Page 102 - Student: dazed And Confused

S o , there we were. At this big concert hall, backstage eating the fastfood they
brought us. There was a keyboard in the corner where Jake could rehearse his pieces
before he went out. At that moment, it was more of a rack for his clothes than anything. I
had a mouthful of burger when he turned to me.
"Bring me a groupie."
"Okay. But you need to decide what to play tonight."
"What do you reckon I should play?" He looked at the keyboard.
"Why did you pick the piano? I mean, most boys would pick the guitar or drums,
anything loud. Why not you?"
"I like the piano. It's different innit? I mean, th is, you can play anything you want

and you'll never forget it." To prove the point, he brushed his clothes aside and switched
the keyboard on. If those clothes got dirty or ripped, he'd have to go on stage in his jeans
and denim jacket. Not the Smile stage outfits of old but it probably would work. Everything
worked for him. "I'm playing one of my new ones."
"I thought you hadn't finished anything yet."
"I haven't," he shrugged. The most beautiful music started to come from the
keyboard. How he could come up with something th at, wow ! is anyone's guess. Especially
when he barely touches his own piano. "This is a beautiful instrument. You can bang the
keys until they're all to cock or you can brush the keys so lightly it barely feels you. But, and

this is the important bit," he waggled a finger at me. "It'll always love you, always produce
for you."
There was a knock at the door. I jumped and spilled my pint in the process; Jake
hardly reacted at all. It was as if he'd been expecting it. When the door opened, I sort of
thought he had. There was a girl, a young lady really, probably in her twenties. She was
carrying a spiral notebook which said AUTOGRAPHS on the front and a digital camera
around her neck.
"Well well, well. Hi there."
"Mr Smile? Jake? I'm sorry to interrupt but when I heard you were here,"
A fan. A young, female fan who must have been all of about seven when he was big.

Jake was leaning over the keyboard, practically foaming at the mouth to 'put her at ease.'
"You had your first number one on the day I was born." Nineteen, then. I clocked a
jewelled ring (engagement, looked like) when she came in. Nineteen seemed awful young
to get married. I don't think Jake had too much of a moral dilemma at potentially wrecking
it for her. "I'm Fay, by the way."
"Fay by the way? Do you write poetry?"
She laughed and put her book and camera down next to me. The fake Smile smile
has faded away and he has replaced it with the wide smile that tells me he's got her just
where he wants her. "I've loved your music since then. My mother raised me right." She

grinned back at him.
My watch said half-past eight and he was due on stage around nine. Damned if I was
gonna leave him now. Jake grinned at the kid, one of those smile that make most women