attitude. Whatever else was brewing inside him, this mattered. Jody had to smirk at her sudden realization that she did wield some power over him. She could make it all disappear with a snap of her fingers. Without any explanation. He would definitely care. So yeah, a whole different and new perspective.
Watching the reactions of Xavier, Rob and Spencer, she knew they heard something even more profound than she did. Rob and Spencer exchanged a nod that signified something big was going on between the two of them. They were as close as brothers and had always been so as long as she could remember. Spencer’s wife, Erica was her mom’s best friend and also friends with Rob’s wife, Rebecca, her aunt. She loved the endless get-togethers they all shared growing up. Spencer and Erica had four kids, the oldest only three years her junior. Despite being family friends, they felt more like her cousins and siblings the way they fought and annoyed each other.
Rob walked forward. “Can you read music?”
“Sure.”
Rob nodded. “Good. Do you mind if we play with you?”
Obviously startled by his suggestion, Ross shrugged but Jody spotted a discreet look of shock and utter fascination in his eyes. They huddled together and seemed to be discussing what to play while flipping through what she assumed were lead sheets for some of Zenith’s songs.
Stepping away, Xavier said goodbye before Spencer tugged on the strap to play the bass guitar. She was always fascinated by her tall and mysterious Uncle Spencer. He was very quiet. But when he spoke, he usually made some funny, dry observation that always got a laugh from her. He could be bitingly ironic and spot on. His brain worked in unusual ways that Jody never witnessed in others, which was partly why she found him so fascinating. The lyrics he wrote were always original and he vacillated between playing the bass guitar and the keyboards. A three-person band for many of their years was unusual and also made it harder for them to draw the crowds in large venues. But their consistently good playing and Rob’s vocals carried their sound and the world did not fail to notice. Later on, they auditioned several bass players but no one stayed very long. Their current drummer had been playing with them for a few years after the last one moved on to start his own band.
Spencer could play the bass guitar, rhythm guitar and keyboards. Even the freaking accordion and the harmonica. Whatever they needed was enough motivation for Spencer to summon the talent and learn how to play without much effort. He was infinitely gifted with all kinds of instruments and seemed to need to switch them often, so Jody never knew what he’d play in any song.
“All right, ‘Tides Turned,’ an oldie but a goody,” Rob announced with a smile. “You got it then.”
Ross nodded before clinking the cymbals and the pair of sticks in his hands started tapping on the different drums as he pumped the bass drum with the foot pedal. Soon, Spencer joined in and finally, Rob and the song took off. Jody rarely watched anyone play the drums. With a front row seat there at the recording studio, she observed new musicians playing with Rob and Spencer many times before. She loved listening to them and watching them create new music from thin air. The magic sounds they made started to blend and complement each other until it became a fully incorporated symphony. Rob’s singing always captivated her. Watching how deftly their fingers plucked the guitar strings or pummeled the keyboards provided endless fascination to her. But she honestly never watched the drummer for very long.
Now her eyes were glued on him. Ross didn’t smile or seem to enjoy it. As sharply as pain, anger, and rage, he seemed to be trying to exorcise all those negative emotions by hitting, thumping, tapping and clanging the drum set. The song was hard to play, and rather loud. Rob’s voice, screeching the high notes and his rock star quality took her far beyond the fact that they were well into their fifties now and fast becoming old uncles. For a moment, it seemed like thirty years melted away and the blend of talented voices and rock and roll literally vibrated throughout her body, the room, and the entire building.
The song ended. She did not miss the sweat dripping down Ross’s face.
Rob nodded, grinning at Ross. “You’re a beast. Damn. But can you