Synchronicity: We and Her

Chapter 4: An Energetic Kind of Country Music

We then instruct her…

“Now you’ll witness how Brave Ad 65 does country music, so sit back and relax. And by the way, one of the waitresses will deliver you food ASAP.”

Aurora acquiesces, “That’s good. My tummy just grumbled.”

Leigh asks her, “You have a fast metabolism or something?”

“Kind of. Even when I get full, I get those grumblings just one hour later.”

Different people have different digestive systems, I guess.

I finalize, “Alright then. The show’s about to start in ten minutes, so hold on tight.”

“Yes!”

Leigh and I are now at the backstage.

Since we don’t want our voices to get all hoarse, we just stay silent and breathe deeply as the clock ticks down to 8 pm, the time where the bar formally opens and customers are allowed to get inside.

Even from this specific spot, we can still get a glimpse of Aurora, who is just tapping her fingers on the table.

Her face is an equal mixture of excitement and anxiety, but that’s because she most likely hasn’t listened to country music before.

The place itself is suitably designed for a country-themed bar.

Every piece of furniture, whether dining tables or bar stools, is made from reclaimed wood and finished to make them look like they’re all weathered from the elements.

Posters depicting notable names in the country music genre such as Johnny Cash are framed, decorating the ocher-painted walls.

Guitars of all kinds are also displayed on the walls, fastened by special mounts that keep their integrity.

It also helps that the basic design of this entire bar is made with the assistance of a well-known interior designer here in Atlanta, and is made to endure for years, which will save money on costly renovations.

Alright. Five minutes left before 8.

Since we’re both adept in the art of the guitar, Leigh and I do some mandatory fine tuning to ensure we hit the right notes.

Five…

Four…

Three…

Two…

One…

And Mushy Baby’s Drift is now open for business once more!

Leigh and I both flock to the stage as patrons start flowing in.

We can both feel some slight stage fright, but that kind of fright goes away after just a few seconds, as we can both see Aurora’s glowing face.

We just simply don’t want to let her down.

As we have our set list ready, which is an eclectic mix of originals and covers, we muster up our courage as we both strum our guitars.

No less than the owner himself, Zach, comes in front of the stage to deliver the following message.

“Good evening, everyone. First of all, if you’re not caught up with the news yet, our distinguished in-house musicians, Frederick Keith Nighy and Leigh Ann Kimble, saved this girl named Aurora Hart from being hit by a truck last night, after they have both wrapped up their performance.

“And right now, she’s sitting in the center-most table in front of the stage, fortunate that she was given a second chance in life. So… everyone, please give a warm round of applause for Aurora Hart!”

A massive show of approval courtesy of the patrons’ and employees’ hands fills the entire bar.

“Now then, let’s get on with the show. Let’s give it up for Brave Ad 65!”

As Zack leaves the stage, we get ourselves ready to rock, with our first song on our set list, an original song titled “Zero-Gravity Love”.

“Five, four, three, two, one, Zero-G Love!”

We then do some energetic strumming on our guitars, because our opening act should be as energetic as ever, considering who’s the special guest tonight.

And it’s on to our first stanza, which is all about giving someone much-needed energy to get through the day without sacrificing one’s own.

***

Tee-hee. Doesn’t this just beat all?

Yeah, I mean that, in an honest-to-goodness, non-ironic way.

The positive energy that is packed into their song… how should I describe this… it’s infectious.

Even in the first few seconds, I can feel that energy instantly flowing into me.

And judging from the patrons who sit around me, who are all most likely tired from yet another work day, I can sense in their faces the effects of the positive energy seeping into their adult and middle-aged bodies.

To be honest, I never listened to country before.

But I can sense the influence of J-pop in their song – simply because I’ve stumbled upon some J-pop music myself beforehand.

One of my old classmates is a huge fan of a certain popular Japanese idol super-group with the three letters and the two numbers.

That nostalgia I feel… makes my heart skip a beat.

Isn’t this...

No. Not yet.

I should listen to this song, until the very end.

***

“And since love makes the world go round

“What you have lost will certainly be found!”

With those two lines, “Zero-Gravity Love” comes to a close.

Another round of applause follows before we move on with the second song on our set list, which is a country-styled cover of a well-known power metal song.

And yes, we have trained our hands for this, as we’ve watched tutorials from the power metal band’s guitarist himself, who’s honestly several levels above us in terms of skill.

We just didn’t want to disappoint him, to be honest.

***

“Miss Aurora, here’s your appetizer! Spiced fish and chips!”

Oh, it’s Simone, one of the waitresses.

“Thank you.”

“Enjoy!”

As she leaves to attend to the other customers, I find myself staring at the plate before me.

Yes, I still remember the moment where I ate those insanely hot Korean instant noodles… and I only got away with just a burned tongue. No hemorrhoids, thank goodness.

But these air-fried pieces of potatoes and breaded salmon drizzled in crimson… they could be on another level of spicy.

And thus, I muster up my courage.

Crunch.

Oh.

It’s… less spicy.

And the spice used… no doubt, it’s sriracha powder.

I’ve had my fair share of sriracha sauce before, so I got used to its hotness.

In just three minutes, there’s nothing left on the plate. Not even the accompanying mayo dip.

While waiting for the next dish in this hopefully full course, I’m listening to this… unusual country cover of a metal song.

Well, musicians of all sorts are remixing other songs in other styles, so that’s that.

I just find myself bopping my head to the unusually fast-paced beat.

I can also feel some people aiming their stares at me.

But I never mind them, as I fully know Fred and Leigh are having a good time, and that alone makes me happy.

Once Fred and Leigh go backstage for some rest, Simone comes back with the main dish in tow.

“Here’s one of our specialty dishes: Curry-style seafood gumbo with Hungarian sausage, served with a cup of rice. Enjoy!”

To be honest, I admit I’ve never eaten even a morsel of Cajun cuisine my entire life.

Even though Georgia and Louisiana are more than ten hours away from each other by car, one can just access recipes easily with just a tap of their smartphone nowadays.

Furthermore, my family cannot afford many luxuries.

But now, right here in this country bar, I can experience different tastes from different parts of the country… and from the entire world.

Ah.

This one just has the right amount of spices.

Not too spicy, not too bland.

And the sauce just blends well with the shrimp and the other ingredients.

I happily continue with the main dish as Fred and Leigh are back on stage.

Fred declares to everyone in attendance, “This next song is dedicated to anyone who’s of Hungarian heritage.”

Leigh follows, “We were initially overwhelmed by this request by the vocal Hungarian community here in Atlanta, but we had to eventually give in and do the song justice, including the Hungarian lyrics. So, without further ado… here’s our next song…”

I really don’t make sense of the Hungarian lyrics, but to be fair…

...the song is really catchy.

And their take on the song coming from an ocean away really does it justice.

I just happily finish the dish as the song goes on.

The rest of the night is a true eye-opener.

I, whose own world was just my old home, my old family, and my old immediate neighborhood…

...experienced for the first time acquiring and holding a key Fred and Leigh gave me…

...to expand the far reaches of my own world…

...which now includes their apartment and this country bar.

And thus, I fully regretted deciding to take my own life in the first place.

I thought no one would give me the opportunity to live the life I’ve wanted…

...until they came into the picture.

If we’re all asked the question “How many of us would it take to screw a light bulb?”, the definite answer is all three of us.

Because… for the very first time…

...we can all feel the element of synchronicity binding us all.

Our first night as a group of three… is just the beginning.