The dark Malibu pulled over suddenly. Jake must have recognized Nat too. They exchanged hello's and he introduced Nat to John, Stone, and Pat. John and Pat seemed ok enough but Stone was sneaky and overanxious. Nat and Jake talked about what they had been up to since they last saw each other while the others stared and waited patiently in the car. Finally the guys asked her into the bar they were right outside and she agreed.
Nat sat surrounded by three awkward but interesting people. She felt their stares but when she would stare back they would turn their heads and pretend not to be staring. She heard Jake fill them in on Nat as they walked in and could only imagine what was running through their heads at that time. John sat closest to her, and he looked stressed but his eyes were kind. She wasn't threatened by him. As they started to converse, Nat felt uninterested and began to drift into the music that was playing in the background. She began to sing along with it. It was "Alone" by the group Heart, and she loved that song.
John slowly turned to her and commented on her voice. He said she should try and work in the music industry. She commented that it hadn't gotten her anywhere yet. "Have you ever recorded anything?" he asked." I do not have the time or the money". she said. Nat recognized his voice from the radio. When she put things together in her head she realized that she might have just walked into an excellent opportunity. From that moment on their conversation seemed endless. John had to mention that her work was not for her, of course, and so she gave him hints on helping her get out of that occupation. Four drinks and many laughs later they both realized that they had developed a knew friendship. With one of his cards in her hand and an extra skip in her step, she hailed a cab with the last ten dollars she had. She would be going home alone tonight.