AllFreeNovel
Share Us
"No, not quite that standard. But it's right up there with things like Hotel California or Billie Jean."
"Both of those I know," I said. "But play that other one for me."
***
"So, then he got his guitar and played the whole song for me," I said, telling the story a while later at the dinner table with Jill Phillips. "I had never heard it before."
I didn't tell the build-up of the story where Micah pointed out that my boyfriends were all doctors and lawyers. Jake was sitting right next to me, and I didn't want him to feel weird since he was a teacher. I just told them I was talking to Micah earlier and that the song got brought up.
"He just sat on the tour bus and played it for you?" Jill asked excitedly.
I nodded and smiled.
"And did you recognize the song once he played it?" my dad asked.
I looked at him with a clueless shake of my head, and everyone laughed.
"How could you not know that song?" Ryan asked with a disbelieving look, teasing me.
"Evenyouknow it?" I asked, sounding stunned. "You're four years younger than me.
Ryan shrugged. "I thought everybody knew that song," he said.
"I'm still stuck on the fact that Micah Lacey sang it for you over the phone like a private concert."
It was Jill who said it, and she had her eyes open, dramatically staring into the space in front of her and causing us all to laugh again.
Jake reached over and held my hand under the table. I felt a little bad for him because everyone was always really impressed when I told them I knew Micah.
"Yeah, like I said, he was just waiting on the bus, and he already knew the song, so he rattled it off. It was no big deal."
"I don't know," Jill said, covering her heart. "It seems like a pretty big deal."
"She loves Micah Lacey," her husband explained, shaking his head and smiling.
"You should talk to JD's wife," Dad said to Jill. "She loves Micah. She knows every single one of his songs by heart. I watched her lip-syncing one time, and she didn’t miss a single word."
"Oh, yeah, I love his music," Jill said. "I was a fan way before the Spiderman days."
(I was Micah's first fan, but I didn't say it.)
"Yeah, I actually feel like Old Stewards was his best album," Jake said. It was Micah's second album—the one right after Madeline, and one of his lesser-known, lesser-loved works.
I squeezed his hand and smiled at him for trying. My other boyfriends had all been annoyed by my friendship with Micah, and if Jake could be this happy and confident on day one of a Micah conversation, I knew everything would be fine. I held his hand, feeling thankful that he was being so easygoing about it. Jill asked a few more questions about Micah, but afterward, our conversation went to other things.
It was no fault of my own after dinner when Micah's name got brought up again. My brother, Isaac, who was also close to Micah, received a call from him and headed back to his bedroom to take it.
"Where are you going?" I asked Isaac when I saw him in the hallway.
"Back here to make a call. What are you doing?"
"Jake's using the restroom and then he and I are going outside to look at Cody's car."
He nudged his chin to the dark hallway. "Micah texted me and I'm going in here to call him back. He's talking about not feeling good—his stomach again."
I made a face like I was concerned. "He didn't mention it when I was talking to him."
It was at that moment that Jake came out of the bathroom. Isaac smiled as he turned to walk the other way, knowing we would talk again once we were done looking at the car.
