Play Me a Song: A Lesbian Romance by Jessica Kale

Author:Jessica Kale [Kale, Jessica]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2017-05-02T21:00:00+00:00

***

“I ran away.”

“You what?”

“I ran away.”

“Oh my God, kiddo,” Jeremy said, untangling his arms and walking towards Alicia. She realized he was limping, and when her eyes landed on a walking stick propped up against the piano, she wondered if this has been there all along.

“What happened to your leg?” she asked, her eyes darting back and forth frantically.

“Oh, that? My leg’s been busted since I was twenty-five,” he said, grinning. “Don’t worry about that for now …” There was a pause. Alicia could tell he was contemplating something. “Actually, let me tell you this story about my leg.” He grabbed onto the table edge and sat down on the nearest stool he could find. “Alright, what do you think I started out as?” he asked, his head cocked to the side.

“What do you mean?” Alicia asked, confused.

“What do you think I used to do before I owned a studio?” he asked again, motioning for Alicia to come sit next to him.

“I don’t know, play in pubs?”

“You’re too generous. I used to play my banjo at the subway station,” he said. “So one day, my dad found out I skipped class to go play at Broad Street station … I’ll never forget the look in his eyes.”

“What did he do?” Alicia asked, folding both arms across her chest. Jeremy pursed his lips and looked up, but he didn’t need to jog his memory for too long.

“He beat me,” Jeremy said finally. “He took my banjo and he smashed it against the wall, took my change and beat me. My leg has been this way ever since.”

“Oh my God,” Alicia said, her eyes darting from Jeremy, to his busted leg, and then to Jeremy again. “I don’t know what to say.”

“I’ve told this story over and over again, kiddo. And when you’ve told a story over and over again, you don’t feel the same way you did the first time you told it.”

“Yeah, that makes sense.”

“It hurts right now, doesn’t it? Having to talk about your mom kicking you out, not accepting you for who you are.” Suddenly Alicia felt her eyes swell up with tears. “That’s okay. You’re not going to feel that way once you’ve made it to the finish line.”

“What if I never do? What if I have to come crawling back?”

“You’re not going to. And if you do, she’s going to understand, she’ll take you in,” he said, smoothing a hand over his head before he put his cap back on. Alicia had never been so confused. The last thing she wanted was to cut her mother off, but what other choice did she have? Work at that diner while others chased their dreams? She wasn’t having it. There was no way she was going to sit back and let life pass her by.

“I don’t want her to take me in. I want to make it on my own,” she said, her hands balled up into fists.

“That’s exactly what I want to hear you say,” Jeremy said, raising an eyebrow at her.

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