The High Notes: A Novel(19)

“Sure.” They had sailed through the rehearsal in record time. “Do you have it with you?” he asked her, and she pulled the sheet music out of her bag for the band, and she handed him a sheet with the lyrics added. He read through it carefully. He had taught himself to read music as a kid, as she had. And she had honed her skills at the school she went to in Austin, when she took music classes for the only time in her life. Boy was impressed when he read the music, and nodded. The boys in the band played the chords and then started playing, and Boy sang it, reading the lyrics. Iris knew them by heart, and their delivery was flawless. He was grinning broadly when the song ended.

“Damn, you’re good. I love it.” It said everything he felt about loving a woman, and everything Iris thought love should be and had never experienced. “You got another one?” She nodded. She had brought two, just in case they had time, and the second one was even better, lighter in mood. He loved the melody, and she let her voice fly on that one, with gospel-quality high notes.

There was silence in the room when they finished, and then the waitresses who had come in and the bartender applauded.

“You guys are fantastic!” he shouted. They were thrilled with their rehearsal, and left the restaurant as the first lunch customers started to come in. Boy was on a high from singing with her, and how exhilarating it had been for both of them. What she wrote and composed was beautiful, and he was sure that if she ever got them on an album, they’d be a huge hit.

They were standing outside the Elk, when Annie looked at her as though trying to remember something. “I heard a girl in concert once, in Oklahoma, who had a voice like you. I never heard anyone else ever hit the high notes like that. I never forgot it. I always wanted to sing like that, but I can’t get to those registers. My voice is too low,” she said, still remembering. “Her name was Iris Cooper. She looked like an angel standing onstage and had a voice like one. She had white blond hair, and those high notes,” and as she said it she stared at Iris as though she’d seen a ghost. “Oh my God…Iris…that was you, wasn’t it? Your hair is different…but that voice…Was that you?” Iris was about to deny it, and then decided not to. She liked them, and wanted to be honest with them. And they weren’t going to tell anyone. They felt like friends now. Their music was their bond.

“It probably was. That’s my name.”

“And the voice,” Annie said, in awe of her. “You’re not really a blonde?”

“My hair’s a little lighter than Boy’s. It was almost white when I was a kid. I dyed it a few days ago, kind of an experiment.”

“I think I liked it better blond,” Annie said and Iris laughed.

“Yeah, me too.” She didn’t explain that she was on the run from her manager and her contract, and didn’t want any of his scouts spotting her if she did a gig like this one. Glen had scouts all over the country, in smaller towns than this, looking for new talent. “I’ll let it grow back blond in a while,” she said.

Annie and Sean went back to the house where they were staying then, and Joe went to buy groceries and get lunch.

“Want to go for a walk?” Boy asked Iris, and she nodded. He knew a pretty walking trail, and they set out together in silence at first. Then he looked down at her. “So what’s the real story?” he asked her. “What are you running away from? A bad boyfriend? A husband?” He was curious about her, and she had an incredible voice. He loved singing with her, and couldn’t wait to do the duets with her that night. They were going to do her two songs too, which Iris was excited about.

“Nothing that romantic,” she said, as they sat down on a big rock for a few minutes. “I’m under contract to a rotten manager. I’ve been touring for four years and I have a year left in my contract. I couldn’t take it anymore. He’s an abusive son of a bitch, and he shows up during the tour to berate everyone, grind them down, humiliate them. He slapped one of the featured singers a few days ago. I figured I’d be next. He hates me. Hates us all. So I walked out, bought an old car, and hit the road. I have no idea where the hell I’m going. I’ve got the name of someone to see in New York, who probably won’t even see me. I’m just floating for now. But I figure if he finds me, he’ll force me to come back, or threaten me, or have someone beat me up. I think he’s capable of it. So I’m hiding. He’s been calling and texting, but I haven’t answered.”

Boy looked angry. “I won’t let that happen,” he said with a murderous look in his eyes. “No one’s going to lay a hand on you if I’m around.” He acted as though he’d known her forever and would protect her, and she got the feeling he might. He was that kind of guy. He didn’t look as though he was afraid of anyone, and seemed like he could take care of himself. “You don’t have to go back to him, Iris. What could he do to you now?”

“He always says he’ll see to it that we’ll never get another job if we leave, and he’ll get us blackballed, or he’ll sue us and garnishee our wages, till we earn out the contract. He’s a bad guy. He probably would do all of those things. He’s got scouts all over the country, which is why I dyed my hair.”

“You can play with us if you want. I can pay you in cash,” he said. “You can stay with us too. There’s room in the little house we rented. I can sleep on the couch. We’ll be here for a few more weeks. I’m not sure where we’ll go from here. Eventually back to Nashville. You could get a really good job there. You do great with country.”