Chapter 21 - She Don't Know Me

 

 

 

Exhausted and still on a cloud much higher than nine, Jon thanks Bruce and gets off the stage.  Bruce applauded the young man that just left his stage.  "Keep an eye out for this one, he's going to go far."  The crowd was happy for the kid that just finished playing with Bruce, and they applauded for him, based solely on that. 

 

Jon walks up to Monica, as she's getting down from her stool.  He takes her hand and helps.  Once her feet were planted firmly on the floor, she throws her arms around Jon.  "Oh my God, you were amazing.  How do you feel?  You just played with Bruce Springsteen, do you have any idea how lucky you are?"  She is going a mile a minute.  One would think that one of her dreams had just come true.  Jon laughs at her.

 

"Calm down.  Take a deep breath."  Jon tells her as the bartender walks up to them.  "I'll take a Bud." He looks at Monica, waiting for her to decide what she wants to drink.

 

"I'll have a Bud, too."  And the bartender walks off.  She turns her attention back to Jon and asks him, "How cool was that?"

 

He smiles his million dollar smile and says, "It was pretty cool.  I'm still shaking."  He motions for Monica to take her seat, and he moves in close to her.  He stands between her and the waitress service area, Monica like him close.

 

"What were you thinking when you were up there playing?  How nervous you must have been?"

 

With confidence, Jon tells her, "I was fine, right up until we stopped playing.  Then it kind of hit me.  I was on stage with Bruce fucking Springsteen.  I almost turned to jello."  The bartender brings their beers and Jon pays the tab.  With the bartender gone, Jon continues with, "Do you want to hang out here or go somewhere else?  I'm sure this place is going to get crazy once word spreads that Bruce is here."

 

"Let's stay.  I love the excitement and the energy.  I don't get to do this often, it's nice."  And she leans toward Jon, putting her head on his chest, "Do you mind?"

 

"No, not at all."  He takes his beer less hand and puts it on her back.  With a gentle rub, he's noticing that she ticklish.  She squirms and he had to torture her for a few seconds.  "How come you don't get out much?"

 

Lifting her head off of his shoulder, she looks at him and simply states, "Work.  I work too much."

 

"What do you do?  I don't think you ever told me."  he asks her, moving in because Bruce had started to play again.  He wanted to be heard and he wanted to hear what she had to say.

 

"I model part time and work at Macy's full time.  I just finished school, so my loans are due.  I need all the money I can get."

 

"What did you go to school for?"

 

She's embarrassed, but she tells him any way.  "First, I went for nursing, and learned that wasn't my cup of tea.  When I figured out what I wanted to do, I went into photography.  You are looking at a graduate of NYU.  Thank you very much."  And she laughs at her self. 

 

Jon thinks that is great, she's interested in arts too.  The more he learns about her, the more he likes her.  He's glad that she decided to go out with him tonight.  Could his luck be changing?  First he learns that Liz was a liar and then he gets to play with Bruce Springsteen, and to top it all off - he was getting to know a wonderful girl - that made him smile.