Chapter 2 - Surrealism Mixed With Peanuts

9am, my eyes split open. The shimmer of spring sunshine seeped between the wooden blinds in my room and that pang of good feeling hit me from my heart to my toes. I reached over for my phone and saw the pretty mermaid on the Starbucks cup smiling to me a happy good morning. A really good morning it was. I flipped my phone open and it read, '1 new message'.
MORNING, SUNSHINE! GLAD 2 HAV U BAK. COME TO THE BAR AT 3. SHOW TONIGHT SO WE NEED XTRA HANDS FOR SET UP N DRINKS. LOVE, LOVE.
My boss, Stu. The most British guy I've ever met. His accent so thick but so attractive. Nice guy. Love him. Not in that way of course. He came to America after he finished his degree in culinary arts in England and decided to open a club. The Mist. It's an underground kind of place with the feels of those movies where people dressed in black turtlenecks and berets drink and perform deep stuff.
Down at the Mist I work as a bartender. Occasionally, I'd sing some stuff, but only when the people weren't looking. Not much of a center stage person.
I slipped out of bed to get ready and was greeted at the bottom of the stairs with a bright smile from Emma the blonde.
"Good morning, you!" Emma beamed, sipping on some orange juice.
"Someone's uber happy," something smelt good. "What's that gorgeous smell?" I asked, taking a sip out of her orange juice. Emma nodded towards the kitchen where a soft sizzling sound was coming from.
It was Koki at the stove frying up some bacon that smelt heavenly.
"Koki, what's the occasion?"
"You're home! After two weeks! Do you know how quiet it was in the house?" she jabbed her tiny hands onto her waist. "And I had to save Emma from EVERYTHING! It's so much better when you were around doing it."
"What a welcome, ey?" I mocked, taking a seat at the kitchen table. "I got a text from Stu."
"Already? Babe, you just came back!" Koki complained as if she was the one who needed to go to work.
"Oh really! What did he say?" Emma slid into the chair next to me and pried my phone open. Emma has this crazy high school girl crush on Stu. "Honestly, when will he ask ME out?" and yes, Stu is the McSteamy of Grey's in my life.
"I have to be at work at 3. Some performers are coming and I've gotta make 'em drinks," I took some more of Emma's orange juice.
Koki laid bacon on a huge plate and placed it on the table, "Sam's drinks are the best!"
We all tucked into the bacon and gosh. Know that feeling when the food melts in the mouth? Well yeah, this is exactly it, but it LITERALLY melts. I don't know how she does it! "Well," I said after swallowing, "You girls wanna come and help us set up? You know how interesting the performers at The Mist are." I wiggled my eyebrows.
"I GOT DIBS ON THE FRONT SEAT!" Emma yelped out of her seat. "Oh, please, please, please let me go! I haven't been able to see Stu in two weeks!" she shook my shoulders. Hard.
I agreed to let her come with me despite that feeling of being used then turned to Koki to ask her if she was coming.
"Can't. I've got two luncheons to cook for and these people are paying me some serious kachings!" and I wonder why she never went into Culinary Arts. She's doing Photography Arts instead. Well, at least they're both some arts stuff. "And when I get my pay, I'll come down tonight to buy some drinks that are NOT on the house this time," she shot a look at me.
"Settled!"


I stood outside of the Mist and took in a quick whiff of the lavender scent coming from it. Such a comforting smell after two weeks away from a place I really call 'home'. I stared at the unlit neon lights of the club but felt the heat coming from it already. The place was so intense and filled with personality that everyday at work was a pleasure.
The whole spiritual observation thing got interrupted when I saw, in the corner of my eye, Emma fidgeting to go inside. I put out my right hand on her shoulder to make her stop moving. "Just. One. More. Second."
"Let's go already! Before my hair frizzes up!" she ran her long fingers threw blonde hair.
"Alright, alright. Gosh," she grabbed my hand and I let her lead me through the door, down the stairs, through another door and into the club. I glanced at the old wooden clock hung above the stage. Three-o-two. Just nice. When the door banged close behind us, Stu looked up and smiled.
And once again, from the corner of my eye, I saw Emma's pearly whites practically jump out of her mouth.
"There are my sweethearts!" Stu dropped the cables he was untangling and marched up to us throwing us hugs and making Emma spazz in his arms. "I'm so sorry for taking you in right after your trip last night, Sam! But we really need you," he glanced back at the bar where a young boy was standing, studying the liquor bottles and turned back to whisper, "The new boy is hopeless. Please teach him your magic!"
I looked over Stu's shoulder at the boy. Fresh out of high school and would only know things such as kegs and vodka on the rocks. Shouldn't be a problem, I thought. "Sure thing, Stu. Glad to be back. Seriously. So where can I start?"
"Go teach new boy how to do you're Bourne Ultimanium and make a few, please," he nodded towards some men stressing out over their instruments. A black guy with cool hair and a white guy with a cap on backwards. Didn't look really dark but I thought I was in for a surprise. The rest I couldn't really see since the were head deep into cables and lights. "Emma," Emma's face just turned as bright as the white light at the end of the tunnel. "Come with me, there's a really cool suit I just bought and I need a model's advice," Stu dragged her away fast but not fast enough cos Emma managed to turn around and give me a, 'Oh. Em. Gee!"
I headed over to the back of the bar where the poor boy was now sitting on the stool. "Hey, kid," I said, taking off my sweater and hanging it up. "What's your name?"
"Jeremy," he said, looking tense. Hmm. Jeremy. JM. Nah.
"Hey, Jeremy. I'm Samara but call me Sam. How new are you?"
"Too new. I heard about your killer drinks and I just don't know how to make them. Saw the menu but all my results tasted like blended eggs," he joked.
"Haha. Don't worry! Here I'll show you," I took a glass from the top shelf and got the ingredients ready. "Do you know whose performing tonight? Is it those guys?" I nodded towards Cool Hair and Back Cap.
"Nah, I heard they're part of the band. The main guy's late. Real late. Apparently only gonna show before it starts. He's busy fixing that dude with the cool hair's bongos and strings on his guitar," he explained an explanation a little too detailed.
I narrowed my eyes at Jeremy, "Are you like… a stalker?" and he burst out laughing.
"Sam, you have NO idea," he said a little too convincingly. But whatever. I showed Jeremy step by step how to do my drink, told him to give it a shot and I gave it a taste.
"Almost there. Just when you shake the drink, it's all in the wrist," I winked and watched him take down mental notes. Spent several hours with Jeremy just talking to him and asking him about graduation and shoot like that. Nice boy, a little insecure but filled with a different kind of enthusiasm.
Before we all knew it, it was five to seven thirty and the early birds were hitting the front tables of the club. One thing about this place was that performances were early and then tables would be cleared later for dancing. How do we ship tables back and forth? Easy. Wheels on the feet of the table. Duh. Koki's idea.
The singer of the band still hadn't shown up and Stu was starting to really panic. He jogged to the bar and hit his pals onto the counter, "Sam, the guy isn't here yet. The guests already paid me! And if he doesn't come, we're going to have to serve them free drinks that cost more than the five dollar show price!" Stu panicked. I poured him a shot and he downed it like water.
"Babe, chill. I'm sure he'll be here. His band look pretty laid back. I think they KNOW he's going to be here," I smiled trying to make poor Stu feel better. "Whose the stud anyway?"
"I'm sorry, darling but I'm not really in the mood to make small talk."
"C'mon, I'm helping you calm your nerves. It's either small talk or a barf-a-thon in the toilet after two more free shots," I suggested. "So, tell me. What's the guy's name?'
"Jason Mraz," he mentioned. Jason. Sounded more like the guy last night. Mraz—oh my god. JM. Jason Mraz. Okay, spazz attack. My heart pace was rising. It can't be, I thought. "He's really awesome. Writes his own songs, his own melo--."
"I'M HERE! I'M HERE!" someone burst out into the club.
Stu's face calmed, "Oh, thank God!" he scooted from the bar to the guy holding a pair of bongos and a guitar slung around his body. The entrance was dark and I made a mental note to fix that. The guy came into the light.
Forget racing heartbeats. My heart just stopped completely.


"Hit the stage quick and plug in your guitar, the place is full already!" Stu told Mr. Top Hat to run and he did. He plugged in his acoustic guitar into an amplifier and slung it over his shoulder. Stu made his way back to me.
"Whoa, babe. Why are you looking like that?" Stu asked. I was still holding my breath; I probably turned blue. "Okay, you're not answering. Must be no good. I'll go get Emma for you," he said and rushed.
Blue-eyed blonde appeared in front of me in no time. Go Super Stu. "Babe! BREATHE!" she punched me in the stomach that forced me to gasp for air. "Okay, slowly tell me, what is the matter."
I nodded towards the stage where Jason was tapping on the mike. He shook his head and Stu flew straight to the sound system.
"Dorky. Attractive. But don't see why you lost your breath," Emma analyzed.
"No, no. Don't you know what that guy's name is?"
"Never occurred to me to ask. WHY? Gosh. Stop playing games with me, woman!"
"Jason Mraz."
"Hey! Does the name Jason suit your—Oh. Em. Gee," oh! Light bulb!
"Bingo, motherfracker!" I said. Just then the microphone screeched and Jason started to speak.
"Hello, everyone," oh, the sound of his voice. "This show is rated PG-15, so sir," he nodded to a very young looking man in the corner, "please leave the club," and the place burst in laughter. "Just joking, sir."
"Already so hilarious," Emma whispered, looking back at Jason.
"My name's Jason Mraz and here's a song," he strummed on his guitar, "You know, when you meet someone so different, so intense, so… unusual, your insides just wanna explode. Well, here's a song I wrote quite a while back, haven't performed it in a while, but I had this sudden urge to sing it today. Here's So Unusual." Guitar chords filled in the atmosphere. Deep, dark chords.
"Guy's got skills," Emma.
"Emma, shh!"
"This is the most unusual story of a most unusual girl," he started singing, beats coming in and deep bass lines from a cello entering as well. The sound wasn't loud but I could feel my heart vibrating. Jason had his eyes closed and his lips so close to the mike. So intense.
His voice so sharp but so soothing at the same time. The lyrics made so much sense, "She's so sweet, so discreet, she's exactly what I need not even make believe," just sent shrills down my spine. He seemed like HE was make believe but yet he was so far from it. And that was such a damn advantage.
"Not so you," he finished the song, the flute finished with a little melody, the cello took a long note and the bongos gave a finishing touch. The crowd burst into applause, some shouting out comments for Jason.
Jason performed two more songs, Summer Breeze and a rendition of Melt With You. Both songs just turned my muscles into ice. I am SO lucky that I didn't have to serve any special cocktails during the period of time he was performing.
Jason said, "We're breaking now and I'm gonna hit the bar. Come say hi, drop a request and maybe a drink too, yeah?" he said and I saw the women in the crowd smile intently. He placed his guitar down against a stool on stage and grabbed his cello buddy to hit the bar.
I fell to the floor to hide behind the counter. Jeremy looked at me weirdly and I mouthed to the dimwit, "Just go!"
I heard the stool on the other side of the wooden bar move and clutched my heart. The anxiety was building up so quickly, I thought I was going to pass out. I slid open the cupboard closest to me and pulled out a bottle to take a swig of. Didn't care what it was; I just needed something to calm my nerves. I mean, dude, I was JUST obsessing over this guy last night.
And then I remembered. I remembered that look that he gave me that made me so sure he'd find me. But I think this was just a goddamn coincidence. He's probably a God or something. Talent, genius lyrics, attractive, sexy, and a psycho psychic!
"Jason! Look! PEANUTS!" Cello Guy exclaimed a little too excitingly.
"Ian Sheridan scores again!" I heard them crunch on some peanuts.
Jeremy leaned on the counter, "What will you have, Mr. Mraz?" he asked.
Please ask for a beer, please ask for a beer, please ask for a beer, my head chanted, since a beer was the only thing Jeremy prepared that night. "Nicest drink you have here," I just KNEW he was going to say that.
"Oh, for that, you're gonna need the creator to make it for you," Dimwit said. GRH! "Sam?" he gestured.
Oh, thanks a lot, Jeremy. What am I going to say? What if I spazz so much that he doesn't like me? I mean, first he was just a dorky attractive guy but now he's a dorky, talented, sexy, future telling, attractive genius! I pulled my red hair out of my face and got ready to face the Jason.
He was peeping over the counter when I got up to face him. I thought, if he doesn't remember me, my world is going to drown in humiliation.
But my world didn't end. Hell, I think a whole new world just started.

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