“Just listen,” she pled, “you don’t have to perform in front of a crowd.”
“Okay, so you’re saying we’ll just go to Machu Picchu when no one else is there? Like when does that happen?”
Adrienne grinned. “Midnight.” She shivered with anticipation. “It’ll be so cool.”
“Why am I doing this?” Nick asked, slowly returning to his seat.
“Listen, I didn’t say anything at the time, but you should know, I really disagreed with Manuel’s answer in the taxi.”
“Who is this Manuel?” Jose asked.
“Our taxi driver,” Nick told him.
“Just because you don’t want or need money doesn’t mean that there aren’t a lot of others you can help who do,” Adrienne said.
“This is true,” a man at a nearby table said. “My sister’s family lost their home in a fire last week. Her six children are now sleeping on my kitchen floor.”
“We could hold a benefit concert!” a woman at his table chirped.
Nick’s grip on the table tightened.
“But,” Adrienne said, reading Nick’s nervousness, “this is exactly what he can’t do.”
“But maybe we could do something like I saw on an old Flintstones episode,” Jose put in.
Nick sucked in a deep breath, and Adrienne feared he was gathering steam before exploding.
“Barney Rubble couldn’t sing in front of a crowd—he could only perform in the shower,” Jose said. “Maybe you could try singing in the next room. We could set up a microphone so everyone could hear you.”
Adrienne watched indecision flicker through Nick’s eyes.
“It would be pretty cool to go to Machu Picchu at midnight,” he said.
Jose slapped his hand on the table. “Let’s try it!”
“Machu Picchu?” Nick asked.
“No!” Jose stretched across the table so he could slap Nick on the side of the head. “You sing in the next room.” He nodded in that direction. “Everyone will listen out here.”
“I don’t know…” Nick drew out the words.
“One song,” Jose wheedled. “A short one,” he added when Nick didn’t respond right away. “Two to three minutes tops. Anyone can do anything for two minutes.”
“So not true,” Nick said. “You can’t hold your breath for two minutes. You can’t stand in a fire for two minutes or swim in icy waters for two minutes. Did you know that if it’s twenty below and you spit, your spit will freeze before hitting the ground?”
“No one is asking you to brave fire or ice,” Jose said.
“The café will be less crowded than the weddings where you have performed,” Adrienne said. “I’m wondering what’s the problem.”
Nick swallowed and shook his head. “You’re right, it shouldn’t be a big deal.”
“Hooray!” Jose exclaimed. “I’ll set up the microphone.”
“And I’m going to the beach.” Nick pushed to his feet.
“Fine, but be back here at eight,” Jose said before standing and announcing to the crowd, “All of tonight’s proceeds will go to the Hernandez family!”
#
