You Asked for Perfect(28)

“Yeah, need help?” I ask.

“I’m good. Thank you, though!” Rasha is wearing nice jeans and a blazer. She looks like a producer. “We’ll be ready soon. Sook, I’m not sure of our exact audience size, but we have the most downloads of any campus podcast. And we’re in the top hundred for the Atlanta area.”

Sook draws her pen down the page. “And you’ll link to our social media pages in the show notes, right? Oh! And does your Twitter post when a new episode is up? Will you tag the handle for our band? Crap, I need to update our page.” She scribbles something down. “And how much of an increase in web traffic do your guests experience?”

Rasha gives us an is-she-for-real look, and I shake my head and grin. Sook, oblivious, flips a page in her notebook and keeps writing. “I’m really not in charge of that stuff,” Rasha answers. “I can put you in touch with someone on the business side if you want.”

Sook already has out her phone. “Fantastic. What’s their number?”

I bite back a laugh. Malka snorts.

“Okay,” Rasha says. “We’re all set up! Sook, I’ll get you that information afterward. Ariel, if it’s all right with you, I’d love to interview Malka and Sook first, and then we’ll bring you in at the end.”

“You don’t have to,” I say. “We haven’t even had a practice together yet.”

“We’ll only do a few minutes,” Rasha replies. “That okay?”

I shrug. “Sure.” I guess it’ll make my “music career” searchable if I decide to write about Dizzy Daisies for my essay.

The girls settle around the circular table with the microphone in the middle. I ease back, leaning on my hands. Rasha counts them down and begins, welcoming everyone to the show. Her recording voice is slightly different, richer, and she takes time with pronunciation, giving space to each syllable.

She eases in with basic questions. When the band started—seventh grade. Where they practice—Sook’s basement. What instruments they play—Malka guitar and Sook vocals, keys, drums, and whatever synthesized sounds they want.

But as the questions become more complex, I notice Sook tense up. She spins a gold ring on her index finger and takes long pauses before answering, like each word has to be perfect.

Malka keeps the flow better. Her conversation with Rasha sounds natural, like they’re hanging out. They go back and forth for a few minutes about what brought Malka to the band in the first place. And then Rasha asks, “Malka, did you think about leaving the band when you graduated from high school?”

“No,” Malka answers. “The commute can be tough, but I love Sook. She’s talented and knows what she wants. Sook is going places, and at least for now, I want to tag along.”

Sook blinks, like it takes a second to comprehend the compliment. It seems to unwind some of that tension she’s holding. She leans over and kisses Malka on the cheek, then says, “Malka forgot to mention she’s also incredibly talented. I’m lucky she stayed with me, and I feel confident we can go far together. If we dedicate ourselves and keep at it, we’ll make it.”

The conversation relaxes again, as they tell a story of their first gig, which was a total nightmare and somehow involved a clown. Laughing, I glance up at the window, expecting to find Lois glaring at us, but instead, my eyes lock with Amir. He smiles and gives a little wave.

I mouth hi, then feel ridiculous.

Amir’s gaze switches to the girls. It seems like he’s listening to them record. Maybe there’s a speaker outside this room. I wonder what he’s doing here. Visiting his sister?

Rasha calls to get my attention, “Ariel, come join us.” I jolt, then clear my throat and stand, suddenly nervous. I walk over and join them at the table.

“Ariel is also a high school senior,” she says into the mic. “He’s joining this duo to play violin for some of their songs. Ariel, what drew you to Dizzy Daisies?”

My mind goes blank. I don’t know the answer. I’m not prepared. But then I feel a hand on mine, and I meet Sook’s gaze. It’s warm and familiar and seems to say: You’ve got this.

I breathe out. “Um, I’m really good friends with Sook and Malka, and they needed a violinist, so it was a perfect fit. And I’m really, um, passionate about music.”

“Who are some of your influences?” Rasha asks.

I shift in my seat. “I grew up listening to classic rock and jam bands, and I guess that’s still my favorite sound.” I pause, thinking of all the music I appreciate. “But some of the orchestral pieces I play are great also. I guess a lot of instrumental stuff, which works well because Sook is a great composer.” She beams at me as I continue. “It’s like she has five instruments going in her head at once. It’s kind of awesome.”

The rest of the segment flies by. Rasha wraps, and then we’re all standing and shaking hands with each other. Rasha waves in Amir.

“Great job,” he says.

Sook twists her hands together. “So it sounded okay?”

“It sounded fantastic!”

“Hey, little brother,” Rasha says, which is funny since he has almost six inches on her.

They hug, and then Amir steps back to stand beside her. “It’ll be a great episode. Some of the people on here are so boring, it’s painful.”