.
"Dude, want to play a live gig?"
I received a text back with in seconds.
"Uh.. really? Where?"
"Kronos, it's an art gallery down town."
"For real? Like a real gig?"
"Yes like a real gig. Are you down?"
"Yea totally!"
"Great! I'll get the details and get back to you!"
I spent the rest of the night planning the event with Kris. It was going to be a sort of rough, garage style show. But we didn't care. We were going to make it happen.
K is for Kid Chapter 6
Jason had tried to text and call a few times that night. I got the usual "I'm sorry baby." and "I love you, don't be mad" but I did not respond. I just sat and listened to the poetry with my eyes closed.
Mae elbowed me in the ribs.
"You gotta have your eyes open for this one." she said.
Loren had joined Kris at the front of the room. Kris had hung light bulbs on strings across the ceiling which gave the hole place a "hole in the wall" "basement in a big city" feel. Kris started playing breathy notes on his harmonica, and Loren begun to beat box. The audience, which was around 10 strong by this point, started clapping in time. The rhythm kept going, building, until the entire room was buzzing with sound. Then Kris and Loren stopped, and everyone else followed. Loren stood perfectly still as she started speaking words. One at a time, slowly, quietly, but clearly. Then Kris started filling in her silent gaps with other words. Until they finally started making full thoughts. The rhythm in their voices was mesmerizing. It felt like everyone was leaning forward in their chair trying to anticipate the next thought. They begun to move through a story of a drunk man, wandering the streets of some city, searching for himself. They talked about the street lights, they talked about the smell of the sewage and broken beer bottles that littered the ground. They talked about all the little details in this mans journey, and I could see all of them clearly. As if I was the drunken man soul searching in a lonely city. Maybe it is because I had felt like that man before, or maybe it was because I felt like that man right now. Kris and Loren finished their poem, and the room erupted with applause.
The next day I went into work early to finish some homework. I walked into the coffee shop, Mandy and Mae were sitting in the corner table. They motioned for me to come over.
"What's up Lady?" Mandy said, she seemed to be friendlier than usual.
"Just gotta finish up some homework before my shift." I said pulling out my laptop.
"Which class?" Mae asked eyeing my books.
"Humanities. I need to write a paper explaining the importance of the Scarlet letter. You know from the book?" I pointed to the book.
"Oh that's right your in that advanced school right?" Mae said flipping through the pages.
"Yea she is." Mandy teased.
I rolled my eyes and sat down. "Yea whatever, it's worth it. Free art supplies!"
"Hey Charley! You want a drink?" Haley, my coworker yelled from the coffee bar.
"Yea, make me a mocha!" I yelled back.
"I gotcha!" She said turning to the espresso machine.
"I got a dirty chai with 2 extra shots." Mandy said shaking her almost empty cup.
"That is three shots total!" I said, noticing that Mandy's hand was also shaking. No wonder she seemed happy. She was running on caffeine!
"What she is not telling you is: that is her third one!" Mae said.
"WHAT?!" I stood up. "Mandy that can kill you! That is nine shots of espresso!"
"Calm down Charley," Mandy said sitting me back down. "The first two did not have extra shots so that is only 5 total." She was shaking a lot.
This wasn't new for Mandy, or really for any of us. Between me working in a coffee shop, and a shop down the road that sold our favorite energy drink dirt cheap, there wasn't a day where we were not consuming way more caffeine than our bodies could handle.
"I'm cutting you off though." I said accusingly and only half joking.
"Yea whatever bitch." Mandy said.
My phone rang.
"Who is it?" asked Mandy.
"Jason..." I said sort of disappointed. I had not responded to his texts or calls. I didn't have it in me. I wasn't mad anymore but I just didn't know what to say.
"Don't answer it." Mandy said with a scoff.
I rolled my eyes at her. "I haven't spoken to him since he dropped me off. I should probably answer this one."
I hit the accept call button, and put the phone up to my year. "Hey Jason."
"Hey babycakes. How you doin'" a raspy voice said.
"Oh.. hey Trent." I said sort of confused. "What's up? Why are you calling me from Jason's phone?"
Mandy raised an eyebrow.
"Weeellllll..... that is because this little bitch has something to tell you." His tone a little less silly this time.
"What?" I said getting nervous. "Is he ok?"
"He won't be unless he grows a pair and decides to tell you what happened at the Dawning last night." I could hear Trent trying to hand the phone to Jason.
"Trent? Jason?" I tried to hear what was going on, but I only could make out a few random words, some name calling, and rustling.
"Ok. Since this little bitch won't tell you, I will." Trent said.
"No!" I heard Jason in the background. "Give me my fucking phone Trent!"
"Nope, you had your chance." Trent said losing his breath. "Ok listen Charley. Since Jason will never tell you, and even if he did he'd just make some stupid ass pussy excuses here it is." He paused to take a breath. "Jason slept with some skank in the parking lot last night, I just thought you should know! Alright, love ya bye!" I heard the phone either drop, or be thrown, or something.
I sat there stunned. Confused. Hurt. But more confused. Was this a joke? Should I be mad? Did we ever say we were going to be monogamous? I guess we did. I mean after the stuff happened with Mandy. But, maybe not? Is he sorry? Is this a joke? Tears started to pool in my eyes.
Someone picked up the phone.
"Charley?" it was Jason.
"I'm here." I said quietly. It was quiet for a moment, then I asked "Is it true?"
More silence.
"Yea." Jason said.
"So... now what?" I asked Jason.
"What do you mean?" Jason asked.
"I mean. I don't know. I'll call you back." And I hung up.
I told Mae and Mandy the whole thing. Mandy just sat shaking her head.
"I mean, should I be mad? I am mad? But you know. When we first started dating we were not exclusive. I don't know if that ever changed? Maybe it only changed in my head and not his? I don't know! I'm kind of sick to my stomach. What if I can't forgive him, even if he didn't really do anything wrong?"
Mandy grabbed my shoulders. "Nothing wrong? Even if you did not clearly state that you were exclusive, you still talk about these things with your partners. Come on Charley. You know he fucked up. He's a fucking loser. Why can't you fucking see that?" Then she stood up and left. Mae sat in the seat next to me and put her arm around me.
"I'm sorry Charley." She said, and I put my head down on the table.
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