I see Ryan’s parents mingling with the crowd. Bonnie Stiles looks over once and catches my eye, but doesn’t come over or say anything. We play for an hour, then join the crowd for the catered buffet set up and overseen by Emillio.
“Damn,” Buster says. “That’s Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes over there talking to George Clooney.” He looks at me. “This is the most far-out gig I’ve ever done.”
“Buster, you have no idea.”
Later, as things start to settle down, Ryan pulls me aside. “Thanks for coming, Piano Man, and especially for playing.” He slips an envelope in my hand. “Everything cool?”
“Perfect. You made my bass player’s day. Where’s the honeymoon?”
Ryan leans in closer. “Top secret. One of the Caribbean Islands. We’re going straight to the airport from here.”
I take out the tape, still in it’s little plastic box, and drop it in Ryan’s coat pocket. “Little something for you. Open it later.”
***
Andie and I pick a theater in downtown San Francisco that features independent films. Despite Ryan Stiles being the star of Murder in Blue, there are no long lines at the box office. I buy the tickets and we go inside where I spot a sign at the snack bar: REAL BUTTER ON OUR POPCORN.
“Small crowd,” Andie says.
“Don’t worry. Eat some popcorn.”
Even though I’d seen the film scores of times and was familiar with every frame, I wanted to see it in a darkened theater with other people. The lights go down and we sit through trailers for coming attractions, then the screen goes black and I hear myself playing, see my hands in close-up on the keyboard as the opening credits start to roll.
Andie grips my arm. “I’m excited,” she whispers.
As the camera pulls back we see Gene Sherman, Buster Browne, and Ryan at the piano.
“It’s not fair,” Andie says. “We should be seeing your face.”
Finally, in about a minute we see the words that should have made it all worth it.
Original Music Composed and Arranged
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