Chapter 8: Love Walks In

Parking Area by Sammy’s Guest House

5:28pm, Thursday, November 15, 1979

“Hi, Dr. Candi,” I said after my computer materialized with her call as I stopped behind Cano’s Chevy Nova. “I’m doing well, thanks ... Yes, I think I’ll only miss the first quarter of the game as Mr. Williamson, our vice-principal, arranged for us to play a half-hour earlier, as well as get me a police escort to our game ... I guess you can cheer for Todd until I get there, but then you better be one-hundred for the boys, the Cowboys in scarlet and white! ... No, no, no! I don’t wanna hear that ... And just what does a mild case of Discoid Lupus mean? ... Oh, okay ... So, Lisa might have skin rashes pop up due to stress but basically, she’ll be fine as long as she takes care of herself and rests when she really needs to, huh? ... Gawd dang it! That isn’t what I wanted to hear from you ... Yes, I know you told me it was a possibility, but still ... Okay, okay ... Can, uh, can Lisa come out with us, tonight? ... No, we’re not practicing. We’re meeting with our former Time Bandit friends, who are in for this NIS band challenge ... Yes, Paul and Cathy, and their new band mates ... You’re sure? ... Okay, I’ll make sure she doesn’t get wound up and that she’s home early ... Thanks, DC ... I know you wanted a different outcome, too, but I’m glad you were there for her and found this out ... Yes. As long as I’m with or around her, I’ll keep an eye out on things, and get her to chill and rest if needed... ‘Kay, DC. I’ll see you at the game, tomorrow ... Alright. Miss you, too. Bye, Candi.”

That was a gut-wrenching conversation, and I had to just sit in my Barracuda for a few moments to decompress. While I was semi-prepared for Dr. Candi’s diagnosis and the prognosis for Lisa’s short and long-term health, just hearing that scary ass word, Lupus, set my heart to a fluttering.

Just then I thought, ‘This isn’t supposed to happen to Lisa. Lupus was a later development in Colleen McGinny’s life, after I went to graduate school in South Carolina.‘

Just then, my computer materialized off to my right and the message on the screen said, ‘Once more, not everything will proceed as in your former timeline.’ After reading that, a new sentence appeared, ‘Your friends and close relations are being influenced in ways even we couldn’t predict.’ Finally a last sentence came to the screen. ‘Life is a Lemon ... either be a sour-puss or make lemonade!‘

Seeing how I liked lemonade, I laughed out loud in my car and then pounded the steering wheel a few times before I reached to open my door. I didn’t make it half way from my car to the front of the guest house, before a screaming, raven-haired drummer girl, Cathy McGregory ran to greet me. I learned long ago with the Bandits/Bandettes to get myself braced for pouncing girls, and accepted my first girlfriend’s flying leap into my strong arms.

“Mike, Mike, Gawd! Mike ... I’m so happy to see you ... and be back ... in London!” Cathy squealed as she alternated stares and kisses between her greeting words.

“Well, I would say I’m glad to see you to, Cath, except that I’m wondering if you’re trying to kill me before our little NIS Band Competition,” I chuckled as I tightened my squeeze around Cathy’s still killer body.

“You know I still love you and wouldn’t dream of killing or hurting you or the Bandettes,” Cathy laughed as I spun her around before setting her back on the ground.

“Hey, Cuda!” Paul said as he stepped out of the guest house with a beautiful, petite blonde tucked under his right arm.

“Paulie! Looking good, Dude,” I said as I walked the short distance with my arm around Cathy’s shoulders. When I nodded at him and took a good look at the beauty alongside him, I added, “And the main reason he’s looking good is this beautiful, way out of his league girl by his side. I’m gonna go out on a limb here and say, ‘Hello, Miss Shania.’”

The five-foot-two-inch, leader of Paul and Cathy’s new band wore a sexy, herring-bone weave, tan-colored cowboy hat, which really matched her feathered, dirty blonde hair. Shania wore a royal blue, Lakehead University Thunderwolves sweatshirt, with an awesome ‘snarling wolf’ logo, and a pair of skintight black denim jeans. Her outfit wouldn’t be complete without a pair of rattlesnake-skin cowboy boots.

“Hi, Mike. I’m glad I finally get to meet the guy I’ve heard so much about from Paul and Cathy,” Shania said as my best friend and his girlfriend stepped from the entrance to come and shake my hand and share a hug.

“Only about twenty, twenty-five percent of what they told you will be accurate, if I had to guess,” I replied with a grin at my former neighbors.

“Yeah, this guy can’t sing or play guitar worth a lick, Shania,” Paul said with a smile.

“And he sure can’t play football well enough to lead his undefeated team to the championship game,” Cathy added with a head shake.

“Okay, okay. They may have reached fifty percent accuracy rate,” I laughed as I squeezed Cathy to my side, so we could enter the guest house.

“I tried to keep them in the house, Cuda, but when you just sat in your car, they couldn’t stand it,” Sammy laughed from the kitchen island.

“Ah, Cuda, er, Mike, this is Steve Deetson, our keyboardist and sometimes guitar player,” Paul said as a short and stocky, five-foot-seven blonde kid stepped up to shake my hand.

“Nice to meet you, Steve,” I said.

“Likewise, Mike,” Steve replied as he looked up at my face.

“What were you doing out in the car, Cuda?” Cano asked from alongside Sammy.

“Talking with Dr. Candi. Getting the...”

“What did she say about Lisa?” Sammy interrupted my reply.

“It’s a mix of good and somewhat bad news. That’s why I had to just sit there for a moment to accept what Dr. Candi said. Lisa has a mild cause of Discoid Lupus ... an auto-immune disorder that will mostly affect her skin and subcutaneous tissues.”

“Is she gonna be alright, with that Lupus thing?” Cathy asked.

“Doctor Candi said if she takes it easy when things get stressful, she should be good. She probably will have a few skin rashes and maybe some stiffness in her joints because of this but Candi told me Lisa’s internal organs shouldn’t be impacted by this type of Lupus.”

“Oh, God! That’s good to hear ... at least,” Cano replied with a sigh.

“Is your band mate, Lisa gonna be able to play, tomorrow?” Shania softly asked.

“No. She’s not even allowed to come to the challenge as the pressure and excitement could cause a flare-up of this new medical issue. Plus, she’s still pretty weak from her hospital stay,” I replied with a negative headshake.

“So, you’re gonna play bass, tomorrow, Sammy?” Paul asked with concern in his voice.

“Yuppers. We’re gonna do an acoustic cover song, so I don’t have to play bass on it, but I’ll be four-stringing it on our original and on that judges’ song.”

“And Mr. Williamson asked the NIS coordinator if they’d let you play with us, Paul, but we figured that wasn’t going to happen,” Cano added to Sammy’s statement.

“You know I would have done that in a heartbeat, guys,” Paul said as he and Shania sat in the loveseat.

“Oh, yeah, and we would have appreciated it,” I replied as I opened a Coke at the fridge. I then decided to change gears and said, “Dr. Candi said Lisa could come out to eat with us, but she couldn’t get wound up, and that she had to get home to bed by nine-ish. I’m gonna call over to their place and let Ant know we’ll meet them at Mario’s, ‘bout six-thirty. Is that a good time for everyone?”

Everyone quickly said that six-thirty was good with them, so I thought, ‘Call Brick’s house,’ and immediately my computer appeared on the kitchen island.

“Whoa! Shit! What the hell just happened?” Steve exclaimed from the recliner.

“Cuda’s up to one of his old tricks,” Cathy laughed and patted Steve on his shoulder.

“I’ll explain it to you, and Steve ... in a sec, Shan,” Paul said and then pulled his shocked looking girlfriend against his chest.

After I talked with Eda and then Anthony over my computer’s telephone connection and heard their mother say it was fine for Lisa to go to dinner, Paul set about educating his girlfriend and their keyboardist on this Energist’s gift. Cathy remembered to say, “We couldn’t tell you about any of this before, because we are prevented from accessing any of this knowledge without Mike being around to participate in these Energist discussions.”

“So ... that device is an alien type of communication system?” Shania asked with the sparkle back in her green eyes.

“Yes. It’s also an amazing information device, which helps me when I need access to something from my future-past,” I replied.

“You’re really from the future ... but on a second journey through high-school?” Steve asked for additional clarification.

“He is. Believe it or not, Cuda was only about five-nine and a buck-sixty, last time through high school,” Paul said with a grin.

“Holy moly! What are you now, Mike?” Shania asked as she sat up in the loveseat.

“He’s about six-three and two-twenty-five, give or take a pound or two,” Sammy said as she, Cano and I came and sat on the leather sofa with our drinks.

“That is big-time different,” Steve chortled from the recliner.

The seven of us chatted about our music, and how Shania finally convinced Paul that country music wasn’t the ‘Anti-Christ’ genre of music. We all laughed when Cathy added that Shania’s ruby red lips were the main factor in that musical conversion.

“Can you blame me?” Paul laughed and gently used his fingers to turn Shania’s face to his for a demonstration of that final conversion aspect.

“The bedroom is back there,” Cano chuckled when Paul and Shania didn’t seem to want to stop their tonsil hockey match.

Right before six, I said, “Will you guys care if I run and get Tempe? She’ll want to see Lisa, and you guys, too.”

“If Anthony is there, why don’t you bring T-Sully, too?” Sammy asked with a smile.

“I will see if Miss Tina wants to come with us,” I replied with a smile. I then added, “I’m gonna head out to get those girls and I’ll see you guys down at Mario’s.”

“Drive smart in your ‘Purple-B-Cuda-Machine’, Cuda,” Cano replied with a smile.

“You know it, Cano. Later,” I replied as I pulled on my leather football jacket, and then put on my pair of thin, leather driving gloves.

Mario’s Pizzeria, London, Ontario

6:41pm, Thursday, November 15, 1979

“Remember, Tempe, you can’t go crazy when you see Brick,” I laughingly reminded the older of my two girlfriends.

“I know. I know that Lis can’t get all excited and stuff, Mike. I’m just gonna give her a hug and kiss, ‘kay?” Tempe exhaustedly said after hearing my description of Dr. Candi’s health summary for Lisa.

“We’ll both give her a hug and kiss, B-G.”

“No, we’ll all give her a hug and kiss,” Cathy added from a few seats down at our large table.

“Hey, Ant!” Tina said a few moments later as her boyfriend led Lisa, Eda and Mikey into Mario’s.

“Ciao, guys!” Eda said as she saw us and our former band mates at the table. “Hey, Cathy, Paul!”

“How you doing, E?” Cathy rhetorically replied.

“How are you doing, Brick?” Paul honestly asked as the thinner, fourteen-year-old stepped up to the table as Tempe and I got up to welcome her.

“I’ve been better, but I’ve sure as shootin’ been worse ... like last Sunday and Monday,” Brick softly laughed. “It’s wonderful to see you and Cathy, again, Paul.”

“Before you guys sit down, I’d like you to meet my girlfriend, Shania and our band’s keyboard player, Steve, Steve Deetson,” Paul replied with a grin on his face.

“Hi, Shania, Steve,” Eda replied as she reached over the table to lightly shake both of their hands. “I’m Eda or E, and these guys are my brothers, Anthony and Mikey, and...”

“And I’m Lisa...”

“Or Brick, as in the Commodores’ song,” Cathy laughed to interrupt the interrupter.

“Nice to meet you, guys, and I’m glad you’re feeling better, Lisa,” Shania said with a smile.

We twelve teens, plus Mikey Masciotro had a good time chatting as we ate our pizzas, panzerottis, and/or a Greek salad for Shania. As I knew would happen, Paul took center stage with his humorous tales of Timmins, or as he put it, ‘Bum-fuck Egypt-North’. Shania and Steve also added that last winter, it got so cold that the tires on the vehicles froze, and that they ‘thumped’ for about five minutes until they heated up enough to ‘round-out’ like normal tires.

At about eight-thirty, things were winding down. I could tell that Lisa was definitely dragging, even though she was enjoying real conversation for the first time in a week. I also knew she wasn’t one-hundred percent because she barely ate one slice of pizza and two pieces of cheese bread.

Thinking of Lisa and her not being there in the morning, it triggered a reminder in my mind. I said, “E, remember to bring Lisa’s birth certificate with you in the morning. I know they have copies of them with our application, but with Lisa not there, Mr. Williamson thought it would be good to have her real certificate to show the NIS people.”

“We all brought our birth certificates to show them,” Steve Deetson added from the middle of the large table.

“All of us should probably bring them, too,” Cano added, which Sammy and I quickly agreed with.

Most of us laughed when Lisa wished Paul, Cathy, Shania and Steve good luck, tomorrow, but added, “As long as you’re good with finishing second to my Mike and the Bandettes.”

“We know we’re the underdogs to you guys in this competition,” Cathy laughed, trying to play a little mind game now that our ending conversation turned to tomorrow’s band challenge.

“Don’t even go there, Cathy,” Sammy chuckled as they stared each other down.

“Heck, we’re the one playing with a jury-rigged lineup without Bricky, so how can you be the underdogs?” Cano zinged in reply.

“How ‘bout both of your bands do the best you can and let the chips fall where they may?” Anthony added hoping to end this game of ‘downplaying’ before it really got started.

“Here, here, Ant,” Tempe laughed as she walked towards the exit with Lisa’s arm around her shoulders.

“You’re gonna get me for the party, ain’t you, Mike?” Lisa asked as we loitered near the exit of Mario’s.

“If you’re up for coming, darn straight I’ll be over to get you, Bricky,” I replied with a smile.

“Oh, Cano! Good luck with your basketball game, tomorrow afternoon,” Lisa said as Paul held the door for us to go into this darn chilly November night.

“Thanks, Brick. Hopefully, we shouldn’t have too much trouble with Sarnia St. Pat’s. We beat them by twenty-three points earlier this season,” Lynette replied as she did up the buttons on her scarlet and black leather, Medway letterman jacket.

“Press the crap out of ‘em, Cano,” I said with a smile.

All of us but the Masciotro kids headed north to our three vehicles, as Anthony parked in the Galleria lot to the south. Sammy was giving the four Shania Twain Band members a ride back to the Holiday Inn in her Bronco, while Lynette headed northwest, to her home in Komoka.

“How many pounds do you think Lisa lost in the hospital, Mike?” Tempe asked as we drove past St. Joe’s Hospital on Richmond Street.

“Not sure. If I had to guess, I bet she’s about ninety-four ... ninety-six pounds now, down from her massive one-oh-one or two pounds,” I hesitantly replied.

“She definitely didn’t have much to lose ... other than from her boobs,” Tina chuckled, trying to lighten the direction of this conversation.

“And they didn’t look a whole lot smaller than normal,” Tempe laughed as she turned in her passenger seat to face her sister.

“Once she gets back to herself, she’ll put that weight back on, I’m sure,” I said as I slowed for a red light at the entrance to UWO.

“She hardly ate a slice of pizza,” Tempe added.

“Her stomach is probably still a little wonky, Tempe,” Tina rightly said.

When we drove by Sammy’s estate, I asked, “Are you gonna ride in the limo with us, down to the JLC in the morning, Tempe?”

“Can I?”

“I’ll come by and pick you up around eight-thirty, and you can help us pack our instruments in the trailer. I think the plan is to ride down there around nine-forty-five.”

“I’d love to help you and then ride with you,” Tempe enthusiastically said, and then added, “I was just thinking about what to say to you, later tonight, because I didn’t think I’d get to see you before your concert and game.”

“You were gonna come to the band challenge, even if you weren’t with us in the morning, right?”

“Oh, yeah, but I just wasn’t sure I’d see you. I figured you’d be back stage and who’d know if I’d be able to see or talk with you,” Tempe replied.

“Good point. I’m not sure how things are going to be run down there. Oh, remember to dress warmly, ‘cause you’ll be leaving the JLC for the football game,” I said.

“Ant and I will be at the game to cheer you on, Mike,” Tina said as I pulled into their drive.

“Thanks, T-Sully.”

“You wanna come in for a minute or two, Mike?” Tempe asked.

“Yeah, I’ll run in for a second,” I replied as I opened my car door. “Remember to announce I’m here,” I laughed as I followed the two Sullivan beauties up their front porch.

“Hah, yeah,” Tina huffed as she opened the glass door.

“Hey, Mom, Dad? We’re home and Mike is with us!” Tempe yelled.

“We’re in the den,” Mr. Sullivan replied.

When we walked into the den, Mr. Sullivan had a strategically placed his Hockey News magazine over his crotch, while the girls’ mom had a throw pillow across her naked lap as they sat in matching recliners. Other than those to items, neither of the Sullivan parents made much effort to hide their nude bodies from my sight.

“How was dinner, and how is Lisa?” Mrs. Sullivan asked to none of us in particular.

“Panzerottis are always good. Lisa is doing better, but she’s still a little out of sorts,” Tempe replied as she pulled me down beside her on the couch.

“Lisa has been diagnosed with a minor case of Lupus, Mom,” Tina added which immediately got the attention of both adults.

“It’s not affecting her organs, is it?” Mrs. Sullivan asked in a concerned tone.

“Not according to Dr. Wellend,” I replied. “Dr. Wellend said the blood tests have high markers for the Discoid or skin type form of Lupus. If Lisa has an episode, it should be in her skin or subcutaneous tissues.”

“For lupus, that’s the best form to have,” Mr. Sullivan replied.

“Our aunt has a bad case of Lupus, Mike,” Tempe said in a hushed tone.

“My sister is in and out of hospitals with kidney and liver issues from that crazy disease,” Mrs. Sullivan added to her youngest daughter’s words.

“Hopefully, Lisa’s condition can be handled without a lot of medical care. Dr. Wellend just said she needs to take care of herself and listen to her body. She’s also out of commission for another week or so, as far as our band or sports go,” I said.

“She’s probably lost about five or six pounds from her hospital stay,” Tina informed her parents.

“Hopefully, it’s from her boobs. That poor girl can’t afford to lose weight from any other place,” Mrs. Sullivan chuckled.

“I think her boobs were spared from that weight loss, Momma,” Tempe replied with a silly grin on her face.

Mike’s House, Bryanston

6:51am, Friday, November 16, 1979

“Do you want me to come to your band competition, Mike?” my mother asked as I was making headway on a stack of pancakes and a large side of bacon.

“If you’re good with seeing your sixteen-year-old boy playing naked with three equally naked girls, then sure,” I replied before shoveling in another mouthful of breakfast.

“Well, if you win this thing ... or come in second, all of Canada will be seeing you and the Bandettes in the all-together,” my mom laughed.

“That still is pretty dang scary thought,” I replied with a negative head shake. I then added, “You’re gonna be at my game, aren’t you?”

“I’m planning on going ... right after your band competition.”

“Are you coming, Dad?”

“I think I’ll pack up early and head over to it your game ... probably get there around half-time; say two or two-thirty,” my dad replied from the den.

“That will be great, Dad,” I said before chowing down on the last bite of my four pancakes. On this second journey through high school, my dad had already been to more of my football and basketball games than he did my entire previous five years of high school. (Note: We had a ‘college-prep’ grade 13, in Ontario at that time.)

John Labatt Center, London

10:12am, Friday, November 16, 1979

“Hey, E! Do you need help getting your drums set up on that portable stand?” Cathy McGregory asked as we moved out instruments from our band’s trailer.

“Thanks, Cathy. That’ll be great. You guys are already set up?” Eda replied.

“No sense sitting round the Holiday Inn,” Shania replied with a smile as she took the bass guitar case from Sammy’s hand.

“Do you know where we go to check in?” I asked as I set both of my electric guitars down on the corner of that portable stand.

“Down that hallway to the first left. Then, the registration room is the first room on the left,” Paul replied with a nod as carried Cano’s keyboard stand to the cart.

“You coming with me, Sammy?” I asked as I pulled all of our paperwork and birth certificates from my book bag.

“You guys good with me buggin’ out on you for a second?” Sammy asked Cano, Eda and the Shania Twain Band folks.

“With Cuda in charge of our paperwork, I’d feel better if you were there,” Cano chuckled and then quickly danced back a few steps from my arm’s reach.

“You’re lucky you have some pretty big basketball games, Cano, or I swear...” I laughed at my former girlfriend.

“And I’d hate to have to hurt you with your championship game, later,” Cano replied with a smile as she did her best Mohammed Ali, ‘Floats like a butterfly and stings like a bee‘ footwork and arm motion routine.

“Oooh! This oughta be good,” Tempe chimed in as she rubbed her hands together.

Just as I was about to playfully get into it with Cano, Sammy easily put a stop to our silly show by grabbing my left wrist. With a slight twist, our resident black-belt had me nearly on my knees before she released her grip.

“Holy crap!” Steve Deetson exclaimed as he watched my five-six, one-hundred and twelve pound band mate easily control my six-three, two-hundred and twenty-five pound body.

“Yeah, Steve ... don’t ever mess with Ms. Wushu,” Paul laughed as he gave Steve a gentle punch on his shoulder.

“So, Sammy is that? Your... ?” Steve softly asked and then halted his inquiry when both Paul and Shania nodded their heads affirmatively.

“C’mon, Cuda. Let’s get this check-in process done,” Sammy said as she swatted me on my back and ducked in anticipation of a return love-tap.

In the check-in room, both Sammy and I stopped dead in our tracks as we saw two people familiar with our music. Sitting at the judges’ table were Dr. Younger, the music professor from Western’s Althouse College, and Mr. Jeffery, the owner of the Aeolian Hall concert venue here in London.

“Do you see... ?” Sammy started to say before I said,

“We, uh, do you think they know we’re in this competition?”

“They have to know ... our entry and all our paperwork has been in for a while now,” Sammy whispered and then added, “Should be go up to them and say hello?”

“Yes, but I think we need to let the NIS coordinator person know that we’ve had dealings with two of the five, no, six judges,” I replied.

“That won’t put us in a bad light?” Sammy softly asked.

“Wouldn’t it put us in a worse light, if we don’t disclose that we’ve done concerts for both of those judges?” I replied in a hushed voice.

“Michael Nevins and Samantha Labatt, it’s good to see you here,” Mr. Jeffery said as he stood up at his table and waved to us.

“Mr. Jeffery, good morning. Dr. Younger, it’s nice to see you here, too. We didn’t know you were going to be judges at this competition,” Sammy said as we walked towards their table.

“Well, we have experience in the music business,” Dr. Younger laughed as he stood up and extended his hand to me and Sammy.

“We, ah, are there going to be any issues with you and our band, you know because we’ve played... ?” I asked as I shook the music professor’s hand.

“No, no. We have informed the NIS coordinator that we have heard you, or had you play at my venue. I do think it would be good, though, if you went over and mentioned this to Ms. Trasker, the NIS official in charge,” Mr. Jeffery replied.

“That was what we were saying when we saw both of you at the judges’ table,” I said as I lightly elbowed Sammy’s arm.

“I think that will show well for you. Letting the people in charge know you were concerned about a possible conflict of interest,” Mr. Jeffery said.

“Did you see Paul and Cathy McGregory? They’re in the Shania... ?” Sammy asked.

“Yes, I talked with all four of the Shania Twain Band members. Your former band mates have definitely made a change from a true rock band to a country-rock oriented band,” Dr. Younger said with a smile.

“We also suggested that they let Ms. Trasker know about their more minimal relationship to me,” Mr. Jeffery said.

“Do you know how many schools have bands in this competition?” I asked to either of these gentlemen.

“There are fifteen bands signed up to compete. Your band is one of two from the London area,” Mr. Jeffery replied.

“What is the other London band or school?” Sammy asked.

“They are from Beal, and I believe they are a jazz oriented group called, The Brass Bones,” Mr. Jeffery replied.

“I’ve heard of them, but haven’t seen them play,” Sammy said, and I nodded that I was in the same boat with her.

“Well, you kids better go sign in, and make sure you get with Ms. Trasker. She’s wearing that blue and gold dress by the registration table,” Dr. Younger said.

“Good luck to you,” Mr. Jeffery added as Sammy and I nodded at them and turned to head to that sign-in table.

At the registration table, Sammy and I turned in our completed paperwork, and our ‘mini-biographies’, and then showed all five of our band member’s birth certificates. The lady at the table thanked us for bringing them, as it made checking our ages a lot easier for her. I noticed she underlined Lisa’s name and birthdate on her master list of names. She then put a ‘14’ beside our youngest band member’s name.

We informed her that Lisa was out sick, and would not be here to perform with us.

“Will she be performing with you, if you win or finish second?” the lady asked.

“Yes, most definitely. She was in the hospital with that wicked flu until yesterday, and her doctor said she couldn’t do anything strenuous until next week,” Sammy replied.

“Are you able to cover for her ... you know with your band?”

“Yes. We’ve reworked a few things, and I think we’ll manage,” I replied with a smile. I then added, “Sammy here is able to play several instruments and she’s playing the bass for Lisa.”

“Well, good luck ... Mike and I’m guessing, one of the Time Bandettes,” the lady said with a slight chuckle.

“Thanks,” both Sammy and I replied. I took our small birth certificate ID cards back from this registration person and we turned to walk over to Ms. Trasker.

“Excuse us, Ma’am,” I said as the NIS band challenge coordinator was looking at some of the mini-biographies of already signed in competitors. “We’re here for the challenge and I just wanted to inform you that our band, Mike and the Time Bandettes have had prior performances involving two of your judges, Mr. Jeffery and Dr. Younger. We just felt it was right to let you know we have played for those two gentlemen.”

“Well, thank you very much for telling me this,” Ms. Trasker replied with a smile. “I already knew that Mr. Jeffery had your band play at his concert hall, as well as your performance at the professor’s daughter’s school. Both gentlemen have assured me that they will be impartial during this competition. I do appreciate you coming to me. It shows to your character ... what we want to see in all of the students who have gone through our NIS program.”

“Ms. Trasker, do you think we’ll get to do our performance before noon? Mike, here is the quarterback of our school’s undefeated team, and their championship game starts at one o’clock over at Western,” Sammy softly asked.

“We’re going to get started right at eleven,” she replied with a smile. “You kids will be the third band to perform, since you’ve switched spots with Mrs. McGregory’s kids’ band. I kinda doubt we’ll pick up time as we go. If anything, I half-way think we’ll lose a bit of time with each band’s performance and transitions. Good thing is that with you going third, so that delay should be kept to a minimum. I’m about to get our judges to their positions and have our first band up and ready.”