Chapter 8: (three weeks later)

School began two weeks after the funeral and Don drove Kasey to school and then returned home to work out the details of his return to the spotlight. After the first day, Kasey asked to ride the bus like the other kids. She didn't want to be treated differently. Don reluctantly agreed.

And so it was that after she left for school, the members of Barrier Riff and their agent, Morty Andrews were gathered on Don's deck.

"Okay," Don said, breaking up the side conversations. "Here's how it's going down. You know I've been working on setting something up for Barrier Riff. And I've kept you all in the dark long enough. Monday, Labor Day, Barrier Riff is going to headline a show at the Festival Centre. Three local bands, Trueblood, Heyride, and Cmonster, will open the show. It will be a charity event. All proceeds go to the American Cancer Society. If I get my way it will be an annual event."

"I don't do charity for anyone," Key said, instantly angry. "Besides its only two weeks away, we haven't rehearsed. The new stuff isn't ready for the road yet."

Stix started to say something, but Don waved at him. "I had a feeling that might be the case. I will cover any expenses. If you need to be paid, I'll pay it. You let Morty know how much." Don turned to Bass and Stix.

Stix shook his head. "No way. I'm in. I think it's a great idea. In fact, I'll pay half of whatever WE have to pay."

Bass nodded. "I'm in. I'm not sure I want to contribute more, but I think it's a good idea too. It's about time we gave something back to the community."

Morty shrugged. "I can live without my percentage. The publicity alone is worth that."

"Okay then. We need to rehearse an hour show."

Keys was unhappy. They argued for an hour before finally agreeing on an hour show that could be ready in less than two weeks. Don turned Morty, Stix and Bass loose on some of the details that still needed to be worked out.

Wednesday morning found Axe Woodson on the steps of the Festival Center, surrounded by the media. He stepped up to the microphone. "Welcome. I told you Axe Woodson would be back and here I am. I'm pleased to announce that Barrier Riff, Trueblood, Heyride, and Cmonster will be performing here on Labor Day starting at 2pm; in a special charity event that I hope will become an annual event here in Central City. We are going to call it the Jessica Woodson Concert for Cancer. All proceeds from the show will go to the American Cancer Society in the hopes that someday a cure will be found and no one will have to go through the suffering that my wife and family did just a short time ago."

"Axe, will Barrier Riff be doing any songs from the new CD?" a voice shouted from the back.

"Anything is possible," Axe replied with a twinkle in his eye.

"What will the admission charge be?"

"We will be asking a dollar. Anything more will be graciously accepted."

The crowd was a buzz. Axe couldn't hear anymore direct questions, so he held his hands up and smiled. "Thank you for coming. I hope to see you all here Monday afternoon."

"I want to do something for the show, Monday, Dad," Kasey said, walking out to deck where Don sat with his acoustic guitar, picking and thinking.

"Okay, any ideas?"

Kasey shrugged.

"Can you play any instruments?"

"Sort of."

Don looked at her. Kasey shifted nervously. Taking a deep breath, Kasey said, "I can play guitar a little."

Don thought for a moment, watching as Kasey squirmed. "Okay. Sit."

Don disappeared into the house for a moment and returned with another acoustic guitar and a pick. He handed them to a clearly nervous Kasey.

"Relax, Kasey. I just want you to show me how well you can play. If you want to play with me there will be a lot more people watching you and listening to you."

Kasey nodded and strummed the strings. She took a deep breath and began to play "Lost Without You". Don watched and listened for a moment and then picked up his guitar and played along. After a bit, Don began to sing the song he had written nearly twelve years before. He was surprised when a clear soprano voice joined him for the chorus. Kasey sang along, sadly harmonizing with his baritone.

Don even picked a brief lead before ending the song. "Wow, when were you going to tell me?"

"I'm not that good, Dad," Kasey replied, blushing.

"Have you been playing long?"

"Jenny and I have been taking lessons from a friend since I turned fourteen. Mom bought me a guitar for my fifteenth birthday, but we sold it before we came here."

Don smiled. "Can you play that song with me in front of ten thousand people?"

"I-I-I don't know," Kasey replied. She straightened her back and looked Don directly in the eyes. "But I want to try."

"Okay. 'Lost Without You' is not on our set list. We need to practice this several times before the show."

Kasey nodded.

The Festival Centre was filled to capacity when Don stepped to the microphone. "Hello, Central City! Thank you for coming out and helping me. Are you ready to ROCK?"

The audience screamed its approval.

Cmonster's drummer began to tap his sticks together. Don raised his hands over his head and clapped along. The crowd joined him, filling the hall with the staccato beat. Don looked at the band behind for a moment before stepping back to the microphone. "Let's welcome Cmonster."

Cmonster opened the show, rocking the auditorium with their keyboard laced brand of music. The audience clapped and danced in their seats. Don tapped his foot as he watched from the side of the stage. Cmonster proved to be the perfect opening act for the show. Their up-tempo style grabbed the audience from the beginning. He smiled as he watched Hailey Marshall spin on her chair behind his black grand piano. He made a mental note to have the thing tuned right after the show. The way the blonde banged on the keys, it was bound to be out of tune by the end of the show.

When Cmonster finished their set, Heyride ran onto the stage. Don had arranged for all of the bands to use the same set up. Stix bought a new drum set just for the show and made sure that all of the drummers were comfortable with it. Don arranged for any and all of keyboards and amplifiers that the bands needed. Each band used its own guitars. This kept the breaks between bands down to just a few minutes.

Heyride and Trueblood played well, keeping the audience with them until finally, David Morris, the lead singer for Trueblood stood quietly at the microphone waiting for his band mates to leave the stage.

"Are you ready, Central City? Here's what we've been waiting for! Barrier Riff!"