They sat down at their table inside the dimly-lit venue and it took forever to remove all the layers and accessories necessary for both comfort and survival in the Cleveland winter. The scarves, the mittens, the hat, etc.
“I thought this would be one of those places where we would stand,” Phil said, “You know, like you see in movies. Though I guess it’s nice to sit.”
“And we can order food,” Maeve said while waving to the black-clad server heading to the bar. The young woman gestured to indicate she was grabbing some drinks and would see them next.
With a whoosh of cold air,the front door opened and the sound Phil’s name reverberated across the room. Phil whipped around and saw Harry, Nick, and Mitchell stomping the snow off their shoes and heading toward his table. He looked to see if seats were available for them nearby and didn’t see anything, but then Nick stopped to talk to two good-looking girls at the table next to them and pointed to a table a few feet away with open seats. The girls moved over and the trio made themselves at home next to Maeve and Phil.
“You must be Maeve,” Harry said with an appraising eye while Mitchell conspired with the server to send drinks over to the women who’d swapped tables for them.
Phil introduced Maeve to his three childhood friends as the waitress returned to deliver their drinks and bowls of peanuts and pretzels. He worried for a moment that one of his friends might say something to spook Maeve, but the conversation was friendly and the band came on stage just a few minutes after they were scheduled to and then there was nothing for them to do but listen to the music, sip their drinks, and bob their heads to the beat. Phil had seen the band a few times before, but just because his other friends were pals with the lead singer. He thought their music was good enough and he was proud when one of their songs was used as part of an advertisement for the baseball team last year, but it wasn’t something he would listen to given his choice. But still, it felt good to support a local band that seemed on the verge of making it big.
After the show they hung around a bit talking about the band and catching each other up on their lives. Nick had just started a new job and regaled the group with the story of his boss introducing him to the company’s president while they were all in the restroom. Later, the band came out to mingle with the crowd and Charlie, the lead singer, came over to their tables.
“Mitchell, thanks for coming,’ he said as he put his left hand on Mitch’s shoulder and shook his hand with his right.
This is when Phil started tofeel uneasy.. See, he’d met Charlie on several occasions, but he and Charlie weren’t friends. They hadn’t seen each other in years. Most likely, Charlie was not going to remember his name.
“Nick, it means a lot that you’re here.” Charlie mumbled into Nick’s shoulder as he brought him in for a friendly hug.
He was going through the group and saying people’s names every time. He was the lead singer of a band! Phil might not love their music, but this guy was obviously cooler than him. And this guy was not going to remember his name. He was going to not remember his name in front of his friends, in front of Maeve.
“Harry, good to see you. Thanks for coming out in the snow.”
Panic set in for poor Phil. His mind raced trying to think of a way to avoid what was coming. Charlie turned toward him and reached over to shake his hand.
“Yooou” the musician said for much too long, “So glad you came!” It could’ve been worse. Phil prayed no one noticed.
Charlie moved on to Maeve who introduced herself and complimented the band’s performance that evening. Charlie excused himself to greet some other fans and Phil and his friends lingered for a bit, finishing their drinks and enjoying the warmth of the room. Phil glanced at his watch and saw it was late. He thanked his friends for letting him know about the show and there were friendly goodbyes all around. As he and Maeve walked out in the cold to get to his car, Maeve patted his back affectionately and quietly said, “Yooou.”