Time went by, the holidays passed and 2008 turned to 2009. It was now the middle of February, and as I was leaving an early shift at the Gamestop and Shop I already had my bass with me as I was heading straight to Siren’s for another band practice. We tried our best to get together to practice at least once a week. With four different schedules and each member coming from a different place getting us all together took some balancing, but so far we’ve been able to make it work.

After a few hours of rocking we decided to call it for the day, but not before Siren proposed an idea that I think she had been mulling over for the past few weeks.

“So,” she said with a bit of hesitation. “Do you think we’re ready to try and play some shows?” I didn’t answer her right away, but I had given the subject some thought. I knew this would come up eventually. Again as much as I didn’t want to I thought of how things went with Valefor. Sure we were all just in high school, but we were together for years before we played our first show. Instead of answering her I looked to Billy and shrugged, passing the buck to him.

“Well,” began Billy. “I think I can get us a gig at the place my band I was in during college played at. I know we’re ready to play there.”

“And where is that?” asked Lil’ D.

“The Prudential Center,” Billy said slyly.”

“What?” I said in disbelief. “Lies!”

“No, no,” replied Billy. “Just come over here next week like always, and you’ll see.” I decided to give him the benefit of the doubt, but I knew there just had to be some trick about this.

And indeed there was a trick. We got of the T at the Prudential Center stop, which was an ordeal in itself moving all our stuff on the subway. Lil’ D was the first off the train and made her way to the escalator up to the street, but was stopped when Billy called at her.

“Where you going D? We’re playing over here,” called Billy. I figured this was going to happen.

“But you said you played at the Prudential Center,” replied Lil’ D after running halfway down the moving escalator.

“I did,” said Billy pointing at the giant map of the subway system hanging on the wall. “See, says Prudential Center right there.”

“Well I figured something like that was going to happen,” said Siren. “But are we really going to play here?”

“Sure we are,” said Billy. “Think about it, if we can get people busily getting off the subway to stop and listen to us we have a better chance of getting people actually paying to see us play.”

“You my have a point there,” I said.

“Yeah, and we can still earn a little money out of this,” added Billy as he turned his now open guitar case towards the stream of ever passing people. “An open guitar case, the international sign of, tip please.”

A few hours passed and even though I could tell the girls were skeptical at first Billy’s idea didn’t go so bad. We didn’t lose any practice, we were just doing what we would be if we were at Siren’s apartment, and we were being seen. Most people just walked by us as they left the train, but some people stuck around and listened for a song or two, and some of them tossed us a dollar, or some spare change our way, in fact by the time we were done we had made over fifty bucks. It’s nothing compared to what we would have made at the pub, but afterwards back at Siren’s apartment it was more than enough to a few pizzas from Brookline Spa. And I know what most of you are thinking. Pizza’s from a spa, Ryle you crazy, but everyone from Brookline knows what I’m talking about.

“So that worked out pretty well,” I said taking another slice of pepperoni pizza.

“Yeah maybe we should do this every once in a while,” suggested Lil’ D.

“Just not too often,” said Siren. “Guitars are one thing, but lugging drums around on the subway is kind of a pain.”

“Don’t suppose we can hire a roadie with what we have left over?” asked Lil’ D.

“I don’t think so,” I said. “Not unless we can pay them in pizza.”

“Well I’d hate to eat and run,” said Billy looking at the time. “But I should be heading home.”

“Me too,” seconded Lil’ D. “I have homework I should be doing.”

“That’s right, you’re still in high school,” said Billy. “Sometimes I forget that.”

“Well only for the next three and a half months,” explained Lil’ D. “Then I can start concentrating on the band full time. That’s what you did when you graduated, Right Ryle?”

“More or less, yeah that what happened.” I said.

“Well you should go and do that homework then,” suggested Siren. “So you do graduate.”

“Yes mom,” Lil’ D said mockingly as she put on her coat.

“I’ll make sure she gets home,” added Billy putting on his coat as well. “So you don’t have to worry about it.”

“Okay, thanks,” said Siren. We then exchanged our goodbyes and the door closed behind them leaving just Siren and I.

So,” I said after a few minutes of just sitting on the couch. “What do we do now?”

“Well,” Siren said with a pause. “We could make out.” Siren and I both began laughing at her obvious joke, but wait, hey maybe she’s not joking.

“No, wait. Really?” I asked.

“No,” answered Siren. “But I do have something to ask you.”

“What’s up?” I asked, having no idea what she had on her mind.

“Well, having everyone coming here each week for practice is great and all, but you have to admit it’s kind of small, I mean there’s just enough room for the drums here in the corner of the living room.”

“It is a bit small,” I agreed.

“Well in June, when Diane graduates I was planning on moving into one of the larger two bedroom apartments in the building, mom and dad said they’d pay for Diane’s half of the rent as long as she goes to one the colleges around here.”

“That’s a pretty good deal,” I said.

“Yeah I know, and the living rooms in those apartments are huge compared to this place, but that’s not really what I wanted to talk to you about.”

“Okay then,” I said.

“Well instead of waiting until June I could just transfer my lease now to larger apartment and move in next week, but I can’t afford to do that by myself. So what I was wondering if maybe you’d want to move in?”

“Oh,” was all I could say.

“I mean I’ve been to your place, it’s tiny, and I know you said you don’t have an actual lease, but just pay month to month, and lugging your amp over her every time you come over must be tiring, and the best part is even though it’s a bigger place it’s cheaper than what the two of us are paying for rent right now. I figured this would be perfect for you, plus you are over here at least twice a week to just hang out.”

“You make a good argument,” I said. “Every point a good one, every one true.”

“So will you move in then?” she asked.

“Sure why the hell not.”

So I was moving yet again, the process didn’t take to long, in fact it was simpler than Siren though it would be. There just happened to be one of the big two bedroom apartments vacant and the landlord was allowing us to move in now. So Siren and I both pulled some strings and managed to get the next few days off and we began to migrate to our new place. Aided by a van we borrowed from a friend we spent the first day clearing out my apartment. I didn’t have much to move, I just left my bass and amp at Siren’s apartment, so the most important things to me at least were already taken care of. The futon that played double duty as both my couch and bed we just tossed in the trash, no doubt to be picked up by some passing dumpster diver. I ordered a new bed that had already been delivered, so with large furniture not wasting space in the van we were able to fill in with my bureau filled with my clothes, a small table, my television, other electronics and other various knick knacks, when all was said and done we got everything done in a single trip.

“This van’s pretty convenient.” said Siren as we drove off to our new place after bidding my old one adieu.

“Yeah it is,” I said in agreement. “Next best thing to having a roadie. Having a van of my own definitely would have come in handy back in the day.”

“It certainly would make playing shows easier,” said Siren. “Maybe we should see about getting one ourselves.”

“Well we still have about thirty bucks in band funds after ordering those pizza’s the other night, so that’s a start.”

“No I’m being serious,” said Siren. “And with a van we could play shows at places beyond the reach of public transportation.

“I know,” I replied. “But don’t get ahead of yourself, we’ll have plenty of time to think about that come June, let’s just get settled in our new place.”

“Yeah, you’re right,” she said agreeingly. I then found a parking spot in our building’s lot and the moving game began anew.