Her name was Sienna.
I guess I had known her for all of her life, but I really didn't get to know her until she had become was about ten.
I knew her parents. In fact we got together at least once a month. I worked the soundboard for a group that they were in. I didn't have to be there for every practice, but at least once a month and at performances I was there.
Sienna has 2 older siblings but her closest sister was 4 years older than her. That is why at about 10 she came into my life on a regular basis. Her older sister was "too busy" to babysit her younger sister. So she tagged along to the rehearsal. Her mom, Clara, told her to sit quietly and wait. It would only be about an hour and a half and then they would leave.
She saw me sitting at the soundboard and asked her mother if it was okay to sit and watch me. She said, "Yes, but only if Kurt says it is okay." I told her that it would be no problem, and from then on Sienna sat next to me and I showed her what I was doing.
A few years of this went by and even when she was old enough to be home alone she would still choose to be there at every performance and almost every rehearsal.
I heard all about the "school drama" and the "boy drama" and listened as she went through the narcissistic phase that all teenagers go through.
At eighteen she went off to college and I hadn't seen her again for about two years. It was the night of a big performance. The group was to be in a lineup of 5 groups with a combined performance at the end. I needed to be at the venue, an hour and a half away, at about 1:00 to set up the equipment. It was going to be a long day.
My group was scheduled to play second so about 2:00 they all walked in and then I saw Sienna.
Two years had done wonders. At eighteen she was just getting out of her awkward teenage years. But at 20 she was definitely a woman.
She came right over to where I was sitting and sat down like she had done so many times before. "Well, hello stranger." I said. "Hello Kurt. I wondered if you'd remember me." "I remember a skinny kid that used to sit and watch me work the soundboard, talk about school and boys. You look a little like her but you're no longer a skinny kid. You're definitely a young woman now."
She blushed a little. "Well, mom said this was going to be a big show. So since I just got back for winter break I figured I'd check it out. She seemed to appreciate that. You have to throw the parents a bone every once in a while."
"Well, I'm glad to have the company."
We sat and talked, caught up on life. School was going well. Soon it was like old times, comfortable, talking about anything and everything.
Rehearsal went well and I had a chance to talk to the other groups and their sound techs. Coordinating five groups equipment, where and when to move equipment into position and where to put it after each group plays, took a little time and it seemed like it might be a logistical nightmare. Each group had about 10 to 15 minutes in between sets to get their gear in place and the other group's gear moved out of the way.
Finally it was concert time and our group did very well. The crowd really got into them. After they got done I hopped up onto the stage and moved our gear back and out of the way. Sienna helped me and we worked together like a well oiled machine. I couldn't help but watch her curvy body move about the stage. I noticed the other techs eyeing her also.
We then took a seat in the audience to watch and wait for the final part when I would need to work the soundboard again.
At about 9:00 Sienna's mom, Clara, came over to where we were sitting and told me, "It's snowing pretty hard out there." I checked radar on my phone and saw a huge storm coming over Lake Michigan from Wisconsin. "Wow, that looks bad."
"I'm going to talk to the other groups and see what they want to do. I'll be back in a few minutes."
I looked at my phone and thought to myself, "There is one more group after the group on stage then their combined event. After I pack up I won't be out of here until midnight. Then in this storm I won't be home till 2:30, if not later." I don't mind driving at night but I definitely don't like white knuckle driving.
Sienna leaned over and looked at my phone. "I'm glad I'm not driving in that. I hate to drive at night, let alone in a snowstorm." "Yeah it looks like it will be slow going." I said.
Clara came back, "I spoke to some of the other groups and they still want to do the combined performance. They think that we can share sound equipment for that performance. That means that you can get an early start back. Hopefully you can miss the worst of the storm."
"What about you guys?"
"A number of the groups live in town here and they said we could crash with them if we didn't want to try to drive. You'll be hauling the trailer with the gear. You'll have a hard enough time getting home if you leave now, let alone if you stay to the end."
"I think that may be a good idea. I have an appointment at 10:00 tomorrow morning that I can't miss, otherwise I'd just stay tonight too."
"Alright then. Can you get all the equipment off the stage during the next break?"
"Yeah, no problem if Sienna will help me."
Sienna looked at me and said, "Yes, if you can do something for me?"
"And what would that be?" I asked quizzically.
"Can I go back with you and have you drop me off at home?"
"Yeah, but you'll miss your parents combined performance."
"Mom is that okay?"
"It is okay with me as long as it is okay with Kurt. Do you mind dropping her off?"