2. Broken Record 🔢

This was starting to feel like a bad idea, but I couldn't move as I stood at the open doors.

"Are you here to audition?" A woman sat at a table covered with papers.

I slowly nodded my head.

"Come on in and sign this sheet."

I took a deep breath and followed her directions. My shaky right hand made it difficult to write.

"You are number 77." She handed me a sheet of paper. "Go ahead and have a seat near the front row. When your number is called, go on stage and perform."

I quickly asked, "How long will this take?"

"Not long. I believe they're on number 70, right now," the woman answered.

"Where's the restroom?" I asked her.

She pointed over her shoulder. "Just around the corner."

I made a dash for the restroom as my thoughts went ran wild. I don't have to do this. I can go back home and write a song about it. Yes, that sounds like the best thing to do. Five minutes later, I walked out the restroom and ran into Larry.

"Ay, Jamie!"

Here we go.

Larry asked me, "Have you auditioned, yet?"

"I just got here." I began to walk to the auditorium.

"You got this, girl!"

Why does he have to be so loud?

I walked inside the auditorium full of people. It made me very uneasy. Some people wore headsets. Some people wore numbers on their chests. I walked towards the stage and took a seat on the second row. There were people on the stage laughing. The performer must've been a comedian. Four judges sat behind a table. They stood up and applauded the performer.

"Number 75!" A man standing at the steps of the stage called out.

A woman nearly ran into him. "My name is Tammie Dodger. I know I'm going to be on the show."

I turned around to see a few people sitting behind me.

"Are you nervous?"

I quickly looked ahead to see a man sitting on the row in front of me.

He said, "It's gonna go by fast. Like three minutes at the most."

"Have you already auditioned?" I asked him.

He narrowed his eyes at me. "This is my show."

I arched my brow.

He smiled, "I created it."

I politely smiled back.

"You don't know who I am, do you?" He asked me.

"Number 76!" The man by the stage called the next number.

I looked down at my number. This was going by too fast.

"I'm Zeke Rivers. Zell's son? The Rivers Brothers? None of that sounds familiar to you?" He asked me, "What's your talent?"

"Singing."

Zeke said, "When you get up there, don't think about anything else but the emotion you want to portray. Got it?"

"Okay."

Zeke fumbled with something before handing me a business card. "Keep in touch." He got up from his seat and walked out the auditorium.

I looked at the card and almost dropped it. What's wrong with my ears? That was Zell Rivers' son. The Rivers Brothers were a huge band in the 60s and 70s. My parents played their music throughout my childhood. There were five members of The Rivers Brothers. Two of them went solo, but Zell's career skyrocketed. Zachary "Rival" Rivers, his first son, became a rapper. He was very popular in the 90s. Zeke Rivers was known as the famous kid who hung around celebrities in the early 2000s. I remember seeing him on TV at award shows, concerts, in music videos, and magazines. At that time, I was a teenager and extremely invested in boy bands. I had crushes on mostly all of the teen heartthrobs. The thing is Zeke isn't a kid anymore. He's a grown man with grown man features. I cannot believe Zeke Rivers was just talking to me. I looked at the business card to see an email and two phone numbers. I'm pretty sure none of those were his personal contact.

"Number 77!"

I immediately stood up and nervously walked over to the man by the stage.

"Stand on the white tape. Wait for the judges to speak. They'll tell you when to start."

I nodded my head as I walked up the steps. My eyes landed on the white tape. My feet seemed to run to it, but my mind said I was walking too slow. I faced the judges. On the far right was Zell Rivers. Next to him was a woman that I'm sure was on a show similar to this years ago. Her name plate read Vanessa Jane. Next to her was a comedian that I recall seeing on SNL. His name plate read Tommy Biggs. Finally, the woman on the far left spoke to me. Her name was Kwatina Lafaye.

"You look like a dancer," Kwatina pointed at me.

"She does," Vanessa agreed.

"Hello. What's your name, and where are you from?" Kwatina asked me.

I cleared my throat. "Hi. My name is Jamie Sawyer. I'm from East Grove. Lived here all my life."

Tommy asked me, "What's your talent?"

"Dancing," Kwatina joked.

Tommy laughed, "No. She looks more like a student-teacher, because her face says 16, but her clothes say 38."

All the judges laughed.

My neck began to twitch. I shook my hands, trying to relax.

"Jamie, what's your talent?" Vanessa asked me.

"Umm, I'm going to sing a song. It's, uh, Brandy's 'Almost Doesn't Count.'"

"Whenever your ready," Zell told me.

I took a deep breath before humming. "Almost made you love me... Almost made you cry..." At first, I was tense. Then, I got into the meaning of the lyrics. I was at the bridge of the song when I realized that I was still singing. I kept going until the last word.

All the judges applauded me.

"That's how you sing a Brandy song!" Tommy exclaimed.

"That was spectacular. Your voice is like a beautiful songbird," Vanessa complemented me.

"Agreed!" Kwatina continued, "If you know how to dance, then you're ready to perform in front of a crowd. I would definitely like to see more of you, Miss Jamie."

"You have the IT-Factor, young lady," Zell told me.

Was this real? It was all good feedback. "My parents played your music all the time when I was a kid." I can't believe that's what came out of my mouth.

"That's why she sounds like that." Tommy looked at Zell.

Zell said, "Tell your parents they did a wonderful job in raising you."

"Thank you. I will." I smiled at him.

"Congratulations, Jamie. We'll see you, again," Vanessa smiled at me.

"And don't forget your dancing shoes!" Kwatina winked at me.

I giggled, "Thank you. Thank you so much." My heart was about to explode out of my chest.

Then, a woman wearing a headset stood next to me. "Follow me, Number 77." We went backstage where several people were working. "Please go out those doors, and you'll be told where to go next."

"Okay." I walked out the doors and down a few steps. A man stood at a podium. "Jamie Sawyer, Number 77. Correct?"

"Yes."

"Your audition was recorded. You will get a cash payment. Please sign here that you accept the payment." He pointed at the tablet.

I signed with my finger. He gave me an envelope and directed me back to the front where the woman at the table sat. I walked over to her and asked, "I just auditioned. Where do I go, now?"

"Did they tell you to come back?"

"The judges said they'd see me again."

The woman shook her head. "It doesn't matter what the judges say. The producers make the decisions. If you didn't get a day or time on when to come back, then you were not selected."

I don't like her attitude. Or did I not like what she said? "But they recorded my audition, and they paid me for it." I showed her the envelope.

"It's a new show. Try next season, if it gets one."

I knew it! I knew this would happen. I knew this would happen to me. I turned on my heels and walked out the building. I jogged to my car and got in the driver's seat. After all these years, I finally took a risk. I put myself out there even though it made me uncomfortable. I guess I'm not as good as I thought I was. Maybe, dreams are just that - dreams. If I stayed in school, I would've had a degree. I wouldn't even be here. I would be rich and happy.

I opened the envelope and pulled out $200. Wow. I just got half of what I make in a week, in five minutes. There was something else inside the envelope. I took out a piece of paper. I unfolded and read it.

You can really sing. Don't give up. Text your number to (222) 414-8603

- Zeke