~Royal~
Flashback
1979
I sneak into a club with a flyer that I found on a pole near my house and my guitar strapped to my back. The bouncer was distracted by some bitch trying to seduce her way into the club.
I walk into the club and look around. This place is pretty empty. It usually looks packed in here from the outside. Maybe that's why they're closing down. I walk up to the bartender and he looks at me.
"What would you like?" He asks me but I shake my head.
"I ain't here to drink. Where's your manager at?" I ask him and he sighs.
"He don't want nothing to do with you little girl" he tells me and I sit on the stool.
"Look, I heard this place is closing down. I saw a flyer outside and it said you need new acts around here" I say and slide the flyer his way on the table.
"You don't wanna be out of a job, do ya?" I ask him and he sighs in annoyance.
"Alright fine. I'll take you to him, follow me" he says and comes from behind his counter and over to my side. I then take my flyer back and follow him. He leads me to a door that has the name 'Chuck' written on it.
"Right in there you'll find the owner of this place" he says and then I look back and watch him walk away. I shake my nerves off and go to knock on the door but someone comes out.
A lot of people come out. They're all girls and the last one that comes out looks me up and down and gives me a very dirty look. I just stare back at her and not say anything.
"You need something?" I hear a man from in there asks me and I snap out of it and walk into his room.
There's this big black guy sitting in the chair with sunglasses on and a cup of liquor on the table and cigarette in his hand. There's two other men behind him so I'm guessing he has guards.
"Yes sir I saw your flyer by my house" I say and give it to him.
"Yeah? So what?" He asks and I try my hardest not to sound annoyed even though I know the look is on my face.
"So I wanna keep this place open. I could bring in big money. Ain't that what you want man?" I ask him and he takes his flyer and looks at it as if he's never seen it before then looks back at me and looks me up and down.
"Yeah but why should we hire you?" He spat at me. He takes a puff of his cigarette and blows the smoke forward. Luckily I'm too far to catch it.
"I could single handedly keep this place open by myself. These people haven't heard real music from the other people you hire" I tell him. After that he starts chuckling.
"Oh yeah and what do you know about real music? What's your genre?" He asks me and I stare him dead in his glasses.
"Any genre the people want to hear" I say and he scoffs and shakes his head while taking another puff of his cigarette.
"Anything? Really?" He deadpans and I nod my head.
"Yes sir. Hire me tonight and I'll show you. No pay" I say and the no pay makes him perk up and it's obvious.
Cheap bastard.
"What's your name kid?" He asks me.
"Royal" I say and he scoffs and shakes his head.
"I didn't say stage name. I want your real one" he says.
"That is my real name. Royal" I say again and he scoffs at me and takes a puff of his cigarette.
