Page 39 of Justice for Daesha

After opening with a Wham! song, she went through introductions similar to what she’d done the night before. As soon as that was done, they launched into Madonna’s “Just Like a Prayer,” and they were off and running. Oddly, Amos thought the bar patrons were enjoying those songs as much as they had the rock the night before, probably because she sounded so damn good. Jack leaned over and yelled in Amos’s ear, “Holy shit, she’s amazing!”

“Yeah, she is. You should’ve heard them last night. It was incredible.” Amos sat there, nodding along in time with the song. Watching her up there was like watching a big show in a large stadium. She gave it every bit as much energy, if not more, than some of the big artists. And she looked cute too, in her plaid dress over leggings, some kind of little lacy pullover thing over the dress’s bodice and ankle-high combat-style boots with leggings. The thought drifted through his head,That woman loves me. God, that was something he’d never had before, and it was so comforting.

When they took their second break at about eleven, Jack and Aleta announced that they had to go home because he had to be at work the next afternoon. Goodbyes said, Amos settled back in to watch the rest of the show. The patrons were behaving and everybody was having a good time. Even the bartender told him how well things were going and that they were hoping to book the LimestoneLegends again soon.

“Okay, y’all, you’ve been a great audience, but it’s time for us to go. We’re gonna leave you with this one. Thanks for coming out tonight, drive safely, and tell the bartender you want us to come back.” Daesha slipped the mic into the stand and Amos checked his watch?one o’clock. yeah, time to wrap it up. Their last song was R.E.M.’s “Shiny Happy People.” He knew it was weird, but he’d always loved that song, and everybody in the bar seemed to know it. Closing his eyes, he let the music and her voice wash over him, soak into his pores, and sink into his chest. If only the world worked as that song suggested…

It hit him like a wrecking ball, and his eyes flew open. He stared at the logo on the drum kit.Holy shit, his brain whispered, afraid to even think it, but it was as plain as the nose on his face. As soon as the set was over, he moved toward the stage, wondering how to approach what he had to do.Play it cool, he told himself. “Hey, babe, that was great!”

Daesha smiled. “I’m glad you liked it. I wish Jack and Aleta could’ve stayed a little while longer, but I bet they come again sometime.”

Amos gave her a warm smile. “I think they will. He said they really had fun and he wants to do it again.”

“Great! I’ll only be a few minutes. Need to help with some of this stuff.”

Amos offered to help them, seeing as how they had to move everything out that evening. He had a stroke of good luck when Marcus asked, “Hey, Amos, could you help me carry my drum kit out?”

“Sure! No problem.”

Marcus handed him one of the snares and then grabbed the other. “Out this way.”

Amos followed him to his van and helped him pack the two snares in their respective cases. “Hey, this is a beautiful drum kit.”

“Thanks, man! And you can thank your girlfriend for that.”

Amos’s brow furrowed. “What do you mean?”

“I lost my drum kit in a fire, and I damn sure couldn’t afford another one. I was struggling just to find a place to live. Daesha showed up with this one. Said she got it for free because she knows the guy who owns the factory.”

“Yeah, Kelso? Never heard of it before.”

“Oh, man, it’s because they’re so exclusive! Not just anybody can afford a kit from KelsoCustom Percussion. And they’re right here in state too!”

“Impressive,” Amos said as they headed back inside for the rest of the pieces. “And beautiful wood too.”

“They use the same grade of wood that luthiers use on guitars, so it’s top quality. And all the brass fittings instead of chrome, plus the gilt logo on the front? Kelso drums are a status symbol. They’re classy.”

“They sure are.” Everything from the snares to the high hats were Kelso, the brass cymbals stamped with the same design that was on the front of the bass.

By the time they were finished moving and packing away the drums, Daesha had finished helping out and gone to the restroom. She showed up in just a minute, gripped Amos’s arm, and smiled up at him. “Ready to go?”

“Yep. Night, guys,” Amos called out to the rest of the band members. A chorus of goodbyes filled the bar as they stepped out onto the street and walked toward the parking lot where his Jeep was.

He had the blanket waiting for her again, and she wrapped up in it before she ever even got into the car. After he’d pulled out onto the street and was headed for the interstate, he decided he’d try poking around a bit. “I was talking to Marcus and he said you got him that drum kit for free.”

“I lied. It wasn’t free, but it didn’t cost much. Chance wanted me to come and pick it up, but I asked him to ship it instead, so I had to pay the shipping costs. I mean, he was giving me the drums. It was the least I could do.”

“Chance?”

Daesha nodded. “Yeah. ChanceKelso. KelsoCustom Percussion.”

“Somebody you know?”

“We grew up together. Well, sorta. He was closer to Dorinda’s age.” That was an interesting piece of information. “We’ve been friends our whole lives, and our parents are friends.”

“Wow. That was really generous of him.”

She smiled. “He’s always been supportive of my dreams.”

---