Free Play for Me by Lois Kasznia Page A

play. They
ordered a round of drinks and were soon joined by some of Jordan’s friends.
    “Hey, dawgs, this is my sister, Sam. She’s going to play
with us tonight.” Jordan introduced Sam to his friends.
    “Hey, Sam.” They shook her hand and looked expectantly at Ian.
    “Ian, just a good friend and moral support for Sam.” Ian
shook their hands, his arm possessively around Sam’s waist.
    “I don’t want Kim,” whispered Sam to Jordan. “Who else do
you have?”
    “I’ve got a new one and she’s sweet.” Jordan opened up
another case and Sam picked up the guitar. She did a silent run through of the
frets of her guitar workout with a smile.
    “Sweet. I like this one,” commented Sam. “Are we going to do
to our usual practice routine?” She mentally tried to prepare for the moment.
    “Yup, I might throw in a few curves for you. You want
another drink?” Jordan tried to help ease her case of nerves. “Listen, Sam.
You’re going to be fine.”
    “Uh, okay,” said Sam as she still studied the guitar.
    “You know something, Sam?” said Ian trying to be heard over
the music. “You continue to amaze me. I keep discovering all of these other
facets to your persona. Is there anything you can’t do?”
    “Surf, remember? I’m just a bumpkin from Illinois.” Sam
looked up and smiled at him. “Thanks for helping me with my nervousness.” She
took another drink and the deejay made an announcement.
    “Hey, quiet! Quiet!” The deejay waited for the crowd to be
quiet and the band stood still waiting for the announcement. “Dudes, we have
Jordan Stevens and he’s agreed to play with us.” Jordan jumped up on stage and
waved to the cheering crowd. He spoke briefly to the lead singer and nodded to
their lead guitarist. They broke out into Hard to Handle and Sam
anxiously waited for her cue from Jordan.
    “It's show time,” muttered Sam and as she rose out of her
chair, Ian whispered good luck into her ear and kissed her.
    Ian’s affection thoroughly rattled Sam but it pleased her at
the same time. Greek God seemed to like her. Maybe he's not so bad after all. Sam
quietly entered the back of the stage, waiting for Jordan’s bridge to introduce
her. Taking a deep breath, determined not to freak out, Sam stepped forward and
answered Jordan with a rift of her own.
    “My sister, Sam,” said Jordan and he quickly changed to
rhythm guitar so Sam could play the lead.
    “Hey,” replied Sam. “How are you all doing tonight?” The
crowd cheered and Sam and Jordan went back and forth from lead to rhythm. Sam
forgot her nervousness and started to have fun. It seemed just like when they
were teenagers and would try and outdo each other. Finally, Jordan gave the final rift and they ended the bridge so the lead singer could continue with
the chorus. Both Sam and Jordan stepped back into the shadows of the stage and
continued to play until the song ended. The lead singer motioned for them to
come forward.
    “Jordan Stevens!” The crowd clapped enthusiastically.
    “Sam,” said Jordan as he pushed her forward. The crowd
roared and whistled.
    “Thanks,” said Sam overwhelmed by the crowd’s reaction and
their chanting of, “More! More!”
    “One more,” whispered Jordan to the lead singer and Sam. The
band chose a blues number and Sam quickly picked up Jordan’s lead. By the time
they were done, once again the crowd stood on their feet. Sam bowed and quickly
got off the stage.
    “Sam, you were great,” said Ian excitedly as he pulled her
from the mob of people who went to greet her. “Let’s get you out of here in one
piece. I talked to the bouncer and we can sneak you out the back door.” The
bouncer spotted them and Ian and Sam escaped unscathed.
    “What about Jordan?” asked Sam. “Shouldn’t we wait for him?”
    “How long will he be? He looked like he could stay there all
night. Jordan is a big boy and can take care of himself,” replied Ian.
    “I’ll text him to let him know what