**Previous Chapter was a Flashback**

Present Day

I wake up from the noise of the train's horn, my purple duffle bag, and pink guitar case are held tightly to my body. I wipe off the drool from my mouth and wince as I roll my neck off the glass window I was leaning on. I hadn’t dreamt of him in a while. I am heading to a new place, I found an ad for a small studio for rent that seems perfect for an artist like myself. Low budget, has soundproof walls and is in a town that I have no connections to. I look at my phone to see where my GPS has me, the trip would take a total one-way of 10 hours. I transferred twice and am on my final train. I see the blue dot on the map and I am only two stops away. Good thing I didn’t pass my stop, I don’t have any more cash to spare on sloppy travel mistakes. I put my phone away and check if I have my wallet and anything else personal. I hold onto my gold necklace hanging around my neck. It has two photos of my first love. 1 is my foster dad when I was young and the other heart is a small sonogram photo. Leila, she would have been a few months old now. I roll my shoulders and look out the window, mentally steeling myself for the new life I decided to pursue. I make a mental plan, find a job as a musician, and don’t fall in love. Simple right? 

The train comes to a screeching halt, the announcer says my stop, the doors open, and I step out onto the asphalt, waiting for reality to hit me. It doesn’t yet, I head to the bus stop and instead of waiting the 1 hour to get to the house I applied and was approved for. I decided to look around town and see for any clubs, pubs, or coffee shops that may be interested in a solo act. I walk by and see a coffee shop. I walk in with my purple boots, tight jeans, pieced ears, and pink hair, and ask to speak to the owner. The man behind the counter says his name is Salvador. His name tag is written in personal handwriting with smiley stickers on the side of it. He smiles at me and says, “That’s me, how can I help ya, Miss?” I smile and ask if he needs any musical talent at his shop, I offer a free demo to show what I can play. Salvador smiles and looks reluctant but can’t refuse a free show. No one ever does, that’s why I offer it, I know I can play sultry cafe jazz that will knock him to his knees. 

I begin to set up on the small stage he has, it seems today is a poet’s day and some people are signing up to speak. I am all acoustic and only need the microphone set up to hear me sing and my guitar play.

I begin my set after I make sure Salvadore has his attention on me. I sing a song I wrote, it speaks of a love that was fresh and young, how flowers breeze can smell the same as this love. I sing from my heart, my tone is soft, but I can feel everyone staring at me. Blues rhythm and just my boots tapping the floor added as the percussion. This is why I came here, I am a musician, and I need a job. I finish my last chord and lock eyes again with Salvatore, his mouth is slightly gaping open, and his eyes have stars in them. I play a song everyone knows, a classic reggae song that is easy to sing along with. Once I finish my set, I pack up my guitar into its pink case and walk back to the owner. I feel like this is my judgment day, if he says no, I can only continue looking for other places to play at. 

I smile at Salvatore, he is blushing, and wringing his hands with a dish white cloth. He finally says while holding out his hand for a shake, “How about we start with four times a week and you never mentioned your name.” I smile back at him, I rock onto my heels and forward on my toes. It has been a long time since I was able to smile with such a light heart. I reply, “My name is Nitzy, I just moved to your town, and I am excited to have such a great opportunity right off the bat, I promise not to let you down.” We exchange paperwork, a copy of my i.d, and other documents before I leave. 

Finally, taking a step out of the cafe, I see the sun beginning to set, I grab my gold heart chain necklace and laugh, I softly say, “We did it, baby girl, we did it.” Now I go to the bus stop and wait for the next one to arrive. Luckily, just a few minutes of wait and the bus is in front of me. There are a lot of seats but I always sit in the back. I plug in my music and tune out for the next hour’s ride. I am so thankful and send up a silent prayer to God, thanking him for looking out for me in my new life.