Jack Of Arts

"Thank you, sir! You won't regret hiring me."

Rudy already actually intended to hire Tayaw right after his audition. He just talked to Tayaw to assess how much he is willing to pay Tayaw for his gigs, and if Tayaw will be a consistent musician. There's also an additional advantage that Rudy realized while talking with Tayaw.

If Tayaw makes it big in the future, it will be a great benefit to his bar. Just like those famous athletes who give credit to training centers and coaches that helped those athletes in their achievements, Tayaw can also give ROH Factor a similar accreditation.

"I will hire you, just not now. Unfortunately, I cannot promise you any gigs for the rest of August. Unless of course a band or a singer backs out from their gigs, I will find you as their substitute. By the way, are you planning on going to the university?" Despite Rudy's assessment of Tayaw, he cannot just cancel his finalized arrangements with the musicians he already booked. He also took in consideration Tayaw's time with his education.

"Yes sir, I've already enrolled to Northwestern to study engineering. If you're worried about time, I've already arranged my schedule so that I can be free after 5:00 pm." Tayaw explained to Rudy that he can juggle his time well.

"That's reassuring. Being a minor though, I can only give you gigs that you can finish before 9:00, with enough time to go home before the 10pm curfew. Too bad, you can't see the peak hours of the bar." Rudy said, immediately planning which hours to put Tayaw in.

"That's very nice of you, sir." Tayaw said, grateful for the boss' consideration.

"On the other hand, why engineering, kid? There are some good musical colleges and institutes around, why not just capitalize on your already existing skills? You're going to Northwestern, right? I heard they have a budding Bachelor of Music course there." Rudy asked, confused about Tayaw's decision of his major.

"It's actually my first choice sir. But knowing my parents, they would rather have me study another degree. I also understand that it's rare for musicians to have a stable income, so I'd rather choose a more stable path to not worry my parents. I also have been dabbling in civil engineering knowledge since I was in middle school, so I'm confident I'm going to do well getting my engineering degree." Tayaw explained.

He made up a convincing reason based on his real situation. His parents currently only know that he plays the guitar as a hobby. His experiences as a real civil engineer, he disguised as a childhood interest.

"With your skills, I thought that your parents will appreciate it more. Fill this out and leave your contact number." With a sigh, Rudy pulled out a slip of paper and handed it to Tayaw. Tayaw L. Dagem, 17 y/o, acoustic guitar, 082-313-xxxx, TIN no: 252-915-xxx, in a short while, Tayaw was done filling out the form.

"Don't be complacent with the skills you already have. In fact, also try dabbling in songwriting. Only musicians who can make good songs are the ones who will become rich. Anyway, welcome to ROH Factory." Rudy said to Tayaw as he looked at his watch, signaling the end of the conversation. Rudy stood up and shook Tayaw's hands. It was already 5:30 when they left the office.

As they were passing the green room, Rudy suddenly said "Tayaw, why don't you play some ambience music with your guitar on stage? The opening act will not arrive until right before her performance gig at 6:00. I can pay you 14BGC for your trouble and extra if you can set up the equipment for the first singer." Tayaw also agreed the idea as he unpacked his guitar from its case.

Rudy headed for the kitchen and Tayaw headed for the bar room and stepped on the stage once again. He noticed that the bar room is still empty aside from a few couples already ordering from the servers. Not bothering with this, he plugged in his guitar and played with the speakers and microphone.

The sounds from the speaker gathered the attention of the few patrons of the bar, but went on with their own thing after seeing that Tayaw was only setting up the sound system.

After setting everything up quickly, Tayaw was satisfied and picked up his guitar. He chose not to play anything complicated. He just played some chord progressions with charming finger style picking. He modified the chords in their respective forms to fit finger style instrumentals, which gave the bar room a relaxing feeling.

Despite the well sound-proofed bar room, Tayaw's playing, amplified by the speakers, spilled out into the street outside because of the opened doors. This also prompted many passersby to take a look at the inside of the bar, some even deciding to take a sit and called for servers.

At 6:00, the seats in the bar room are now more occupied. A petite girl in simple blue t-shirt and jeans walked out from the back stage with her encased digital piano she carried like a backpack. Seeing the petite girl carrying a keyboard almost as tall as her on her back, Tayaw suppressed a giggle and finished playing with a satisfying series of chords and the guitar picking slowing down to a stop. Tayaw unplugged his guitar and stepped down the stage.

"Hello Ma'am. I'm Tayaw. The stage is all ready for you." Tayaw walked to the musician and greeted her. He was surprised that the petite girl isn't a girl but a young lady who he estimates to be in her mid-20s judging from her face.

The musician, having a closer look, was surprised at how young Tayaw is. But as she remembered the consistent and uninterrupted guitar music she heard from the back stage, she assumed that Tayaw is the new musician hired by the boss.

"Hey kid. You're the new guy? Nice playing by the way." The musician replied as well at Tayaw's casual but polite greeting. "Thanks ma'am. I had an audition just an hour ago, and the boss was satisfied. He can't give me gigs yet because the schedule is full." Tayaw replied.

"Stop with the ma'am. Just call me big sis, or just Amelie. I heard the boss said you set the speakers up for me, so thanks. When I was passing by the kitchen earlier, I thought I was going to be replaced when I heard someone was already playing." Amelie said with a laugh.

"No need for the thanks, sister Amelie. I am going to get paid for it anyway. There are already enough people; I think they're ready for you." Tayaw said, happy that he made a good impression on Amelie. Amelie then stepped on to the stage and unpacked her keyboard.

Tayaw also headed for the backstage to look for the boss, who he found is back in his office. After getting his pay, a generous $10 for a thirty minute casual guitar play in Tayaw's part, he bid farewell to the boss. He also left through the main entrance of the bar to wave goodbye at the performing Amelie. When he stepped on the sidewalk on the street, he easily found a cab with no passenger and hailed it.

There is a smile plastered in his face on his cab ride back to his dorm. As he looked at the View Points on the top of his field of vision, it still remained at "0". Tayaw was not bothered, as the day was much more valuable for him than the unknown View Point.