Crazy in Love (18 page)

“I’m sure she loved it,” I called after him as he disappeared back, into the school.

“Is this Rachel the one the song was dedicated to?” Nick asked.

“Yes. She’s his girlfriend. Well, I guess she is. They
really just started going out together.”

“So tell me, Sallie Spooner. What do you do when
you’re not writing songs?”

Nick leaned against the doorway, and for the first time I
was able to get a good look at him, thanks to the bright lights of the school hallway. He was extremely good-
looking, with curly light brown hair and hazel eyes. He was tall, but he seemed at ease with himself, not like some guys my age who spring up four inches overnight and then spend the next three years knocking over lamps and walking into tables.

“I’m a senior here,” replied.  “That takes up a lot of time. And
I like to read and go to the movies and just hang around
with Rachel
...
she’s my best friend.”

“So you don’t think you could find any time to teach me a
few chords on the guitar, huh?” Nick teased.

In my usual fashion I responded by blushing. I hoped the
dim light of the alleyway I was lurking in would hide my
red cheeks from Nick.

“Well, I don’t know...”

“How about if we made a deal, then?”

“What kind of deal?”

“Let’s see. You just told me you like to go to the movies. So how about this: I’ll take you to the movie of your choice if you agree to teach me five of your favorite chords. And,
hopefully, they’ll be chords that can be put together to make
a song.”

I thought for a few seconds. For some unknown reason, I
kept thinking that I could teach Nick “The Streets of
Laredo” in less than half an hour. “Okay,” I agreed. “That
sounds fair.”

“How about next weekend? Say, Friday night?”

“All right.”

“Great! We’ve got a date, then. Here, let me write down
your telephone number.”

Fate is such a funny thing. If Saul and I hadn’t gone out to get some air, I might never have met Nick. But there was no time for thinking about life’s little surprises that night. Once
things were all set with Nick, I excused myself and went
back into the school to find Saul. After all, we’d have to be around for the moment of truth, when the winners were
announced.

I crept back into the band room and managed to catch the
last three or four songs. Not bad, I concluded after I heard
each one, but hardly anything to worry about. I felt
positively smug as I waited for all the other contestants to
take their turns.

When the last person was done and everyone agreed that
Lisa Evans was long gone, Rusty O’Shea took
his place at the microphone for the last time.

“Okay, folks, that’s it for the competing songs. But before we announce the winners, let me take a moment to
introduce the three judges.”

Saul and I listened carefully. We wanted to make sure we
knew exactly who it was who was sitting out there in the
front row, determining our fates. The judges included our
school principal, an executive from WROX, and a represen
tative from one of the major record companies.

“Gee,” I said, “I’m glad they didn’t introduce the judges until the end. I would have been having fits if I knew that
guy from Ace Records was here!”

“No, wouldn’t have. You’re a pro!”

“Judges, are you ready with your decision?” There was a dramatic pause as one of them handed an envelope to Rusty
O’Shea. I grasped Saul’s arm so tightly that I’m surprised
they didn’t have to amputate.

“Third prize, and the winner of ten record albums from
Ace Records and two free tickets to the Billy Joel concert at
Madison Square Garden ... Charlie MacDougal and
Ellen Rubin, for their song, ‘One Spring Day.’ Charlie and
Ellen!”

They gasped, then hugged each other, then ran out onto
the stage. They seemed as happy as if they had just won a
summer house in the south of France.

“I think they’re just glad they managed to get through
it,” Saul said.

“Second prize, and the winner of twenty record albums
from Ace and four tickets to the Billy Joel concert
... Sylvia Romanoff.”

As Sylvia drifted onstage, smiling serenely, Saul and I watched in silence. Neither of us felt like making jokes or light conversation at that point. Saul grabbed my arm, and
the two of us just stood there, clutching at each other for
dear life.

“And now is the moment you’ve all been waiting for.
The winners of the first prize. First prize consists of fifty
free record albums, six tickets for the concert, and the chance to compete in the city wide competition. The winner
of that second level of the contest will have his or her song recorded by one of the top groups in the industry. So as you
can see, this prize is the big one.

“And the winner is ... oh, I’m sorry, the winners
are
...
Sallie Spooner and Saul Rodriguez, ‘If That
Someone Else Is You’!”

I continued staring at Rusty’s profile, unaware that I’d begun making quiet whimpering sounds. I stood there, unmoving, until I heard Saul saying, “Sallie! We won!
Come on, we’ve got to go onstage!”

Moving like a robot, I followed him back onto the stage, in front of the blinding lights. We had won! My dream was no
longer just a dream; it was a reality!

“We won?” I said as Rusty O’Shea handed us an
envelope. It was a pretty silly thing to say, but the applause was so loud that no one could hear me anyway. I saw the
lights of flashbulbs, and I realized that my whole family
must be standing a few feet away, applauding and yelling.
And Rachel was probably there, and Jane, and Sharon
...
all my friends. I think it was that realization, even
more than the fact that Saul and I’d actually won, that
made me start crying.

And then it was over. The curtains were drawn closed,
and Rusty O’Shea went back to being a cranky middle-aged
man. The other contestants offered their congratulations,
some sincere, some halfhearted, then drifted away. I was in
a daze as Saul and I put on our coats and bundled up our
guitars.

When we stepped out into the hall, a small crowd was
waiting for us: my family, Rachel, most of my other friends.
They were all exuberant, and I felt like a real celebrity as
they swarmed around me and Saul and hugged us. If had
n’t felt as if I were in another world, it probably would
have been the happiest night of my life.

“How do you feel?” Jenny asked when things had
calmed down a bit.

“Wonderful. Do you really have to ask?”

“Are you still up for coming over?” Rachel asked.

“Saul?” I asked. “Are you?”

He nodded. “Me, too. Let’s go.”

I said good-night to my parents, then Saul and Rachel and
I linked arms and set off for the Glasses’ apartment. The
dazed feeling was starting to fade, and a sense of euphoria
had begun to replace it.

“You know, guys,” I said as we started across the street,
“I hope I can remember this moment for the rest of my life. Because I want you both to know that at this very second, I
am one happy lady!” I squeezed my two friends, and we
continued on our way.

We didn’t have to tell Dr. and Mrs. Glass who had won
the WROX contest. Our whoops and screeches and uncon
trollable giggles as the three of us burst through the front door of Rachel’s apartment made an official announcement
unnecessary. The Glasses were both seated calmly on the
living room couch, absorbed in some old
movie that was on television. They glanced up,
looking as if their home had just been invaded by Martians, then immediately deduced from our wild mood
that our team had scored the winning goal of the evening.

“Don’t tell me!” Mrs. Glass exclaimed, rising from the couch and taking off the glasses she always wore when watching TV. “Sallie Spooner walked off with first prize!”

“That’s right,” I squealed. “Saul and I are the grand champions!”

After a few more minutes of hugging and animal-like
noises and jumping up and down, not to mention a lot of
excited questions and congratulations from Rachel’s par
ents, Dr. Glass extended his hand toward Saul and said, “I don’t believe we’ve had the pleasure of meeting. I’m
Mitchell Glass, Rachel’s father.”

“I’m pleased to meet you. I’m Saul.”

“Rachel told us you had entered the songwriting contest, Sallie,” Mrs. Glass said, “but I hadn’t realized you had a partner.”

“Really? Maybe it’s because Saul and I have only been
partners for a couple of weeks.”

“Well, it’s apparently an association that has paid off.”
She smiled. “Congratulations to both of you. I’m so
thrilled!”

“Yes, that’s wonderful news,” Dr. Glass agreed. “We’ll
have to make sure we’re there at the finals.”

“You bet,” Rachel said. Then, turning to Saul and me,
she moaned, “I don’t know about you guys, but I am completely drained after that ordeal. I’ve been nervous for
you both all night! I need a root beer in the worst way.”

“You!”
I cried. “What about us? We’re the ones who were suffering onstage. Not to mention the torture of
waiting it out in the wings!”

“I would have died if that had been me up there,” Rachel said.  “Weren’t
you nervous, Sallie?”

“Not at all,” Saul answered for me, despite the fact that
my mouth dropped open and I stared at him aghast. “Our
Sallie here was as relaxed as can be.”

“I was?” I croaked.

“Sure. Now, how about those root beers? Singing can be
tough on the throat.”

The three of us adjourned to the kitchen, where Rachel
poured us mugs of cold soda with lots of ice. I started to
gulp mine down, but then Rachel said, “How about a toast?”

“Okay,” I agreed. “What shall we toast?”

“To your success!”

“To our success!”

We demolished our root beers, and then Rachel said,
“Okay. Now, you guys have to go into the living room for a
while. There’s something I have to do in here.”

“Oh, boy! A surprise!” I glanced over at Saul, but he didn’t notice. He was too busy looking at Rachel with glowing eyes. “We do as we’re told. Come on, Saul, let’s
go talk to Rachel’s parents.”

She gave him a peck on the cheek, then pushed us both
out the door.

“You’ve never met Rachel’s parents before, have you?” I whispered.

“No, this is the first time. They seem like nice
people.”

“They’re great.” Then I called jovially, “Excuse us, but
we’ve just been thrown out of the kitchen. Is it all right if
we join you?”

“Please do. The movie just ended, in fact.” Mrs. Glass
glanced up at us, and there were tears in her eyes, “Don’t
mind me,” she explained. “Old Katharine Hepburn movies always make me cry. Have a seat, and tell me all about the
competition.”

“Let’s see,” I started babbling, “there were supposed to
be fifteen entries, but one of them, a junior girl I know, just
disappeared and never went on. I guess she got too nervous
at the last minute.

“There were all kinds of entries. There was this punk
rock-type song, where the lyrics consisted of the names of
colors, and there were a whole bunch of folk songs—”

“Well, when do we get to hear this prize-winning
musical composition?” Dr. Glass interrupted. “Or do we
have to wait and buy the record?”

“Oh, yes, sing it for us!” Mrs. Glass exclaimed.

At that point Rachel’s voice called from the kitchen,
“Not yet! Not yet! Everybody stay where you are! Mom,
turn out the lights, please.”

She appeared in the doorway, balancing a huge white
frosted cake, all aglow with candles, on a tray. When she
drew nearer, we gathered around and read what she had just
written on top with pale blue icing:
CONGRATULATIONS, SALLIE AND SAUL.

“Those little blue blobs around the edges are supposed to
be notes,” she explained.

“It’s beautiful! Even the notes. But what would you have
written if Saul and I’d
lost?”

“That’s a good question.” Rachel laughed. “I suppose,
‘Better luck next time!’“

“That was a lovely idea, Rachel,” her mother said.
“Mitch, I’ll make some coffee. It looks as if a little party
has just materialized right here in our living room.”

“So, tell me, Saul,” Dr. Glass said when the five of us
had sat down at the round dining room table. “Do you go to
school with Sallie and Rachel? I’m surprised we’ve never
met before.”

“No. Actually, I live in Brooklyn. I only met Sallie a few weeks ago. We ran into each other at a party, and we formed
a partnership so we could enter the WROX contest
together.” He looked over at me and grinned. “And then I
met your daughter through Sallie.”