Ingenue

Prelude

Studio! the guy answering the telephone shouted.

I’m looking for a cheap, small room with a PA.

We don’t have PAs in any of our rooms. Go buy one! Too much upkeep! Click. X

Commerce studios, at least this guy talked in a normal tone of voice.

Hi, I’m looking for a cheap rehearsal room with a PA.

We gottem. Fifteen by thirty for $40 an hour. Twenty-five by thirty for $60 an hour.

And these have PAs, mics, and stands?

Four in each room.

And where are you located?

City of Commerce.

Where’s that?

By East Los Angeles, Huntington Park, Montebello and Pico Rivera.

Thank you, Cat said as she hung up the phone and put another big X through the ad in the Recycler. Way too far!

Compton Studios, the man said.

You’re located in Compton?

Yes. He told her.

Okay. I’ll keep you in mind. Thank you. Too far. Click. X.

D-Studios, the man’s voice said.

I’m looking for a cheap rehearsal room with a PA.

You came to the right place!

What are your hours and what do you charge per hour? she inquired.

We’re open twenty-four-seven and rooms start at five bucks an hour for the eight by eight bare practice rooms and goes up to a hundred and fifty an hour for the big recording studio, right now we have limited space and open times. Mostly early mornings.

I need something for guitar, bass, and drums with simple vocals.

I have a twelve by twelve room with a hundred-watt PA and two mics that you can get for twenty an hour between one and eight in the morning or twenty-five an hour between eight in the morning and five at night. We have no evening hours open now in any of the rooms.

Where are you located?

Right in the heart of Van Nuys by Victory. Near Tommy burger and Cupids. Just down the street from City Hall and the Police station. Near the big newsstand.

Thanks. I’ll get back to you, she said before hanging up and putting a big circle around the ad.

Cat walked into the apartment first, set down the bag of groceries she was carrying and saw the message light flashing on the answering machine, so she rewound the tape and pressed PLAY to see if anyone answered their ad. Hello? a girl’s voice rang out through the speaker. My name is Danielle and you’re looking for musicians to play with. I’m fourteen and I just got a guitar for my birthday and I’m looking to get together with girls who are into playing and partying. Cat didn’t even wait for the phone number. Too young. Not enough experience. Partying? Fast forward.

Hey, came several male voices laughing in the background. We like to play with girls. I play guitar and my friend Tommy plays drums and we’re into AC/DC, Metallica, and Megadeth. Cat didn’t even wait for the phone number. Fast forward.

This is Karen and I play acoustic guitar and sing. I’m looking to get into a band doing Crosby, Stills & Nash…Byrds…Seals and Crofts... Been there. Done that. Fast forward.

I saw your ad. My name is Tina. I’m a trained drummer who’s into all styles. I’m looking for people over twenty-one to work with because I’d like to play out at the clubs. I know hundreds of songs and have my own transportation. I’m located in the south valley area. If you’re still interested, give me a call.

Cat jotted the number down and gave her a call.

Hello? a man’s voice answered.

Sorry, I’m not sure I dialed the right number. I was looking for Tina.

Just a minute, he said before pulling the phone far away and shouting: Teeennnna! Telephone!

I got it, Dad, a girl’s voice shouted back in the distance.

Hello? A female voice now shot through loud and clear.

Tina, this is Cat. I’m the ad you answered.

I answered a couple.

Girl guitarist and bass player working early morning weekend hours looking for drums, keys, guitar. Singing a plus.

How long have you been playing together?

Since before middle school. We did acoustic stuff, and then I was in band and orchestra for four years at school. I took guitar lessons at the store where I bought my guitar.

Tell me you’re not into metal or punk.

Radio hits. Heart, Clapton, Eagles, Toto, Linda Ronstadt, Hall and Oates...that kind of stuff. We try and avoid disco.

Fantastic, that was my next question. You do early hours? Why?

That’s all we’ve been able to find at a good price in the local area.

How local?

Van Nuys.

Sounds great. I’m very interested in what you’re doing!

Have you played with other people before? I ask because we worked with a girl drummer who must have been deaf or something as she just banged on the drums and cymbals like there was no tomorrow without even following what we were playing. She even kept banging away after we stopped playing! That was kind of a waste of time and money.

I can imagine it was... Tina laughed. I was in this all guy top-forty band for a few weeks, replacing their drummer and I was in orchestra and marching band since middle school. Double snare, bass drum, hand cymbals as well as the violin in orchestra.

Are you available this Sunday morning? That’s the morning that comes after Saturday at midnight. I mean that won’t clash with boyfriends or dating, will it? The subtle, but key question: just how into music are you?

No. That sounds fine to me.

All right. Let me go book some studio time this Sunday. Click.

Well? Jeannie asked as she finished putting things in the fridge.

Sound’s promising, Cat told her while going through her wallet to find the studio business card and dialing the number while Jeannie came over and put on her bass.

D-Studios, the man’s voice answered the phone.

Can I get that twenty-dollar room again for this Sunday morning at one a.m. for like two hours?

This coming Sunday, that follows Saturday night? he clarified.

Yes.

You got it. You need to come in and pay in advance, cash, tomorrow to reserve it or take your chances on Sunday morning. You pay in advance and show up late, tough, your time starts at one in the morning. Got it?

Yes, Cat said, hanging up the phone.

Well? Jeannie inquired while tuning up.

They wanna be paid up front, Cat told her. I’ll go there after I drop you off in the morning and I’ll confirm with Tina just to be sure...

-1-

Beginnings

Hi, the slim girl with blonde hair that went down past her shoulders said to the large, burly Hispanic man whose arms and neck were covered with tattoos. My name is Cat and I have a room reserved for two hours starting at one.

Need your driver’s license, he told her.

She took out her wallet and handed him her license. He put it into a cubbyhole and handed her a key attached to a lanyard.

You get it back after you return the key and we inspect the room. You’re required to clean the room after you use it. The room number is on the key. It’s down this row near the end. You can pull up to the front door for loading, but you need to park your ride immediately in one of the marked slots in the lot. That’s one slot, not two! You can use either a two-wheeler or a four-wheeler, but put them back where you found them. You leave one in the parking lot or the room and you’re banned from the studio for life. Got it? He glared at her in a long moment of as much silence that the place allowed, for at almost any moment you heard multiple snare hits that didn’t match tempo along with the rumble of bass guitars from the various metal and punk bands all rehearsing there.

She smiled, nodded back meekly and politely before turning and heading out the door. Moments later she and a slightly smaller blonde girl with shorter hair came walking in. Each carried a hard-shell guitar case in one hand and a small amp in the other hand. They nodded to the man as they walked past and found the room number marked on their key. They opened it and turned on the light switch. It was a big, square box of a brown colored room with a card table to the left side wall that held the PA-mixer. Two column speakers were on either side of the back wall. Two microphone stands with mics and cables flanked either side of the table. Along the wall were several power outlets.

Off in the distance, they still heard snare hits and bass rumblings that continued to bleed in through the padded walls from the other rehearsal rooms.

The girls took the far side of the room from where they were standing upon entry, put their amps near the wall and plugged them in.

We forgot about guitar stands! Cat muttered as Jeannie made a face in reply.

Up above them, a light box was flashing. It had FRONT DESK written on it in bold, black letters on all four sides.

Look! Jeannie said to Cat, pointing at the lightbox on the ceiling.

That’s a nice touch if it’s real! Cat said, setting her purse on the amp, then walking through the doorway and heading back to the front counter.

You have a visitor, José said, as he flipped off the ‘call’ switch to their room. And I’m supposed to give you this! He held out several sheets of paper that Cat took before turning to face the girl standing by the counter.

Tina?

The girl nodded. Cat?

Cat nodded back and then glanced at the sheets for a moment, then looked back up. We’re just getting set up.

Tina looked at the tattooed man behind the counter. Is it cool if I back my van up to the door to offload?

Yeah, just don’t leave it there while you drag stuff in and out. Use one of the dollies over there against the wall and make sure you put it back. Like I told your friend, we find one out in the lot and you’re banned from the studio forever.

Tina nodded and turned to Cat. Will you stick around while I get my things?

Yep, apparently, I have some readin’ to do... She put the papers on the counter, then bent over to read the studio rules while Tina vanished out the front door. In a matter of moments, Tina had backed her van to the double doors up front, opened them and dropped the kickstands to prop the doors open, came inside, grabbed a four-wheel flat-bed and dragged it over to the van.

Cat picked up the papers and walked over to where Tina was off-loading her stuff, which amounted to several, big, black cases.

Do me a favor and just hold the L-cart stable while I load, please!

Tina reached in for the trap case and pulled it out. She rolled it over to the handle side of that cart that Cat was now holding. She lifted the case up and set it against the braces that went across from post to post. Then she went back to get her bass drum case...then the cymbal case...then the tom case...then the snare case. Finally, she picked up her purse and stick bag, closed the doors to her van and walked over to Cat.

Should have taken up the piccolo, she said with a smile, that also got a smile out of Cat.

Tina took the handle and dragged the dolly in past the doors and then pointed to it. Just keep an eye on it while I shut the doors and park.

Cat nodded and went back to reading the papers as Tina flipped up the door kickstands, shut both doors and went to park her van. She came in moments later, grabbed the handle of the dolly and spoke to Cat: Which way?

All the way back on the right. Number five. The door was open when I left.

Cat started to walk back to the room with Tina right behind, pulling her load of drums along and following the other girl into the room.

That’s Jeannie, Cat pointed to the girl who was tuning her Fender jazz bass that was plugged into a tuner sitting on top of her amp. This is Tina.

Hi, Tina said as Jeannie nodded.

Tina off-loaded all her cases and put them in the center of the room, grabbed the handle of her L-cart. I’m going to take this up front before ‘Lurch’ has a conniption.

Cat laughed and nodded as she continued to read. We had a different guy at the counter this time, she said. That guy didn’t give us any paperwork or take a driver’s license to hold for the keys. She shook her head and kept reading the papers.

Okay to leave the door open until we’re ready to make noise? Tina asked as she headed out the door with the cart.

Sure, Jeannie said. It keeps the place cooler.

Tina put the L-cart back up front, came back to the room, then got to work putting her kit together as quickly as she could.

Tama? Yamaha? Pearl? Jeannie asked as she plugged into the amp.

Uh, no, she looked up and shook her head. These are CB700s. My original kit from when I started lessons. I also have a big set, but it’s at home. I don’t have any cases for them and they’re too big to move without a road crew, so I’m just using these.

Cool. They look nice.

I’ve had the heads off the shells on these and my other set. They looked almost identical from the side. The other set has better hardware, but you can’t beat these for the price.

Tina kept tinkering with her kit as the other two girls set their gear up and by the time Cat had her guitar out and tuned they looked ready to go.

Tina closed the door, got behind her kit and began working the kick, then the hi-hat. Then she re-positioned the hi-hat, hit the snare, then the toms and started tuning them. Been a while since I used this kit. Tucked it away in the junk room.

Jeannie was getting her fingers ready doing bass runs as Cat set up her little boxes on the floor.

This is a new thing for us, Jeannie said.

How so? Tina inquired as she kept tapping the drumhead with a drumstick and tuning opposite lugs.

We live in an apartment so we plug into a recorder and use headphones.

That’s how I do my bass and guitar tracks, Tina said.

What do you have for a bass? Jeannie inquired as she was always interested in the gear people used.

Univox. Picked it up used at this music store, she looked at Cat. My Guitar’s an SG copy. Just stuff to screw around with on my Tascam since I don’t play with other musicians all that much. She whacked the drums and went into a drum roll. At least there are two of you. The music you make doesn’t sound as trite as my tracks. Especially my bass lines.

So, what do you listen to? What do you play? What do you record?

I record whatever I can feebly play on guitar and bass just to practice. I listen to everything and I play everything on drums. I was trained by this big band and jazz guy who lived next door to us. Then I took lessons with rock and jazz guys at PIT.

PIT? Jeannie asked, looking over at Cat who just shrugged.

Percussion Institute in Hollywood. Started off as Guitar Institute, then they started teaching vocals, bass, and drums so they call it the Music Institute these days, but the individual training centers are still known as GIT, BIT, PIT and so on. She did a roll once more.

We’ve been playing together since before we were teens, Jeannie told her. But it was acoustic only.

I guess I started the music thing full throttle in middle school with violin and I learned that mandolin had the same tuning, so I got myself a student mandolin and started playing it. Then Jeannie got a guitar with green stamps.

With what? Tina grinned.

I know, they don’t have them out here, but back home just about every business gave you green stamps when you bought something, Jeannie told her.

You lick them, put them into books. Then you go to the green stamp place and trade them in for anything you have enough books for, Cat said.

Like my first guitar, Jeannie told her. "Back then we were doing country and folk. Cat would play fiddle, ukulele, or mandolin and I played guitar. Then she got a guitar, and we’d do things like Summer Breeze or Teach Your Children. We started doing different setups: guitar and fiddle, guitar and mandolin, two guitars, guitar and uke."

Then I got into banjo and worked on that for a while, Cat added. Got me a little Harmony banjo for eighty bucks at the local music store.

You still have all that stuff?

They both nodded.

When we hit L.A. and got jobs, we went electric, Jeannie shrugged.

Well, we’re well on the clock, so what should we do? Cat inquired.

The three girls kicked around a variety of titles until they came up with a few they all knew and started playing them, at first without vocals.

Cat started out by hitting her distortion pedal and playing the licks to Barracuda. Jeannie joined in followed by Tina, who stopped things.

Let’s get together on those accents. Bump, bu-da-bump, ba-du-bump, bu-da-bump, bu-da-bump, ba-ba-ba!

They just went over that passage until they were tight on the accents.

Do either of you do vocals on this? Tina inquired.

There were shrugs and Cat said: Sort of...

Set the PA up! Jeannie said.

Cat made a face and Jeannie shrugged, so Tina came out from behind the drums and set up the PA, putting mics before Cat and Jeannie. Then she got behind the drums and said: From the top!

They muddled their way through Barracuda since the three of them got the accents down musically before they started vocals. Cat faltered twice, shaking her head and then starting again before they finally made it through the song.

They continued moving on to Cocaine and then, No Matter What. You changed the lyrics a bit, Tina noticed.

Yeah, I made it babe.

No problem. I always wondered what I would do on songs like that! Tina said.

Cat motioned to Jeannie, who grimaced as Cat started a song that Jeannie sang, as she didn’t think she had much of a voice.

Taking a break, they opened the door to let the hot air out. It was two-fifteen in the morning.

We have forty-five minutes left, Cat said, checking her watch.

I need something to drink! Tina said.

I second that, echoed Jeannie as both headed outside. Boy the AC sure doesn’t work too well in there! she said, feeling the cool air out in the hallway.

They gotta have a water fountain or something, Tina said, walking back to the reception area where cans of soda were on a shelf behind them and there were candy bars in one of the glass cases.

A sign posted on the wall read:

Sodas and Bottle Water $2 each.

Candy $2 each.

Bread sandwiches $5.

French Roll Sandwiches $9.

Guitar strings $4 each string.

Bass strings $15 each string.

Drumsticks $6 each stick.

Drum heads $30 to $90.

Pedal spring $10.

Pedal leather straps $10.

Beater ball $20.

All items are subject to stock on hand!

Your prices are a bit stiff, Tina said to José, who was sitting on a stool looking at a copy of Hustler.

So, don’t buy anything, he said, without looking up from his magazine.

I’ll take a bottle of water. Is it cold? she asked, fishing into her wallet and pulling out a five.

He bent over, opened the fridge, pulled out a bottle of water, set it on the counter, took her bill and fished in the drawer for three ones.

Thanks, she said.

I’ll take one of those as well, Cat said, bringing up the rear. Make it two, she added, seeing Jeannie’s expression.

Four bucks, he said, pulling two more from the fridge.

What’s our status. I mean are we supposed to be out the door by three? Cat inquired.

We allow a half hour or so between bands. Even though no one has your room after three, you still must turn off the gear on the hour, start breaking down and let one of us see the room before you get out of here. Remember, you break it you bought it. You leave a mess and you get put on the naughty list, so don’t come back, he said.

You guys paid for the room already? Tina asked.

They nodded.

Can you turn the AC up in there? Jeannie asked him.

He shook his head. It’s the same level everywhere, including in here and my thermometer says it’s sixty-seven. That’s plenty cold. Just leave the door open for a bit when you’re not playing or bring a fan.

The girls milled around the counter a bit. Off on the far side of the foyer, they saw a whole flock of long-haired guys standing, talking, smoking, drinking beer while nodding and smiling at the girls. The smell of sweat, pot, and tobacco was thick as a brick. Cat nudged Jeannie’s arm, as she turned and headed back to their room.

They stood in the cooler, nicer smelling hallway outside their room as Cat went inside and brought out the papers and gave one to each of them.

The rules and regulations, she told them. "Along the walls, you will find CO2 fire extinguishers. An alarm rings if you pull on them. It better be used for a real reason as there is a one-hundred-dollar charge to refill it and you will be banned until you pay that up. The rooms are concrete, sheetrock, aluminum, and padded with flameproof materials. The only thing that can burn is your stuff or the PA. We, by the way, she pointed with her hand to each of them, are responsible for their PA. It will be checked before we leave. We must pay to re-cone any bad speaker and replace any bad cord or mic. We must leave the room as we found it on opening. If we find something wrong, we must report it at once. Front doors get locked at the whim of the clerk and no going outside without permission once they are locked. They are not responsible for our equipment or cars in the parking lot. We need to carry our own insurance for equipment and comprehensive on our vehicles. They are not responsible for bleed from the punk and heavy metal bands. You should show up fifteen minutes before your booked time and start breaking down at the end of your booked time. If you arrive late that’s too bad. You’re on the clock the moment your booked time starts. No credit so don’t ask. If you ain’t got the cash, you don’t get the item. We don’t take checks, but we do take credit cards. A cash deposit equal to the replacement value is required for all borrowed items, Cat held up the papers. He gave us an extra copy to sign and give to them."

Are both of you happy with the way things are going? Tina asked.

They both shrugged and then nodded.

Is this the best rehearsal place you found? Tina cringed.

"It was the only one we found. Everything else was dinky with no PA or was booked up, or they rented by the month and wanted five...six hundred. All of them had big, scary-sounding guys working the place, Cat told her. And a lot of them are located far away in industrial places that didn’t look nice even in daytime. This is downtown Van Nuys and the police station is five blocks away."

How much was the room?

Twenty an hour. We got two hours, Cat told her.

Want to go ’til four? Tina asked as Cat and Jeannie both nodded.

Tina pulled a pen from her wallet and they each signed one of the forms.

I’ll take it to him and give them another twenty since he said there’s no one in the room after us, Tina said.

She came back, and they went back to work. Cat took the fuzz off her guitar and hit the phase shifter and adjusted it, then went into I Ain’t Missing You, which Jeannie started singing, while Cat joined in at the choruses.

That was cool. I like the sound you’re getting, Tina said. "Do you know Gold Dust Woman? It uses that same type of sound on the guitar."

Cat nodded, then started playing it, bending over and making the sweep rate longer.

Hold, please! Tina got up. Let me see if this works. She went to her trap case and pulled out a headset and a small box she clipped on her back pocket. She took another box, went over to the PA, plugged it into the wall socket and then plugged the connector cord into the PA, turning up the volume while talking: Testing, testing, testing. She put on some reverb. Testing, testing... Not bad.

Tina walked back to her drums. From the top.

Cat started playing the chords. Jeannie came in doodling on bass. Tina began keeping the beat with her cowbell and then broke into the lyrics. Cat and Jeannie attempted harmonies with Tina on the did she... part of the song.

Jeannie did something like the bass riff and Tina hit her kick on three. This time, Tina played the full set on the chorus and then did the tom-tom drum pattern at the end using mallets and then she made the ride cymbal swell using the same mallet pattern to close the song. In the silence, you could hear Cat’s phase shifter until she stomped on the pedal.

You don’t mind if I sing now and then, hum? Tina asked, looking from one girl to the other.

Fine! Cat said.

Great, Jeannie added. I’m good on harmonies but not that great on leads. Cat’s the singer. She does great on Juice Newton and Linda Ronstadt tunes. I don’t know if you’re into country at all.

It doesn’t matter to me, so long as it sounds good and can get us work playing out, Tina said.

They carried on until four, then they shut everything down.

Tina fished her wireless unit from the PA, put it back into the trap case. Put both mics back where she found them. Turned the PA off and turned all the knobs down.

Jeannie opened the door to get some fresh air in the room. I’m glad you don’t smoke. You don’t do you?

I toke now and then, Tina told her. That concept doesn’t bother either of you. Does it?

No. We do it sometimes late at night, Cat said. And not when we play. It’s too confusing.

Yeah, I know what you mean. I do it at bedtime, Tina said. Sometimes at concerts.

They kept packing up.

How come the early hours? You two work strange times or something?

No. We both work like seven...eight in the morning ’til five or so, Monday through Friday, Cat told her while locking up her guitar case. This was the cheapest time of day we could find here and it was the most vacant. They told me that days and evenings were blocked out until Sunday early morning. Days and evenings also cost more. We can’t do daytime hours because we work. With early morning hours, we can both sleep in today and still be fine on Monday. What about you?

Live with the folks, they pay for things like food and stuff. They both work and I can practice in my dinky little room that’s smaller than this place during the daytime when they’re out working, so long as I don’t bother the neighbors too much.

You don’t work at all?! Jeannie was both shocked and amazed.

Now and then I do modeling, Tina told her.

Modeling? Cat was surprised as Tina wasn’t all that tall. Oh, she was a tad taller than Jeannie but shorter than Cat. Cat always heard that you had to be way taller than five foot eight to be a model.

One of my guy friends is a commercial photographer, and he books me in for sessions now and then. It’s mad money for my van, drumsticks, heads, the wireless headset... she shrugged.

What kind of modeling are we talking about? Cat was still a bit perplexed even though Tina’s explanation helped her understand how someone Tina’s size got to do modeling.

The kind that doesn’t show my girl parts, she giggled. "I don’t do nudity, but I have done skin. That is to say, I’m nude sometimes, but he won’t shoot pictures of my nipples or pubes. she shrugged. We have a part-time sexual relationship so I will get naked for him if the role calls for lots of skin. Like a body wash ad. Most of the time I’m wearing clothes. Sometimes he just shoots my hands or fingers. Sometimes just my eye if he’s doing a make-up ad. she shrugged again. I get to approve all pictures. I grant all rights and he pays me."

How much – Jeannie started and stopped. No, I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have...

Tina giggled. "It’s okay... These days, I won’t go up to his place for less than five hundred. He gets big bucks from these ad agencies. He does national stuff. He does packaging. My brow and hair are on a box of blonde hair coloring you find in the stores and magazine ads. If it’s something like that I get a grand or more. Sometimes I barter. I got the drum set I have in my room from their ad agency that way. I gave them dozens of pictures to use forever in catalogs and magazines and they let me take the kit they brought to his studio. Turns out they didn’t want to take it back and it was cheaper than paying me cash since it cost the company far less for the kit than what I’d charge for dozens of pictures in perpetuity. That would have been a two or three grand gig." She cocked her head and then went back to packing up her kit.

Taking that kit was a bit of a hassle for me as they didn’t have cases, so my guy friend had to help me out with them as his studio loft is on the upper floor. I also had to unload and move it upstairs to my bedroom. She made a sour face and then headed for the door. I’ll go get one of those L-carts.

She came back and loaded all her cases on the cart, leaving enough room for Cat and Jeannie to put their amps on the tail end. She dragged the cart into the hall and all three of them went back inside to look over the place, making sure it was clean before the girls grabbed their guitar cases and followed Tina down the hall to the front.

We’re out of the room, Cat told him.

Raul, José shouted into the address system that echoed his deep voice through the place that was now very silent with no more bands playing.

Moments later a tall man with light brown skin, a full beard and curly black hair that was starting to show white around the sides, appeared out of nowhere.

Key? he asked, confronting the girls.

Cat handed him the key, and he walked down the hallway and into their room. In the distance, they could hear a test of the PA and then Raul came back into view, walking back up to the desk and handing the key over to the man behind the counter who brought out her driver’s license and handed it back to her.

Room’s good.

Get Big L out here, huh?

Can I get another water, Tina asked, handing him two dollars.

Shortly a huge man with a goatee and large arm muscles that were covered with tattoos came waddling out from the back area, accompanied by a big, beige colored bull mastiff trotting behind him, panting and letting out a single ‘woof!’

They’re heading out, José told Big L as he headed towards the door. All clear in the lot. You girls follow him out and bring your rides over.

Tina, Cat, and Jeannie looked at one another, then apprehensively followed Big L and the dog towards the main entrance. He unlocked the doors, opened them and put down the kickstands.

Bring your cars over as these carts don’t travel well over the blacktop, he told them as the mastiff sat by his side and just panted while Big L stroked his brow.

There were only a few cars and vans left in the lot.

Tina went out and got into her van, pulled it back by the door, while Cat went to her wagon, started it and brought it over next to Tina’s van.

Big L helped Tina load her cases into the back of the van while Jeannie put both guitar cases into the back seat of their car as Cat opened the back of her station wagon and put the amps inside.

Are we doing this again? asked Tina.

If you want to! Cat said as Tina nodded.

Next week, same day and time?

Cat nodded.

Tina put the L-cart back where she found it, then got into her van, started it up, pulled out from the door and into Van Nuys Boulevard.

Hold on! Cat said to Big L and Jeannie as she went back inside for a few minutes, then came back out, going wide around the mastiff.

I paid for next week, she told Jeannie and she turned to Big L. Thanks for all your help.

He nodded at her and smiled, noting her reaction to him and the dog. Don’t worry about Sam, he’ll only tear you apart if you pull out a gun or a knife and say stick ’em up.

Cat lifted her hand in a silent ‘bye’ and then climbed into the front seat of her station wagon while Jeannie rode shotgun. Big L looked on as the girls pulled out, went out the driveway, turned right and sped off down Van Nuys.

Big L then closed and locked both doors to the studio.

-2-

Rich Girl

Cat was locked away in the ‘try-it-out’ room at a music store with an Ibanez guitar plugged into