1000 Paper Cranes

Chapter 13 -996

I looked at the menu for a long time, unsure of what to order. Nothing made sense to me. Everything was just named after places. Did I want the Chicago roll or the San Francisco roll or the Manhattan roll? Or perhaps I wanted the Houston roll or the Austin roll or the Tuscaloosa roll? I had no idea.

Robin must have seen how overwhelmed I was.

"I usually get the Santa Fe roll," she offered. "Or, if I were you, I'd start with a Philadelphia roll. It's a safe first choice." I had no choice but to trust her. She was the closest thing to a sushi expert I had on hand.

Our food came and went and I was left unsure of where I stood on the whole sushi situation. It wasn't bad. It didn't change my life. At least I could burn another crane. That fact excited me.

I felt nervous thinking about karaoke approaching. I didn't even know if I could sing.

"I have a confession," I told Robin, looking into her bright eyes. "I've never sung before." 

I blushed as confusion crept across her face.

"What do you mean 'never sang before?'"

"Like. Never." I shrugged. "Not in the shower or the car or anything. I don't even know all the words to a song."  I considered this for a moment.

"Well, I know Bohemian Rhapsody." My dad loved that song. He listened to it every Saturday as we cleaned house.

"That's a karaoke standard!" She giggled. "It's basically the only song you need to know."

I paid for our meal and we made our way back through the crowded restaurant. On the very back wall hung a beaded curtain through which catcalls drifted as a new performer took the stage.

Parting the curtain, I found myself transported into a black-lit wonderland. Teeth and eyes and t-shirts glowed neon in the purple light and the room was littered with round tables and karaoke veterans.

There was a small stage against the wall opposite the curtain. It was flooded with spotlights and was surrounded by flat screens displaying the words the performer was singing.

The woman who was onstage as we entered was more than singing; she was performing. As we sat, she belted a high note and smiled as the karaoke patrons applauded her.  She was good, admittedly. She made me nervous. I had no hope of being that good.

"I'll put our names on the list." Robin walked to the DJ's table and leaned down to write something. Now that my name was on an official list, I was getting more nervous by the second. What if I made a fool of myself? What if I was terrible? What if nothing went right?

I voiced my concerns to Robin.

"It's karaoke, Jordan. " She smiled. "It's not like you're rebuilding the Parthenon. If it goes wrong, it won't matter. That's what karaoke's for. This lady isn't the norm. You're expected to sing horribly."

As the night went on, I saw that she was right. Most of the following performers were nothing short of earsplitting.  The DJ announced another name and Robin leaned towards me.

"I remember that name. We're next." She smiled and took my hand to steel my nerves. I shuddered with nerves. I felt sick to my stomach. Why was this so stressful?

As the song finished, I felt my heart speed up. My head throbbed. I had never felt so nervous in my life. The DJ took the microphone. I thought I was going to vomit.

"Alright, you crazy karaoke cats! It's been a jam-packed night of musical madness." He sounded like a radio announcer introducing the next song. But not a good radio announcer.

Robin had warned me that we were next. I was prepared, standing already as he spoke into the microphone. My heart was racing and I was sweating.

"We're going to take a ten-minute break so get something to drink and rehydrate before your next slamming jam."

Ten minutes? I had to wait another ten minutes? I was incredulous. I was furious. I could not last another ten minutes with this sick feeling in my stomach.

Robin squeezed her hand against mine, reminding me that she was there to support me. She was Athena. She was my war goddess who held all wisdom and granted all wishes. I could do this. I would do this.

Ten minutes passed like an eternity. I thought I was going to die before the break was over. Just as I had given up waiting and resigned myself to the purgatory that was break time, the DJ walked back onstage.

"We're back, you amateur all-stars and ready for some more music. Next, we will have a newcomer to our karaoke nights. Let's hear you welcome Jordan Johnson to the stage."

The applause was overwhelming. The support I felt was exhilarating. I was ready to blow the away with my rendition of Bohemian Rhapsody.

I heard the metronome clicks as the track started and I took a deep breath. I was about to sing. I was about to... bomb. I was about to bomb. And I bombed hard. I bombed so hard.

I was nowhere near good. I was nowhere near decent. I suddenly remembered why I didn't sing, ever. I was horrible. Like, cats wailing and babies crying bad.

I continued to sing, but as I did, I thought about a choir concert I had attended at my dad's university. One of the girls sang a solo. She did such a horrible job that every child under the age of four had to be taken out because they started crying. I was grateful there were no children in the audience; they would have had to leave.

I suddenly felt bad for the karaoke patrons. I had picked the world's longest song to sing. They were being subjected to pure torture. Surely this was some kind of violation of the Geneva Convention.

As the song finished, I sighed a sigh of relief. I had made it. And I never had to do it again. Thank God for that. The applause was resounding. Though I was sure they were clapping because it was over, I appreciated the applause and I smiled as I sat down next to Robin.

"You were terrible!" She said excitedly. "Like, really bad! But you did it and I'm so proud of you!" She pulled me into a hug before heading to the stage for her own turn.

Before the music even started, the audience was cheering. She smiled politely then spoke into the microphone.

"Hey, everybody. I'm Robin. It's good to see you all. It's been a long time since I've been here, but I see a lot of faces I recognize. I just wanted to say, real quick, that was my boyfriend you just heard."

I felt myself blush. And I kind of wanted to die at all the catcalls and whoops that followed. Someone patted my shoulder in congratulations.

"That was his first time to ever sing. So, if you see him, give him a high five or something, because he's really shy, so that was a big deal."

No amount of embarrassment, though, could pull me from Cloud Nine. She had called me her boyfriend. I hadn't even realized that I was her boyfriend. But it sounded right. It felt right.

Her song choice, an 80's pop ballad, started and I was entranced as she sang. Her voice was beautiful. She was a siren, and I knew that I would follow that voice anywhere. I would crash into anything just to have that voice sing for me.

My girlfriend had an amazing voice. My girlfriend. My girlfriend. It was weird to even think. I had to roll it around in my head and in my mouth a few times for it even to sound right.

Before I dropped her off that night, I presented her with two folded cranes. Her eyes glowed in the dancing light of the flames as she set them on fire and gave my wishes to the universe. And as I'd predicted earlier, I went home with the knowledge that I would never forget that night.